Introduction
Follow the steps in this guide to replace the home button assembly on your iPad mini 4 LTE.
Note that the iPad Mini 4 home button is paired to its original logic board, so replacing the original home button with a new one will disable the Touch ID function on your iPad. However, a replacement home button will still work as a button for click input.
Parts of this guide were shot with a Wi-Fi model and as such the internals may look slightly different from the LTE model. The procedure is the same for both models except where noted.
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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. For particularly bad breaks, you may need to lay down two layers.
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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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Place the iOpener in the center of the microwave.
I found you need to be very patient when using the iOpener. It's worth taking your time, giving the heat time to work on the glue. When I finally got the battery out, there were some strips of glue left behind that I just cleaned off with some isopropanol before installing the new battery.
By the way, I had to run the iOpener for longer in my microwave for it to get hot enough. When it was too hot to touch, I figured it was hot enough for the batteries.
Fredrik -
I didn't find this to be as hard as I had built it up in my mind to be; HOWEVER, saying that I need to say years ago I was the local Nokia service center in my town. But many years ago right after they got rid of analog times. Yeah. A classic installer/repairer mistake when starting something they haven't fixed or installed before is picking up the instructions, flipping through them; maybe even reading a section that is new-then tossing the instructions over the shoulder. "I got this." This usually comes right before something major gets broke. And I can tell you when you try to do it yourself and then mess it up horribly then take it to the repair shop. Well we called that "I can do it myself" syndrome and charged extra to put back together what they brought in in the box. Now knowing all this - I can't stress this enough because I am stupid, stupid, stupid. COVER YOUR SCREEN IN CLEAR BOXING TAPE AND READ ALL THE INSTRUCTION BELOW THROUGH TO THE END BEFORE EVEN ATTEMPTING THIS FIX. Take my advise.
I didn't have an iOpener, so I used a wheat type heat bag. If you do this though, make sure you put a layer of plastic between your Mac and the bag, or you'll get condensation in places you don't want it.
I started out using the iOpener but switched to my wife's hairdryer. A heat gun or hair dryer proved to be much more convenient and is a time saviour. You can heat more and the glue becomes more fluid make the next steps with the opening picks much easier
I know this is obvious, but backup your iPad with iTunes before you start. I'd also turn off your passcode if you have one.
Ther first time you heat up the iOpener for this repair when its room temperature I had to heat it up for more than 30 seconds. I remember I had to heat it up for around 45 seconds. However, after that when you need to reheat it again during the repair 30 seconds will be enough.
I used the wheat bag in a sensor microwave heating up to 65-70 deg C (155 def F).
Get yourself a cherry pit bean bag the size of your iPad. Heat it, put the iPad on it for 3 to 5 minutes or so, reheat the cherry pit bean bag, again put your iPad on it. Then heat the iOpener and start working. The cherry pit bean bag will have to be reheated several times, but it will soften the adhesive so you have less problems with the iOpener
The heating can be done very effectively (and quickly) with 3d printer heated bed. Make sure the bed is clean. Set the temperature to 60c, (130f ) and put the ipad face down for +/- 10 minutes. Repeat as needed throughout the “gentle prying” stages.
The iOpener did not work at all for me.
I had to use a heat gun and bring the edges of the case up to ~200 degrees (used an infrared thermometer to measure) before the glue would weaken. This obviously superheated the metal frame, so I also had to wear gloves to handle the phone while prying the back off with the included picks.
The iOpener, in my opinion, is of no help. Many warnings to say “don’t warm it too much”, but the glue doesn’t melt if not warm enough. As a result, a complete waste of time and energy. In addition, too much liquid in it, so it doesn’t lay on the device on a sufficient surface. I took a hairdryer and it worked much much better.
I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method.
My experience. I was replacing the screen which had been cracked and a little shattered in some places. The iopener is pretty much useless, so was the suction cup. The suction cup would probably be more useful if I was doing something besides the screen. Also you probably want the clean the screen before using it so it can get good suction. I used a hair dryer on high for a couple of minutes at a time (someone on this tread suggested that). I used my exacto knife and a razor blade to get into the adhesive. First the exacto to get the initial cut, then the razor blade to go a little deeper. Could have probably just used the razor blade, but the exacto has a little more finesse. I got the razor blade in and a little under the glass then I used the picks to wedge in. I didn’t want to risk anything using the razor blade too much. Used tape to keep the shattered glass together.
My experience pt2
Fortunately the shattering was mostly on the edges and most of it had adhesive on the back so it stuck together. Just take your time and work your way around following the guide to get the screen off. Have some goof off or goo be gone to clean the frame when putting the new glass on or putting the existing one back. (someone suggested that also, very good idea). Be careful of the LCD (you should know that). The cable on my LCD was pretty tight, so I propped it up while taking the cable cover off and when I put it back on I did the same thing. I just put a bottle on the battery and leaned the back of the LCD on that while attaching the cables and putting the screws back on the cover. Also be careful with the home button and the bracket on the back of it. I had enough old adhesive on left on the bracket that it stuck back to the new glass fine. So far only 12 hours in, so we will see how that holds up when the kids get at it.
Another alternative if you do not have the iopener is to use a bed time hotwater bottle. Do not over fill it though. Just put enough hot water in to support the phone while you work around the adhesive.
I use both the hot water bottle and iopener together on Samsung's. It makes life easier
I followed the directions and heated my iOpener for 30 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave, and it came out at 160 degrees F, as verified by a infrared thermometer. This allowed me to separate the last bit of the back of my Samsung S8, which was already coming off due to a swollen battery (hence the reason for the repair).
If you follow these instructions, you will crack your screen like I did. Heating the iOpener for 30 seconds, using it to melt glue, then waiting 10 minutes to reheat is useless. The iOpener can be used to maybe warm the glue on whatever side you aren’t working on. You need a hairdryer and/or a heat gun to melt the glue and separate the glass from the iPad.
Anyone want to buy an old iPad with broken glass and a dead battery?
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Heat the iOpener for thirty seconds.
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Throughout the repair procedure, as the iOpener cools, reheat it in the microwave for an additional thirty seconds at a time.
DO NOT USE IN NON ROTATING MICROWAVE! It will pop a hole. I had it in for 45 seconds the first time. It wasn't very hot inside and I saw it started to leak on the paper towel I put under it. Just a fair bit of advice. I think I will just stick with the heat gun. Loud but useful.
I heated mine up for 30 seconds, tested, then again for 30 seconds. It felt adequately hot. Leaving it on the left side, per the instruction, for a minute did not loosen the adhesive. I ended up pulling the suction cup hard enough to shadder the old screen. Moral of the story, I don't think it gets hot enough safely to have an affect.
There is a clear problem here with the heating part using the iopener things....no details are given. Whoever is testing them needs to make it clear - What temperature does it need to be? And for which phone models, because they differ in what's needed. It's only £10-15 for a laser guided temp sensor unit, and the designers/repairers should have one of those already for doing these kinds of repairs. Explaining half a repair, is worse than not explaining at all :-(
All phones/devices differ it’s unrealistic and unsafe to put a exact time/temperature needed to soften the adhesive. It’s really quite simple you warm the device evenly and in a controlled manner just enough to enable pry tools and picks to begin separating. Best tool in my opinion but again this is because I have experience is a hot plate and heat gun both of which are used at nearly the lowest settings and I can handle flat palming the plate for almost 10 seconds I leave the device to conduct heat until approx it’s about 110 at most 120 ish this will be plenty to soften all the adhesive if any problem areas I use heat gun while prying. Again you need go slowly and learn with a throw away phone
If I may suggest include your microwave wattage so people can get an idea on time for there own
I ended up using a hair dryer. That iOpener thing took forever.
30 seconds sure isn’t cutting it… 45 didn’t get the screen of my iPad air 2 to budge either… even after resting on the ipad for 4 minutes.
60 seconds in the microwave, the iOpener burst.
I’ll get a new one and try once more with heating it 45 seconds and repeat that for 30 minutes like others have said here. If that doesn’t work it’ll have to be the heat gun.
K
I can’t recommend the microwave. If the the iOpener becomes too hot, it bursts. Better put the opener in cooking water. Dry it and use it. Instead of an iOpener you can use hot/cool packs as well.
Trust the directions! I forgot and left it in the Microwave too long and after 1 minute I had Mt Vesuvius - the iOpener burst and spewed the goodies out. The problem is, the Digitizer can be damaged by a hot air gun, so I had to tough out and remove the glue the hard way. I made it … with lots of patience! Tough lesson.
I also used a hairdryer. I used it on the low setting and I cut a piece of carboard to protect the rest of the screen. The iFixit tool and method is vert tedious and very time consuming in comparison. With the hairdryer method you can literally have the display apart in a few minutes. Using your other hand nearby the area you are heating it should be very hot but not enough to burn your hand. You only have to heat metal part of case near glass edge. If you have a cellular model then you need to be very careful because the black antenna area is plastic. So less heat and work your way up in adding heat just enough to separate around the area but not so much you melt the plastic!
iOpener was the worst part of the kit. Followed directions for :30 in microwave and took 4 trips to the microwave to loosen adhesive on left side of home button. I thought I was figuring it out and it was working well… even set a timer to wait 10 minutes between heating it up. Was on the right side and was on my 12th heat up when it exploded in the microwave. My only tip is that if you set it clear side up, as soon as you see any bubbles or boiling in the liquid, STOP! If you put a pot holder over the iOpener and press slightly to make good surface contact, that seemed to help. I finished heating with a “Corn Sack” that held heat better than the provided iOpener.
Mon iopener n'a pas tenu une réparation. Je ne vous conseille pas ce produit
Bonjour,
Nous sommes désolés que votre réparation ne se soit pas déroulée comme prévu. Il se peut que le produit était défectueux. Veuillez contacter notre service client support@ifixit.com (boutique américaine) ou eustore@ifixit.com (boutique européenne) en décrivant ce qui s’est passé.
Readers looking for temperature advice might check the comments of the previous instruction, as there are more there. I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method.
Thank you for posting some actual temperatures. I have a heat gun with a very fine self-temperature regulation setting capability.
I will set it for 150-180 F, and use that to soften the adhesive.
Get a heat gun.
I followed the directions and heated my iOpener for 30 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave, and it came out at 160 degrees F, as verified by a infrared thermometer. A second heating about 15 minutes later in the micro and it came out at 190 degrees F. Plenty hot enough to soften the adhesive for removing the back on my S8. Based on the comments above I think people just need to use more patience.
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Remove the iOpener from the microwave, holding it by one of the two flat ends to avoid the hot center.
I did this repair. I used a hair dryer, I think it works better: gets very hot fast.
Readers looking for temperature advice might check the comments of the previous instruction, as there are more there. I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method. I don’t know how much microwaves vary in heating consistency with these pads, but knowing how inconsistent the temperature of a bowl of plain rice gets in my microwave, I wasn’t interested in even trying to use it for this.
I vote for the hair dryer. The other methods work too but if you aren’t having any luck, switch to the hair dryer. While holding the iPad in my hand, I found that I am aiming the dryer at my finger at the same time and it gauges how hot it is. I stop when my finger can’t take it - maybe five seconds up close. Repeat as needed like I did.
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Handling it by the tabs on either side, place the heated iOpener on the side of the iPad to the left of the home button assembly.
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Let the iOpener sit for about five minutes to soften the adhesive beneath the glass.
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While holding the glass up with the suction cup, slide the point of an opening pick into the gap between the glass and body of the iPad.
“Don't insert the opening pick any deeper than the black bezel on the side of the display. Inserting the pick too far may damage the LCD.”
Unfortunately, you only know you have inserted it too far when you have, and you start seeing little bubble veins form between the glass screen and the LCD.
The adhesive can be very stiff/hard, and if pushing through it can result in the pick plunging into the LCD when the adhesive finally gives way.
Take your time, use alot of heat, and if you need to try and push the pick in, try and do so in a slicing motion along the edge, use the wide edge, or hold the pick so that your finger will hit the edge of the screen before the pick tip will pass the bezel.
Adhesive strips are only 1mm wide on sides. Up to 5mm wide top and bottom. I used the Isclack. Screen seemed ok bending without breaking. Worth looking for a photo of the replacement adhesive strips so you know what you have to separate. Be extra careful at the lower right corner where the cables are.
This is a failure of a guide as it doesn’t tell you to insert at a downward angle so you don’t potrude into the LCD… Now I have to spend more money to replace the screen as I pushed adhesive between the LCD and the screen even though I went no farther than a millimeter short of the screen...
can you open the right side if the left is too cracked to use a suction cup on?
This guide needs amending urgently.
You MUST NOT put the pick or whatever you are using more than 2mm under the sides of the screen, or you will cut through the adhesive tape securing the backlight assembly to the LCD glass.
This will push adhesive into the viewable area of the LCD and cause the backlight assembly to no longer be secured against the LCD fully.
I now need a new screen.
This line below from the guide is absolutely INCORRECT and will ruin your expensive display:
”Don't insert the opening pick any deeper than the black bezel on the side of the display.”
The black bezel is 5mm to 6mm wide; you MUST NOT insert anything to that depth or you will destroy your display. 2mm maximum!
A few thoughts after opening a number of Mini 4’s.
1) if the display is warm enough you can squeeze the digitizer and LCD back together after a minor incursion with the opening pick and it will reseal.
2) I’ve started going in at the top just to the right of the camera (I use an iFlex to get in then switch to a pick). Then I run down either side with my fingers choked up on the pick so there only a mm or 2 sticking out. Usually after running down one side, I can get the display open enough to get the pick in behind the LCD when I do the other side
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Reheat and reapply the iOpener.
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Let it rest for a few minutes to reheat the left edge of the iPad.
If your iPad is cold, consider leaving the iOpener on for longer than 5 minutes. The aluminum housing is a very large thermally dissipating mass and will quickly cool off the glass and make you have to start over and wait the 10 minutes to reheat. There’s a very slim window in which you’re able to insert the pick into the glass adhesive before it solidifies once again. I’ve been fighting with it for like 20 minutes following these instructions and it’s not working. You really need to leave it for longer than just 5 minutes to get the back housing hot too.
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Place a second opening pick alongside the first and slide the pick down along the edge of the iPad, releasing the adhesive as you go.
I have found that wedging a blue pry tool in between the frame and the glass can give you a better edge enough to slide the pick in.
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Leave the opening pick in the iPad slightly past the front-facing camera.
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Take a second pick and insert it to the left of the camera, where the first pick just was. Slide it back to the corner to completely cut any remaining adhesive.
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Leave the second pick in place to prevent the corner adhesive from re-sealing as it cools.
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Remove the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws over the battery/display connector bracket.
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Remove the battery/display cable bracket.
Is it the end of the world if the bracket is not reinstalled, will the device function normally or will it eventually have issues with the connectors coming loose following shock?
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Use the flat tip of a spudger to disconnect the battery connector from its socket on the logic board.
When i was starting to disconnect the lcd to the board i hit the black film and it lit and now even the new display wont display anything how to fix it? The black film near the lcd connector.
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Use the pointed end of a spudger to disconnect the display data connector from its socket on the logic board.
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Use the pointed end of a spudger to disconnect the digitizer cable connector from its socket on the logic board.
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Remove the display assembly.
Ich habe eine Bücherstütze benutzt um das Display in senkrechter Position zu halten, während ich die vier Schräubchen gelöst habe.. So zieht man nicht so an den Flexkabeln….!
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Use the pointed tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the home button ZIF socket.
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Remove the home button assembly.
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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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4 Comments
Great tutorial but you should change the title to button removal. You never show how to replace it as suggested by the title.
I would have appreciated some points on installing the button. I clearly missed something and the button is not solid. When I push on it it sinks into the iPad. It works but it isn’t right and I’m not willing to risk breaking the glass to try something different, especially since I still am not sure what needs to be done differently.
I replaced the new screen of iPhone Mini 4 with same original home button. But Home button does not work. Does it requires any microsoldering to home button work?
