Google Pixel 1 Water Damage Repair

***Let your Pixel's battery drain below 25% before starting this repair.*** A charged lithium‑ion battery may catch fire if damaged.

Unplug all cables and completely power down your phone.

Glass shards can complicate disassembly—or worse, cause injury. If your phone has a cracked screen, follow this step.

Apply strips of packing tape to the cracked glass until the whole screen is covered—this will help keep the glass contained and allow the suction cup to stick to the screen.

Make sure there's a ***single strip*** (''not'' overlapping) of tape across the ***top edge***, big enough for a suction cup to fit on.

Only cover the glass itself—don't stick any tape to the frame.

Consider wearing safety glasses to protect your eyes from any glass shaken free during the repair.

Adhesive secures the screen to the frame. Heating the screen softens the adhesive, making it easier to separate.

Use a [guide|157348|hair dryer|new_window=true], [guide|151116|heat gun|new_window=true], or heating pad to heat the entire screen until it's almost too hot to touch.

Be careful not to overheat the phone—the battery and plastic components are susceptible to heat damage. Stop heating if the frame becomes too hot to touch.

If you're using a heating pad, set it to 60° C (140° F) and place your phone screen side down for 10 minutes.

Apply a suction handle to the center of the screen's top edge, as close to the edge as possible.

Inserting an opening pick is difficult. Be patient and reheat the screen at any point if it feels stuck.

Pull up on the suction handle with strong, steady force to create a gap between the screen and frame.

Insert the tip of an opening pick completely under the screen.

A metal frame is attached to the backside of the display. When inserting your pick, make sure it's underneath this frame, and not only underneath the glass panel—delaminating the glass panel from the screen will make removal difficult.

Only insert the pick slightly (a few millimeters) to prevent damaging the [link|https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/waduOEZxSZqBrvRQ.full|front camera|new_window=true].

Slide the opening pick along the top edge to separate the adhesive.

Continue sliding the pick around the perimeter of the screen until all the adhesive has been separated, leaving picks inserted at the corners to prevent the adhesive from re‑sealing.

Reheat the screen at any point if it feels stuck.

Don't try to fully remove the screen yet, as it's still connected by a ribbon cable.

Flip the top edge of the screen over the bottom edge and use the suction handle (or a sturdy object) to prop it up, so you have access to the screen cable connector.

If the screen still feels stuck, go back around the perimeter with an opening pick and separate any remaining adhesive.

Use the flat end of a spudger to push in the [link|https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/5K3hR224nPvJhUEh.full|clip|new_window=true] on the screen cable bracket until it releases.

Remove the bracket.

Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the screen cable [guide|25629|press connector|stepid=70308|new_window=true].

Grip the screen cable just above its connector and gently peel it up.

Remove the screen.

Before installing adhesive, all the old adhesive must be completely removed from the frame.

Take your time during the next two steps. A clean frame allows replacement adhesive to lay totally flat, ensuring a better seal for your new screen.

This step will take some time, as removing the adhesive can be very tricky.

Use the point of a spudger to remove all the old screen adhesive from the frame. Try to "roll" the adhesive onto itself so it balls up, making it easier to remove.

Wrap a microfiber or lint‑free cloth around a spudger and apply a single drop of high‑concentration (>90%) isopropyl alcohol to the end.

Use the spudger to clean up all the remaining adhesive residue from the frame, applying more drops of alcohol as necessary.

Before applying any adhesive, check if your replacement screen comes with adhesive pre‑installed around its perimeter. If it does, [guide|196282|skip down nine steps|stepid=405383]. If it doesn't, follow the next nine steps to install new screen adhesive on the frame.

Before applying the screen adhesive, make sure you know how it will sit on the frame. If you apply the adhesive incorrectly, you'll need to restart with new adhesive.

Hold the adhesive above the frame to find its orientation. Use cutouts in the liner and the contours of the adhesive to help visualize how it will lay in the frame.

The screen cable sticks up off the frame, making it difficult to apply new screen adhesive.

Tape the middle of the cable down to the frame, making sure the tape isn't covering anywhere the new adhesive will go.

Peel down the ***bottom half*** of the large, clear liner to expose the adhesive—don't fully remove the liner yet.

Take your time aligning the adhesive with the frame—it's very sticky and can't be moved after you apply it.

With the larger, clear liner folded towards the top of the phone, lay the exposed bottom edge of the adhesive onto the frame.

Use the lip of the frame to help align the adhesive.

Once the top edge is properly aligned, gently press down on the top corners to secure the adhesive.

Slowly lay the rest of the adhesive onto the frame, pressing it into place and peeling away the larger liner as you go.

Use a spudger to press down firmly on the screen adhesive to secure it to the frame.

Slowly peel up and remove the large colored liner, peeling from the cutout near the top edge.

If the adhesive starts to peel up with the liner, check that you’ve pushed all of it into place with your spudger. If it continues to peel up, hold it down with the point of your spudger as you go.

Use a spudger to press down firmly on the screen adhesive to secure it to the frame.

Remove the tape securing the screen cable.

If your new screen comes with [link|https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/UiSWRKFbAhKKR5Ra.full|cable adhesive|new_window=true] installed just above the connector on the back of the screen, follow this step to remove the old adhesive. Otherwise, skip this step and leave the old adhesive.

Use a spudger to ***gently*** scrape up and remove the piece of adhesive on the screen cable, near the connector.

Be very careful not to damage the cable. Otherwise, your screen may not work.

Your replacement screen has various protective liners and pieces of tape on the underside that must be removed before installation. Your screen may have different pieces in different locations, so make sure to check carefully!

***Don't remove the screen cable adhesive liner near the bottom of the screen yet***—you'll do so after reconnecting the cable.

Check around the front facing camera cutout, and near the bottom edge of the screen.

Usually, you can identify the liners by their pull tabs.

The exposed back of the screen is very fragile—even a small scratch can cause damage. Be very careful not to damage the screen during the remaining steps.

Use your fingers or tweezers to remove the plastic liners and tape from the back of the screen.

Use a sturdy object to prop up the screen so you can reconnect its cable.

Make sure the screen is oriented so it's in the proper position when you flip it back down.

Loop the screen cable around and use your fingers to reconnect the press connector, pressing on one side first and then the other.

Insert the small arm of the screen cable bracket into its slot next to the connector.

Press down on the bracket and slide it into place until it clicks, making sure the outer edge [link|https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/cKpq6MRqLsddiphK.full|hooks into place|new_window=true].

If your screen has screen cable adhesive pre‑installed, remove the plastic liner.

Press the cable into place above the connector to secure it to the screen.

Flip the screen down and hold it above the frame.

Remove all remaining liners from the adhesive (either on the frame, or from the underside of the screen).

Firmly push the screen into place on the frame.

Hold your phone up and squeeze firmly around the perimeter to strengthen the adhesive bond.

For an even stronger bond, you can [guide|165811|stack books on the back glass|stepid=349253|new_window=true] or use [guide|142291|screen vise clamps|new_window=true].

***Before powering on your Pixel for the first time***, lay the phone screen-side up on a clean, flat surface. Remove the plastic liner from the screen, making sure ''nothing touches the phone'' while you do so (fingers, screen protectors, or cases).

Follow any other specific instructions that may be on the screen's adhesive liner.