iPhone 5s Home Button Assembly

My Problem

Input via digitizer became intermittently erratic. I could scroll screen with finger above screen not touching. Pressing one area made phone act like I had pressed a different area. There was a light streak down screen. This problem was intermittent and would come and go while phone was just sitting around.

My Fix

Replacing the iPhone 5s screen assembly was pretty easy with iFixit tools and guide. The parts inside the iPhone 5s are amazingly small, said from the perspective of someone who has repaired Powerbook G4, original Airport Express, iPod mini and iPod Classic. It's a wonder of engineering how tiny and precise the parts are, but it makes it a little tricky not to lose the parts if you drop them.

My screen no longer automatically adjusts brightness. I haven't checked to see if reseating the cable connector or transferring over the old ambient light sensor will solve the problem because I don't want to screw up something else. Screen input is good now and that's what matters.

Colors on new screen seem more saturated and pressing seems to require harder input but that could be perception.

My Advice

Clean a very large area - like the entire table top and the sweep the floor where you're working. This makes it possible to find the parts you drop. When you lose something on the floor, put a flashlight flat on floor with light raking across surface to find tiny parts.

The bonding strap and screw holding it in place on the home button's cable are difficult to keep track of because they're so small and the cable acts like a spring and flings the parts off your table. The assembly is supposed to be captive. Try to keep it that way.

Took one and a half hours.

My Problem

Battery was draining within 2 hours and % remaining was never accurate (at 100%) and then would die.

My Fix

Super simple! Make sure that you have that pentalobe (?) screw driver.

My Advice

My battery was taped in with double sided tape. And was very difficult to remove until I heated up the tape. I heated up a hot/cold pack and then set the phone on it for a few minutes. The battery came out very easily then and I got to reuse the tape as it stayed with the case.

My Problem

My iPhone 5s could not go 12 hours without needing to be charged. And this was with very minor use.

My Fix

The repair is a little tedious, but with patience and care, it can be done without hurting the phone.

My Advice

The pulling part, when you pull the old battery adhesive strip off, be very slow and gentle, specially with the one near the outside of the case, it rips very easily, and then you have to carefully heat and pry the battery off. I did this repair on two phones and both ripped and had to be pried off, but I think next time I'll know how to prevent it.

My Problem

A friend took his iPhone 6Plus scuba diving with a not so waterproof case.

My Fix

Was able to get the battery out and replace it...sadly it did not charge. The tool kit is amazing...every tool you need to make it go smoothly. I had watched a video with a 10 year old showing me how to open the case with an 11/16" nail. It worked, but once opened you really need the tools to finish one-handed.

My Advice

Be verry, werry careful opening the case to 90 degrees...the strip is easily tearable

Seriously, read everything and watch the videos before starting to remove the battery. Those sticky

strips of adhesive are a total pain, especially when water damaged. I propped it up and blocked it from both sides so that I could use both hands. At least we gave it every shot to save it, and now I have an iPhone 6 Plus in the morgue and intend to strip it down and learn every piece of it for future operations :)

My Problem

Back panel of iPhone was scratched, including across the area over the camera lens, making photo quality terrible

My Fix

Took less than a minute, super super easy

My Advice

Note that the back panel on the iPhone 4 slides up a little to unlatch, you don't pry it off, you slide it a little. Reverse the motion to put the new back panel one.

My Problem

screen cracked

My Fix

The repair was fairly easy- you do need a micro screwdriver (smaller than the smallest you can get at Lowes or HD- so, if you don't already have one, get one from ifixit, along with the P2 pentalobe driver. The screws are so tiny that I can't pick them up with my fingers. Must use tweezers to pick them up. Take care to not over torque the screws. They literally have microscopic threads, they're tight- you don't need to reef on them. Be gentle, but not gentile. Pay attention to the order the cables are stacked- it matters. Keep everything (work space, components, etc.) ultra clean. Before disassembly, clean your phone, clean the work space, if you have a case, move it away from the surgery area or clean it well before you start. You don't want any dirt or lint getting in the way. If you have broken glass around the home button, be prepared to clear it from the button adhesive during the swap as the broken glass will prevent proper installation and operation. The tolerances are extremely fine (they're really quite beautiful pieces of engineering- I wish they would make a clear body so we could see the internals). Keep the screws you remove very well organized- some covers have two or three different length screws and it's important that the proper screw goes into the proper hole. Well practiced, this could probably be accomplished in about 20 minutes. It probably took me about 45 minutes. Over all, not bad. I wonder if the screen resolution is the same as the original? It could be my imagination, but the screen doesn't seem as vibrant as the original equipment. It wouldn't have cost much more to send my phone in to have apple fix it, but I didn't want to wait that long. Rather than not have a phone for a week or two, I didn't have a phone for about an hour. I also wonder what the glass is? Is it the same as OEM? I think ifixit could provide more information (unless they're intentionally withholding). Also, I realized I didn't have the proper pentalobe driver after I'd placed my order. I called to add the driver and the call time to accomplish this was less than two minutes from placing the call to ending the call. Very easy. They sent the wrong level driver (ordered pro, paid for pro, was sent low-level) but I'm so pleased with everything else that I don't even care about the mix up.

My Advice

See above.

My Problem

Cracked display

My Fix

Instructions were clear and accurate! Finished in 15 minutes. Delivery came in 2 days after my order...3 days earlier than expected!

My Advice

I can see how reinstalling the display may put undue pressure on the tiny piece of glass under the home button. Be careful when snapping the assembly in at this point in particular.