Inleiding
This repair guide was authored by the iFixit staff and hasn’t been endorsed by Google. Learn more about our repair guides here.
Use this guide to replace a cracked or faulty screen, including the display and digitizer, on your Google Pixel 2. There may also be small parts that need to be transferred from the original display to the replacement. Inspect both displays closely to make sure all relevant components are moved from the original display to the replacement.
Wat je nodig hebt
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If your display glass is cracked, keep further breakage contained and prevent bodily harm during your repair by taping the glass. This also makes a smooth surface allowing the suction cup to bond.
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Apply a suction cup as close to the volume button edge of the phone as you can while avoiding the curved edge.
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Pull up on the suction cup with firm, constant pressure and insert an opening pick between the front panel and rear case.
They cannot emphasize enough how careful you need to be when separating the screen. The iOpener does not work well enough to prevent breakage (opinion). I spent a majority of the hour and forty five minutes replacing my battery on removing the screen, i.e. reheating the iOpener, warming the device, slowly, with multiple passes, separating the adhesive. Use a heat gun or blow dryer.
try the alcohol as instructed instead of heat. “Do not heat your phone. If needed, you can use a dropper or syringe to inject isopropyl alcohol (90+%) around the edges of the back cover to weaken the adhesive. “
Make sure to remove the adhesive under the top and bottom speakers to make it much easier to remove the screen.
Isopropyl alcohol works well to loosen the adhesive. However - GO SLOW. Slide the pick a bit, then apply some isopropyl alcohol into the gap where you’re sliding toward. Wait a moment, then slide a bit more. Move very slowly, particularly around the corners!
Any idea on what to do when the suction cup pops off of the screen before there’s enough clearance to slide the pick in?
I used a hairdryer to weaken the adhesive. If you place your finger in the path of the hairdryer you’ll have a good idea of when too much heat has been applied (when your skin becomes unhappy at the temperature). BE VERY GENTLE. I cracked my screen because I didn’t weaken the adhesive enough. I also chipped(dog eared) the corner of the OLED screen underneath with one of the plastic tools. Don’t stick it in too far. As the guide says, use the flat edge or the pick to help control this.
I did the 90% alcohol and the iOpener. Took a while but finally got the screen off. As others have mentioned, there is lots of adhesive around the top and bottom speaker openings. I ended up reaching in with a small brush and more alcohol to get it. I used a tooth pick to break the final adhesive.
I also had a set of dental tools and a set of magnifying goggles (I’m a model railroader) which helped greatly.
Like others have said, THIS STEP IS THE MOST DANGEROUS!!! You must be extremely gentle (no real force should be necessary to separate the screen from the glue) with the screen and take your time. (IMO if it takes you less than 30 mins to get the screen loose, your going too hard at it). Two suggestions from my successful battery replacement that I can give, use alcohol instead of heat (seems to work better with this phone) and start with a much thinner plastic tool that is also flexible (I used a metro card from the NYC MTA). This will allow you to get at the tiny gap without using any significant force and then get some alcohol into the gap by dripping it down the thin plastic tool. Honestly, IFIXIT should make a small thin rectangular card to use for this with lines around it for measurements…
The first pry to get the pick inside the edge of the screen needs A LOT OF HEAT and a very firm pull, and just as someone else mentioned, the iOpener did not work well, instead, a regular hair dryer proved more beneficial in applying a controlled amount of heat until its almost too hot to touch. Then, once the pick is inside 99% isopropyl alcohol worked wonders, use a syringe or dropper to apple some at the edge, wait for about 15 seconds and move the pick centimetre by centimetre. Make sure to not insert it more than 2mm at the sides. I took more than an hour just to get the screen off.
As an experienced (1) screen remover, I’d recommend that if you don’t plan to change your screen, change your plans. You will be less disappointed that way. I managed to get mine for just over $10 with shipping and test it first (weak Battery). Pixel 3’s (Not 3a or XL) sure look a lot better now. They have removable backs. My pixel 1st gen was a cheap lesson. Looking for another cheap one to try alcohol on.
Used a hairdryer on medium heat (very warm but not burning hot), suction cup, and applied isopropyl alcohol into crack made when applying pressure. Rinse and repeat until loosened enough to get a pick in. Took many attempts. Don't try to force the pick in, as you could chip the edge of the thin glass of screen this way. The suction cup pressure and weakened adhesive should do the work. Once the pick gets it, you can work a little faster but did the same basic steps minus needing the suction cup anymore, working around the edges. Good lighting is a must to see the crack forming.
I have to disagree with folks who said this is the longest step of the whole process...for me...the longest step was having to drive around and find a T4 Torx bit because this kit came with a T2 Torx which proved absolutely USELESS...
The screen came off very easily with the liberal application of 90% Isopropyl Alcohol. Took around 15min to get the screen off and I hardly had to use picks except for the top and bottom.
That Torx bit though... F$%^ED ME
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Do not insert the pick more than 9 mm into the bottom edge of the phone. If the pick contacts the folded portion of the OLED panel it can damage the display.
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Only make very shallow cuts in the upper left corner, prying deeply can damage the front-facing camera.
This is inaccurate. The Pixel 2 phone’s back comes in two parts: a plastic main section and a glass back upper section. Only the glass section is required to be removed to replace the camera. Once the glass back is removed, the camera can easily be replaced without removing the motherboard, battery, or any other components. What is picture here looks like the original Google Pixel Phone.
Firstly, I disagree with hunter’s comment above - my Pixel 2 looked identical to this when I had it opened up.
Secondly, the whole thing about 1.5mm at the sides - literally scared the cr*p out of me when I started this as it’s such a tiny margin - but what this doesn’t say is that you can see these limits on your phone - just turn the screen on and it’s where the display ends - the digitiser starts there and is a couple of mm deep - hence the need to be careful. You can also see it (though less obviously) when you have the screen off - the jet black part at the edge is where the adhesive is - just make sure you don’t push in past there. It’s not like you can’t make very gentle contact with the digitiser when clearing the adhesive - I believe it’s just any kind of real pressure which will render the screen useless.
I think it would be helpful to highlight the adhesive patches around the microphone/speaker areas and that you do need to project your pick in quite a distance to break this adhesive. I think simply creating a highlighted tracing of all of the adhesive areas would be helpful and pretty simple to do. It is shown to some extent, but in my opinion it could be more clear. In all of the prefaced concerns for digging too deep, I spent extra time and effort carefully prying upward and cracked my screen and OLED rendering my phone useless. Eventually I decided to probe more deeply toward the mic/speaker and broke things loose which allowed me to remove the screen easily.
Yes your right. I didn't e that and I disassembly the scree from it's digitiser layer. If i would know in advanced the adhesive borders it wouldn't happened.
I took my time but a few times I slipped in more than I wanted. No harm. The bottom is the more tricky. The adhesive around the bottom opening goes right up against the ribbon cable for the screen. I got the edges unglued with alcohol & iOpener. I then gently pried the screen away and reached in with a small brush and more alcohol. I then used a toothpick to break the last pieces of adhesive.
Besides the adhesive at the edges, there are 2 rectangular shaped adhesive patches at the top (around the speaker) and bottom (around the microphone). These are pretty thick, but can be easily chipped away with the pick. You start to see these as you gently lift the screen upwards with the suction cup and peer inside (use a flashlight). I did not need to use a heat gun or blow dryer. Just the pick and some isopropyl alcohol.
Use isopropyl alcohol with a syringe at the top and bottom speaker to weaken the adhesive, gently pull apart (about 2mm) and use a finer piece of plastic (like a milky file plastic sheet) to cut through the adhesive at the speakers, but still do not take the screen off completely yet! After extensively reading about failed attempts to get the screen off (instances where people damaged the OLED underneath) one thing is in common: few devices have little adhesive underneath the ribbon cable as well, which people failed to notice and while separating the screen and in turn, damaged the OLED because of the pull from the ribbon cable. Thanks to having this information beforehand I found the same issue in my phone after I separated the screen (not completely) from the frame, I used a piece of finer sheet of plastic to cut the adhesive holding the ribbon cable. You will have to be extremely patient and take your time.
i spent probably 3 hours on this step only last night, incredibly difficult. turned out that the OLED itself was glued to the midframe which made it extra hard (and ended up breaking the screen in the process. I did buy the phone refurbished so I don't think they are all glued this way but it is definitely worth knowing.
Using 91% isopropyl alcohol worked way better than applying heat. Was applying heat for 20 minutes with no luck to get the initial opening. IPA did the job in 2 minutes. I would be cautious with how much alcohol you are dropping. Do not be too generous as some have mentioned and just drop along the edges at incremental distances. The alcohol will dissolve the grey foam in the picture with X marks and flatten it. Not that big of a deal but if you are picky about not damaging anything in the process you should be careful about it.
Nope. I'll have to update this guide. The top and bottom required exactly 11mm of cutting (measured correctly from the glass's edge to the speaker glue's edge), while the guide said 9mm. Cutting 9mm didn't cut enough of the speaker adhesive to even allow forcefully prying it open with the use of a heat gun. If you only cut for 9mm, you'll break it. Also, the bottom ribbon begins at 11.5mm (better get a thin cutting tool with a measure) and the top has no ribbon, giving you 16.5mm of leeway (and you only need 11mm). I don't know who wrote this guide but it's wrong. Also, you won't damage the forward-facing camera, as it has a plastic frame all around. Furthermore, I was unlucky enough to find out that the display was glued to the midframe, making it physically impossible to safely separate it.
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Reinsert the pick at the top edge of the phone and gently pry up the display.
This for me was by far the hardest step. What this guide fails to say is just how much adhesive you’ll encounter - mine was heaving with the stuff - so I wouldn’t attempt this fix without the rubbing alcohol, and I would be prepared to spend 30 mins on this - the images above make it look like as soon as you can get the pick in and around the whole phone the display will come off - this wasn’t true on mine, and I put a small crack in the top of my screen as I applied a little pressure to lever the top - the edges were ok, but there was so much adhesive at the top and bottom - right down and around the speaker grills - that I used scissors to cut the remaining strands as I managed to lift the screen higher enough! Don’t be shy with the rubbing alcohol, it really helps - and you really need to feel all sides loosen properly before you attempt to lever - but if you’re patient, it’ll be ok.
agree, way more adhesive at top and bottom than guide implies. go really slow on sides with thin plastic but top and bottom speaker needs a bigger dig
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Gereedschap gebruikt in deze stap:Magnetic Project Mat$19.95
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Carefully lay the display down on top of the rear case as shown, making sure not to crease or tear the display ribbon cable.
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Remove the two 4.0 mm T5 Torx screws securing the display cable bracket.
I cannot imagine how much easier this project would be if they provided the bit for this screw and the others of the same size. The torx bit included in my kit is a 2mm - entirely useless here. Only other bits are Philips...also pretty useless...
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Use the point of a spudger to lift the display cable connector up and out of its socket on the motherboard.
Wow, I think I damaged my motherboard on this step. It would be helpful if there was a warning in this step to avoid doing that! Now my pixel 2 is reduced to a cool paperweight with a static display.
Yep, there’s a small surface mounted component below the connector that is super easy to dislodge from the circuit board. Shown in this YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BEpgqpI.... Unfortunately, the part is smaller than a grain of sand, so not really practical for the average fixer to put back on the board.
A spudger is the wrong tool to remove the video connector. You cannot see where you are poking with that tool and I wound up dislodging one of the surface mounted devices hidden by the connector and ruining the phone. I also broke a ground path near the corner of the middle frame that is not mentioned in this repair procedure. Watch this YouTube before you begin disassembly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKULr67Z...
None of the tools provided in the repair kit seemed slim enough to fit the space required to pry this up. I ended up using a thin / flimsy plastic health care card to get under and pry up. It popped up with enough pressure.
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Gereedschap gebruikt in deze stap:Tweezers$4.99
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To remove the camera bracket, apply heat, then use a thin metal blade to pry the bracket away from the old screen.
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There are two layers that make up the speaker grille—the metal mesh grille, and a layer of thin fabric mesh behind it. Use tweezers to peel both layers off of the old screen together. Do your best to not separate those layers at all.
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Cut two corners of a pre-cut adhesive card so that each side is no more than 12 mm (0.5 inches) long, or cut four 12 mm (0.5 inches) strips of double-sided adhesive.
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Apply the adhesive strips to the edges of the flat side of the front-facing camera bracket. When you're done, there should be adhesive on all four edges of the camera bracket.
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Gently press the adhesive into place using your finger or a spudger.
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Place the camera bracket into its slot surrounding the front-facing camera.
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Peel the white backing off of the adhesive strips.
As mentioned elsewhere, directly underneath the camera there is a tiny patch of conductive metal-mesh tape - not shown in this picture. It seems to connect the midframe to some other part. It might not be essential? I accidentally loosened it, and use two strips of adhesive tape on top of it, slightly overlapping, to bring it back to its place.
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Use your finger or the flat edge of a spudger to reconnect the new screen's display cable connector.
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To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.
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Very carefully align the lower edge of your new display with the lower edge of the phone case.
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Set the lower edge of the screen in the case, and slowly hinge it down toward the phone case, being careful to keep it properly aligned with the case.
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Set the screen down in the case and press down on the front-facing camera hole to ensure that the bracket is adhered to the screen.
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Lift the screen up and away from the phone case and check that the camera bracket is adhered to the screen.
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Cut a strip of 1 mm wide double-sided tape to be about 3 cm long (1.25 inches).
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Lay the adhesive strip along the upper edge of the earpiece speaker slot in your new display so that it's centered over the slot and touching the upper edge.
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Gently press the adhesive strip into place on the display with your finger or a spudger.
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Repeat this step to apply a second, identical adhesive strip along the bottom edge of the speaker slot.
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Peel the white backing away from both adhesive strips.
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Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
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21 opmerkingen
I removed my screen to change the battery but unfortunately I wasn’t careful enough and nicked the display on one of the corners resulting in a dead screen now.
I can replace the screen np, but I was wondering, I should be able to still connect my phone to my PC to check it is still working right? Because I have it connected now but there seems to be no power at all and my phone isn’t connecting to my PC to do a full backup. I have double checked all connections and held the power button in to try start it up or will it not start up if the screen is broken?
Have you gotten any further? I was doing a battery replacement and while removing the screen it cracked. Since I didn’t have a spare screen, I reassembled the phone with the cracked screen and saw some flashes of light but was dark. Upon attaching a replacement screen I get nothing on screen but can feel the vibration of the phone restarting. Tried a second replacement screen but no different.
I needed to back up my files and pictures from my Pixel 2 to my PC with a dead screen just yesterday. I used the “squeeze” feature and asked the Google assistant to “turn on talkback.” This allows you to blindly navigate the screen (providing the touch functions still work). You can then use this feature combined with the Google assistant and fingerprint reader to open the navigation bar and change the PC connection from “charge only” to PTP. This will allow you to transfer your files. Hope this helps.
Sarah J. -
I recommend using a playing card instead of the plastic guitar pick to cut the adhesive once you get the side pried up a bit. It took just a moment for my hand to slip and the pick went too far in and chipped the corner of the OLED display. I also was trying to avoid using heat, but using even just a little of the low setting on my Harbor Freight heat gun really helped soften the adhesive up.
This sounds like a great idea! I just put a pack of old playing cards in my repair kit. I destroyed my OLED display with a pick too. Hopefully next time I remember to use the playing cards and don’t mess this up.
I have replaced my screen with a new one but now the touch screen function doesn’t work. I can view the screen just can’t tap or select anything. does anyone have any advice? I have already detached and reattached the display cable connector but I’m still having the same issue.
I’m having the same issue. Did you find a fix?
Try doing a hard reset. On my screen once I reset it the touch started to work.
I replaced both front and back screens and the rear lens cover on my Pixel 2.
Pretty easy going once the glass is removed.
I highly suggest buying the repair kit and not using a guitar pick unless you’re at least a semi-pro at this. Guitar picks come in an array of different thicknesses and some edges are quite sharp .
Thanks !
Any hints for applying the tesa tape around the edge of the phone without any folds? This seems like you only get one shot at it. How hard do you have to press the screen in place, assuming that’s the last step? Does it click/snap into place? It seems like there are some steps that are implied after Step 18, would be nice to know what those are.
No click or snap. The screen should just fit in perfectly, resting on the adhesive. It’s hard to not get any folds in the adhesive, I failed at this. In the end, I used a razor to cut out the folds and made all the adhesive flat again.
My replacement screen came with a blue plastic on the back, which I removed. However, there was also a black sticker underneath that, which really wanted to come off with the blue piece. I couldn’t tell if the black film/sticker should stay on or if it should be removed. The original didn’t seem to have that, but there were other non-insignificant differences between the two which made me not really trust that comparison as an indication of what I should do.
I left it on in the end, but the screen doesn’t really want to sit down flush. I’m wondering if this thin film is part of the problem since every tenth of a millimeter matters with these things.
I needed to remove my screen to replace the camera module (Common Pixel 2 camera problem which was solved by replacing the camera module) and I did not heed the caution warnings as well as I thought I did. BE VERY CAREFUL. These screens are damaged very very easier. Do not stick the pick in too far. Perhaps use playing cards as some youtube videos show. I know it’s a pain but USE A HAIRDRYER or other heat source, it softens the screen and speaker adehsive and makes things much easier and safer. Also, watch some youtube teardown videos. The proper tools from iFixit will help you a bunch. Don’t skimp on the tools like I did the first time around (regrets). All in all this job isn’t that hard. You just need to take your time and get it right.
I totally agree! Destroyed my OLED screen 10 minutes into the repair as I tried to remove the screen so I could replace the battery. I have now bought ~$100 of tools from iFixit (got them on Amazon for faster shipping) and hope to get this right. The iOpener heating tool looks REALLY useful!—much better than a heat gun, as it uses conduction instead of convection, and can target just where you want to apply the heat!
Question.
Ordered a full kit, screen and OLED display. Removed the old screen and oled easy. Plugged my new oled panel in and its just pixelated, like old CRTV’s. Is the screen dead on arrival? I was very careful placing the new oled panel in the phone, careful to align the pins on the connecter and it went in very easy. Should I contact ifixit for another oled panel?
Same thing that happened to Christopher Carson happened to me. New OLED display is pixelated. I’ve worked with these delicate connectors in the past and I was very careful (e.g. discharged static). Appears to be damaged in some way. Not sure I would recommend this repair on such an old device at this time. Not worth the gamble.
Same issue as Christopher Carson and ndipatri - Anyone have a sense if this is an OLED failure or the the connector has been damaged?
Photo showing screen after replacement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O80ZVxY...
I followed these instructions to replace a broken screen. Everything went smoothly. Thank you so much.
Warum darf man das OLED Panel nicht beschädigen obwohl man sowieso das ganze Display ersetzen will?
My screen is severly cracked. I would recommend clear packaging tape as it is wide enough to accomodate the suction cup. Thinner cellophane tape won’t seal properly.
John Tippitt - Antwoord
Does the Google Pixel 2 have be powered off before removing the digitizer screen? Its not mentioned in this article...
Will the phone be damaged if the power is still on when disconnecting the broken screen?
Alex - Antwoord
Replacing the battery in my Pixel 2 was successful because I read the comments. They are invaluable in this endeavor.
David Castro - Antwoord
Suggest procedure revision:
Step 1: Read all steps and associated comments before proceeding.
Step 2: Ensure they supplied you with the right F$%^ING TOOLS in the kit before proceeding.
I'm F$%^ED because any store around me that might have this T4 Torx bit is already closed and my screen is already off. My kit came with a T2 Torx bit which is not used anywhere in this entire process.
Jens Davidsen - Antwoord
I bought one of the kits and it had everything needed to change the battery except the alcohol, including spudgers, screwdriver, torx (2 sizes), tweezer, alcohol dispenser, glue strips and die-cut glue card that fit the phone case perfectly. I followed these instructions and read the comments. Applied alcohol and patience, took my time and got the job done without any damage to the phone. Thank you ifixit!
Jeffrey Price - Antwoord