iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi Home Button Assembly Replacement

I didn't find this to be as hard as I had built it up in my mind to be; HOWEVER, saying that I need to say years ago I was the local Nokia service center in my town. But many years ago right after they got rid of analog times. Yeah. A classic installer/repairer mistake when starting something they haven't fixed or installed before is picking up the instructions, flipping through them; maybe even reading a section that is new-then tossing the instructions over the shoulder. "I got this." This usually comes right before something major gets broke. And I can tell you when you try to do it yourself and then mess it up horribly then take it to the repair shop. Well we called that "I can do it myself" syndrome and charged extra to put back together what they brought in in the box. Now knowing all this - I can't stress this enough because I am stupid, stupid, stupid. COVER YOUR SCREEN IN CLEAR BOXING TAPE AND READ ALL THE INSTRUCTION BELOW THROUGH TO THE END BEFORE EVEN ATTEMPTING THIS FIX. Take my advise.

I didn't have an iOpener, so I used a wheat type heat bag. If you do this though, make sure you put a layer of plastic between your Mac and the bag, or you'll get condensation in places you don't want it.

I started out using the iOpener but switched to my wife's hairdryer. A heat gun or hair dryer proved to be much more convenient and is a time saviour. You can heat more and the glue becomes more fluid make the next steps with the opening picks much easier

I know this is obvious, but backup your iPad with iTunes before you start. I'd also turn off your passcode if you have one.

Ther first time you heat up the iOpener for this repair when its room temperature I had to heat it up for more than 30 seconds. I remember I had to heat it up for around 45 seconds. However, after that when you need to reheat it again during the repair 30 seconds will be enough.

I used the wheat bag in a sensor microwave heating up to 65-70 deg C (155 def F).

Get yourself a cherry pit bean bag the size of your iPad. Heat it, put the iPad on it for 3 to 5 minutes or so, reheat the cherry pit bean bag, again put your iPad on it. Then heat the iOpener and start working. The cherry pit bean bag will have to be reheated several times, but it will soften the adhesive so you have less problems with the iOpener

The heating can be done very effectively (and quickly) with 3d printer heated bed. Make sure the bed is clean. Set the temperature to 60c, (130f ) and put the ipad face down for +/- 10 minutes. Repeat as needed throughout the “gentle prying” stages.

The iOpener did not work at all for me.

I had to use a heat gun and bring the edges of the case up to ~200 degrees (used an infrared thermometer to measure) before the glue would weaken. This obviously superheated the metal frame, so I also had to wear gloves to handle the phone while prying the back off with the included picks.

Repair instructions worked like a charm. Had to be patient with the iOpener and getting the screen off. I tried repeatedly without success until shifting the suction cup a bit to the left side where perhaps the glue had loosened up a bit more.

The iOpener, in my opinion, is of no help. Many warnings to say “don’t warm it too much”, but the glue doesn’t melt if not warm enough. As a result, a complete waste of time and energy. In addition, too much liquid in it, so it doesn’t lay on the device on a sufficient surface. I took a hairdryer and it worked much much better.

I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method.

My experience. I was replacing the screen which had been cracked and a little shattered in some places. The iopener is pretty much useless, so was the suction cup. The suction cup would probably be more useful if I was doing something besides the screen. Also you probably want the clean the screen before using it so it can get good suction. I used a hair dryer on high for a couple of minutes at a time (someone on this tread suggested that). I used my exacto knife and a razor blade to get into the adhesive. First the exacto to get the initial cut, then the razor blade to go a little deeper. Could have probably just used the razor blade, but the exacto has a little more finesse. I got the razor blade in and a little under the glass then I used the picks to wedge in. I didn’t want to risk anything using the razor blade too much. Used tape to keep the shattered glass together.

My experience pt2

Fortunately the shattering was mostly on the edges and most of it had adhesive on the back so it stuck together. Just take your time and work your way around following the guide to get the screen off. Have some goof off or goo be gone to clean the frame when putting the new glass on or putting the existing one back. (someone suggested that also, very good idea). Be careful of the LCD (you should know that). The cable on my LCD was pretty tight, so I propped it up while taking the cable cover off and when I put it back on I did the same thing. I just put a bottle on the battery and leaned the back of the LCD on that while attaching the cables and putting the screws back on the cover. Also be careful with the home button and the bracket on the back of it. I had enough old adhesive on left on the bracket that it stuck back to the new glass fine. So far only 12 hours in, so we will see how that holds up when the kids get at it.

Another alternative if you do not have the iopener is to use a bed time hotwater bottle. Do not over fill it though. Just put enough hot water in to support the phone while you work around the adhesive.

I use both the hot water bottle and iopener together on Samsung's. It makes life easier

I followed the directions and heated my iOpener for 30 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave, and it came out at 160 degrees F, as verified by a infrared thermometer. This allowed me to separate the last bit of the back of my Samsung S8, which was already coming off due to a swollen battery (hence the reason for the repair).

Hallo,habe den Akku erfolgreich getauscht.Doch seitdem gibt es bei Telefonaten eine Rückkopplung für den anrufenden.Bei mir ist alles normal.Woran liegt das?Mfg

If you follow these instructions, you will crack your screen like I did. Heating the iOpener for 30 seconds, using it to melt glue, then waiting 10 minutes to reheat is useless. The iOpener can be used to maybe warm the glue on whatever side you aren’t working on. You need a hairdryer and/or a heat gun to melt the glue and separate the glass from the iPad.

Anyone want to buy an old iPad with broken glass and a dead battery?

I had to heat mine up for more than 30 seconds. After 30 seconds on high it was only warm. It had to keep trying different times and checking it until it got hot. I think the initial time that I put it in for was over a minute.

DO NOT USE IN NON ROTATING MICROWAVE! It will pop a hole. I had it in for 45 seconds the first time. It wasn't very hot inside and I saw it started to leak on the paper towel I put under it. Just a fair bit of advice. I think I will just stick with the heat gun. Loud but useful.

I heated mine up for 30 seconds, tested, then again for 30 seconds. It felt adequately hot. Leaving it on the left side, per the instruction, for a minute did not loosen the adhesive. I ended up pulling the suction cup hard enough to shadder the old screen. Moral of the story, I don't think it gets hot enough safely to have an affect.

I used a hot water bottle, works well as it covers the whole screen and stays hot for longer.

If I may suggest include your microwave wattage so people can get an idea on time for there own

I ended up using a hair dryer. That iOpener thing took forever.

30 seconds sure isn’t cutting it… 45 didn’t get the screen of my iPad air 2 to budge either… even after resting on the ipad for 4 minutes.

60 seconds in the microwave, the iOpener burst.

I’ll get a new one and try once more with heating it 45 seconds and repeat that for 30 minutes like others have said here. If that doesn’t work it’ll have to be the heat gun.

K

I can’t recommend the microwave. If the the iOpener becomes too hot, it bursts. Better put the opener in cooking water. Dry it and use it. Instead of an iOpener you can use hot/cool packs as well.

Trust the directions! I forgot and left it in the Microwave too long and after 1 minute I had Mt Vesuvius - the iOpener burst and spewed the goodies out. The problem is, the Digitizer can be damaged by a hot air gun, so I had to tough out and remove the glue the hard way. I made it … with lots of patience! Tough lesson.

I also used a hairdryer. I used it on the low setting and I cut a piece of carboard to protect the rest of the screen. The iFixit tool and method is vert tedious and very time consuming in comparison. With the hairdryer method you can literally have the display apart in a few minutes. Using your other hand nearby the area you are heating it should be very hot but not enough to burn your hand. You only have to heat metal part of case near glass edge. If you have a cellular model then you need to be very careful because the black antenna area is plastic. So less heat and work your way up in adding heat just enough to separate around the area but not so much you melt the plastic!

iOpener was the worst part of the kit. Followed directions for :30 in microwave and took 4 trips to the microwave to loosen adhesive on left side of home button. I thought I was figuring it out and it was working well… even set a timer to wait 10 minutes between heating it up. Was on the right side and was on my 12th heat up when it exploded in the microwave. My only tip is that if you set it clear side up, as soon as you see any bubbles or boiling in the liquid, STOP! If you put a pot holder over the iOpener and press slightly to make good surface contact, that seemed to help. I finished heating with a “Corn Sack” that held heat better than the provided iOpener.

Get a heat gun.

I followed the directions and heated my iOpener for 30 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave, and it came out at 160 degrees F, as verified by a infrared thermometer. A second heating about 15 minutes later in the micro and it came out at 190 degrees F. Plenty hot enough to soften the adhesive for removing the back on my S8. Based on the comments above I think people just need to use more patience.

I did this repair. I used a hair dryer, I think it works better: gets very hot fast.

Readers looking for temperature advice might check the comments of the previous instruction, as there are more there. I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method. I don’t know how much microwaves vary in heating consistency with these pads, but knowing how inconsistent the temperature of a bowl of plain rice gets in my microwave, I wasn’t interested in even trying to use it for this.

I used an electric griddle set to the lowest setting. It seemed to work very well.

I vote for the hair dryer. The other methods work too but if you aren’t having any luck, switch to the hair dryer. While holding the iPad in my hand, I found that I am aiming the dryer at my finger at the same time and it gauges how hot it is. I stop when my finger can’t take it - maybe five seconds up close. Repeat as needed like I did.

Why does it says in red letter to be sure not to damage the LCD screen? I thought the whole point of this guide is to replace a broken screen and the new screen comes with a new LCD since apparently they cannot be separated

Because some people are opening the ipad to replace the battery! Like me~

I would recommend using a hair dryer on high instead. Heat a certain area 60 seconds at a time and keep the hair dyer moving at a slow but constant speed.

Why do these instructions say to heat the top of the iPad for 2 minutes, but then prior open the bottom? The instruction below seem to indicate heating the side that you are about to pry open.

you should be careful with the screen connector on the bottom right when opening

Even using a heat gun in an effort to soften the remarkably tenacious adhesive, I found it impossible to use the suction cup to lift the edge of the screen sufficiently high to insert a pick. I ended up using an exacto knife and a single-edge razor blade to make the initial opening, after which I was able to insert and use picks per the instructions.

I think I accidently slid my tool into the fused lcd and front panel and now the entire screen is doing weird lines and different colors and just is not natural its not even usable. I was gonna replace the battery because the batter was popping the entire front panel and lcd off of the base of the device and then when i was openingit up the rest of the way I slipped and it hit something and now its all glitchy. what should i do?? is it even worth fixing anymore? it;s too old for apple care and I already voided the warranty and displays are expensive what should I do? email me @ andrew.heidorn1@gmail.com thanks :)

Metric is for engineers. Last place on earth to use inches is US car industry. NASA uses metric. You know it makes sense.

I shattered the glass on my iPad during this step.

To melt the adhesive, you have to heat the glass A LOT, to at least 80°C. I was using a portable infrared thermometer while doing this. Heating the iOpener in my microwave for 60 seconds only raised its temperature to about 90°C, and leaving it on the glass for a few minutes didn’t raise the temperature of the glass to more than about 40°C. I switched to a hair dryer and heated the glass to about 70°C, which was barely enough to be able to insert one pick. As soon as I tried to slide it across, the glass broke.

I recommend having a reliable way to measure the temperature, and finding something that can heat more effectively than the iOpener. Also take caution to heat all along the top, not just the point where you’re inserting the pick. In theory the iOpener is designed for this, but it doesn’t get hot enough.

I wish the iOpener came with a specific heat rating. It has many warnings against overheating it but it’s not clear exactly how much is too much.

6mm is far too much at the side. There is only 4mm from edge of glass to the display unit . I guess I damages my display because the pledge had gone between glass and display.

The picks should have a 5mm indent on them so you can’t push them in to far, at least on one of the tips

take care not to insert more than 4mm!

This is it. This was the step where I cracked the screen and ruined the device. Things had been going so well up to this point. Like many others I struggled with the iOpener, so I used a heat gun along with a temperature sensor and very carefully and slowly went back and forth along the edges keeping the temperature at exactly 200 degrees F. I got the pick in, went around the top corners, down the sides to the middle. But on this step where you finish sliding the pick to the bottom right corner, I got 3/4ths of the way down and CRACK. The glass shattered pretty badly in the corner, and there’s a crack running diagonally along the entire device. I put clear packing tape on top to keep it from cracking further, but sections of the screen are non-responsive. I can’t tell you how upset my 5 year old is going to be when he wakes up tomorrow and I have to tell him daddy wrecked his iPad. :( I believe strongly in the Right to Repair and this kit is fine. But GO SLOWLY, and BE CAREFUL.

I made it one step farther than the person above me. Made it about 1 inch from the bottom left corner and the screen shattered. I probably let it cool too much as I think I was getting a little impatient by now. The kit is great though. I successfully removed the rest of the screen even after it broke with no damage to anything else. I continued on to replace the battery and bought a new LCD (This was a roughly $130 mistake). I stress, go slowly, heat often. Kit worked great otherwise.

F…ing cracked the glass. This repair is a waste of time and money. The iOpener is b.s. You need to use a heat gun and/or a blow dryer. I had used the heat gun and a blow dryer to successfully separated the glass from the body until I reached the bottom. This is becuase I had left the heated iOpener on the bottom for at least 20 minutes. I used the blow dryer for the top and sides and it worked. When I turned the corner on the bottom, the glass shattered. The tip of pick was not in very far, maybe 2mm. Guess my only option now is a new iPad.

Be very careful when replacing the screws not to lose them. They are micro small. I would even think about ordering a couple extra of each size just in case.

If the LTE version being worked on, ensure the sim tray is removed before attempting to isolate the battery.

Can’t you just disconnect the battery?

So if this method is outdated, what is the current method to disconnecting the battery?

Orochi: right?? Come on guys, don’t tell us the method is outdated and then not explain what the better method is

Note on my iPad Air there was a little plastic cover around the front facing camera. Take that off an put it to one side as you will need it later for reassembly.

May require pushing back some tape to access the slot for the opening tool

attention à cette étape de ne pas décoller en même temps la gappe du bouton. Celui ci peux etre tordu et difficile à remettre.

What is the purpose of the contact finger that is exposed on the corner of the home button ribbon cable. What connects to this?

Most screens don’t come with the home button adhesive so during reassembly the residue from the home button gasket is enough but the bracket needs new glue.

Another option… heat it up a bit and then apply gentle pressure from the front of the button. Start with one “corner” and work your way around.

Mine came out like very smoothly with this process.

Good luck!

There is also a plastic waster around the hole which can be lifted and placed on the new screen - not just the grommet.

Yeah, that’s a big problem with this guide. Not to mention the home button bracket needs the little magnet in the circle dimple. I broke my original home button from trying to get the darn thing to work using a new home button bracket until I used the old bracket with the tiny magnet and suddenly it worked. Since the original home button ribbon had broken I can no longer use touch ID.

Overall this guide is really lacking in critical details, like how exactly the home button assembly is put together and taken apart, like where the little plastic washer, and grommet go.

And this picture is out of focus, making it hard to differentiate the items that are mentioned/warned about in the written portion.