Google Pixel 4a Volume Button Repair

Insert a SIM eject tool, bit, or straightened paper clip into the SIM tray hole.

Press directly into the hole to eject the SIM card tray.

Remove the SIM card tray.

You will need to pry the screen up to remove it from the phone. Read the following notes carefully before proceeding.

Take note of the two seams on the edge of your phone:

''Screen seam:'' This seam separates the screen from the rest of the phone. '''This is where you have to pry.'''

''Frame seam:'' This is where the plastic frame meets the back cover. It is held in place by screws. '''Do not pry at this seam.'''

Before you begin, note the following areas on the screen:

''Screen flex cable:'' Do not insert the opening pick deeper than instructed or you risk damaging this cable.

''Adhesive perimeter:'' Prying beyond this narrow perimeter without angling the pick will damage the OLED panel.

A hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate may also be used, but be careful not to overheat the phone—the display and internal battery are both susceptible to heat damage.

If your display is badly cracked, covering it with a layer of clear packing tape may allow the suction cup to adhere. Alternatively, very strong tape may be used instead of the suction cup. If all else fails, you can superglue the suction cup to the broken screen.

Place a suction cup as close to the right edge of the screen as possible.

Lift the suction cup with a strong steady force.

Insert the tip of an opening pick into the ''screen seam'' '''no more than 1 mm.'''

This step shows how to insert your pick without damaging the OLED panel. Do this before slicing the adhesive.

With the pick '''1 mm''' into the gap, pivot the pick upwards to a steep angle.

At a steep angle, carefully push the pick into the gap about 1/4 inch (6 mm). The pick should slide in '''below''' the OLED panel.

'''Stop if you feel the point of the pick hitting a ridge.''' The pick may be pressing against the edge of the OLED panel. Angle the pick and try again.

Slide the pick along the right edge of the screen to cut the adhesive.

Do not insert the pick more than 1/4 inch (6 mm) or you may damage the screen's flex cable.

Leave the pick in the bottom-right corner to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.

There's a mesh covering the earpiece speaker on the top edge of the screen. If you don’t have a replacement mesh, take care not to damage or lose this component.

The screen adhesive is weak, so you should not need to re-apply heat. If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.

Insert another opening pick into the right edge of the phone at an angle where a gap has already formed to prevent damage to the OLED panel.

Slide the opening pick around the top of the phone to cut the adhesive.

Leave the pick inserted along the top edge to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Insert another opening pick into the top edge of your phone at an angle where a gap has already formed to prevent damage to the OLED panel.

Use the pick to slice around the top-left corner where the camera window is.

If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.

Leave the pick inserted along the left edge of your phone to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.

Slide the opening pick to cut the adhesive along the left edge of your phone.

If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.

Keep in mind that you are now slicing near the [https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/2jAVOXWTQEtatJHY.full|new_window=true|screen flex cable] and digitizer.

Slide the opening pick around the bottom-left corner and across the bottom of the display to cut the rest of the adhesive.

If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.

Keep in mind that you are now slicing near the [https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/2jAVOXWTQEtatJHY.full|new_window=true|screen flex cable] and digitizer.

Once you have cut around the perimeter of the phone, carefully lift the right edge of the screen, partially opening the phone like a book.

Do not remove the screen yet.

Use an opening pick to carefully cut through any remaining adhesive.

Lift from the top edge and swing the screen over the bottom edge until you can rest it glass-side down.

Be careful not to put any stress on the attached ribbon cable.

Use your fingernail or a pair of [product|IF145-020|tweezers] to carefully peel off the tape covering the screen connector.

If it is in good condition, you can re-use this tape during reassembly. Otherwise, replace it with a piece of Kapton tape.

Insert the tip of a spudger into the opening of the plastic cover securing the screen flex cable.

Pry the plastic cover straight up until it pops out of place.

The plastic cover may spring into the air.

Remove the plastic cover.

Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the screen flex cable.

To re-attach [https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Recognizing+&+Disconnecting+Cable+Connectors/25629#s70308|new_window=true|press connectors] like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

Remove the screen.

To install a new screen:

Check if your replacement screen has speaker mesh and top edge adhesive pre-installed.

If it does, you won't need the [link|https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/vBiBoDTsRNJZNvrP.full|top edge adhesive|new_window=true].

If it doesn't, remove the larger clear liner from the [link|https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/vBiBoDTsRNJZNvrP.full|top edge adhesive|new_window=true] and apply it to the ***''screen''*** (not the frame). Make sure the larger cutout lines up with the speaker mesh.

Follow [guide|126585|this guide|new_window=true] to apply the custom-cut adhesive.

Use the third photo as a reference to position your adhesives.

During the boot-up process after reassembly, the screen will go through a calibration sequence. Don't touch the screen during this process, as it could result in improper touch calibration and create touch issues.

Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the nine 4.4 mm-long screws securing the back cover to the midframe.

Throughout this repair, [https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Magnetic-Project-Mat/IF145-167-4|keep track of each screw|new_window=true] and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.

Insert an opening pick into the seam between the midframe and the back cover, right above the SIM card slot.

Slide the opening pick along the right edge of your phone to release the plastic clips securing the back cover to the midframe.

Continue sliding the opening pick along the top, left, and bottom edges of your phone until all of the plastic tabs securing the back cover to the midframe are released.

Flip your phone over so the back cover is facing up.

Carefully swing the back cover up to an upright position.

Do not remove the back cover. It is still attached by two ribbon cables.

Rest the back cover against an object such as a cardboard box or soda can.

Use a T3 Torx screwdriver to remove the seven screws securing the motherboard bracket:

Four 4.0 mm-long screws

Three 2.1 mm-long screws

Remove the motherboard bracket.

Use the tip of a spudger to disconnect the battery cable from the motherboard.

Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the fingerprint sensor cable.

Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the front sensor array cable.

Remove the back cover.

Use your fingers or a pair of [product|IF145-020|tweezers] to peel the tape off of the copper foil.

The copper foil is thin and easily punctured.

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the front-facing camera from the motherboard.

Remove the front-facing camera.

Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 4.2 mm-long screws from the loudspeaker assembly.

Insert the tip of a spudger underneath the loudspeaker assembly.

Be careful not to puncture the white membranes on either side of the loudspeaker if you are intending to reuse it.

Flip the loudspeaker assembly over so it lightly rests on top of the battery.

Use a pair of [product|IF145-020|tweezers] to disconnect the antenna cable from the loudspeaker assembly.

Grab the metal connector of the antenna cable with your tweezers—***not*** the plastic cable.

Carefully peel the loudspeaker assembly up off the tape underneath it.

Be careful not to puncture the white membranes on either side of the loudspeaker if you are intending to reuse it.

Remove the loudspeaker assembly.

Use your fingers or a pair of [product|IF145-020|tweezers] to pull the antenna cable out from underneath the tape covering it.

Use the tip of a spudger to disconnect the loudspeaker cable from the motherboard.

Use the tip of a spudger to disconnect the headphone jack cable from the motherboard.

Use a pair of tweezers to remove the tape on the earpiece speaker covering the antenna flex cable.

Use a T3 Torx screwdriver to remove the 2.1 mm-long screw securing the charging port.

The motherboard is secured to the midframe by plastic clips.

Insert the tip of a spudger into the gap between the motherboard and the midframe near the front-facing cameras to pop it free from the first clip.

Grab the motherboard with your fingers and open it like a book.

This will release the rest of the clips.

Lift the motherboard straight out to remove it.

iFixit adhesive remover contains acetone, a mild skin and eye irritant.

Wear eye protection when handling and applying the adhesive remover. (Eye protection is included in your kit.)

Do not wear contact lenses without eye protection.

Protective gloves are also included in your kit. If you are concerned about skin irritation, put your gloves on now.

Pull off the black rubber stopper from your bottle of adhesive remover.

Twist to loosen or remove the bottle cap before you cut the applicator tip.

This unseals the bottle and allows the pressure to equalize before you cut the applicator tip. If you skip this step, the adhesive remover may spray out unexpectedly when the tip is cut.

Use scissors to cut off the sealed tip of the applicator.

Cutting close to the narrow tip will give you better control so you can apply the adhesive remover in small amounts.

Twist and close the bottle cap securely before you proceed further.

Use the tweezers to remove the tape holding the flex cable to the battery.

When installing a new cable, it is easier to apply brush on superglue to this area than new tape. Hold the cable into the corner until the glue sets. This prevents the back cover from ripping the cable.

Use the adhesive remover to loosen the glue under the contact pads, flex cable, and buttons.

Be careful to apply only to the flex cable and boards on the ends. Dripping on the battery or other cables and connectors may loosen their adhesive and cause problems.

Apply adhesive remover primarily in the marked areas. The fluid will wick easily along the flex cable.

The buttons and contacts are adhered to a thin rigid greenish fiberglass backing. Slice between this and the aluminum housing.

It is very difficult to remove the button flex cable without damage. If you need the cable intact consider adding heat with the [guide|25705|iOpener|new_window=true] to help soften the adhesive further. Be patient and keep applying adhesive remover every minute or so for several minutes before attempting to remove the cable.

Use spudger or blade to slice behind the button board.

There is solid aluminium directly under the buttons. Slicing straight down should not damage any other components.

Pry out on the end of the cable and peal it away from the phone.

Using the tip of the spudger, work the cable free along it's length, being careful not to tear or crease the cable when you get to the contact end.

Apply more adhesive remover to the underside of the contact board.

Using the metal spudger, pry up on the outside corner of the contact board.

Removing this end is difficult. If you don't need the cable you can be more aggressive, but be careful not to damage the [] cable.

Lift the complete cable out of the phone.