I’m Kyle Smith, a technical writer at iFixit. I started working here in February 2021. I write repair guides for a variety of electronic devices such as tablets, smartphones, and video game consoles.
I completed my Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. During my final year at the university, I worked on a project team as a student researcher to evaluate goal programming methods for youth sports substitution scheduling. I presented our work at the 2021 IISE Annual Conference and Expo.
It’s been one year since I started working as a technical writer. Some highlights from my job include replacing the disc drive in an Xbox One X and pulling the cameras out of a Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
One of my favorite repair guides that I’ve written is for the USB-C port in the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. Seeing how the port is situated in the phone and connected to the motherboard was an incredible learning experience. No longer were ports a mysterious electronic path into my devices. Instead, they’re just another part that can (sometimes) be removed and replaced.
I enjoy every aspect of cooking. The equipment, the ingredients, the process. The supply chain. Wait what? For me, learning to cook has also been a lesson in sustainability. Tracing where food comes from and where it’s processed provides a context to what I’m stocking in my kitchen. Having that context allows me to make more sustainable choices when I’m roaming through the grocery store.
The Technical Writing team works hard to make iFixit the best source for repair. Learn more about the content review process that makes it possible.
Hi Nick, thank you for commenting about the missing steps! I have now added the Taptic Engine removal to this guide.
Hi,
The ribbon cable in step 7 uses a ZIF connector and should be easy to remove from the connector slot. The cable may bend slightly when you pull it out and reinsert it, but avoid bending it as much as possible.
Hi, this step only includes the screws needed to remove the lower metal case. Guides that require removing the power supply screws will have a step later on with instructions on which screws to remove.
Hi! Thank you for mentioning that the power supply screws must be removed before unplugging it. I’ve added a new step to this guide with instructions on which screws to remove.
Hi, refer to our iPhone Battery Adhesive Strips Replacement guide for instructions on where to place the adhesive strips.