Introduction
Follow this guide to replace a broken front panel assembly on an iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi. The front panel or display assembly consists of the glass digitizer on top and the fused LCD underneath. In the iPad Air 2, these two parts are not separable and must be replaced as one piece.
Note that the fingerprint scanner in the home button is paired to the iPad's logic board. In order to maintain Touch ID functionality, you must transfer your original home button to the new display assembly.
This process can fix issues like a cracked glass digitizer, a non-responsive touchscreen, or a broken LCD screen.
Be very careful when you isolate the battery using a battery blocker. The battery contacts are easily damaged, resulting in irreversible damage to the logic board.
What you need
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Fill a pot or pan with enough water to fully submerge an iOpener.
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Heat the water to a boil. Turn off the heat.
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Place an iOpener into the hot water for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the iOpener is fully submerged in the water.
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Use tongs to extract the heated iOpener from the hot water.
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Thoroughly dry the iOpener with a towel.
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Your iOpener is ready for use! If you need to reheat the iOpener, heat the water to a boil, turn off the heat, and place the iOpener in the water for 2-3 minutes.
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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.
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Lay overlapping strips of clear packing tape over the iPad's display until the whole face is covered.
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Do your best to follow the rest of the guide as described. However, once the glass is broken, it will likely continue to crack as you work, and you may need to use a metal prying tool to scoop the glass out.
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Elevate the iPad enough for the Anti-Clamp's arms to rest above and below the screen.
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Pull the blue handle towards the hinge to disengage opening mode.
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Position the suction cups near the top edge of the iPad—one on the front, and one on the back.
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Push down on the cups to apply suction to the desired area.
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Push the blue handle away from the hinge to engage opening mode.
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Turn the handle clockwise until you see the cups start to stretch.
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Wait one minute to give the adhesive a chance to release and present an opening gap.
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Insert an opening pick under the screen when the Anti-Clamp creates a large enough gap.
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Skip the next two steps.
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Slide a battery isolation pick underneath the battery connector area of the logic board, and leave it in place while you work.
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Alternatively, make a battery blocker using a playing card and slide it underneath the logic board connector to disconnect the battery.
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Use a plastic opening tool to pry the bracket off the back of the Home Button.
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Remove the Home Button bracket and peel up the tape connected to it.
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Scrape off as much of the old adhesive residue from the bracket as you can, then clean it with acetone or high-concentration (90% or greater) isopropyl alcohol.
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Secure the bracket with hot-melt glue, superglue, or high-strength double-sided tape. Make sure the bracket is aligned correctly before allowing your adhesive to cure, or the home button will not click when pressed.
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Examine your replacement part, and your original display carefully to be sure they match.
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Your replacement screen may be missing the sleep/wake sensor that is necessary for Smart Cover use. If you want to maintain functionality you will need to transfer the component.
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Desolder the four solder pads from the lower left of the display to remove the sensor assembly cable.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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25 Comments
What about the part soldered to the display to the left of the home button? It's showcased in step 43 but hidden with black tape then missing in step 44? What is the significants of this component or flex cable...
Be careful if you replace the home button bracket, many of the replacements do not have the small silver disc that sits in the recess on the inside of the bracket. If you do not transfer this from the old one, the home button will not work as there will be nothing for the home button to press against
can you describe how to transfer the sensor flex cable assembly (four small solder points left to home button on step 45)?
No use to buy your spare part without this step!
This is one of the harder steps to accomplish I felt. You need to de-solder the four points by heating them up at the same time if possible. They actually have small holes in the center of them for the solder to go through to the bottom pads. Once it is removed you need to clean them off and remove as much old solder as possible without damaging the ribbon they are on. Once you have the new screen in place you need to put the part in its appropriate place and then solder the points. Using an ample amount of flux is helpful but you have to clean up afterwards with IP alcohol. If you have a small microscope or good camera you can zoom in and see if the connections are solid and then you are done.
