iPhone 4S Headphone Jack & Volume Control Cable

My Problem

My external microphone stopped working after I successfully repaired a failed telephone ear speaker. I'm not sure if the mic failure was related to my speaker repair or just a coincidence. The mic was not disturbed during the speaker repair.

My Fix

The repair went well. All parts on the ribbon cable supporting the mic (earphone jack, volume buttons, silence switch) work properly.

My Advice

The silence switch is held onto a metal mounting plate with adhesive AND two plastic posts that are melted to form rivet heads. Removing the old ribbon cable and integral silence switch involves breaking the adhesive bond and breaking the plastic rivets. After adhering the silence switch to the metal mount, I used a soldering iron to melt the (new) plastic pins, mechanically securing the switch.

When I powered the iPhone 4S on for the first time following the repair, the cell phone would not transmit or receive. I got the cell phone working using the solutions found here - iPhone 4S keeps searching after screen replacement It would be a good idea to reference these instructions any time the battery is disconnected in (at least) a 4S.

My Problem

My old iPhone 4S needed a new dock connector--it always thought it was docked, and was discharging itself and getting hot. When I replaced the dock connector, I broke the home switch cable. Then while replacing the home switch cable, I broke the secondary mic off the headphone jack.

My Fix

Due to all my mistakes, I essentially had to do a full disassembly, replacing the headphone jack/secondary mic/volume button/hold button flex AND the home button switch. I have worked inside the iPhone 4S a few times, but never had to disassemble so much. The repair succeeded perfectly, thanks to experience. But it felt like Mission Impossible.

My Advice

Don't try replacing the iPhone 4S headphone jack assembly unless you have some experience and a good magnifier. Also, always read the comments for tips about difficult-to-see items, such as the secondary mic which is tethered to the headphone jack.

My Problem

My iPhone 4s was in a bag along with a water bottle that leaked. The phone was soaked and after drying, the camera flash would not turn off and the vibrate switch would no longer function.

My Fix

The camera was a breeze. The vibrate switch a little more challenging: you have to take most of the phone apart to get to it. But the guides were great, and while at first I thought the magnetic project mat a little overkill, it's really quite handy.

The phone started right up when I reassembled it. The camera worked and the flash no longer stayed on. The vibrate switch still didn't work, however. I saw a lot of water damage / corrosion on the motherboard right around where the vibrate / volume cable plugs in, so the problem is likely on the motherboard.

My Advice

Pay close attention to the part about prying the microphone away from the case. I had the directions printed so I didn't see the close-up image and ended up forgetting about it and tearing the cable. Luckily the whole point was to replace the cable so it didn't matter.

My Problem

Broken face plate

Broken back and upper mic not working

My Fix

Time consuming and frustrating with dropping 1.5 mm screws. Otherwise good

My Advice

Yes

1. Tweezers. Need good sharp point tweezers

2. Dial calipers to measure screws as they come out

3. Post it notes to label screws and hold

4. Ground clip under camera needs to be positioned to contact the metar case under the mother pcbs and the groin on 4.5 mm post needs to hold down the upper antenna

My Problem

The volume up bottom on the phone wasn't working. These parts and 3 hours and it was as good as new, except for one thing.

My Fix

Replair went smoothly. Sorted screws on old hard drive magnets. Took 1 hour to get apart. 1 1/2 to get it back together. Everything worked except for one thing. The silent button wouldn't work after the repair. It kept falling out into the phone because of a missing stopper or something. I was able to cram a piece of a rubber band in there. That fixed it. Everything else went smoothly.

My Advice

Keep track of your screws and keep them sorted. Don't lose rubber stoppers.

My Problem

His iPhone 4S volume buttons did not work at all, his mute switch was unreliable and he was going through earbuds like crazy.

My Fix

I first tried replacing his volume buttons, hoping for an easier fix but no luck. I bit the bullet and gutted his phone to replace the headphone jack/ volume control cable. It took about two hours, including the amount of time I spent crawling around the floor looking for tiny bits I dropped, twice.

My Advice

I had to go back into the phone with a q-tip wet with windex to clean the connectors. Be sure to clean the metal parts where the tutorial mentions it. Works perfectly now. Awesome!

My Problem

Headphones and the bottom speaker would not work half the time.

Earpiece speaker was buzzy.

My Fix

Everything went well, would have gone better if I had sorted the screws as I took them out, not easy to tell the difference between a 1.2 and a 1.3 millimeter screw.

I lost two of the screws and had to file down the two screws that came with the battery as replacements.

My Advice

Put the screws on a labeled piece of tape as you remove them.

My Problem

Tried to fix it by just adding a shim but it was past the point of being revived. My 12 year old son managed to well and truly kill the volume decrease function on this 3 year old 4S which I handed down to him after i upgraded to a 5S. This was replaced as part of a general overhaul (I replaced a badly scratched screen in the process as well and figured I may as well get it all done while I'm at it - the cost of parts for doing it all myself was less than taking it in.)

My Fix

Off all tasks done replacing the volume strip is most likely the most complex since the ribbon needs to be glued and folded in place. It comes with adhesive strips applied. The mute button has a small screw which could easily be missed if you don't pay attention to the guide. The new strip needs to have the tips melted on the mute switch once in place. A hot soldering iron or piece of thick wire heated up will do the job.

My Advice

The provided guides are good - just make sure you study all the photographs on each step before you start pulling and tugging at stuff. The microphone next to the earphone jack may tear off from the old ribbon when removing it. Pull it off with a tweezer and make sure you put the glue pad back so the new microphone will stay put.

My Problem

I had messed up the headphone jack trying to get lint out of it, but I was just living with it. Then the back of my phone was cracked open, and I pulled it off to verify that my battery had begun the li-ion battery's swan song of expanding, so the repair couldn't wait any longer.

My Fix

I'll be honest, that was almost as scary as dropping my transmission for the first time. Thankfully you're guides are excellent and your pictures contain many pixels, so I made it through successfully.

My Advice

Don't be too scared, but don't get sloppy, either. Also don't toss the parts you're replacing immediately. I probably wouldn't have been able to fold the headphone cable up properly if it hadn't been for having the old one sitting there.

My Problem

The tip of a headphone plug broke off in my 4S's Jack. Despite every attempt to remove it, I was unsuccessful. I determined that I would need to replace the whole jack.

My Fix

The whole process took about an hour and a half, I went very slow so your mileage will vary. The hardest part was removing the battery. It was surprisingly flexible and mushy. I used the larger Plastic Opening Tool for this which worked well.

After all was said and done, I had a working iPhone and a headache from staring at such small parts for so long.

My Advice

Spend the money and get the Plastic Opening Tools! They made it much easier to remove little parts and pieces that I would have probably broke without them.

A good pair of tweezers is VERY helpful.

I used a piece of tape(sticky side up) attached to a piece of paper that I stuck the screws to as I removed them. I would then write on the paper next to the screws the step number that corresponded to the screws.

Also, don't be afraid of the flexible battery. Just be careful to not puncture it.