Introduction
This repair guide was authored by the iFixit staff and hasn’t been endorsed by Google. Learn more about our repair guides here.
Follow this guide to replace the battery on a Google Pixel 4a 5G.
For your safety, discharge your battery below 25% before disassembling your phone. This reduces the risk of a dangerous thermal event if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.
The unreinforced display panel of the Pixel 4a 5G is fragile. Pay special attention to the warnings in the opening procedure if you are reusing the screen.
Tools
Parts
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Insert a SIM eject tool, bit, or straightened paper clip into the SIM tray hole.
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Press directly into the hole to eject the SIM card tray.
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Remove the SIM card tray.
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Take note of the two seams on the edge of your phone:
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Screen seam: This seam separates the screen from the rest of the phone. This is where you have to pry.
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Frame seam: This is where the plastic frame meets the back cover. It is held in place by screws. Do not pry at this seam.
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Before you begin, note the following areas on the screen:
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Screen flex cable: Do not insert the opening pick deeper than instructed or you risk damaging this cable.
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Adhesive perimeter: Prying beyond this narrow perimeter without angling the pick will damage the OLED panel.
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Apply a heated iOpener to the right edge of the display for one minute to soften the adhesive.
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Place a suction cup as close to the right edge of the screen as possible.
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Lift the suction cup with a strong steady force.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick into the screen seam no more than 1 mm.
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With the pick 1 mm into the gap, pivot the pick upwards to a steep angle.
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At a steep angle, carefully push the pick into the gap about 1/4 inch (6 mm). The pick should slide in below the OLED panel.
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Slide the pick along the right edge of the screen to cut the adhesive.
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Leave the pick in the bottom-right corner to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.
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Insert another opening pick into the right edge of the phone at an angle where a gap has already formed to prevent damage to the OLED panel.
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Slide the opening pick around the top of the phone to cut the adhesive.
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Leave the pick inserted along the top edge to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Insert another opening pick into the top edge of your phone at an angle where a gap has already formed to prevent damage to the OLED panel.
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Use the pick to slice around the top-left corner where the camera window is.
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Leave the pick inserted along the left edge of your phone to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.
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Slide the opening pick around the bottom-left corner and across the bottom of the display to cut the rest of the adhesive.
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Once you have cut around the perimeter of the phone, carefully lift the right edge of the screen, partially opening the phone like a book.
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Use an opening pick to carefully cut through any remaining adhesive.
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Lift from the top edge and swing the screen over the bottom edge until you can rest it glass-side down.
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Use your fingernail or a pair of tweezers to carefully peel off the tape covering the screen connector.
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Insert the tip of a spudger into the opening of the plastic cover securing the screen flex cable.
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Pry the plastic cover straight up until it pops out of place.
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Remove the plastic cover.
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Remove the screen.
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Check if your replacement screen has speaker mesh and top edge adhesive pre-installed.
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If it does, you won't need the top edge adhesive.
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If it doesn't, remove the larger clear liner from the top edge adhesive and apply it to the screen (not the frame). Make sure the larger cutout lines up with the speaker mesh.
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Follow this guide to apply the custom-cut adhesive.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the nine 4.4 mm-long screws securing the back cover to the midframe.
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Insert an opening pick into the seam between the midframe and the back cover, right above the SIM card slot.
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Slide the opening pick along the right edge of your phone to release the plastic clips securing the back cover to the midframe.
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Continue sliding the opening pick along the top, left, and bottom edges of your phone until all of the plastic tabs securing the back cover to the midframe are released.
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Flip your phone over so the back cover is facing up.
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Carefully swing the back cover up to an upright position.
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Rest the back cover against an object such as a cardboard box or soda can.
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Use a T3 Torx screwdriver to remove the seven screws securing the motherboard bracket:
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Four 4.0 mm-long screws
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Three 2.1 mm-long screws
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Use a pair of tweezers to remove the black tape covering the antenna flex cable between the loudspeaker and the battery.
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Flip the midframe over.
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Use a pair of tweezers to remove the rectangular piece of copper foil closest to the edge of the phone.
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Use a pair of tweezers to remove the rectangular piece of copper foil closest to the center of the phone.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift up the battery adhesive pull tab so that you can reach it with your fingers.
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Slowly pull one battery adhesive tab away from the battery, towards the bottom of the phone.
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Pull steadily, maintaining constant tension on the strip until it slips out from between the battery and the midframe. For best results, pull the strip at as low of an angle as possible.
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If the battery adhesive tabs break during the removal process, use your fingers or blunt tweezers to retrieve the remaining length of adhesive, and continue pulling.
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Repeat the instructions in the previous step for the second stretch-release adhesive strip.
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If any of the adhesive strips broke off underneath the battery and could not be retrieved, apply a few drops of 90% isopropyl alcohol into the opening of the affected tab and tilt the phone towards the top edge so that the alcohol flows toward the remaining adhesive. Wait one minute for the adhesive to soften, then proceed to the next step.
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Insert an opening pick into the battery well along one of the long edges of the battery.
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Pry the battery upward to remove it from the battery well.
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Once you have allowed one minute for the alcohol to soften the adhesive, use an opening pick to pry up the battery from one of the long edges.
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To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.
8 comments
Hi Sam,
Do you know where to actually buy battery replacements for the 4a 5g? It doesn’t seem like it’s available just doing a Google search, and just wondering if you know something I don’t.
Thanks,
Sally
Hi Sally,
Not right now, unfortunately. It’s likely a matter of time before they are available, but it’s difficult to predict exactly when—especially with impacted global supply chains. Keep an eye on iFixit and eBay, and check with any repair shops if you haven’t already.
Best of luck,
Sam
Hi! This guide worked excellently for removing my battery. But I was hoping you could give me a bit of advice.
I disassembled my phone because I got water in it, and I wanted it to dry more effectively. Because my battery is not damaged I was planning on putting it back in now, but your guide warns against this. Is that because there is no more adhesive? Or potentially something else that I could work around?
Thanks! -Ben
Hi Ben!
We warn against reusing batteries because they are usually deformed during removal, which increases the chances of a "thermal event" happening in the future. If you were able to remove yours without deforming it at all, then you should be fine to reuse it.
That being said, with internal water exposure a battery replacement is almost always necessary. It depends on the level of contamination. If it were my phone, I would buy a new one. They are not too expensive.
Hi :)
I have an Ifixit essential toolkit. The guide is excellent but once i read step 22 it states that I need to use a T3 Torx in order to remove the motherboard. Unfortunately my IFIXT includes only Torx T4 and T5, so I was wondering whether i'll be able to unscrew it anyways using what I have or will I necessarily have to buy another kit?
thank you!
Marco
nanter88 -