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iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement

What you need

  1. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement, Rear Panel: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Before you begin, 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 P2 screws next to the dock connector.

    • Be sure the driver is well-seated when removing Pentalobe screws—they are easy to strip.

  2. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 2 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 2, image 2 of 2
    • Push the rear panel toward the top edge of the iPhone.

    • The panel will move about 2 mm.

  3. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Pull the rear panel away from the back of the iPhone, being careful not to damage the plastic clips attached to the rear panel.

    • Remove the rear panel from the iPhone.

  4. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement, Battery: step 4, image 1 of 2 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement, Battery: step 4, image 2 of 2
    • Remove the following screws securing the battery connector to the logic board:

    • One 1.7 mm Phillips screw

    • One 1.5 mm Phillips screw

  5. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 3 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 3 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 5, image 3 of 3
    • Carefully push the pressure contact away from the battery connector until it slides free from its position.

    • Remove the pressure contact.

  6. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 3 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 6, image 2 of 3 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 6, image 3 of 3
    • Use a plastic opening tool to gently pry up the battery connector from its socket on the logic board.

    • Place the tip of the tool between the loudspeaker enclosure and the metal cover of the connector, and lift the bottom edge of the connector first.

    • The battery connector comes off vertically from the logic board. Do not apply force sideways.

    • Be careful not to pry at the battery connector socket itself, or it may detach from the logic board. There are four very small solder points awaiting this mistake!

  7. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement, Reassembly tip: step 7, image 1 of 2 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement, Reassembly tip: step 7, image 2 of 2
    • During reassembly, be sure to carefully position the pressure contact back in place. It should rest on top of the Philips screw post shown, and the gold contact should point towards the battery connector.

    • Be sure to clean the pressure contact with a degreaser such as windex or isopropyl alcohol. The oils on your fingers have the potential to create wireless interference.

  8. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 2 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 8, image 2 of 2
    • Insert the edge of a plastic opening tool between the battery and the outer case near the bottom of the iPhone.

    • Run the plastic opening tool along the right edge of the battery and pry up at several points to completely separate it from the adhesive securing it to the outer case.

    • If the adhesive is too strong, apply a few drops of high concentration (over 90%) isopropyl alcohol under the edge of the battery.

    • Wait about one minute for the alcohol solution to weaken the adhesive.

    • Use the flat end of a plastic opening tool to gently lift the battery.

    • Don't try to forcefully lever the battery out. If needed, apply a few more drops of alcohol to further weaken the adhesive. Never deform or puncture the battery with your pry tool.

    • If there's any alcohol solution remaining in the phone, carefully wipe it off or allow it to air dry before installing your new battery.

  9. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 2 iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 9, image 2 of 2
    • Use the exposed clear plastic pull tab to peel the battery off the adhesive securing it to the iPhone.

    • Be careful not to pull the plastic pull tab too hard as it can be ripped off very easily.

    • Remove the battery.

    • If your replacement battery came in a plastic sleeve, remove it before installation by pulling it away from the ribbon cable.

    • If your replacement battery came with an uncreased cable, carefully crease the cable into the proper shape before installing the battery into the phone.

    • While installing the replacement battery, temporarily connect the battery connector to the phone to ensure proper alignment. Once the battery is glued in place, disconnect the battery connector.

    • Perform a hard reset after reassembly. This can prevent several issues and simplify troubleshooting.

  10. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement, Volume Buttons: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the three 1.5 mm Phillips screws securing the volume button bracket to the outer case.

  11. iPhone 4S Volume Buttons Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 1
    • Pull the volume bracket slightly away from the outer case.

    • Use a pair of tweezers to remove the volume buttons from the iPhone.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

78 other people completed this guide.

7 Comments

I ordered this and it got delivered in 3 days internationally

I never opened and iPhone before , but it was an easy fix

Took me about 20 minutes.

All you need is

1- Home Tech Toolkit

2- Pentalobe Screwdriver

this way you save a lot instead of buying each tool alone

the guide was very decent and easy but could have provided better images for the "ground clip"

other than that it was easy fix , thank you ifixit

and I did NOT replace the 5-point screws with equivalent Phillips screws

xojoeox - Reply

Thanks for the great guide. Is it possible to buy the volume button shim (Apple part# 923-0072) as mentioned here: http://markshangout.com/blog/2013/8/22/i.... Mine is showing the same behavior. Thanks in advance!

George Wang - Reply

when i removrd the volume brackets i saw that my problem has nothing to do with the volume buttens itself. on the volume bracket are 2 buttens wich are pushed by the outside volume buttons and on top of each inside button is a very small black thing wich is in my case missing at one button.

at step 9 you can see it at the plus side a little. anyone any iddea how to fix this?

Horsti - Reply

I had this problem too! usually, you can find the little black circle stuck on one of the adhesive pads near the volume buttons and stick it back on using tweezers and a magnifying glass.

If you can't find it, you can cut a sticker so that it's about the same size as the little black dot, then reassemble as usual: )

[deleted] -

I have an iPhone that vol + button isn't working on. It isn't clicking like the vol - button and seems to move more when I press on it. On the inside everything looks tight, could this missing sticker have something to do with it?

Dirk Gunderson -

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