Introduction
iPhone batteries are rated to hold 80% of their capacity for up to 500 charge cycles, which lasts roughly 18-24 months for most users. After that, your iPhone may need to be charged far more frequently, and iOS may warn you that performance is affected (in other words, your phone will run slower). Use this guide to replace your battery and restore your iPhone to like-new performance.
If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.
Note: After the repair, your iPhone may display a warning about the “genuineness” of the battery, even when using original Apple parts. If your iPhone functions normally, you can safely ignore the warning.
For optimal performance, after completing this guide, calibrate your newly installed battery: Charge it to 100% and keep charging it for at least two more hours. Then use your iPhone until it shuts off due to low battery. Finally, charge it uninterrupted to 100%.
What you need
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Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.
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Remove the two 6.7 mm-long pentalobe P2 screws at the bottom edge of the iPhone.
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Prepare an iOpener and apply it to the lower edge of the iPhone for about a minute in order to soften up the adhesive underneath.
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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 bottom edge of the iPhone—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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If you're using a single suction handle, apply it to the bottom edge of the phone, while avoiding the very edge of the glass.
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If your display is badly cracked, covering it with a layer of clear packing tape may allow the suction cup to adhere. Alternatively, very strong tape may be used instead of the suction cup. If all else fails, you can superglue the suction cup to the broken display.
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Pull up on the suction cup with firm, constant pressure to create a slight gap between the front panel and rear case.
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Insert an opening pick into the gap.
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Slide the opening pick around the lower left corner and up the left edge of the iPhone, slicing through the adhesive holding the display in place.
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Open the iPhone by swinging the display up from the right side, like the front cover of a book.
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Lean the display against something to keep it propped up while you're working on the phone.
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Remove four 1.1 mm-long Y000 screws securing the battery and display connector cover.
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Remove the battery and display connector cover.
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Use a spudger or a clean fingernail to pry the battery connector up from its socket on the logic board.
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Bend the connector slightly away from the logic board to prevent it from accidentally making contact with the socket and providing power to the phone during your repair.
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Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the display cable connector.
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Use a Y000 driver to remove the four 1.1 mm-long screws securing the front sensor connector cover.
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Swing the cover up from the left until the small clip on the right unhooks.
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Remove the cover.
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Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the front sensor assembly cable connector.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the four 1.4 mm screws securing the loudspeaker.
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Slowly lift the loudspeaker out of its recess while gently peeling it off of its adhesive strip. Reapply this strip to the new loudspeaker.
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Remove the loudspeaker.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the 1.4 mm screw securing the Taptic Engine plastic cover.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry the Taptic Engine connector straight up and out of its socket.
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Remove the three screws securing the Taptic Engine:
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Two 2.8 mm standoff screws
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One 1.6 mm Phillips screw
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Remove the Taptic Engine.
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If you are replacing the Taptic Engine, remove the adhesive strip and transfer it to the new Taptic Engine before beginning reassembly.
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Each piece of adhesive has a black pull-tab at the end, which is lightly adhered to the edge of the battery.
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Peel down the first battery adhesive pull-tab to un-stick it from the bottom edge of the battery.
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Grab the first pull-tab with your fingers and slowly pull it away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone.
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Pull hard enough to maintain tension on the strip, but don't force it. Give it plenty of time to stretch and un-stick from under the battery.
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Don't press down on the battery. Hold the iPhone firmly by its sides.
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Keep the strip flat and unwrinkled. Try to pull evenly on the whole strip, rather than pulling mainly in the middle or on one side.
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Pull at a low angle so the strip doesn't snag on the edge of the battery.
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If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers or blunt tweezers, and continue pulling—but do not pry under the battery.
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If any of the adhesive strips break off underneath the battery and can't be retrieved, try to remove the other strips, and then proceed as instructed below.
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Grab the second pull-tab with your fingers and pull it away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone.
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Follow the same procedure as with the previous strip: don't press down on the battery, keep the strip flat and unwrinkled, and pull at a low angle.
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If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers or blunt tweezers, and continue pulling—but do not pry under the battery.
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Using the same procedure as before, pull the remaining two tabs, one at a time, to stretch and remove the remaining adhesive strip holding the battery in place. Try not to snag the adhesive on anything.
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If you removed all the adhesive strips successfully, skip the next step.
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Otherwise, continue with the next step below.
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If you're still having trouble removing the battery, apply a few drops of high concentration (over 90%) isopropyl alcohol under the edge of the battery in the area of the broken adhesive strip(s).
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Wait about one minute for the alcohol solution to weaken the adhesive.
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Use an opening pick or the flat end of a spudger to gently lift the battery.
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Remove the battery.
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If there's any alcohol solution remaining in the phone, carefully wipe it off or allow it to air dry before installing your new battery.
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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? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our iPhone 12 Pro Max Answers community for 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? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our iPhone 12 Pro Max Answers community for help.
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