4s Battery Replacement—smooth but trickier than expected

Mijn probleem

My iPhone 4s had a battery that wouldn't hold much of a charge (understandably, as it was nearing 1,000 charge cycles).

Mijn oplossing

The description as a "Moderately" difficult job is a little misleading. I'd say it's all Easy, with the exception of Step 5, which is Advanced. As some other users have pointed out, Step 5 instructions are not that clear, and could be more helpful (see suggestions below). In the end it was a success, and the new battery seems to be much better! I used some software to check, and it's shown as having zero charge cycles, as it should. And now with moderate usage I'm left with 30-40% charge at the end of the day! Previously I'd struggle to last the day even with minimal usage.

Mijn advies

So, Step 5! What is not immediately clear is that there's a tiny, delicate piece of your iPhone that becomes free-floating at this point (the "pressure contact"). It could easily be lost or broken. There is a warning about this in Step 4, but it says that it "may come loose," when it's actually not attached at all once you remove the screws! It would also help if there were a better photo of this in Step 5, showing where it should go when you reassemble the whole thing. I also would echo others' suggestions that you use some fine, soft-tipped tweezers (or something of the like) to set this piece aside and then put it back--otherwise you need to wipe it off with alcohol to remove your finger oils. Additionally there is a warning about a "small black ground clip... [with a] gold contact point" at the end of Step 5. Is this the same thing as the "pressure contact??" Seems like it, but it's not specified, and there's no photo of this.