My Problem

My iPhone 4S loudspeaker stopped working completely one day. I thought it was a software bug as some people have reported. Iniitially sound was very feeble and I tried things like blowing into loudspeaker, cleaning connector, etc. Sucking air from headphone jack and loudspeaker worked once!! Yes sounds weird but it did. But then there was some static and things stopped working again same day. Tried everything - like even jail breaking my iPhone and deleting some files etc as posted on some apple support blogs. Nothing helped.

Finally decided to change the speakerphone.

My Fix

Perfect. If the various software solutions posted online dont work for you.. your speaker is probably broken. Sad but true. Anyway, its been a few days and my new speaker is working as new. Oh, how I missed hearing my iPhone's sound ;-). Maybe using it in shower broke it (steam). Not sure.

Anyway, I was a bit skeptical at first but it just worked.. It's not difficult.. Yep, go for it! I'm defintely more confident of doing some more complex "procedures" on my iDevices now.

My Advice

1. Don't do this in a hurry. Do it on a weekend perhaps.

2. Don't allow kids into your room. Seriously, they like tinkering with stuff and you don't want to lose any small part.

3. Take a plain white or light color bedsheet etc. and operate on that. Sometimes a small piece/screw might just jump out and disappear otherwise.

4. When you take out screws and other pieces, put then in an order in some flat container. So that when you fix things back, you know where to put what.

5. Don't worry but be gentle. If something isn't happening as you thought it should, double check in the guide.. Or search for some ifixit videos as well to get a better idea. It's easy but if u don't pay attention, you can ruin ur iPhone.

Wish you good luck!

Wish I kept photos.. Just forgot.

My Problem

the speaker stopped working, had to be replaced.

My Fix

like a fresh breeze!, excellent guide: do note that although the iphone 4 and 4s both have the same speaker enclosure, the guides are different -- use the right one - i've found out half way through that i've been working with the iphone 4 guide and not the 4s.

My Advice

do it!

My Problem

Our daughter sucked on the bottom of my wife's iPhone 4 and ruined the speaker. It still played sound but it was muffled and quiet.

My Fix

Minor panic when I thought it was a 4s and was using the wrong guide. I was worried it was the wrong part I'd ordered but once I got the correct instructions it was smooth sailing.

My Advice

Make sure you keep track of which screws go where. There are so many at different sizes ... I'm not sure I got all of them back in the correct spots ;-)

There was also 1 flat rubber seal that I didn't see where it came from and couldn't figure out where it goes. It was up near the camera but not 100% sure where.

My Problem

Speaker began sounding very scratchy then quit working all together.

My Fix

I purchased the overpriced $60 tool kit but was glad I had. It will come in handy for future small electronic repairs. Just wasn't happy about the price.

The instructions for the speaker replacement for the 4S from iFixit were very thorough. I had no problems at all. It took just under an hour from start to finish and was the first time I've worked on an iPhone. The repair was easier than I expected, though I am quite mechanically inclined. I wouldn't recommend attempting this repair if you tend to break things more when attempting repairs.

My Advice

I used a large plastic cutting board as the work surface. The white background was great for those small parts.

The screws are tiny and several different sizes. I labeled ziplock bags with each size. The magnetic screw driver is a must.

The adhesives holding the battery and wifi antenna are keeping things in place very well. Take your time when prying these off. Don't expect them to come apart easily. I broke a pry tool when working the battery loose.

Would be very easy to over tighten the screws and strip something. Be careful with this during reassembly.

My Problem

I work on a research ship and my phone (aka alarm clock) - which has had a hard life of water and welding related accidents - stopped functioning completely. Home button, speaker and charging functions all dead or malfunctioning...

My Fix

iFIxit overnighted the parts and tools, and along with the excellent guides, my phone is working again! :) New screen, new dock connector, new home button, new battery, it's like a new phone!

My Advice

Just do it! It's not that hard. Oh, and if you forget to order the magnetic screw tray, get a piece of paper and tape down each screw as you take it out and label it. would have been a real mess otherwise.

My Problem

Speaker wasn't working. Thought I could just fix it myself and save some money.

My Fix

Repair was pretty scary. I was opening my phone up!!! Never did it before. I had no idea how small those dang screws were gonna be. So be aware of that. Also, work in a clean, no clutter enviroment. My screws went flying a couple time, I found them though, shweeh! My phillips/screw drivers were not magnetic to hold the screws. Make sure you get those! Tons of screws for this particular job. I had a random piece that is not in the guide, it's that one piece that goes over part of the battery connector. Glad someone posted about that!!! Saved me! Also, ended up with 2 extra screws, haha! Turned phone on, works like a champ!!

My Advice

Lots of advice is in the "how did it go" section I wrote.

I think it would be really awesome if you had the guide go from fix to back to the beginning. Grateful for the guide though!

My Problem

Client dropped phone into ocean

My Fix

Very well, was in ocean for about 5 min,

Replaced ear speaker, speakers on bottom of unit, battery, screen/digitizer and cleaned rest of internals

Unit fired up with no problems

My Advice

Think that him placing unit in bag of silicon pellets and getting as much air as possible out of container and setting for 72 hours increased chances of repair

My Problem

The iphone from my girlfriend fell into the ocean so I opened it up and the dock connector and the speaker was damaged.

My Fix

It went fine, but I damaged one of the fingers from the antenna, the ones that goes again the frame and now the iphone has not cellular connectivity.

My Advice

It would have been nice to know that the speakers did not come with the antenna and that the antenna is really weak, therefore I would have foreseen that something could happen with the antenna and order one as a spare part in case I fail to remove it. So make sure you either order an extra antenna just in case or be really careful not to damage it, otherwise you will end it up with out a cellular connection.

My Problem

The speaker started making crackling noises and was working intermittently until it finally died.

My Fix

The tip of the pentalobe screwdriver was too small and would not engage. Had to file the tip down. The plastic opening tools are pretty much single use.

My Advice

Definitely use the replacement phillips screws. If the screwdriver does not firmly engage, don't keep turning or you'll round the head. File down the tip to be higher on the taper. It should only take a light touch to turn the screws.

My Problem

Speaker was dead. It started making a crackling sound and progessively got worse until it was no longer functional. The phone had never been dropped and no liquid spills.

My Fix

The repair went smoother then I anticipated. No hidden surprises due to the well written guide.

My Advice

I rarely made any contact with the metals of the phone. I made sure to use the tweezers as much as possible. As a result I did not have to clean the metals as suggested in the guide.

Ensure you are using the correct tools. iFixit provided all of the necessary tools for cheap.

Lastly, do not tighten the srews too tight. They are very delicate screws.