Take it Easy

Mijn probleem

My glass display screen cracked, the display slowly transformed into somewhat interactive abstract art.

Mijn oplossing

Removing the old screen was quite difficult. It was shattered mostly in the upper left corner so the suction was fine, but I think the drop twisted the aluminum frame and/or caused a bur or two around the perimeter that sort of locked the screen in place (also made it difficult to replace the new screen, I had to file away a small amount of aluminum so the new screen fit)

I ended up having to use a razor in stead of the plastic spudger to lift up the old screen, and may have sliced a bit of what appears to simply be tape around the speaker on the lower right. I regret this, knowing apple, this small piece of material probably keeps Siri from going all self-aware and killing me in my sleep.

As of a few minutes of use however the phone appears to not be malfunctioning from this slight slice. Speakers work.

If your having trouble with the spudger and suction cup walk away and breathe,I WOULD NOT use the metal razor edge if I had to do this again, after seeing whats under and right nearby.

After that, screw removal and dis/connecting was straight forward. Be delicate. Be meticulous.

Mijn advies

I Set up my work station with paper on the floor and desk in case I dropped a screw. I then kept a roll of scotch tape handy and taped each small screw (they are SMALL!!!) to the paper and wrote down what and where and which step it belonged too. I don't know how else I could have kept track of the screws.

Secondly, it is quite possible your frame was twisted or dented in the fatal fall. Guess what. your brand new screen wants a nice clean perimeter to snap into or it will crack when you try to snap it in place. I took a micro file and gently cleaned up the burrs and imperfections on the aluminum bezel of the frame. Especially in the corner I had to do a bit of sculpting so the aluminum bezel would fit the radius of the new screen. Be careful doing this!!!

Finally, re-inserting the screen took me a moment. I noticed the top edge will not seat into the correct depth if you don't sort of leverage it in first and then hinge down and then push in the bottom corners and by the home button. Exactly the opposite of the how you opened it!

Good luck and take deep breathes!

PS, Don't be lazy in the future and get that lifetime warranty protected case REPLACED when it starts to fall apart!