Both on my original and on my replacement, there was adhesive on the underside of this connector and it blended in with the color of the speaker (instead of being gray, as in the photo), so that it looked like it was attached to the speaker itself. In reality, it is part of the lightning connector and headphone jack assembly that is being replaced and that is stuck to the case (cf. steps 34–38). If yours is similar, go ahead and peel it off of the top of the speaker now, and the speaker will come right out when you get to that step.