Page 1 of 1
Installing iPhone 4 Vibrate/Ring Switch
Replace the metal portion of the vibrate/ring switch on your iPhone 4.
- Author: Walter Galan
- Difficulty: Difficult
Use this guide to replace the metal vibrate/ring switch cover. This guide is not for the electronic portion of the vibrate/ring switch.
Sections
- Rear Panel 3 steps
- Battery 3 steps
- Logic Board 13 steps
- Front Facing Camera 2 steps
- Headphone Jack & Volume Control Cable 6 steps
- Vibrate Ring Switch 1 step
Files
Tools
Tools (continued)
- Plastic Opening Tools

- Small Flathead Screwdriver

- Spudger

- Tweezers

- iPhone 4 5-Point Pentalobe Screwdriver (if iPhone has external pentalobe screws)

- iPhone SIM Card Eject Tool

Relevant parts
- View:
- Paginated
- Full width

Edit
Step 1
—
Rear Panel
¶
Before disassembling your iPhone, be sure it is powered off.
Apple has recently substituted the two Phillips screws with 5-Point "Pentalobe" screws. If your iPhone 4 has 5-Point "Pentalobe" screws instead of Phillips, please refer to the second picture.
Remove the two 3.6 mm Pentalobe screws next to the dock connector.
During reassembly, we recommend you replace the 5-point screws with equivalent Phillips screws. Our Liberation Kit provides the tools and screws needed to replace the Pentalobe screws with Phillips screws.
The 5-Point Screwdriver should only be used once, as it has the potential to strip the screws.

Edit
Step 6
¶
Use the clear plastic pull tab to gently lift the battery out of the iPhone.
Be careful when removing the battery with the plastic pull tab. On some units, Apple uses an excessive amount of glue, making it virtually impossible to remove the battery in this fashion (with the tab possibly tearing due to excessive force).
For batteries that "stick", you could use the iPod opening tool to assist (take extra care whilst doing so).
Remove the battery.
Before reconnecting the battery connector, be sure the pressure contact (shown in red) is properly positioned next to the battery connector.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the pressure contact as well as its contact point on the rear panel with a de-greaser such as windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.

Edit
Step 8
¶
Remove the following two screws:
One 1.2 mm Phillips
One 1.6 mm Phillips
Remove the thin steel dock connector cable cover from the iPhone.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the dock connector cable cover with a de-greaser such as windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.

Edit
Step 11
¶
Use an iPod opening tool to pry the lower antenna connector up off its socket on the logic board.
Make sure you don't damage the blue inductor while prying the antenna connector. If you end up having no service message, double check that the blue inductor is still there and soldered properly

Edit
Step 13
¶
Remove the following five screws securing the wi-fi antenna to to the logic board:
One 2.3 mm Phillips
Two 1.6 mm Phillips
One 1.4 mm Phillips
One 4.8 mm Phillips
When re-assembling, start off with replacing the 4.8 mm Philips screw first, then the 2.3 mm. This is to ensure there is no mix-up, and avoid rendering the LCD and digitizer useless.
Also make sure to put the long 4.8 mm Philips back in correctly when reassembling. This is the ground for the Wi-Fi antenna and is often the culprit if you are having bad wi-fi reception after reassembly.

Edit
Step 14
¶
Use an iPod opening tool to slightly lift the top edge of the wi-fi antenna away from the logic board.
Use the tip of a spudger to pull the wi-fi retaining clips away from the inner frame.
Remove the wi-fi antenna from the iPhone. Make sure you don't lose the metal clips on the top of the cover where the 4.8mm screw attaches or the 4.8mm screw. That's the primary reason for abnormal Wi-Fi performance after the reassembly.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the connector cover with a de-greaser such as Windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues. Do not clean the connectors themselves with Windex.

Edit
Step 17
¶
Disconnect the following connectors from the top of the logic board:
Digitizer cable (From Bottom)
LCD cable (From Bottom)
Headphone jack/volume button cable (From Top)
Top Microphone/sleep button cable (From Top)
Front camera cable (From Top)
It is helpful to use the edge of an iPod opening tool to gently lift the connectors up and out of their sockets on the logic board.

Edit
Step 18
¶
Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the 4.8 mm standoff near the headphone jack.
When reassembling the device, this standoff sets the height of the wi-fi shield removed in step 14. If not torqued down, the shield will be above the plane of the frame and the back will not slide into place in step 2. The shield should be flush with the headphone jack.

Edit
Step 19
¶
Carefully remove the logic board from the iPhone, minding any cables that may get caught.
Note that there is a rubber guard on the edge of the logic board where the Digitizer and LCD ribbon cables bend over the logic board. Make certain it is there before replacing the logic board during reassembly.

Edit
Step 23
¶
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to peel the small strip of black tape off the back of the volume button bracket.
Peel the tape starting from the side nearest the top of the phone.
Carefully remove the remaining portion of tape off the small section of ribbon cable near the inside of the bottom volume button.

Edit
Step 27
¶
If you are not replacing the headphone jack assembly with a new unit, skip this step.
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to peel the electronic portion of the silent switch off its metal bracket.
Transfer the bracket to the new silent switch.
Repeat this procedure to peel the metal volume button bracket off the electronic portion of the volume buttons.
Transfer the volume button bracket to the new volume buttons.
This guide has been completed 7 times.
Page 1 of 1