Front panel adhesive failed when trying to open iPhone 5s...
I had a mostly-fine iPhone 5s that just needed a new battery. I was replacing it with iFixit's tools and instructions, but I didn't get very far. At the step where I was using the suction cup to pull the front panel away from the rest of the phone, the screen and digitizer actually pulled away from the metal plate between the front panel and the rear panel/battery/other bits. (I guess that plate is also attached to the clips between the panels?)
None of the repair guides I've seen so far mention this as a possibility. I definitely made it worse by getting too gung-ho and pulling it all the way apart before realizing this... hindsight is 20/20, or something like that.
Since it turns out that it's really hard to pry up those metal clips and get to the battery underneath that plate when things don't work the normal way with the suction cup, I gave up on replacing the battery for now and mostly just want to try to get that front panel reattached correctly. The front panel is loose from the rest of the phone and can easily be pried up. As a last resort I tried replacing the adhesive around the edges of the front panel with tiny bits of superglue, but as one would expect from the materials involved, that didn't hold.
Any ideas?
Is this a good question?
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1 
The metal frame is glued to the glass behind the display assembly. When you are lifting this screen up you should start from the bottom of the display and if there's a gap big enough for a prying tool, you use the prying tool under the metal parts on the side of the frame display assembly to avoid this from happening.
You'll have to somehow get the metal frame unclipped from the iPhone housing.
If you manage to get it out, you'll need to get the display assembly unplugged and glue the frame back with the glass. If there is too much damage this might not work.
by Ben
Yeah, since this was the first iPhone I had taken apart, I didn't even know this separation was a possibility, so I think I didn't get under the metal parts sufficiently while trying to pry from the bottom, and instead of prying the metal clips loose, I pried the adhesive loose.
Turns out that metal frame is *really hard* to get unclipped when it's separated from the front display panel, but I'll try again. This phone was due for an upgrade anyway, so for now the front glass is literally packing-taped on as an interim, and then I'll venture further into trying to fix this once my new phone arrives. I'll report back on how that goes (in case anyone else is unfortunate enough to make my dumb mistake).
by Sarah