Test Leads

My Problem

iPhone 4 battery was not holding much of a charge anymore. For 3 years old, it was okay, but $20 to fix it seemed like a good deal.

My Fix

I watched MJ's video on the AT&T model and followed the "iPhone 4 Battery Replacement" guide. It's good to run through these a few times before opening it up. The repair itself went very much according to plan. Except the battery adhesive was STRONG! Not sure if this is a Verizon vs. AT&T difference, but it was pretty hard to get the battery out. I figured the battery was junk, anyway, and ended up getting the plastic pry tool underneath the lower right corner, put a small screwdriver in there to hold the progress I had made, and kept prying against the outer metal edge of the phone to make progress. Once I got the battery bent up enough, I pulled it free the rest of the way. Putting the new battery in and reassembling was pretty easy.

My Advice

In some of these, the battery adhesive is *really strong*. (Only the Verizon ones, or just a few lucky folks like me?) It's not epoxy strong, but for something this small, you have to be careful where and how you pry. If you pry against the logic board, you'll probably break something important. ** Pry against the outer edge of the phone. ** The metal band can take the force. Don't push the band out, but push down against it with the pry tool. Be firm, but use minimum force needed, and use the plastic tool, so you don't scratch the metal. Also, you will likely destroy the old battery in the process of removing it. In the rare case that your new battery is a dud, can you live without your phone for a few days, while a different one arrives? Just be aware. ... That being said, the phone works now, and the battery is great. Awesome!