So, you’re thinking about repairing your own iPhone.
Well, we have some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that the most common iPhone repairs are pretty easy to do and will only
take about an hour.
The bad news is, Apple really doesn’t want you to fix your own phone, so they’ve put
some annoying roadblocks in your way.
Here are 5 things you need to know before you repair your own iPhone.
First things first: You’re locked out Unless you have specialized screwdrivers!
Since the iPhone 4, Apple has used tiny proprietary screws, called pentalobes, to seal your iPhone
shut.
On top of that, inside most iPhones made in the last few years, you’ll find another
rare bit: the tri-point.
Not only are these screws uncommon, but they’re also tiny and extremely easy to strip.
Fortunately, if you’re buying your replacement screen or battery from iFixit, our kits already
have all the drivers you’ll need for your repair. and even if you get a part elsewhere,
our most basic driver kits have all the drivers you’ll need.
That brings us to the second thing to know about repairing your own iPhone: once you’ve
got your screws removed, your iPhone is still stuck together with adhesive.
The iPhone uses adhesive to secure both its screen and battery.
The adhesive holding the display down helps with water resistance and the adhesive on
the battery holds it securely in place while the phone is closed.
If you’re not expecting this adhesive, you can end up slicing or prying too firmly around
the sensitive screen, or—far more dangerous—using too much force to lift up the battery.
Isopropyl alcohol, or our adhesive remover, can help with stubborn or hard-to-reach glue,
like if your battery pull tabs break during removal.
But even if you know the adhesive is there, once you remove it you’ll probably want
to reapply it and that can also be tricky, The display adhesive, for example, is extremely
thin in places and difficult to place.
Fortunately, you don’t absolutely have to replace the adhesive you’ve removed on your
display.
You’ll lose the water resistance it provides, but your display won’t fly off when you
use it.
If you want to check out a video showing the process of re applying the adhesive to retain
that water resistance, we’ve got a video walking you through the process.
The third thing you’ll want to know is...Your replacement parts may not work exactly like
the original part, even if they are authentic replacement Apple parts.
In yet another way Apple has locked down your iPhone, various parts like your screen and
battery can be exclusively linked to the logic board of your phone.
When you install a replacement part, your phone may display a warning, and some features
may no longer work.
A replaced home button can result in Touch ID no longer working, a replaced screen can
prevent you from using the true tone function, and a replaced battery won’t allow you to
see battery health information.
While this sucks, all the errors are for the most part just annoyances, and your phone
will work just fine for a long time with the new parts installed.
The Fourth thing you need to know is keeping screws organized during disassembly and re-assembly
is extremely important.
The iPhone uses a variety of extremely small, but differently sized screws.
It’s imperative they go back exactly where they came from.
Some models are especially vulnerable to a condition called long screw damage, where
longer screws can actually sink down into the logic board, destroying tiny circuits
that connect components.
Using an organizational tool like our magnetic mat can help you keep track of exactly where
all the screws came from, and make sure they end up reinstalled correctly.
The last thing you need to know about before repairing your own iPhone is Activation Lock.
If you’re dealing with a phone that was wiped without turning off Activation Lock,
, and you don’t have the password of the iCloud account of the last owner, just don’t
bother.
Without that password, that phone is only good for its individual parts.
You can spend a lot of time searching around for activation lock workarounds, but none
of them really work.
Of course, there are other things you should know about iPhone repair, and if you’ve
got questions about a specific repair you’re thinking about doing, check the guides on
iFixit.com.
Not only do we walk you through the step-by-step process of the repair, but you can find lots
of helpful tips and tricks in the comments along the way.