The Auto Club of iPhones? There's an App for That.

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We all know someone (or are someone) with a cracked iPhone screen. It’s an epidemic akin to chicken pox — it’s bound to get to you eventually. For those unable to function with a wounded device, AJ Forsythe’s iCracked app is the way to go. Similar to AAA for car owners, iCracked puts users in contact with local technicians who can be summoned at the tap of a finger. The technicians can then try to repair the phone or sell the user a new device on the spot .

What’s the Big Idea?

In an interview with The Washington Post, Forsythe tells the history of iCracked, it’s humble beginnings at his undergrad and its transition into a full-fledged business in Dallas, his hometown. It’s a classic startup origin story featuring such elements as the tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt that got it going and partnerships with developers in Romania that helped Forsythe take the next step.

The service now employs over 500 “iTechs” who can be summoned to fix your iPhone, iPod, or iPad for a predetermined price. iCracked also includes an experimental “Express Sell” feature where owners of broken devices can choose to sell them. Forsythe seems most excited about this feature, claiming that there is over $13 billion worth of busted devices out there just collecting dust with only this guy to hand them off to.