Introduction
Use this guide to remove or replace the motherboard in a Google Pixel 2.
Some guide images will show the phone with the battery removed. You do not need to remove the battery for this procedure.
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If your display glass is cracked, keep further breakage contained and prevent bodily harm during your repair by taping the glass. This also makes a smooth surface allowing the suction cup to bond.
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Apply a suction cup as close to the volume button edge of the phone as you can while avoiding the curved edge.
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Pull up on the suction cup with firm, constant pressure and insert an opening pick between the front panel and rear case.
They cannot emphasize enough how careful you need to be when separating the screen. The iOpener does not work well enough to prevent breakage (opinion). I spent a majority of the hour and forty five minutes replacing my battery on removing the screen, i.e. reheating the iOpener, warming the device, slowly, with multiple passes, separating the adhesive. Use a heat gun or blow dryer.
try the alcohol as instructed instead of heat. “Do not heat your phone. If needed, you can use a dropper or syringe to inject isopropyl alcohol (90+%) around the edges of the back cover to weaken the adhesive. “
Make sure to remove the adhesive under the top and bottom speakers to make it much easier to remove the screen.
Isopropyl alcohol works well to loosen the adhesive. However - GO SLOW. Slide the pick a bit, then apply some isopropyl alcohol into the gap where you’re sliding toward. Wait a moment, then slide a bit more. Move very slowly, particularly around the corners!
Any idea on what to do when the suction cup pops off of the screen before there’s enough clearance to slide the pick in?
I used a hairdryer to weaken the adhesive. If you place your finger in the path of the hairdryer you’ll have a good idea of when too much heat has been applied (when your skin becomes unhappy at the temperature). BE VERY GENTLE. I cracked my screen because I didn’t weaken the adhesive enough. I also chipped(dog eared) the corner of the OLED screen underneath with one of the plastic tools. Don’t stick it in too far. As the guide says, use the flat edge or the pick to help control this.
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Do not insert the pick more than 9 mm into the bottom edge of the phone. If the pick contacts the folded portion of the OLED panel it can damage the display.
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Only make very shallow cuts in the upper left corner, prying deeply can damage the front-facing camera.
This is inaccurate. The Pixel 2 phone’s back comes in two parts: a plastic main section and a glass back upper section. Only the glass section is required to be removed to replace the camera. Once the glass back is removed, the camera can easily be replaced without removing the motherboard, battery, or any other components. What is picture here looks like the original Google Pixel Phone.
Firstly, I disagree with hunter’s comment above - my Pixel 2 looked identical to this when I had it opened up.
Secondly, the whole thing about 1.5mm at the sides - literally scared the cr*p out of me when I started this as it’s such a tiny margin - but what this doesn’t say is that you can see these limits on your phone - just turn the screen on and it’s where the display ends - the digitiser starts there and is a couple of mm deep - hence the need to be careful. You can also see it (though less obviously) when you have the screen off - the jet black part at the edge is where the adhesive is - just make sure you don’t push in past there. It’s not like you can’t make very gentle contact with the digitiser when clearing the adhesive - I believe it’s just any kind of real pressure which will render the screen useless.
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Reinsert the pick at the top edge of the phone and gently pry up the display.
This for me was by far the hardest step. What this guide fails to say is just how much adhesive you’ll encounter - mine was heaving with the stuff - so I wouldn’t attempt this fix without the rubbing alcohol, and I would be prepared to spend 30 mins on this - the images above make it look like as soon as you can get the pick in and around the whole phone the display will come off - this wasn’t true on mine, and I put a small crack in the top of my screen as I applied a little pressure to lever the top - the edges were ok, but there was so much adhesive at the top and bottom - right down and around the speaker grills - that I used scissors to cut the remaining strands as I managed to lift the screen higher enough! Don’t be shy with the rubbing alcohol, it really helps - and you really need to feel all sides loosen properly before you attempt to lever - but if you’re patient, it’ll be ok.
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Use the point of a spudger to lift the display cable connector up and out of its socket on the motherboard.
Wow, I think I damaged my motherboard on this step. It would be helpful if there was a warning in this step to avoid doing that! Now my pixel 2 is reduced to a cool paperweight with a static display.
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Apply a heated iOpener to the proximity sensor on the top edge of the midframe for two minutes to soften its adhesive.
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Slide the point of a spudger under the proximity sensor cable, starting from the side closest to the front-facing camera.
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Gently lift the edge of the sensor cable until the sensor is perpendicular to the midframe.
This piece is actually glued down - heat and rubbing alcohol really helped as at first I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t get it to move.
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Peel back the small piece of tape covering the screw below the earpiece speaker. Peel back any tape covering other screws as well.
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Remove the following screws securing the midframe:
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Eleven 3.7 mm Phillips screws
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One 4 mm T5 Torx screw
On my Pixel 2, I also had to peel back a small strip of conductive tape that was directly above (and the same kind as) the “screw below the earpiece speaker” mentioned above. It appears to be a ground strap to the assembly underneath.
Me too! Please change the photo?
If you don't peel the mesh tape up, it will year. I'm not sure if it plays into the screen potentially not working, but it seems to be a ground for the midframe and the display ribbon has a ground contact to the
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Insert an opening tool into the notch in the midframe near the hold button.
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Pry the midframe up enough to create a gap between it and the phone case. The midframe cannot yet be completely removed.
This is to pop a securing tab out it's place
On re-assembly make sure the securing tab, near the notch you use to open it, is inserted back under the frame again - this caused me to have to re-open my phone as my screen didn’t sit back down properly after I had put everything back together.
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Lift the midframe up starting from the bottom edge.
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When the midframe starts to make about a 45° with the rest of the phone, lift the midframe straight up and away from the phone.
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As you lift the midfame, carefully guide the proximity sensor through the small slot in the midframe.
While not shown here in the photo, there is a short braided cable between the midframe and the motherboard near the front facing camera that prevents separating the midframe completely (ground?). Be careful not to damage this cable when completing the remaining steps or carefully remove before trying to separate the midframe completely.
As ericdowens says above, there’s a small silver sliver of a connector (next to the front-facing camera). The guides on youtube said it was a grounding wire. This guide doesn’t mention it. Mine broke when I removed the midframe. No big deal. I stuck it back down with some tape when I put it all back together. Phone works fine.
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use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the charging assembly connector from the motherboard.
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Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
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Cal Poly, Team S18-G5, Livingston Winter 2018 Member of Cal Poly, Team S18-G5, Livingston Winter 2018
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One Comment
Rotated screen too far while removing it seems and the screen no longer turns on. Can't seem to get any signs of light/ sound out if the phone.
No way to shut down the phone without the screen either? So can't continue the repair until phone battery dies again.
My screen is severly cracked. I would recommend clear packaging tape as it is wide enough to accomodate the suction cup. Thinner cellophane tape won’t seal properly.
John Tippitt - Reply