Motorola Droid Turbo 2 Rear-Facing Camera Replacement

Step 1

Power off your phone before you begin working.
Insert a SIM eject tool, SIM eject bit, or a straightened paperclip into the small hole in the SIM card tray.
Press to eject the tray.
Remove the SIM card tray assembly from the phone.

Step 2

Heat an iOpener and apply it to the top edge of the phone for a minute.
A hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate may also be used, but be careful not to overheat the phone—the display and internal battery are both susceptible to heat damage.

After you heat the Iopener, lay the shiny side on the phone. With all the warnings of how hot it could get, I handled it with oven mitts. It wasn’t until I struggled for some time trying to get the back of that I grabbed the Iopener with my bare hand and found the the shiny side was still hot, but the textured side was quite cool. Apparently it has some insulating properties.

Gary Holstein - 31/10/20

Step 3

Angle an opening pick and firmly press so that it slips under the back cover.
Depending on the age of the phone, this can be difficult. Additional heating with the iOpener may help. You can pry carefully with a metal spudger to create a gap for the opening pick.

Use a heat gun to loosen adhesive prior top using spudger

chris.reinert - 28/10/17

If the Phone has the nylon back, there is a plastic layer that the material is attached. be sure to get the plastic layer beneath the nylon.

bludyone - 21/08/20

Don’t be fixated on the top edge. On my phone there was more space at the bottom edge to get the picks in, which allowed an easier start than the top.

Kyle - 15/11/20

Step 4

Slide the opening pick along the top edge of the phone to break up the adhesive.
Use the pick to release the deeper areas but avoid slicing through the camera bezel area.

It took me over an hour to pry the back cover off the phone. Don't give up – it can be done! It takes some time, heat, and persistence to wedge the blue picks under the back. And not knowing what is under there can cause stress! Bottom line - don't be afraid to apply pressure to the pick to break the seal between the back and the metal edge, and then you can slide the pick in under the back cover without breaking any electronics. I did not notice the blue plastic prying tool until after I wrestled the back off – I think that would have helped with the final peeling off stage.

Thomas Johnson - 05/12/18

Step 5

Repeat the iOpener heating and slicing procedures for the remaining three sides.
Make sure to cut into the deeper areas as the back cover is held on by a large adhesive surface.

Step 6

Once you have cut through the adhesive, slowly peel the back cover away from the frame.
Remove the back cover.
During reassembly, follow this rear cover adhesive guide to properly apply the pre-cut adhesive strip.

Getting this back cover off with 4 little picks is nothing less than Fake News. The picks (and a halberd spudger) were good for cutting through adhesive on the outer edges, but a fair amount of heat and several plastic “playing cards” were needed to get to the adhesive holding down the cover on the middle of the device. Be VERY CAREFUL as you near the charging coil…2 little connectors near the bottom right could be easily severed. Take your time, use heat and patience.

Jeana Morales - 15/10/19

Step 7

Insert an opening pick under the flash connector rubber cover and pry forward to remove it.
To reinstall the cover, align the cover and use your finger to push it forward into place.

The two plastic covers do not fit snugly in place, so after putting them back in place, use small bits of electrical tape to secure them before installing a new adhesive back cover. I tested my phone thoroughly before the last step, so that I would not have to buy a new cover if something didn't work.

Bill Koonce - 17/03/17

Step 8

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and remove the coil connector rubber cover.
To reinstall the cover, align the cover and use your finger to push it forward into place.

Careful! The cover popped off and flew 8 feet! (Over 2 meters!)

Kenneth Lacewell - 26/01/19

Absolutely true. Mine popped off and shot across the room. I was lucky to be able to find it.

Gary Holstein - 31/10/20

Step 9

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the flash connector.
To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

Step 10

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the wireless charging coil connector.

Step 11

Remove the following T3 screws securing the midframe:
Thirteen 3.1 mm black screws
Four 4.3 mm silver screws
Due to screw and bit variance, you may have better luck with a T4 driver. The proper bit should seat fully in the screwhead and feel slightly loose. The bit should not feel like it's stuck in the screwhead.

My phone (purchased 12/2015) has only 2 silver screws top and bottom (4 total), and they're also T3, not Philips.

With a Torx screw this tiny, it pays to take time to make sure that the driver is well seated before turning it. This will eliminate stripped screws. Also, I loosened each screw first, and then removed them. Breaking them free before turning them also helps prevent stripping.

Bill Koonce - 17/03/17

eitherway its a T4 torx in my phone. Double checked my bit. T-4 same for all these screws

Raymond Lewis - 27/01/18

T4 in mine as well. Stripped out a T3 bit figuring this out.

Shane Kennington - 13/02/18

They were all T3’s in the one I am repairing. Must be different depending on where it is manufactured.

James Blaine - 20/06/18

I recommend placing your phone down on a flat surface and then you can put good pressure straight down to remove the screws.

Leif Thorson - 06/09/18

One of the small screws was stripped. I used a 1/8” drill to eliminate the head - very . The mid-plane came off, and I finished removing the screw with a small pair of needle-nose pliers.

Larry Peterson - 07/10/18

the phone I opened used a T4 bit as well

Josef Bosnyak - 01/02/19

The screws in my phone were both sizes. I had to use the T3 and T4. A few of the screws would not take either bit (I had to use a dremel tool to strip it slightly so the T4 would fit it). Luckily, I had some replacements.

Beth - 22/02/19

At first I thought my toolkit only came with a T5, which was too large. Then I found the T3 bit in a ziplock back with an alcohol swab. It worked, but it had some slack, so my screws may have been T4, but I didn’t have that option.

Brian Martin - 17/03/19

The device I’m fixing now is T4. Stripped 2 heads and had to drill them out. Wish this walkthrough had a note that some are different so I would have double checked before I stripped them out.

Matt Peacock -

Hi Matt,

Thanks for your feedback! So many people are having an issue with this—I’ve added a note to the step as you suggested.

Arthur Shi -

Step 12

Insert an opening pick along the frame seam and twist slightly to release the midframe from the phone.

Step 13

Remove the midframe from the phone.
You can tape over the side buttons to prevent them from falling out during your repair.
If the buttons fall out of the midframe, reinsert them in the orientation as shown before you reinstall the midframe.

The buttons will NOT "fall in" when reassembling, so it's important to remember to put them back. I found that putting them in the frame before replacing it is the only way. Check to see how they fit on the phone first, then drop them into their slots outside-in. The power button will fit only one way; the volume buttons should go in oriented as they fit best on the phone. Be sure to test them to make sure they click freely often! It's easier to readjust them before all those screws are back in.

Bill Koonce - 17/03/17

Going to make a small etch on the very bottom (as the phone is held portrait) of each button before beginning the project. A fine tip Sharpie might also work for some people.

Dan - 22/05/17

I have not done this yet but, try using a small bit of electrical tape to secure them to the mid-frame before removal

jerryj26 - 27/04/18

Yes, a small strip of tape on the mid frame to hold the buttons in place works great. Thanks for the idea. I simply put a piece over the buttons and onto the whole frame, then cut it carefully along the edge between the glass an mid frame when I separated the two piece. This held the buttons nicely in place and ready for reinstalling.

Rob Reynolds - 28/10/18

Be careful putting the mid-plane back on. The volume control innards were bent and straightening it back out took a lot of time - on phone #2.

Larry Peterson - 07/10/18

My contact wires got bent the first time I took a phone apart. I am pretty sure I bent them when I was prying the phone open (not while I was putting back together). Now I'm extra careful prying the phone open on the volume button side and it hasn't happened again.

Beth - 17/07/19

It sounds like people like the tape idea and it’s a helpful step, so I’ve added it into the guide step. Thanks for the comments!

Arthur Shi - 15/11/18

I tried taping the side buttons on but they slipped out anyway. Observe the photo to replace them in the proper orientation. It’s actually quite easy, and I’m not certain how effective taping them would ultimately be as it’s important to seat the slots over the tabs inside the body. You need to be an extraordinary taper to stick them in place such that they “presto!” drop in place when reinstalling the mainframe

Thomas Johnson - 05/12/18

I found that it helped a lot to put a screw in around the down volume button, when reassembling, to prevent the buttons from falling out. That is after you had popped the mid frame and the phone together. I also agree with using the electrical tape to prevent the buttons from falling out.

Michelle Dailey - 11/01/19

Step 14

Using your fingers, carefully remove the black tape from the battery.
Try not to rip the tape as you will use it on the new battery.

Step 15

Using a T4 bit on your screw driver, remove the two 4.0mm screws from the metal bracket.
Remove the metal bracket.

Step 16

Use the angled tweezers to lift up the small orange plastic piece near the bottom right corner of the battery.

Step 17

Use the pointed tweezers to remove the transparent gold tape on top of the ZIF connector.

Step 18

Slightly unlatch the ZIF connector with the spudger. It will pop up, but it will not completely detach.

Step 19

Using the blunt tweezers, remove the transparent gold tape from the small gold ribbon near the bottom right of the battery.
Use the spudger to then unlatch the ribbon cable connector.