Samsung Galaxy S6 Volume Buttons Replacement

Step 1

Insert a paper clip or SIM eject tool into the hole in the SIM card slot on the power button side of the phone.
Press to eject the SIM card tray.
Don't press too hard or you may damage the SIM card tray.

It really needs to be stated at the outset that if doing this repair to replace the daughterboard, there is a high likelihood that the display will be destroyed (even if you don’t break the display, the foil backing on it will likely be destroyed rendering it unusable). The PDF version of this guide states this at the beginning, but this online version does not.

David White - 14/03/19

Done. Thanks for the tip!

Minor editor - 23/09/19

Step 2

Remove the SIM card tray from the phone.

Step 3

Opening your phone will compromise its waterproof seals. Have replacement adhesive ready before you proceed, or take care to avoid liquid exposure if you reassemble your phone without replacing the adhesive.
If your glass is shattered, put packing tape over the entire panel to hold it together during the removal process.
Lay the heated iOpener over the rear panel for about two minutes to loosen the adhesive around the edge of the glass.
You may need to reheat and reapply the iOpener several times to get the phone warm enough. Follow the iOpener instructions to avoid overheating.
Shift the iOpener to heat the remaining section of the panel for another two minutes.
A hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate may also be used, but be careful not to overheat the phone—the OLED display and internal battery are both susceptible to heat damage.

the way we do it at Get it fixed cellphone repair calgary is with a heat gun, wich is way easier than this, make sure to wear some gloves and dont worry to use to much heat as long as you point just to the back of the phone, (the back panel is thick enough to protect the logic board from over heat) instead of the usual blue plastic piece i sugest to use the thinnest metal razor knife and a business card so you can insert the business card and move it all around the frame, those blue plastic things are way too thick that will break the glass panel if you apply to much pressure

get it fixed - 21/03/17

After did that with my own heat pad, the white paint got ripped off but luckily glass back cover did not break. So I scratched all white part of the back cover and now its all transparent.

Jae Chung - 30/03/17

haha, the same happened for me after using a hair dryer. While still hot, the paint peeled of very easily. (too bad the mid-frame visually blocks most of the circuits…)

Michael - 12/09/20

I used a purpose built heating device at 100 degree celsius. Lower temperatures didn't work.

ken - 23/08/17

I used a blow dryer, attached my multimeter heat sensor to the back to monitor the temperature. At 54 degrees Celsius I could separate the back with a suction cup from my phone without damaging the paint.

LRD - 30/10/18

I gave up on the hot bag after 4 heat and apply cycles. I was only getting the back up to 60c using an infrared thermometer. I switched to a harbor freight 1500w heat gun set to Low, moving constantly around the back, until the back read 95c. The back came off easily at that point.

Nathan Wray - 07/12/18

I found another site that said temps of 203F/95C were required to soften the glues. Once I started using those temps with my heat gun, as well as a tool I made by just cutting the flat front/back panel from a package of screws (any plastic package that has a flat panel will work) , I had the back off in no time. Had I continued to use the plastic pick shown in the instructions, I really doubt I would have gotten the back off since I couldn’t get enough force on the back from my suction cup. The thin package plastic acted almost like a knife as I moved it around the outside edge. WARNING: If you have to reheat the back, REMOVE THE PACKAGE PLASTIC!! It will start to melt from the heat of a heat gun. Good Luck!!

morttormjch - 21/03/19

I had a pristine s6 edge I’m replacing the battery in. I can agree with many others about the amount of heart needed and need to where gloves. I had to heat several times using a heat gun. After several attempts phone broke free from suction cup went flying and now I have a phone with broken screen. Oh well, glad it’s not my primary phone. After getting it above 100c, the back glass finally started to separate. You need another person to be ready with a pick. Once you get one pick in, the rest is .

Brian Gillan - 19/07/20

Neither I had any success with the iopener. I ended up heating with a hair dryer. The metallic edges become quite hot.

BTW: My phone’s “Rear Glass” is actually plastic. It didn’t seem like it would crack very easily.

Michael - 12/09/20

To get an even heat distribution at just the right temperature to easily pry the back off I used a steam iron, dry, set between wool and cotton. To hold down the phone I clamped it at the long edges with 2 strips of 1/4” furniture grade plywood cut at 7 degrees, screwed to 2’ 2x6; and then clamped the 2x6 to my work table. This made it much easier to persuade to back off without any oops!

Michael Bielec - 26/02/21

I used a hot and cold gel pad usually intended for injuries. It needed about 4 cycles of warming the phone but then worked like a charm.

Sam Turner - 17/05/21

Step 4

Once the rear glass is hot to the touch, apply a suction cup near the bottom edge of the glass.
Lift on the suction cup to create a small gap underneath the rear glass, and insert an opening pick into the gap.
Optionally, once the pick is inserted, you can add a few drops of isopropyl alcohol into the gap to help weaken the adhesive in the following steps.

If the rear screen is cracked/smashed, you will not be able to use a suction cup to remove it. The suction could would not seal because of the cracks. I tried masking tape, 3M shiny HVAC tape, and others, and the suction could would not seal to those surfaces either.

I ended up using the sharp point of the smudger to remove some shards of glass to get underneath the cover to leverage it up and out. Definitely use gloves and safety glasses if you have to do this.

dougpender - 26/09/15

Thank you for your comment. I needed to see this particular instance of what to do when the back cover was cracked. I was going to try to suction it with tape covering it. This saved me some heartache. You're an angel!!

Jessie Brooks - 15/08/16

Be careful during this step- reapply heat before attempting this one (battery issues tend to melt internal “areas” ) and this area is most prone to crack during the lifting of the back plate.

[deleted] - 19/12/18

I think it is just about impossible to do this without at least removing some paint on the edges. Order a new back before you attempt this. It has the adhesive already on it and costs less than $10 on eBay.

Thomas Hayes - 01/09/19

In order to get in more easily, I normally use the iFlex (the metal one) which is thin enough to create a little space, and then i insert a thinner plastic sheet, just like the default screen protector you might find on some huawei or xiaomi phones. That plus half a drop of alcohol should do the trick. Use caution and be very patient.

Stefano Restuccia - 16/10/19

Ridiculous. I put a heat gun on mine for 30 seconds, 3 times, couldn’t get the screen to move AT ALL while pulling very hard with suction cups.

Enough of this ‘you don’t get to mess with the battery’ nonsense. Quit screwing people over. Also, I love my ifixit kit. I had to make the post less negative.

Adam Talbott - 10/03/21

Really struggling removing the screen. It’s not budging at all.

Paul Knight - 07/04/21

Step 5

Slide the pick along the bottom edge of the phone to slice through the adhesive securing the rear glass.
Afterward, it may help to leave the pick in place and grab a second pick as you proceed to the next step. Leaving the pick inserted can help prevent the glue you just separated from re-adhering.
Re-heat the rear glass as needed to prevent the glue from cooling and hardening.

Be careful that the bottom of the phone is well heated, and add a drop or so of isopropyl alcohol. When I removed the back glass of my S6, some of the black coating on the glass stayed stuck to the adhesive, so to return my phone to its original appearance, I’ll have to get a new back glass.

Gary F - 28/05/19

I needed help of a second person to insert the first pick. Apart from that, it was a one person job for me.

Michael - 12/09/20

Step 6

Repeat the heating and cutting procedure for the remaining three sides of the phone.
Leave an opening pick under each edge to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

At this stage I didn’t use a plastic pick as I think they are too thick and will crack a screen that’s not already cracked. I used a stainless steel

I sesame blade which does a much better job of cutting through the adhesive. Just be careful not to insert it in too far. I sometimes put a mark on my blade to ensure it doesn’t go in too far.

Wayne Lyell - 03/02/18

I used a card like the ones people use to play poker or any card game with. Only one was needed to separate the back without any damage to the paint.

LRD - 30/10/18

Be sure to apply a decent amount of heat when removing the last bit of the rear glass, cracked the rear of my screen (only a small amount mind) trying too use too much force not enough heat for the last spot.

spank2103 - 09/11/18

Step 7

Use an opening pick to slice through any remaining adhesive.
Remove the rear glass.

The rear glass is very fragile. I cracked mine across the camera opening while cleaning off the old sealant. Next time ( I will have to order one and do it again…doh) I’ll place it on a flat surface while cleaning it.

Greg Scott - 27/01/19

This is also a really good time to remove the SIM tray

John Murphy - 09/10/19

Step 8

To install new rear glass:
Use tweezers to peel away any remaining adhesive from the phone's chassis.
Clean the adhesion areas with high concentration isopropyl alcohol (at least 90%) and a lint-free cloth. Swipe in one direction only, not back and forth. This will help prep the surface for the new adhesive.
Peel the adhesive backing off of the new rear glass, carefully line up one edge of the glass against the phone chassis, and firmly press the glass onto the phone.
If you're reinstalling the old rear glass, or using rear glass without adhesive pre-installed, follow this guide.

You should note that the adhesive strip may need to be fully removed from the frame in order to proceed with repairs. The adhesive on my phone covered all of the screws exposed in the next step.

Sean Cruz - 01/05/17

When I did my battery, the adhesive stayed almost 100% on the back glass and was still in good shape. What didn’t remain attached only lifted slightly and I was able to coax it back to its original location with tweezers. I didn’t bother to remove and replace the adhesive layer because mine was still good. I set the glass out of the way where it wouldn’t get dirt on the adhesive while I finished the battery swap. I added some additional heat (hair dryer) after reattaching the glass to make sure the adhesive made the best seal.

Wayne Thomason - 10/11/18

Step 9

Remove the thirteen 3.5mm Phillips #00 screws securing the midframe to the phone.

Make sure you do not mix up these thirteen screws with a hidden 14th screw under the mid-frame chassis, on the left side of the headphone port, on daughter-board. This 14th screw is shorter than the other screws, so make sure you do not replace it with one of the longer screws. It will push up against the front glass and lift it away from the adhesive.

David Whyte - 07/02/18

Some of the female threads are soft plastic and will strip out easily (especially those near the bottom). I was pressing down too hard when removing these screws, and several of them stripped out. The frame still screwed together, but I couldn’t get them very tight.

Jordan Butler - 09/09/20

Step 10

Before you perform this step, make sure you've ejected the SIM card tray.
Firmly grasp the edge of the midframe assembly.
Lift up on the midframe assembly while pushing down on the battery to separate the midframe assembly from the rest of the phone.
While lifting the midframe, be careful to avoid snagging it on the audio jack or charging port.
Once the midframe is partially seperated, carefully run an opening pick around the edges of the rest of the phone to separate the top of the midframe.
Be careful not to accidentally insert the opening pick between the glass and display.
To avoid damage to the headphone jack, remove the top of the midframe first, then push the midframe downwards to disengage it from the headphone jack.
You may need to heat and apply an iOpener to the edges of the display to soften the display adhesive if midframe separation is difficult.

FIRMLY GRASP IT! - Patrick

Armen Orbelyan - 05/08/16

%#*@ coulda told me sooner

Geronimo Jones -

Bei diesem Schritt sicher sein, dass SIM Card Fach entfernt ist!

zikal - 21/01/17

I found the glue still very sticky here, i had to go around with my picks to free it, its very stuck with a UK version, beware!!

databeat1 - 30/01/17

I damaged my screen here a bit, be careful not too slide your pick between the digitizer and the screen.

Anton - 22/03/18

i suggest to apply heat on the corners of the front screen to lose the adhesive a lil bit and push from the bottom back of the phone right where the wireless charger is because of the charging port

get it fixed - 21/03/17

When grabbing from the bottom, you fun the risk of damaging the charging port and headphone jack. I would suggest starting from the top. This is because the two ports at the bottom slide down into the frame. There is also adhesive that will give you a little resistance.

Alex Philip - 13/04/17

Step 18 is not correct, you have to start from the top. You can damage the charge port

Daniel Yaben - 17/12/17

On mine the adhesive actually tore away part of the colored film on the back of the screen glass rather than separating from it. I’m guessing applying heat to the screen corners first would help avoid this (I didn’t). https://imgur.com/a/V7vZQ

Brian Hardie - 28/03/18

Don’t stick a pick into the screen side of the frame. You will almost certainly start to separate the digitizer and LCD. Plus there is hardly anything to pry against anyway.

Thomas Hayes - 01/09/19

Step 11

Lift the midframe assembly up to separate it from the rest of the phone.

Achtung! Bei meiner Reperatur, besonders bei Schritt 14, Auf gar keinen Fall versuchen den Kleber mit einem der Plektren zu lösen. Dort kann man schnell zwischen Displayrahmen und Glas rutschen und so das Display beschädigen!!!

TheECanyon - 30/01/19