iPhone 5 Front Camera and Sensor Cable

My Problem

My son a freshman at The University of Delaware was home for break when he explained everything that was wrong with his iPhone 5. He wanted to upgrade to an iPhone 6 but when we found out that his contract was not filled and how much it would cost to do so, we immediately opened up the iFix it app and started reading!

My Fix

We agreed that he was going to be the hands on and I was going to be there as an advisor and resource to him. With his laptop opened and guides readily available we first watched the videos and then set up our parts tray, magnetic mat and laid out a working surface. In order to access the lightening connecror assembly we basically had to gut the inside. The excellent directions, illustrations and guides made it satisfying for this first time user (my son). After almost three hours of cautios hands on we had a perfectly functioning iphone 5 with a screen assembly that looked like we just picked it up from the Apple Store! With the money we saved I made it a point to enjoy an adult premium beverage!

My Advice

"Never take broken for an answer". The professionals @ iFix it have gone through the menucia. Take their lead, use the resources, advice, tools and take some pride in fixing something yourself. When all is said and done there is an invredible sense of satisfaction intaking matters into your own hands and passing on the knowledge to our next generation of techies!

My Problem

One of the microphones on my wife's iPhone 5 quit working. No Siri, no Facetime, hit and miss speakerphone. I took it to the apple store to get their evaluation so I could make an extended warranty claim. They said they could fix it for about $60. The Genius bar guy knew it was probably the microphone, but the guy in the back that did the repair was "NOT A GENIUS". He said he replaced the receiver and that didn't fix it, so he would need to replace the screen. When I asked him what any of that had to do with the microphone, he didn't know, but just said that sometimes it fixes it. He wanted to charge me $125 for replacing the screen, so I decided to buy a replacement phone and leave. When I started looking on iFixit, I realized that the microphone was not related to any of those parts that the NOT A GENIUS mentioned, I decided to undertake the repair myself. After success, I returned the replacement phone for a full refund.

My Fix

I had already taken the phone apart to investigate, so I knew what I was getting into, but the feedback from the forum to verify what I was suspecting was priceless. I was able to swap the part out easily and got the phone back together and all was successful!

My Advice

There's a little black plastic spacer next to the front camera. As soon as you remove the shield it could come out, so just be aware of it. It's the size of a crumb, so you will probably want tweezers to get it back in place when reassembling. Good luck!

My Problem

No audio was coming out of the ear speaker. First replaced the ear speaker, but that did not solve it. The symptom was audio would only come out if I pressed on the right side of the ear speaker...

My Fix

As always, the instructions by iFixit were SPOT ON!!! Awesome detailed instructions. I have been doing my own repairs since I had my iPhone 3G and every single model up to the 5, instructions are always great. Thanks iFixit!!! The parts I used were both purchased from iFixit and both worked. I prefer to pay a slight premiums from iFixit (vs. seller on Amazon.com from China) in order to ensure that things will work.

My Advice

I am all thumbs, perhaps for that reason I always try to be extra careful. Also, I am 6'4'', therefore not only am I all thumbs...but they are pretty big.

The main piece of advice is BE PATIENT, don't try to rush. Many of the screws are different sizes, so make sure you keep them organized as you are disassembling. Also, be extra careful when you remove the contacts for the ear speaker as there is a little bit of glue. Comes out easy enough but just make sure you don't rip it out.

Lastly, right under the cable there are two tiny little pieces of rubber. One goes right next to the front camera and the other under where the ear speaker contacts go. They both have a hole in the middle. Just make sure that as you remove the cable you notice where they go, as I have read other people's reviews that mentioned that they were not careful with those two pieces and they ran into trouble later on (i.e. no audio coming out even after replacing the part). Apparently these two tiny littler rubber pieces apply pressure under the cable in order make a good contact.

Hope this helps...good luck!!

My Problem

The reason I had to repair the camera was because in the instructional video to fix the camera they did not say that the two terminals on the camera were glued down so when I pulled the camera off the terminal were ripped off the camera.

My Fix

It went well besides the fact that the top corners of the screen were sticking out a little more than the rest of the screen. I don't know if there are slots the top part of the screen go into any holes or not so I'm going to look at it again today.

My Advice

Make sure you take the camera out very slowly and use a razor blade to slide under the terminals on the camera to get rid of glue and then you should be fine.

My Problem

On my iphone 5 Siri stopped working due to a faulty rear microphone and my wife's lock button on her 4S failed which caused her annoyance.

My Fix

My iPhone 5 was quite simple to repair. I wasn't looking forward to her 4S since that was far more involved. That said, the guide was very helpful and everything went just fine. We are both very happy to have full functionality again.

My Advice

Take your time and never press really hard.

My Problem

It's been a month of not hearing anybody through my iPhone 5 earpiece. After a couple days gone by, I finally decided that i should go to the Apple Store and hopefully they'll fix it for me. I went to the Apple Store and waited for about 20mins till someone came to help me. Another 20mins to explain and diagnose my phone. Then i finally get to ask howmuch the cost will be if I repair my phone to them. The worker in Apple Store says "It'll be around $70 just to repair it". I said to myself "%#*@ that is hella expensive". The worker asked me if I wanted to repair it, and I said "No thank you, I will just wait till iPhone 6 comes out". I finally walked out of the store feeling sad and unsatisfied on my phone. I had to think of something positive for me to not repair my phone. I had an idea that I will just use my headset to talk on my phone. I was happy at first but that didn't last long. A week have pasted by and I figure I will just fix my own phone. I searched on Youtube on how to repair an iPhone 5 earpiece. I watched the video and I told to myself "That looks super easy, I can fix it myself". That same day, I ordered my iPhone 5 tools and my earpeice. I spent about $30. I waited for a week to get my order. I was very excited and happy when my order came in. I was at work when my order came in, I said to myself "I can't wait to get home and fix my phone". Once i got home from work, I went straight to get my order and watched the video on youtube and followed the instructions. It looked very easy to repair it by watching the video but when I did the repair on my phone for the first time it was a little complicated. You need to be very careful and patience because the screws are very tiny. I wasn't expecting to be that tiny, lol. I finally finished the repair for about 5-10 mins. Turned my phone on and it worked for a minute then it died out. I was worried and sad that the repair didn't do well. So i had to return the iPhone 5 earpiece because i thought it was defetive. I waited another week to get my new earpiece. Again, I repaired it and it still didn't work. On the receipt, it says "if earpiece still doesn't work properly, it might be your iPhone 5 Font camera and sensor cable that's not working". Then i had to search it up on youtube to watch the video on how to repair a iPhone 5 front camera and sensor cable. After watching the video, I ordered my front camera and sensor cable. I had to wait again for a week. Once I received it, I watched the video and repaired my phone. Turning on my phone saying to myself "Please work please work". Phone turns on, went to my voicemail if i could hear anything and it worked! "Yes!" I made a call to make sure I could hear them and they could hear me. "Yay!! It's finally working". I jumped in the air and yelled "HOORAY!" I was very very happy and excited that everything was working properly. I feel accomplished that i can fix my own iphone 5. I said to myself "I can fix my phone anytime I want!"

My Fix

The repair was very fun. Good experience and alot of excitement.

My Advice

My advice is to be very patience and neat. The screws are very small and you don't want to loose it. Always follow instructions and be very careful.