iPhone 5 Back Glass Replacement

If your display glass is cracked, keep further breakage contained and prevent bodily harm during your repair by taping the glass.

Lay overlapping strips of clear packing tape over the iPhone's display until the whole face is covered.

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

Before you proceed, discharge your iPhone battery below 25%. A charged lithium-ion battery can catch fire and/or explode if accidentally punctured.

Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.

Remove the two 3.6 mm Pentalobe screws next to the Lightning connector.

In the following steps you will be pulling the display up out of the phone body. The display is composed of a glass screen and a plastic bezel with metal clips.

Regardless of the tool you use, you need to be sure you pull up the entire display.

If the glass begins to separate from the plastic, as shown in the first image, slide a plastic opening tool between the plastic frame and the metal phone body to pry the metal clips out of the case.

If you are reassembling a phone with a separated display bezel, you may want to place a thin strip of adhesive between the plastic bezel and the glass to keep the phone closed.

The next two steps demonstrate the [product|IF145-513|Anti-Clamp], a tool we designed to make the opening procedure easier. ***If you aren't using the Anti-Clamp, skip down two steps for an alternate method.***

For complete instructions on how to use the Anti-Clamp, [guide|152309|check out this guide|new_window=true].

Pull the blue handle backwards to unlock the Anti-Clamp's arms.

Slide the arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone.

Position the suction cups near the bottom edge of the iPhone just above the home button—one on the front, and one on the back.

Squeeze the cups together to apply suction to the desired area.

If you find that the surface of your iPhone is too slippery for the Anti-Clamp to hold onto, you can [guide|159595|use tape|new_window=true] to create a grippier surface.

Pull the blue handle forwards to lock the arms.

Turn the handle clockwise 360 degrees or until the cups start to stretch.

Make sure the suction cups [link|https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/BSluctHhVVqhGtfj.full|new_window=true|remain aligned with each other]. If they begin to slip out of alignment, loosen the suction cups slightly and realign the arms.

Insert an opening pick under the screen when the Anti-Clamp creates a large enough gap.

If the Anti-Clamp doesn't create a sufficient gap, apply more heat to the area and rotate the handle a quarter turn.

***Don't crank more than a quarter turn at a time, and wait one minute between turns***. Let the Anti-Clamp and time do the work for you.

***Skip the next two steps.***

Press a suction cup onto the screen, just above the home button.

Be sure the cup is completely on the screen to get a tight seal.

If you're opening an iPhone with cracked glass, neatly lay a couple strips of packing tape across the front and squeeze out as many bubbles as you can. This will give the suction cup a surface to grab, and minimize the spread of broken glass.

Make sure the suction cup is firmly attached to the front panel assembly.

While holding the iPhone down with one hand, pull up on the suction cup to slightly separate the front panel assembly from the rear case.

Take your time and apply firm, constant force. The screen is a much tighter fit than most devices.

With a plastic opening tool, begin to gently pry the rear case down, away from the screen, while you pull up with the suction cup.

There are several clips attaching the front panel assembly to the rear case, so you may need to use a combination of the suction cup and plastic opening tool to free the front panel assembly.

Continue to pry up around the sides of the front panel assembly, detaching the clips along the left and right side.

Do not try to completely remove the front panel assembly from the rear case, as there are several ribbon cables still attached at the top of the iPhone.

Once the clips have been released on the bottom and sides of the front panel assembly, pull the bottom of the assembly away from the rear case.

Open the display to about a 90º angle, and lean it against something to keep it propped up while you're working on the phone.

Add a rubber band to keep the display securely in place while you work. This prevents undue strain on the display cables.

Remove the following two screws securing the metal battery connector bracket to the logic board:

One 1.8 mm Phillips screw

One 1.6 mm Phillips screw

Remove the metal battery connector bracket from the iPhone.

Use a plastic opening tool to gently pry the battery connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Be careful not to dislodge the small surface-mounted components surrounding the socket.

Be very careful to only pry up on the battery connector itself and '''not''' the socket on the logic board. If you pry up on the logic board socket or the board itself, you may destroy the socket or damage nearby components on the board.

Remove the following screws securing the front panel assembly cable bracket to the logic board:

Two 1.2 mm Phillips screws

One 1.6 mm Phillips screw

This screw tends to not be attracted to a magnetized screwdriver. Take care not to lose it when removing, and make sure it gets back into the right place—a magnetized screw may interfere with the compass.

Lift the display cable bracket toward the battery to unhook it, and remove it from the iPhone.

During reassembly, clip the left-hand hooks under the logic board and lower the bracket towards the outside of the phone.

Make sure the battery is disconnected before you disconnect or reconnect the cables in this step.

Use a plastic opening tool or a fingernail to disconnect the three front panel assembly cables:

Front-facing camera and sensor cable

Digitizer cable

When reassembling your phone, the LCD cable may pop off the connector. This can cause white lines, or nothing at all to appear when powering your phone back on. If that happens, simply reconnect the cable and power cycle your phone. The best way to power cycle your phone is to [guide|10587|disconnect and reconnect the battery|stepid=133257].

Remove the front panel assembly from the rear case.

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the antenna cable from the logic board.

Remove the following screws securing the speaker enclosure to the rear case:

One 2.5 mm Phillips screw

One 1.5 mm Phillips screw

One 2.5 mm Phillips screw

One 2.7 mm standoff screw

Standoff screws are best removed using a [https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Standoff-Screwdriver-for-iPhones/IF145-388?o=4|standoff screwdriver|new_window=true] or bit.

In a pinch, a small flathead screwdriver will do the job—but use extra caution to ensure it doesn't slip and damage surrounding components.

Slide the point of a spudger underneath the spring contact flex cable below the battery and gently loosen it from the speaker enclosure.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and loosen the speaker enclosure from the rear case.

Pull the speaker enclosure out of its recess.

During reinstallation, be sure to slide the speaker enclosure [https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/VMPaue4cpcSsXgfu|underneath this metal washer|new_window=true].

Remove the small double-sided metal washer on the speaker enclosure and transfer it to the replacement part.

Remove the following screws securing the Lightning connector assembly to the rear case:

One 2.9 mm Phillips screw

During re-installation, make sure that the headphone jack's plastic protrusion lies above the metal washer.

One 1.5 mm Phillips screw

Two 3.3 mm Phillips screws

Use the opening tool to pry up and disconnect the Lightning connector cable connector from its socket on the logic board.

Flip the phone face up, [https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iOpener+Heating/25705|heat an iOpener|new_window=true], and apply it to the right edge of the phone for a minute.

Slide an opening pick underneath the Lightning connector flex cable to loosen it from the logic board and the rear case.

Use the flat end of a spudger to loosen the rest of the Lightning connector assembly from the rear case.

Angle the Lightning connector assembly and pull it out of its recess.

Remove the four metal washers and set them aside for reassembly.

Before reassembly, use the opening tool or the flat end of a spudger to remove all adhesive residue from the rear case. You can use high-concentration isopropyl alcohol to help with the stubborn spots.

Use [product|IF145-020|tweezers] to gently pull and remove the rubber microphone sleeve off of the microphone. Transfer the sleeve onto the replacement part.