Although I’ve pined for a new iPhone for a few years, particularly around the dates in which Apple releases new models (they did so last week), I’ve been happy with my old iPhone 6s, for the most part. It makes and receives phone calls without a problem, and when it’s time to take a photo, I always carry a pocket camera with me to do the job. But my aging phone’s battery has been losing its ability to keep the charge over the past few months and a faulty charging plug finally died yesterday, leaving me incommunicado.

What do you do when your iOS device dies in Puerto Vallarta? Just like north of the border, there are official repair options through Apple, but how did you feel the last time you had to spend even a few hours without your cell phone, let alone having to ship it to Guadalajara or Mexico City with the uncertainty that it is even salvageable?

I followed a friend’s advice and took my patient to Unlock Vallarta, a shop in Pitillal that specializes in iOS device maintenance and repair. Once there, I made sure that the connector could be repaired before considering a battery replacement, something that a couple of friends had already suggested to me. Unlock Vallarta was able to perform both tasks for less than $1,000 MXN ($50 USD). All I had to do is head over to my favorite taco place in Pitillal and grab lunch there. Some 40 minutes later, the iPhone was ready, and as good as new!

Unlock Vallarta is not an authorized Apple repair center, as far as I can tell, but they do offer a 45-day guarantee on all their services. When it comes to photography or electronics, I would always choose and recommend an authorized repair center whenever possible. But I felt perfectly at ease trusting Unlock Vallarta with my older iPhone. If you dread parting from yours when it fails, try Unlock Vallarta. They are one block away from Pitillal’s main plaza at Hidalgo 210, or find them on Facebook.