iPhone 3G Rear Case Replacement

You got to make sure you have gloves.

You got to put on gloves.

You might also want to have a little tweezer which comes in very handy when reassembling the phone

Do seriously consider ESD when getting to the internals. External connectors have ESD protection circuits, but these will not help if you touch the internals!

I highly recommend using a slew of refrigerator magnets to hold the screws for each step. I also used post its to label each step, making reassembly a snap.

In the end, I was able to successfully replace the jack, but they weren't kidding when they said it was difficult.

Duck Tape also works. :)

How should i say, do this step really really slow and with patience.

P.S. Ducktape fix nearly everything

Be very very careful with this step. The back of connector 4 (barely visible in the Step 2 photo) was stuck just enough to the back of the display unit to shear the connecter cable right in two when I separated the phone. Ack!

Be really careful at this point not too pull too hard when you're trying to get the screen out - I did, the screen came out suddenly and I pulled all the connectors off :/

put your fingers at power button end of phone, resting on edge of glass/bezel you can use them as lever so when you pull on suction at other end you don't need to apply much pressure and the cables underneath aren't ripped off

As a help to doing this step, put your thumb/fingers around the phone around the middle so it's cradled in your hand. Keep your fingers wrapped around and resting gently on the top of the screen with your thumb and the first few fingers. See how his thumb is sitting on the edge like that, but ready to 'catch' the screen when it comes up? Do that with your thumb and the tips of your fingers on the other side.

Now carefully use the suction cup to 'walk/rock' the screen out with a left-to-right while pulling up motions. With your fingers gently clamped around the phone and providing a little pressure on the edges overlapping the screen when the screen comes out, they'll catch the screen before you pull it up too far and yank the cables out.

I was very careful, but not careful enough removing the display with a suction cup, and Everything came unplugged in an instant. CAUTION: Pull with the suction cup near the round button, AND ALSO have someone else support the other end of the display so that only the end of the display with the round button comes out. I was very lucky.

I put on a piece of duct tape on the Iphone where the Sim tray is. Keeps the display assembly in place preventing cable damage.

I used some insulation tape to wrap around the top of the phone so this was secure to prevent yanking the whole screen off. This was very effective as my screen was pretty jammed into the case so need extra leverage using the metal ring on the screen sucker

I had no grip at all on the suction cup with my fingers. Problem solved by inserting the screw driver in the s-cup, which gave just the right leverage to control pulling loose the display assembly.

When you get back to this step as you are reassembling it, it's tempting to test that you've got all the cables plugged in properly by switching the phone on and testing it. However the Home button will not work until the front panel is back in position, because the electrical connection is done by a pair of touch contacts which only work when the phone is assembled.

When the instructions say "Rotate the display assembly up until it is at an angle of approximately 45 degrees." they really mean "TILT THE HOME BUTTON END OF display assembly up until it is at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Looking at the picture makes this step brain dead simple, but if you were using another iPhone to read the directions it would be easy to miss.

What part is 1? My seems to keep dropping out and the ear speaker is not working. Is this what it is?

What are the flex cables #1, #2 and #3 for? There's a lot of questions about this, but no answers?!

SOMEONE has to know!?

Quote from Turbo Fredriksson:

What are the flex cables #1, #2 and #3 for?

Aparently #3 is 'Earpiece & Proximity Sensor'.

Quote from Turbo Fredriksson:

Aparently #3 is 'Earpiece & Proximity Sensor'.

Found the thread: What Ribbon "1" and "2" and "3" do?

1. Ribbon #1: Runs the LCD

2. Ribbon #2: Runs the digitizer

3. Ribbon #3: Earspeaker and various sensors on the iPhone face

Note that The connectors have a rubber-like Top surface. Make surre The spudger is inserted underneath that rubber piece. To disconnect, The connector ha to lifted upwards from the PC-Board (i.e. Orthogonally from the electronics board, as opposed to being moved sideways). holds true for all of those connectors, except for the one with the flip-tab.

I had more joy using a home-made spudger from a bamboo skewer. Being thinner, it can release the connectors from the end rather than a side or corner. (I also tried all the different spudgers made by Menda Tools.)

I already gave up on this step:-)

At step 5 my ribbon crumbled. I had nothing left to replace. I now have a dead spot on the screen.

On my 3G, the piece that flips up on the #3 connector was black and the connector itself was white, seemingly opposite of the pictures. I mistakenly tried to pry up the wrong piece, but fortunately didn't do too much damage before I realized this. My phone was replaced on warranty in February so this must be the case in some newer 3G's.

Quote from lolsen4:

On my 3G, the piece that flips up on the #3 connector was black and the connector itself was white, seemingly opposite of the pictures. I mistakenly tried to pry up the wrong piece, but fortunately didn't do too much damage before I realized this. My phone was replaced on warranty in February so this must be the case in some newer 3G's.

Thanks for the heads-up. I added a note so that people are aware that the colors may be reversed.

That flip tab on the #3 connector split in half and came off completely. Be careful. And if anyone knows where to buy a replacement flip tab, that'd be cool too :)

I should also note that I used a little flat head screwdriver when lifting the flip tab and the narrow pressure point is what cause it to split. Should of used a spudger.

I bought my black iPhone a full housing white cover off ebay. No phone shops seem to be able to change it for me.

If I follow this guide, will I be able to pull my phone apart, change the covers and put it back together?

That is, once I pull the phone apart, will it work properly once I put it back together again?

Quote from kristymic:

I bought my black iPhone a full housing white cover off ebay. No phone shops seem to be able to change it for me.

If I follow this guide, will I be able to pull my phone apart, change the covers and put it back together?

That is, once I pull the phone apart, will it work properly once I put it back together again?

Yes, if you take care and follow the instructions to the letter.

How on earth do I get the black ribbon cable back into its connector???

Quote from Cor Berkelaar:

How on earth do I get the black ribbon cable back into its connector???

Cor, You have to slide the little bar on the connector away from the body of the connector before you can insert the ribbon cable into it. I know it's tight quarters, but even my meat hooks were able to finally get it inserted. The 'trick' is that once you have inserted the cable into the body of the connector, quickly slide the bar back toward the body as this will lock the cable into the connector. I hope this is helpful.

David

Is there a way of replacing the connector?

i have torn the top of the connector......... would that be the reason that the iPhone would not start even though the ribbon is in the connector and fastened secured with the white plastic tab is down.

I HAVE DONE IT GUYS SO THANK YOU.

Quote from Vishal Vaidya:

Is there a way of replacing the connector? i have torn the top of the connector......... would that be the reason that the iPhone would not start even though the ribbon is in the connector and fastened secured with the white plastic tab is down.

Quote from Vishal Vaidya:

Is there a way of replacing the connector?

You could replace it. That's what I'll have to do. Luckily my brother is great with soldering surface mounted components.

But if you had to ask if it can be replaced, you don't have knowledge to do it yourself! It's VERY difficult! Look among your friends or the 'Net. I found quite a lot of forums where they talk about the difficulty on replacing SMD's. Just mail one of them that seem to know what they're doin'...

Quote from cliffcurtis:

if anyone knows where to buy a replacement flip tab, that'd be cool too :)

http://www.earth2k.com/fpc-ribbon/

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...

I'm currently waiting for mine... :)

[quote|I'm currently waiting for mine... :)[/quote]

And my younger brother managed to replace it with only a couple of minutes whining about it's size :).

Works just fine now (exept that I can't seem to turn the darn thing off, even though I've also replaced the button harness!)

I have torn the top of the connector too and the iPhone is not starting.. Was that the reason? Did it work after replacing the connector?

Quote from Vishal Vaidya:

Is there a way of replacing the connector? i have torn the top of the connector......... would that be the reason that the iPhone would not start even though the ribbon is in the connector and fastened secured with the white plastic tab is down.

Quote from lolsen4:

On my 3G, the piece that flips up on the #3 connector was black and the connector itself was white, seemingly opposite of the pictures. I mistakenly tried to pry up the wrong piece, but fortunately didn't do too much damage before I realized this. My phone was replaced on warranty in February so this must be the case in some newer 3G's.

Maybe it adds Value to the explanation to say that the piece that needs to be flipped up is located on the opposite side of where the ribbon cable exits the connector. It needs to flip upwards towards the ribbon cable.

My confusion was to identify which connector I have in my phone, since everything in there is so tiny that it is hard to identify which is which. Maybe a zoom-in on the connector with the tab flipped up would be a good addition to the instructions also.

I accidentally lost the black plastic tab (mine was black) when I was removing the ribbon cable. I managed to get the ribbon cable back into the white connector and the phone seems to be working fine. Is this going to be a problem?

Note: You cannot slide the black ribbon connector back into place unless the lock is flipped open (up)--see the instructions on replacing a broken screen for images)

The tab (black in my case) is the thin horizontal plastic piece opposite where the ribbon is inserted. Use the spudger in the center, approaching from the bottom side of the phone, and it flips up easily.

Be VERY careful when working with ribbon 3. I thought I was but when I got the phone back together the earpiece didn't work. While doing research to find out why, I discovered that ribbon 3 is very delicate and easy to damage. I'm now waiting for a new one... if I can't fix it, I'll have to get a new phone since I can't see myself hearing only via Bluetooth or speakerphone.

When re-inserting the #3 connector how much force does it take to get the connector fully inserted? How can I tell whether it is fully inserted?

Be very careful, in some cases the ribbon damages. After this damage the proximity sensor won't work anymore.

I think that this is where the problem is. I must have one of the unique (Chinese) versions and while trying to lift up, I should have been sliding back. It is too difficult to see. Mine broke off and crumbled and now the screen has a dead spot.

That step also had me thinking & reading for quite a while. Maybe a close-up picture of the connector might be helpful, seems that a lot of people screw up badly here.

My American 3GS white connector did not flip open. It split into 3 little pieces of white plastic when I tried lifting it with the spudger. The plastic seemed very brittle; the phone is 4 years old. Amazingly to me, I was able to slide the flex tail back in to position and it made all the necessary electrical contacts (at least for the time being). Wi-fi cable #6 was not properly seated after first assembly, but everything is working now! Thank for the help.

Dennis Smith

I strongly recommend that you review Step 7 of the 3GS 'Display,' 'Front Panel' or 'Front Panel Assembly' guide. As of this date (June 2015), only those three guides include a photo of a mock-up of Connector 3 that will provide you with detail that will help you avoid damaging that fragile connector.

Can you take the SIM card out before you start the procedure?

This is the hardest step of all :)

Note! Be EXTRA careful with this cable #4. Twist and brakes easily!

What if I have one of those thin film screen protectors applied, would the suction cup peel it right off instead of lifting the screen up?

I agree with the others that cable 6 and 7 are very fragile and can be difficult to reattach. I was able to get #7 back on but #6 just wouldn't attach. I put too much pressure on it so now I have a cell phone without WiFi or GPS. I would rate the repairability of this phone lower than it is because of the 50-50 chance of flattening these connectors. My 3GS is now effectively an iPod, but with a new battery.

One of the two full thread screws holds a small retention clip not shown in this diagram to keep the camera in place (3G model). Remove this clip when removing the screws.

Please note that iFixit supplied screwdriver is way too big for these tiny screws, you'll need a smaller one like the ones used to repair wrist watches!

The good side is that iFixit's screwdriver is magnetized, a bonus when working with such small parts.

while re assembling i couldnt for the life of me figure out where the metal plate thing off the camera went until i saw the gap for it (i had spent about half an hour trying to put it in)

My Camera is not working anymore =( going to open my iphone once again...

I found that after putting the battery in place and reattaching the logic board with the screws I had to press down a little bit to get the screws to reach because the battery contacts kept the logic board from settling in this tension gives positive contact between board and battery.

I am unable to remove the screw that holds the camera in place. I'm afraid I am stripping the screw head. Any advice?

My battery had swollen - so much so that the back cover was bulged. So when I was removing screws, I was really careful and did every-other-one first on one side, and then the other, then back to the first side, etc. Even in doing that, one of the screws went flying...somewhere...I never did find it, but it hasn't seemed to effect anything. And when I do find it I know I can get back in my phone to put it back.

I didn't have a removable screw in the bottom right with a metal strip, there was a fastening in there without a Philips type depression, but the camera came out with the board. Not sure if the last person in here before me broke something, as there was an aftermarket battery in the phone with no adhesive. However the camera works after putting it all back together

After removing the 2.3 mm Phillips #00 screw attached to the camera a small retaining clip may be present.

Take note of its position and orientation for later reinstallation.

As mentioned, some 3g phones there is a small metal clip holding down the camera (held in place by the screw there). Be sure it doesn't fly out or fall into the phone workings. Fine point tweezers would help here, to take it out and to put back in place during re-assembly.

3G and 3GS camera enclosure: As I was transplanting a 3G cover onto a 3GS, I realized as I was trying to re-assemble the camera that it would not fit: the 3GS camera does not fit in the 3G enclosure. Luckily, you can remove just the camera enclosure from the 3GS and transplant it to the 3G. It's dirty, I broke the ring, I transplanted some of the double face tape... but in the end it worked.

There were many places where I wished there were clearer instructions on putting it back together; this was a big one. It was very difficult to get the camera back in place. I heard a snap when mine went into place.

Even after the eight screws are remove, the board won't lift up easily. That is because the golden clip nearby the "do not remove sticker". In the picture above, it simply jumped out for no reason, while I had to use a tweezer to make it out...

When removing the logic board, a slight push towards the top of the phone, will "unclip" the bottom edge of the logic board near the "Do Not Remove" screw.

When reinserting the logic board, there is a tab in the top edge of the rear shell case that the edge of the logic board goes under. It is the edge closest to the camera.

Without this "comfortable" fit, you won't be able to get the SIM in.

The camera itself also has an element of "comfortable" Fit.

Be careful when putting the circuit board back in also... the golden grounding tab is very easy to break...

When reversing directions for reassembly, the logic board needs to be clipped into the clips on the side.

Quote from Lenore:

When reversing directions for reassembly, the logic board needs to be clipped into the clips on the side.

++

Although I would say "needs to be slipped under the clips on the side". The most obvious clip is next to the camera, facing south (if the camera is in the NE corner). There is a corresponding clip on the opposite side of the north end the logic board, facing east (a bit east of the #6 ribbon cable).

It's still possible to get all the screws back in with the logic board above the clips (trust me), but it's a serious barnus because the SIM card holder won't fit back in and the camera will be pointing a bit askew ... and you'll have to pull all the screws back out and figure out what you did wrong (and why you had a naggling suspicion the logic board wasn't placed quite right).

I would recommend sliding in the SIM card tray *before* putting any screws back, just to make sure.

Slipping the SIM card in first is a helpful suggestion.

My motherboard actually was not quite lined-up as mentioned, and so after the SIM didn't fit, I was able to pull and reposition the motherboard properly before proceeding.

Quote from johnhart:

++

Although I would say "needs to be slipped under the clips on the side". The most obvious clip is next to the camera, facing south (if the camera is in the NE corner). There is a corresponding clip on the opposite side of the north end the logic board, facing east (a bit east of the #6 ribbon cable).

It's still possible to get all the screws back in with the logic board above the clips (trust me), but it's a serious barnus because the SIM card holder won't fit back in and the camera will be pointing a bit askew ... and you'll have to pull all the screws back out and figure out what you did wrong (and why you had a naggling suspicion the logic board wasn't placed quite right).

I would recommend sliding in the SIM card tray *before* putting any screws back, just to make sure.

When putting it back together, it helps with alignment to put in the SIM Card tray. This beats having all your screws back in and finding out it's misaligned. Put the logic board 5/6 the way in, and insert the SIM Card tray like normal. Allow it to guide your logic board into the proper place.

When re-installing the mother board ensure that all of the previoulsly diconnected connector cables are out of the way and do not become trapped by the motherboard.

Definitely watch out to have all your connectors above the board. I managed to get my #5 connector trapped under it. Still hope wasn't damaged, we'll see in a few minutes :)

check also that the golden cicuit is opened when the sim card tray is inserted. this circuitry controls the presence of the sim card tray.

The glue is very strong under the battery and you may end up snapping a few spudgers in the process so make sure you have a few spare for moving onto other steps. A screwdriver is to hard and will end up damaging the battery.

Splendid job. it was like a walk. perfect Instructions.

A tip: to handle the screws, very small, I used a pair of tweezers for eyebrows wrapped in double sided adhesive tape.

Thanks. Alessandro

Well, I took the chance and the LCD broke on this step. Called iFixit and they advised, "Oh well". $60 well spent during these trying times. Hey, I have a great little screwdriver.

How could the LCD break on this step? It was removed and set aside many steps ago.

it is said on step 18 "Carefully peel up the orange ribbon cable from the rear panel"

but when you reassemble the iPhone, how do you glue the ribbon on your new panel?

I successfully completed these steps to dry out a wet phone. While everything inside was dry as a bone, I never did remove the battery since the adhesive was so strong.

I found the spudger far too weak to even attempt the removal of the battery. Instead, I used a folding bone (something I've had for years that's used for making perfect folds in heavy printmaking paper) however, I was still bending the battery far more than I was comfortable with. Since my mission was not to mess with or replace the battery anyways I just left it alone.

Excellent directions!

Installed and the phone is working... You'd think Apple didn't want us to be able to replace the battery. Good directions.

I did not need to remove the battery. The power button, headphone jack, volume rocker, and vibrate switch were all accessible with the battery still in place.

I've done all the steps and phone switches on and works just fine with the one exception that I do have a signal! Is it possible I've damaged the aerial in the process? The strange thing is that on checking the networks I can see T-Mobile, but not 02, so implies something is working. All very odd. Currently my iPhone has become an iPod! Erkk

Any tips?

You most likely forgot to re-atatch the antenna. It is one of the connecters you unhooked after the first 3...its located in the top left of the case..Its a circular connecter.

Quote from John:

I've done all the steps and phone switches on and works just fine with the one exception that I do have a signal! Is it possible I've damaged the aerial in the process? The strange thing is that on checking the networks I can see T-Mobile, but not 02, so implies something is working. All very odd. Currently my iPhone has become an iPod! Erkk

Any tips?

Sorry...Its the connecter on the bottom left..Rectangular shaped

Quote from John:

I've done all the steps and phone switches on and works just fine with the one exception that I do have a signal! Is it possible I've damaged the aerial in the process? The strange thing is that on checking the networks I can see T-Mobile, but not 02, so implies something is working. All very odd. Currently my iPhone has become an iPod! Erkk

Any tips?

I put back together my iPhone and put it in a new shell but I just finished and the power button won't work what could i have done wrong?

Quote from thomas manning:

I put back together my iPhone and put it in a new shell but I just finished and the power button won't work what could i have done wrong?

oh also the vibrate button won't work any ideas there?

I managed to replace the mute button without removing the on/off button :o)

Great tutorial guys, I must admit it's not easy, due to tiny parts and screws, but you can do it!

Great!

Was able to peel the ribbons without removing the battery. Worked great with a 3G. Thanks

Instructions and notes made this fairly easy to do. I had one scary moment where my screen would not turn on but a Hard Reset on the phone fixed it.

any help welcome,just changed the battery on the wife's iPhone after it took a little swim,it wouldn't charge after drying out and i thought a new battery would be the answer,phone switches on ok and everything works except it won't charge on any of our proven chargers.guess something on the main board's knackered. if you have any ideas i would be a very happy chap.

Be careful when trying to pry the battery from the side, as the spudger will break.

There are no delicate parts below the battery so you can push the spudger under the battery without damaging anything. Just be careful at the top of the phone that you don't damage the orange ribbon cable.

Just a little tip I thought I might add. I would recommend having a digital camera handy to taking snap shots before proceeding with each step, so that you can see exactly how it originally looked at each stage. Once you've gotten to the battery section, just pop the card from the camera into a computer or applicable device and you now have a simple guide for reassembly that is specific to your device.

Also, it may be prudent to take a picture of the screws laid out in a tray along side the phone in the same positions they came out of.

Agree with others - spooger will almost certainly break if you try to pry it out using just that and you can't pull hard enough on the plastic tab. Even on my 2 year old phone, the glue was still *quite* good at holding the battery in.

I used an equally small flat-blade screwdriver and gently walked around the battery lifting against the bottom plastic and the edge of the phone being careful NEVER to touch any of the flat-cable wires. While you can pry against the bottom since there is nothing under it (just double-check since there are some wires running along the side of the phone and the pressure you need to remove the battery would damage the wires if you pryed on them), you need to be careful against the edge of the phone. It's cheap plastic. You can pry against it, but I dared not use more force than enough to start hearing the adhesive start to rip/creak loose. SLOWLY walking around the battery at safe pry points several times finally loosened it enough that I could pull it out. GO SLOW.

Make sure no unplugged cabel is under the circute board when inserting the board again.

This happens easily since the cable tend to spring back.

Since I didn't have a hair dryer (never needed one) I used a 500W construction lamp... Those things get very hot. The battery came free relatively easy.

Had to use pliers to slowly pull the battery free by it's tab. When you reverse the steps to reassemble the phone - make sure to get all 6 (or 7 for the 3GS) cables plugged back in. I forgot connector 5 and had to take the phone back apart. Then realized the next day I also had missed connector 6 (wifi). So because I reassembled too quickly the first time - I got to do all the steps 3 times! But phone works perfectly now with a new battery.

Actually broke the plastic spludger trying to get the battery off. Considered it the hardest part of the tutorial. I kept looking at it to see if I hadn't ruined something.Asides from this, reassembling was fairly quick although there was no sliding back of the logic board for me on a 3G. Turned it back on, tested sound, microphone and wifi. All seems good. Thanks alot for all the help guys.

I've made all the disassembling process with no problems, but when I put the logic board back the battery starts getting hot and hotter. Any suggestions??

When I put the new battery in, it was a smidge too far toward the bottom. As a result the logic board didn't quite fit back into place and I was unable to put two screws back in. However, the repair seems successful and my phone is working now. Additional guidance on installing the battery would help.

So, I replaced the battery, but now, when I charge the phone, it shuts down and restarts. It also shuts down with use. Hmmm. What is it? Is it the "Do not remove tape"? Or som eother connector?

I replaced the battery and it works great...battery wise...however my home button and power button do not work. I can turn the phone on by plugging it in and then out again only. HELP PLEASE?!?!?!

The new battery that I have had air pocket in it. It kinda bloated. The logic board would not fit back perfectly because of the bloated battery.

So using a sharp cutter, I cut a bit hole. Pssssttt... the air came out. Watch out for the chemical smell. Using a good tape, tape back the hole. Double did that to make sure.

Don't know whether I supposed to do that or not, but sending back the battery to ifixit was not an option as I live on the other side of the planet.

Im stuck at reassembling the power on/off button after replacing the jack connector, for me its the most difficult part because it can be assembled partially wrong and then it won't turn it on. Could anyone post some more details about it ? for instance how the button itself should be placed and what screw should be used, by mistake I had some screws mixed and now I don't recognize which one should be used. THANKS!

This Step is not really necessary.

Always test the button after replacement, if its not moving freely, loosen both sides or take one screw out, and refit, its like the mute switch, sometime it takes a few times of refitting to get it right. On new cases, especially the OEM kind, you might have to "scrape" a bit of the plastic where the button goes through to get it to move more freely.

Hi guys!

I have set of new screws here an I need to sort them - I can't find any specifications on the two screws mentioned here. How long are the two screws for the "on/off"-swith exactly? Thanks for the hlep, this website is great!

Can somebody say me, if the screw (1.8 mm) on the left side is very important? I lost this screw? What is the function of this screw?

4 screws: If the 3.8mm (orange circle) is #1

#2 and #4 are identical

#3 has a smaller head.

In tight places like this, I found a teense bit of Elmers spotted on the screw head and allowed to dry a few secs to the driver, helps to stabilize the way in.

I can't get the orange screw loose from the headphone jack. It continuously spins, but never pops up from the assembly. I can't use tweezers to get at it because despite unscrewing it forever, the head never comes away. How do I fix this?

Try to lever the screw's head with a flat screwdriver or a knife, so you can force it outwards while you screw it lose. That usually works with stripped screws.

For step 20, not all of the screws in my phone were the same length. The far right screw in the picture is a longer screw than the others.

by the time you are removing the vibrate button, you should check this to be in ¨off¨ position, as is a small part and is a very triky situation re-assembling this, it fits back, it doesnt matter if is on or off so you will realise this by the time you have the iPhone completed and couldnt use the button, result, open again and correct it.

Hi All,

I continue on my iPhone build and I fix one part and seem to break another.

After stripping it all down I then put it all back together but now my lock button doesnt work.

Any ideas?

I followed the tutorial and the rest of the buttons on the ribbon all work.

What could of happened?

While disassembling, the screw in the far right corner should be separated from the other screws. If you confuse it with one of the other three screws, it is impossible to reassemble the vibration button.

What meaning by "off" position? Vibration off, or sound off?

When reassembling I found the screwhole for the longer screw (on the right) was full of glue. I used a hot pin to get the worst of it out.

Hi guys, my middle screw on my volume button is stuck and I don't want to keep unscrewing it for fear of wearing the head down too much. Does anyone have any hints that might help me? Cheers!

Hi guys!

I have set of new screws here an I need to sort them - I can't find more detailled specifications on the four screws mentioned here. How long are the screws for the sound-swith exactly? How long is the "slightly longer" screw on the far right? Thanks for the hlep, this website is great!

This is a great guide in helping you dismantle the phone and to remove the existing assembly, however the bit that's actually difficult is not covered, which is installing the new one...when a get a few more minutes I'll write a detailed description of how I did this is and the things to watch out for (it took me bloody ages). Any questions in the meantime feel free to message me!

Quote from Joe Fleming:

This is a great guide in helping you dismantle the phone and to remove the existing assembly, however the bit that's actually difficult is not covered, which is installing the new one...when a get a few more minutes I'll write a detailed description of how I did this is and the things to watch out for (it took me bloody ages). Any questions in the meantime feel free to message me!

Would love to read your writeup and tips for installing the replacement. Thanks, Bernard

Joe, I'd really appreciate any advice/instruction on that most complicated part of the operation! Seems to be nowhere on the net that gives this info. I've taken the iPhone to pieces and put it back together as the part I had and the part it's meant to be replace just looked worlds apart (though they were identical on closer inspection).

Sure others here would love to know as well.

Cheers!

Andy

iggy1967 *at* hotmail.com

I'm having a hard time reversing this process. I've got the switch set to "off" and I think I've got everything in the right spot, put a few screws back in, and the switch sits flush against the side the case, instead of coming out a bit. Being flush it's switch it on and off. Any suggestions? Please!

Guys, I really need help! I've managed everything -including replacing all the plastics etc. onto the new headphone replacement and it's all almost ready to go ...apart from the power button!! How the devil do you fit it back on?? I've tried every combination and am staggered that i can't find a single resource online that covers this.

I'd be in your debt if you could help -and I'm sure there are others here too who'd appreciate it!

Alan,

Clear as a crystal! And it worked beautifully. All back together now -many thanks;)

The vibrate has gone kaput but I think I can live with that;)

Andy

Well after all that my problem persists.

the iPod plays fine through the speakers, but sounds faraway in headphones -almost as if mono through both cans.

I've tried adaptors, three sets of headphones and am a little frustrated that even managing to replace the jack hasn't solved this.

There's nothing online anywhere about this problem, so...who out there has some ideas on what it could be? I'm foxed.

On my replacement part, there were two small plastic posts on the back of the switch. Looking at the one I'm replacing and the new one, it seemed as if they needed to be squashed, but I found the solution with a soldering iron. If you carefully melt the two posts with a broad tip, you create a much firmer bond between the switch itself and the metal shoe it fits on.

For me, two questions are not answered yet in this step:

It is only possible to buy a flex cable without the microswitch and the metal housing of ring/vibrate-Button. So:

1. How can I remove the small switch from the old flex cable? Only by pulling out?

2. How do I remove the metal housing? Pulling out the old plastic posts is sufficient?

Once the headphone jack assembly has been removed from the phone, you must remove the three brackets attached to the assembly. Pay close attention to the orientation of these brackets in relation to the small adhesive tabs on the assembly so that you can properly adhere the brackets to your replacement assembly.

watch out for a small mettal washer here, i wasn't paying attention an now dont know where it goes.

The headphone jack slides backwards slightly before you can lift it out. Installation should push the jack down then slide into place.

I had some trouble getting the mute switch/rocker to function properly, as a couple others have mentioned. There is only one way it will work properly: Make sure the mute rocker is in the muted position with the red dot visible before you re-install the bracket. The switch that you stuck to the bracket by removing the tape backing must also be in the muted position (pushed down toward the back of the case). The tip of the switch fits into a hole in the rocker. If it isn't in the hole, moving the mute rocker will dislodge the taped switch from the bracket. Take your time with this step and make sure the mute rocker feels normal before attaching anything else (phone jack, power button, etc.). Good luck!

I have also experienced that the adhesive located on the "mute/silence" button is really bad on some aftermarket parts. I have had good results using a small drop of "loctite superglue" in addition to the adhesive. (Please be sure to avoid getting any glue on the actual button..).

Having a magnetized screw driver would have saved me about 15 minutes (puting the phone back together) - otherwise, I used tweezers to set each screw in to position before tightening (carefully)

This guide doesn't cover installing the new vibrate switch that comes as part of a new ribbon cable assembly, so a quick couple of things to note:

1) The vibrate/silent switch on the end of the ribbon cable is secured in place by a solid metal bracket. This bracket holds the switch against the outer plastic vibrate/silent rocker. When you pull out the old ribbon cable assembly, the metal bracket will come with, it is welded on by plastic lugs on the back of the switch. Don't fear, if you have a soldering iron you can melt these away and gently pull off the old switch and ribbon cable assembly.

2) Installing the new switch/ribbon cable assembly is a bit tricky. The back of the new switch should have an adhesive pad and two fresh plastic lugs. Stick the switch onto the bracket to hold it in place and then carefully melt the plastic lugs down with the flat of the soldering iron to weld the switch in place. Be careful not to apply too much heat to the switch, and don't burn your fingers! It's pretty fiddly to hold. You will want to ensure the switch is firmly welded on, otherwise there will be some play in the vibrate switch action.

This is definitely one of the trickiest parts to reassemble. I suggest holding the spinning part with a pair of tweezers, and having a second person screw the screw. This is nearly impossible to do with a single pair of hands.

Hi!

Is this antenna the same antenna as the wifi one?

Where on earth can I find the actual iPhone 3G wifi antenna?

Thank you very much, I'm going nuts.

Be very very carefull in STEP 23 it isn't a Philips #00 screw. It thiner and If you try with another screw you will get a widther hole and you will not able to mount the SIM reject part. So I advise you to keep this little screw separetly and remember to use it when you mount your iPhone again.

Is it possible to only replace the camera holder or do I have to replace the whole back cover?

Thanks!

When reassembling mine, I found to my horror that the new rear panel did not have hole here to screw into. I went to the local hardware store and bought a 1mm drill bit and re-drilled the hole. Amazingly it worked and I was able to screw this piece back on.

Quote from Russell Graham:

When reassembling mine, I found to my horror that the new rear panel did not have hole here to screw into. I went to the local hardware store and bought a 1mm drill bit and re-drilled the hole. Amazingly it worked and I was able to screw this piece back on.

i had exactly the same situation but a 1mm drill piece didn't seem small enough..

This is probably one of the most tricky steps.

That b…"eautiful" little screw is quite impossible to reassemble. The problem is, that the little plastic part which looks like a long double triangle is the "thing" that will extract the SIM card when one uses the extractor.

If this part and the screw can't be put back where they belong to, then you must expect having to open your iPhone EVERY time you want to change your SIM card.

The iPhone will work fine and you'll never have a single problem as long as you don't want to change your carrier.

Think about it !

how do you install the gps antennae if it doesnt have the screw hole?

When removing the Phillips #00 screw securing the black plastic spacer, the SIM card removal lever will be removed. Be careful to put it back when reassembling as otherwise you will damage the back casing by screwing too far.

There's a bit of tacky tape under here, so pry carefully, moving from left side to right side in alteration, else you bend/snap this housing.

Great guide, i did all these steps.

But wifi still not working :(

New antenna but no network found

Quote from Schicksal:

Great guide, i did all these steps.

But wifi still not working :(

New antenna but no network found

same thing here,I can still put mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes,and get a few minutes of connection until the phone heats up again(great for Alaska but I live in Sunny Florida)have to be real careful of the condensation though,sure wish someone would figure out what's the cause of this.

Quote from ThPranksta:

same thing here,I can still put mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes,and get a few minutes of connection until the phone heats up again(great for Alaska but I live in Sunny Florida)have to be real careful of the condensation though,sure wish someone would figure out what's the cause of this.

maybe because here we are talking about GPS antenna and not WIFI antenna that is positioned near dock connector, in the other side of iPhone..

Quote from paso1971:

maybe because here we are talking about GPS antenna and not WIFI antenna that is positioned near dock connector, in the other side of iPhone..

The repair guide on this site called "GPS Antenna"

That antenna handles gps, wifi and bluetooth from what I've gathered. please prove me wrong:-(

Quote from ThPranksta:

The repair guide on this site called "GPS Antenna"

That antenna handles gps, wifi and bluetooth from what I've gathered. please prove me wrong:-(

Uhm, maybe I'm wrong, but why my gps doesn't work and wifi and BT yes?

There is some adhesive holding it down. A little force may be needed to pry it up.

The GPS antenna is fixed with an adhesive and is also fragile. It may be worth using a thin knife to carefully work it away from the back case without breaking it.

I found that removing the camera "mount" first was easier to get at the antenna housing.

For reassembly, what do you do with the little handle/bar that is attached to the bottom of the on/off button?

while reassembling, it's quite helpful to use a bit of tape (on the out side) to maintain the button

while reassembling, it's quite helpful to use a bit of tape (on the out side) to maintain the button

A lot of aftermarket rear panels come with a new bezel, this doesn't usually have the mount to fasten the vibrator too, so it maybe worth using the existing bezel on the new back.

When assembling, carefully place the 2 metal strips at the bottom of the motor in the the casing holds to give proper alignment.

If you are retaining the Bezel, you do not need to remove the vibrator.

It's wrong !

If you want to keep the bezel. Dont' remove the two 1.9mm Phillips #00 screws securing the vibrator TO THE BEZEL !

When reassembling, the screw holes for the dock connector must be above the screw holes for the bezel. If the dock connector screw holes are below the bezel screholes, the dock connector will not fit properly in its window on the rear casing. The home button may not work as well (you will have to press extremely hard to get any response from the home button).

At first i want to say that, that is an awsome guide.

I did everything but finally my home button and my on/off button is not working. can anybody helb me??? thx

There are little grill things that might stay on the case if they do take them off and stick them back on this part. DO NOT FORGET TO REALIGN WHEN BUILDING IPHONE!

On the way back, CAREFULLY align the mic and speaker port into the shell and the screw pass thrus as well.

This is the magic question no one can answer...I never see the bezel off, why? Does it come off because I cant get it off. I was told screws hold it, but I dont see them. Its mentioned that we may need to glue it on the parts guide but no reference to what kind of glue or if its included.

Quote from tpashegoba:

This is the magic question no one can answer...I never see the bezel off, why? Does it come off because I cant get it off. I was told screws hold it, but I dont see them. Its mentioned that we may need to glue it on the parts guide but no reference to what kind of glue or if its included.

I have same question, and nobody seems to have an answer for it. Some chinese webpages indicate bezel needs to be glued to rear panel, but offer no help in that regard.

Quote from jdesorme:

I have same question, and nobody seems to have an answer for it. Some chinese webpages indicate bezel needs to be glued to rear panel, but offer no help in that regard.

You have to remove the old bezel gently as it's glued to the rear panel.

You can reuse the bezel. Remember to remove (clean) the old glue. Apply some glue to the bezel

and attach it to the rear panel. There are no screws attaching bezel to the rear panel.

Definitely takes a little finesse to get the old bezel off but it is doable. Unfortunately I couldn't use the rings from the headphone jack or camera, but get what you pay for. Overall, I'd give the process a 7 out of 10 for difficulty (that's also the quality rating I'd give my final result, most replacement back panels just seem to be a little off).

Quote from jdesorme:

I have same question, and nobody seems to have an answer for it. Some chinese webpages indicate bezel needs to be glued to rear panel, but offer no help in that regard.

are you kidding fellows? there are minimum 6 screws that fixing bezel!

http://100cd.ru/products_pictures/frame3...

After the tear down, and fixing back , everything works expect for the ear piece speak phone doesnt work, is it any way related to connector#03 (its not broken, but it did come out with opening the tiny latch)

need help!!!

I have managed to get the bezel off, the new bezel that came with my new back was cheap plastic and didn't have some of the screw holes or mounts.

Once I had the back and the bezel away from the rest of the phone, I used a hairdryer to heat up the glue which keeps it together, not overdoing it as the plastic will become brittle.

If you then squeeze gently the two sides of the bezel towards each other you will start to see some give in it.

I then put a spudger in between and slowly worked my way around, took around 15 minutes.

When it is off I cleared off the old glue and applied a very thin layer of new glue to attach securely to the new back.

Whilst it was off I also used a scotch brite pad to give the bezel the brushed aluminum effect. The whole thing now looks really nice.

Quote from Asif:

After the tear down, and fixing back , everything works expect for the ear piece speak phone doesnt work, is it any way related to connector#03 (its not broken, but it did come out with opening the tiny latch)

need help!!!

I had the same problem with the ear piece speak. what does cable #3 deal with? It doesn't seem to push in all the way.

I was able to do the procedure successfully, although I'm amazed everything still works. :) I re-used the headphone bezel by pulling off the plastic mount which goes between it and the headphone jack (it's glued in and will come apart when removed), but the bezel still fits flush with the headphone jack and doesn't move around at all once the phone is re-assembled.

One goof-up I had was to place the speaker/mic mount below the screw holes on the bezel, whereas it should be mounted ABOVE the bezel. I could tell something was off when the bezel wouldn't go down all the way and the data/charge connector on the phone sat a little too low.

Overall, not an extremely complicated process, but one with MANY steps and lots of opportunities to damage the hardware. It was worth the effort, but if your phone case back has cracks right out of the box (mine did), I'd swap it for another right away.

Quote from BurntTimber:

Definitely takes a little finesse to get the old bezel off but it is doable. Unfortunately I couldn't use the rings from the headphone jack or camera, but get what you pay for. Overall, I'd give the process a 7 out of 10 for difficulty (that's also the quality rating I'd give my final result, most replacement back panels just seem to be a little off).

Quote from tpashegoba:

This is the magic question no one can answer...I never see the bezel off, why? Does it come off because I cant get it off. I was told screws hold it, but I dont see them. Its mentioned that we may need to glue it on the parts guide but no reference to what kind of glue or if its included.

you need to pry it of coz its held on with glue

Quote from richard:

you need to pry it of coz its held on with glue

I used either the spudger or the guitar pick (the kit I bought fortunately came with both). The best way is to find a spot where the glue is a little weak, and then insert something thin and plastic to use as a wedge. Then carefully go around the perimeter of the phone, and that should be enough to get the bezel off.

I actually took a slightly different approach. I heated my oven to around 150, and placed the old rear panel with bezel attached inside for around ten minutes or so. Worked like a charm for me. Looking back, 200 probably would've been ok as the glue was melted, just enough to still pry but not entirely melting the glue. I even had enough glue to still adhesive the bezel to my next rear panel.

Is it possible to get the black housing for the camera of the rear panel? Or do I have to buy one with the black housing already attached to the rear panel?

Quote from deluxz:

Is it possible to get the black housing for the camera of the rear panel? Or do I have to buy one with the black housing already attached to the rear panel?

Yes you can get it off, you just need to carefully pry it off with the spudger. Also be very careful when you remove the piece next to it because it has the wi-fi antenna connected to it.

Quote from nathan:

I had the same problem with the ear piece speak. what does cable #3 deal with? It doesn't seem to push in all the way.

The connector #3 is the proximity sensor flex cable. That is what detects if the phone is up to your head to shut off the screen and turn on the ear speaker. The cable is very easy to damage if it is bent too much, but don't fret if yours is damaged because it is a very cheap replacement as well as a very easy replacement. And it looks like it should go in all the way until the white line is covered up, but it doesn't. If you tried to shove it in further than it can go and bent the cable then you may have damaged it and need a new one. The little thing that flips up on the connector port needs to be up for you to be able to slide it in all the way, and that may be your problem as well.

Does anyone know where to buy a genuine rear panel including the parts you need to transfer from White to Black rear panel ? I need one that fits well.

Quote from deluxz:

Does anyone know where to buy a genuine rear panel including the parts you need to transfer from White to Black rear panel ? I need one that fits well.

www.chinaontrade.com. They even have rear panel covers other than black and white. I ordered a replacement for my huge 3GS and from what I can tell it's exactly like the original.

Cody

Cody's Computer Service

Quote from codyduncum:

www.chinaontrade.com. They even have rear panel covers other than black and white. I ordered a replacement for my huge 3GS and from what I can tell it's exactly like the original.

Cody

Cody's Computer Service

Quote from Bernard:

Hello, the instructions here are more complete, thank you, what kind of glue, name of glue should I use on the bezel, will I find it at Marshals?

If you wish to then remove the chrome Bezel wish is glued to the plastic back Cover, you need to GENTLY squeeze the long edges the glue will crack and you will be able to get a spudger in the crack while applying pressure. You can then gently pry the bezel off. Carefully clean the old glue off with a blade.

@ Tony Sossong thanks a lot

Grrrr. I rebuilt my iphone and forgot the little silver ring around the camera... found it today in the old backing.

IMPORTANT IF MOVING TO NEW BACK HOUSING DO NOT FORGET:

1. little speaker and mic grill things on the bottom of the inside of case.

2. little silver camera ring that is visible from outside and might blend in with back of black iphone from inside.

3. Silver ring around 3.5mm earbud/headphone port. (may stick to chrome bezel)

Well, If I'm completely trashing the whole back+bezel combo and buying it all again,

Should I start not worrying about prying bezel off but sticking bezel into back?

be sure to remove the small screens at the bottom of the panel on either side of the screws. Use small screwdriver or other small non pointed object to push out. Using a pair of tweezers small round screens should come out easily. There should be a small amount of gasket material/adhesive around the screen.

To remove stickers, I use "Undo" (hexane in a small bottle). It is intended to scrapbooking. I find it great because it can dissolve pressure sensitive adhesive bonds then evaporate and leave the adhesive reusable again. Not sure what the grey sticker is for but it looks like it's there for a purpose.

I note a lot of people forgot to retrieve the chromed trims from their old case. I tried to edit to ensure someone next doesn't make the same mistake, but my edits got rejected.

[* black] The rear panel, attached front bezel, camera housing, chrome trims, microphone/speaker grills, and volume switch remain.

[* black] Use a spudger to remove the camera housing and its chrome trim ring. When reassembling, note the chrome trim ring is keyed to the camera housing.

[* black] Use a spudger to remove the microphone and speaker grilles from either side of the dock connector. They are attached with adhesive.

[* black] Use a spudger to remove the headphone socket chrome trim with plastic surround (stuck with the blue glue on the photo).

[* black] Carefully pry the glue join between the metal bezel and the plastic case. Remove the bezel and the volume switch. The volume switch has attached plastic spacers between it and the volume switch mechanism which must be retained or replaced for the buttons to protrude enough to be pressed. When gluing the bezel to the new rear case, do not apply glue to the part of the bezel which retains the volume switch.

[* black] Remove the grey sticker from the middle of the case.

[* black] Refit the removed parts using their attached double sided tape or a suiitable flexible glue (eg polyurethane adhesive).

[* black] Refit the removed parts using their attached double sided tape or a suitable strong and flexible glue (eg polyurethane adhesive).

If you want to remove the chrome bezel away from rear panel, just insert a plastic prying tool between rear panel and bezel from the exterior.

To insert it, you can lift the bezel from the inside by using a second prying tool.

Once the first tool is in place, mantain it and turn around the rest of the iphone to remove bezel.

Two parts are just glued.