Introduction
Use this guide to remove or replace the volume button covers in your iPhone 7. This guide is for the physical buttons, and not the electronic switches beneath.
If you need to replace the volume control cable, follow this guide.
Opening the iPhone 7 will damage the waterproof seals on the display. If you do not replace the adhesive seals, your phone will function normally, but will no longer be water-resistant.
What you need
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Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.
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Remove the two 3.4 mm pentalobe screws on the bottom edge of the iPhone.
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Use a hairdryer or 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 up on the suction cup to create a small gap between the display assembly and the rear case.
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Insert the flat end of a spudger into the gap.
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Slide the spudger to the left along the lower edge of the iPhone.
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Twist the spudger to widen the gap between the display and rear case.
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Slide the spudger up the left side of the iPhone, starting at the lower edge and moving towards the volume control buttons and silent switch.
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Insert the flat edge of a spudger into the bottom right corner of the device.
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Twist the spudger to widen the gap between the display assembly and the rear case.
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Slide the flat end of the spudger up the right side of the phone to break up the adhesive holding the display in place.
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Slide an opening pick along the top edge of the iPhone, between the rear case and front panel, to break up the remaining adhesive holding the screen in place.
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Pull the display assembly slightly away from the top edge of the phone to disengage the clips holding it to the rear case.
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Open the iPhone by swinging the display up from the left side, like the back cover of a book.
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Tool used on this step:Tri-point Y000 Screwdriver$5.99
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Remove four tri-point Y000 screws securing the lower connector bracket, of the following lengths:
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Three 1.2 mm screws
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One 2.4 mm screw
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Use the point of a spudger to lift the battery connector out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the two lower display connectors by prying them straight up from their sockets on the logic board.
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Remove the two 1.3 mm Phillips #000 screws securing the bracket over the front panel sensor assembly connector.
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Insert a SIM card eject tool or a paperclip into the small hole in the SIM card tray.
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Press to eject the tray.
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Remove the SIM card tray assembly from the iPhone.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the rear-facing camera connector.
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Remove the following Phillips screws securing the rear camera bracket to the rear case:
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One 1.3 mm screw
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One 2.5 mm screw
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Use the pointed end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the antenna bus connector, just left of the rear camera module.
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Remove the four Phillips screws securing the Wi-Fi antenna:
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Three 1.2 mm screws
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One 1.7 mm screw
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Use the point of a spudger to lift the two antenna cable connectors up off of the sockets on the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to gently lift the battery connector end of the logic board up.
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Use a pair of tweezers with blunt tips to peel back one of the adhesive strips on the lower edge of the battery.
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Use a pair of tweezers with blunt tips to peel back the other adhesive strip on the lower edge of the battery.
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Slowly pull one battery adhesive tab away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone.
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Pull steadily, maintaining constant tension on the strip until it slips out from between the battery and the rear case. For best results, pull the strip at a 60º angle or less.
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Repeat the previous step for the second strip.
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If you removed both adhesive strips successfully, skip the next step.
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Otherwise, if either of the adhesive strips broke off underneath the battery and could not be retrieved, continue with the next step below.
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Tool used on this step:Plastic Cards$2.99
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Prepare an iOpener and apply it to the back of the rear case, directly over the battery. Alternatively, you can apply heat using a heat gun or hair dryer.
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After about a minute, remove the iOpener, flip the phone over and use a plastic card to break up any remaining adhesive behind the battery.
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Remove the following Phillips screws:
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Two 1.9 mm screws securing the power button.
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Three 2.3 mm screws securing the volume buttons.
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Remove the following 1.3 mm Phillips screws:
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One screw beside the rear-facing camera
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One screw on the rear case
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From the outside of the phone, push the hold switch into the rear case with the point of a spudger.
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This action will free the hold switch and gasket from the rear case.
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Moving from power button side of the phone, use an opening pick to separate the adhesive holding the antenna flex cable to the rear case.
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Slide the point of an opening pick underneath the antenna flex cable towards the top of the phone, separating the remaining adhesive.
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Use tweezers to move the antenna flex cable away from the edge of the phone, freeing the screw bracket from the rear case.
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Remove the antenna flex cable.
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Use the blade of a Halberd spudger to separate the adhesive holding the microphone to the rear case.
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Slide the blade of a halberd spudger under the power button end of the button cable to separate it from the adhesive on the rear case.
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Continue to separate the adhesive by moving the blade towards the top of the phone.
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Continue to move the blade of the halberd spudger underneath the power and volume control cable.
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Slide the halberd spudger under the volume control portion of the button cable.
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Gently slide the blade underneath the cable towards the bottom of the phone, separating the remaining adhesive.
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Pull the volume button clip towards the bottom of the phone to free it from the bracket.
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Pull the volume button clip towards the bottom of the phone to free it from the bracket.
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Pull the clip towards the top of the phone to remove it.
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Slide the flat end of a spudger underneath the bottom edge of the volume button bracket.
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Adjust the spudger so that it can move away from the rear case without contacting the protruding peg that is on the volume button.
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Rotate the spudger to pop the bracket off of the peg on the volume button.
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Use the pointed end of a spudger to push each of the volume button covers out of the rear case.
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Remove the volume button covers.
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