Touch ID failing immediately after screen replacement

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iPhone 5s

Repair information and guides for the Apple iPhone 5s that was announced on September 10, 2013. Model: A1533, A1453, A1457, A1528, A1530, A1518

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James @xuebao61

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Posted: Jul 17, 2016

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Touch ID failing immediately after screen replacement

Okay, so today I repaired an iPhone 5s I've had for a while. I had to replace the screen because it was completely smashed, chips falling out, all that business. Note that I only replaced the screen, not the full assembly including the button. So after I popped the new screen in, the touch ID no longer works on it. I have rebooted, checked the home button connector and restored the phone. I don't know why this wouldn't be working since I didn't use a different home button for this. If I go to the Touch ID portion in Settings, it just fails right away. It's not like I desperately need Touch ID, I just don't understand if I have done something wrong.

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Tom Chai @tomchai

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Posted: Jul 17, 2016

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The button could be damaged when the screen is smashed or when you remove it from the screen.

Press and hold the home+power button until it reboots, if it works after you do that, it's just a software glitch, if not, then it really is damaged.

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Seems it really is damaged. Would Apple be gracious enough to fix this for under $50 or would they just tell me to buy a whole other phone?

Jul 17, 2016 by James

You have opened unfortunately James, in doing so you have voided any warranty that would have been with the phone, so they will refuse to even touch the phone, no matter how much money you throw at them.

Jul 17, 2016 by PhoneOpsPlus

James, if they accept paid repair, the price will be around 120 dollars, the entire display module will need to be replaced.

If they refuse service, there is nothing you can do.

Jul 17, 2016 by Tom Chai

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Seems it really is damaged. Would Apple be gracious enough to fix this for under $50 or would they just tell me to buy a whole other phone? — James
You have opened unfortunately James, in doing so you have voided any warranty that would have been with the phone, so they will refuse to even touch the phone, no matter how much money you throw at them. — PhoneOpsPlus
James, if they accept paid repair, the price will be around 120 dollars, the entire display module will need to be replaced.

If they refuse service, there is nothing you can do. — Tom Chai

PhoneOpsPlus @phoneopsplus Rep: 21.2k PhoneOpsPlus 5 19 70 · Answer 1 · 2016-07-17T16:15:08-07:00

iPhone 5S home buttons can be damaged very easily, even if you don't think you have damaged it, you more than likely have.

Using too much force to open the screen can tug the cable with a little too much force and cause a minor tear in the cable or damage inside the cable.

Using a tool to pop up the screen such as a suction cup may cause this too happen.

Using a sharp tool to pry the screen up could cause the cable to be cut.

Or even unplugging the cable incorrectly can cause damage, there are also many other factors, such as pulling out the home button from the screen incorrectly can damage it, such as by pulling its cable, or overheating it if you are using heat to soften the adhesive.

Either way, once damaged, there isn't much you can do, sure, you can replace the home button can get you normal functionality back, but you will never have Touch ID again, this is something only Apple can do.

But opening up your own device voids any warranty you have with Apple unfortunately.

iPhone 5s

Touch ID failing immediately after screen replacement

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