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Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement

What you need

  1. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement, Cracked Front Glass: step 1, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement, Cracked Front Glass: step 1, image 2 of 2
    • Your broken S4, may or may not be as damaged as the one shown in the photo.

    • I probably shouldn't have taken some of these photos in portrait, so my apologies but I'm forced to crop it.

  2. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 2, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 2, image 3 of 3
    • Remove the back plate, you can simply do this with your fingernail or a spudger.

  3. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • Simply remove the battery using your fingernail or spudger. No cables are attached so it is basic.

    • If you have a SIM card in the phone, push it inwards then release to eject it.

  4. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 4, image 2 of 2
    • Heat up the glass for 3-5 minutes. I chose to do it for 4 minutes.

    • You only need to use your heatgun on the lowest setting. I wouldn't recommend using a hair drier as it doesn't get very hot.

    • You must be careful when using the heat gun on this device. If the device is heated up too much then it may melt the digitizer and cause discoloration. If you start to see any discoloration then shut off the gun immediately.

    • This procedure softens the adhesive that holds the glass to the screen assembly.

  5. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 2
    • After you've used the heatgun, you want to start by separating the edges of the glass from the rest of the phone, starting from the top.

    • I used a metal spudger initially, if you're going to use a metal spudger as well you want to be careful to not damage anything.

  6. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 6, image 2 of 2
    • Work your way around the edges with plastic picks.

    • Take your time otherwise the glass will shatter (see second image).

    • If your screen is overly cracked (looks like spiderwebs) you will want to put several layers of packing tape over your screen to try to keep it in one piece and do everything in your power (go slowly and don't be shy with the heat) to prevent it from shattering more.

    • Caution: If your glass happens to shatter you might want to consider wearing safety glasses.

    • Plastic razor blades you find in a hardware store are great for intricate cleanup like this. Alternatively try guitar plectrums (picks) from a music shop. These won't scratch the digitizer.

  7. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Re-heat the glass frequently. If you find that the glass isn't coming off easily you will want to apply more heat and then continue.

  8. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • I never got any photos, but when taking the glass off be very careful near the two touch keys at the bottom of the phone as it can be easy to damage them. They are stuck to the glass and need to be taken off before lifting off the glass.

    • With the glass removed, you'll end up like your phone looking like this, with the adhesive residue leftover on the digitizer.

  9. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 9, image 2 of 2
    • Clean up the digitizer with lint free wipes or a clean microfiber towel. I used some lens cleaner on a microfiber cloth to clean mine up.

    • I probably did a terrible job of removing the glass and the digitizer appears scratched. If yours does look like this as well it's no problem, when the screen is turned on it's not noticeable.

    • If you want to really get the screen almost perfectly clean or if the glue residue won't come off, use some acetone-free nail polish remover. It takes only a few seconds to get all the dirt off and it will evaporate: it will look nearly flawless when you are done.

  10. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • Place the new adhesive around the edges of the phone. If the screen you purchased didn't come with any you can use 3M 2mm strips.

    • Peel off the blue bit on the top of the adhesive.

  11. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 11, image 2 of 2
    • Prepare your new glass. If yours is covered both sides like mine then only remove the under side for now.

    • Do not touch the underside or get any other dust or marks on it, if you do clean it off first.

  12. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 12, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 12, image 3 of 3
    • Put the new glass on the phone.

    • *EDIT* LOCA glue should be used when assembling the screen. There are some good videos on youtube showing how to apply the glue.

    • Be very careful to prevent the glue from getting in the top (ear piece) speaker and on the front facing camera lens.

    • Peel off the top plastic cover on the glass.

  13. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Place the battery (and SIM card) back in.

  14. Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 1
    • Put the back plate back on and turn your phone on! :)

Conclusion

Enjoy your S4 without the cracked screen!

272 other people completed this guide.

Patrick Lee

Member since: 03/10/13

6,968 Reputation

2 Guides authored

79 Comments

Tried it, wrecked the LCD, had to buy a new front assembly :(

Tim - Reply

That's unfortunate, sometimes in some unlucky cases the LCD or digitiser tries to come up with the glass which probably means it needs to be heated up for longer with the heatgun.

Patrick Lee -

Same here. The glass was spiderwebbed and it was frustrating work. About 2 hrs in I must have gotten a little careless because a little extra force and boom...LCD broken.

If your glass has more than a few cracks in it I would say it's not worth the effort-replace the whole display or take it to a professional.

Logan Kennedy -

here i made a video how to do that, i hope it helps you

how to change display galaxy s4 (LCD frame in few steps)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85pOvI6O...

Gabriel Barrandeguy -

Can I put on the complete adhesive ? Or must I leave holes ?

florianholtgen - Reply

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