iPhone 4 Rear Panel Replacement

Written By: Walter Galan
  • Comments: 29
iPhone 4 Rear Panel Replacement

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

3

Time Required

2 - 5 minutes

Introduction

Remove the rear panel to access components inside your iPhone 4.

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    • Before you begin, discharge your iPhone battery below 25%. A charged lithium-ion battery can catch fire and/or explode if accidentally punctured.

    • Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.

    • Your iPhone 4 rear cover may have either two #000 Phillips screws or Apple's 5-Point "Pentalobe" screws (second image). Check which screws you have, and ensure you also have the correct screwdriver in order to remove them.

    • Remove the two 3.6 mm Pentalobe or Phillips #000 screws next to the dock connector.

    • Be sure the driver is well seated when removing Pentalobe screws, they are very easy to strip.

    using something like the 18-compartment tray will GREATLY help with this one; there are over a dozen groups of parts. For re-assembly having a digital calipers to measure the 2.4 vs the 2.6mm screws also helps greatly.

    awr -

    My method for hardware management during delicate phone surgery is to take and print out on 8.5"x11' paper, one or more pictures of the open phone in various stages of disassembly, and then tape the screws to the appropriate spots on the pictures. Also write numbers on the pictures next the screws to indicate the order in which you removed them.

    lens42 -

    I use a plastic egg tray, I drop all the screws and small parts (like the camera) for each step into the same egg indentation. You can see that the screws are different lengths, so I don't put one screw into it's own spot. I used 5 egg indentations to replace my screen.

    Mangled Jargon -

    I did a successful surgery on my iPhone, be warned this is not for the faint of heart!

    I've done iPod screen replacements, battery replacements, this is by far much more difficult and intricate.

    Great write up! Thanks a million.

    Jaysen Strange -

    I've changed some iPod screens as well and that has been the least pleasant experience so far. Glue and the main connector that has to be unwrapped and connected from the rear where you have no feel or control where it belongs.

    iPhone repair is complex, but doable and has very few "traps".

    mcbohdo -

    Couldn't even get both screws out of the bottom of the case. One was easy and other refuses to budge. Screws so small I can't see if it is turning or screw driver is properly seated. Sad I too have done screen replacements on other phones. Don't know any secrets to get the screw out

    ckracht -

    I also have a problem with seeing what is happening with some of those tiny little screws and parts. For other projects that I do, I use an Opti-Visor. It slips over your head and provides 10x magnification. ( You can find them on Amazon).

    Yeah, it adds cost to the project and you would have to wait for delivery, but it sure makes a world of difference in seeing what you are working with / on.

    jhow -

    On an early iPhone 4 I found that the #000 Phillips bit included in the 54 Bit Driver Kit didn't actually fit the screws. However the JIS #000 also in the kit did fit quite well. This is due to the JIS bits "thinner" design to prevent camming out of the slot. Otherwise everything went well. Looking forward to replacing the battery in my other phone that has the pentalobe screws. Glad I got the 54 Bit kit!

    etler -

    Use a vacuum duster and a sharp tool to pry out the dust, this can increase the volume insanely!

    Dpairs -

    What does the park that is gold and next to the 4.8mm screw for the antenna? Looks like I am missing that part and almost positive that is why I can't pick up or connect to any wifi signals. I have the screw and the antenna from another phone that is working and tried it on the broken phone and still doesn't work. Only thing different is that gold metal piece to the left of that 4.8 mm screw. Can I buy that part? how do I attach it?

    Jay Pennington -

    great instructions did it the first time

    Mr J -

    For organisation of the parts and for a much easier process of rebuilding i use a big magnetic flat surface with a grid drawn on it. Then I use a dry erase marker to make any notes I need and to number the parts in order as i disassemble . Believe me it saves a lot of time and hassle especially if you drop one of those tiny screws good luck finding it but when your working over the magnet and drop a screw its going to be right where it fell. At first I tried the piece of paper to keep organised but all it takes is one small slip and you move the paper too quick and your left with a jumbled bunch of screws and parts and a painstaking task of putting it all back correctly, aka a big waist of time and effort.

    case-yg -

    I found it very useful to use a magnet sheet when doing these repairs. I use electrical tape or a sharpie to make a grid, and place each micro screw in a separate box on the grid.

    I work directly over the magnet sheet, so that if something drops I have a better chance at not losing it.

    If you do lose a screw, go over the work area with a fridge magnet. It will pick it up if it hasn’t popped too far away.

    Megan Telliano -

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    • Push the rear panel toward the top edge of the iPhone.

    • The panel will move about 2 mm.

    the back won't budge! I cant get it off! what do i do?

    Debbie -

    Use a suction cup to pull the back screen gently.

    gio -

    If the back doesn't slide in properly upon reassembly, you didn't insert the motherboard properly. Remove it and try it again, DO NOT try to force it down!

    Addison Rasmussen -

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    • Pinch the rear panel with your fingers and lift it away from the iPhone. Alternatively, use a Small Suction Cup .

    • Be careful not to damage the plastic clips attached to the rear panel.

    • If you are installing a new rear panel, be sure to remove the plastic protective sticker from the inside of the camera lens and the sticker from the large black area near the lens.

    using suction cup with too much force breaks rear panel

    lily einstein -

    Remove the single 2.5 mm Phillips screw securing the battery connector to the logic board- for me this Phillips screw won't budge from its place have tried all the phillips combinations 000, 00, 0, 1 and the straight /slotted 1.5 mm but nothing. can some help me please purchased a replacement battery for my iPhone 4 but not able to do it just because of this screw.

    Naved Zaidi -

    If the screw head is not buggered, press the tip of a hot soldering iron to the screw for a second or two. Don't get it too hot, or you'll damage something.

    splaye -

    don't use hot soldering iron . the female outlet the battery plugs into is very fragile . for no extra money you can buy a battery that has magnetic tools specifically to pick this screw out . if worse comes to worse be certain the screw will come no looser then use tweezers and pick it out . the #1 fear with this technique is DO NOT DROP THE SCREW . I have done this and crawling on my hands and knees till I find it was depressing

    michael andrie -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Walter Galan

694047 Reputation

9 comments

sorry, I do this without entering the silent mode.

What problems might have

Michele -

The replacement part for the iPhone 4 rear panel has two thin, clear overlays on the inside surface--a larger one that runs the full length, and a small one that only covers the lens. These should be removed prior to installation. Also, the first rear panel replacement I got from iFixit was not an exact fit and would not easily "click" into place. They replaced it for free and the second one clicked right in.

rudisill49 -

In the blog post about this item there is mention of removing the shielding, maybe this tutorial could go into detail about removing the shielding, with the appropriate, this will kill your iPhone warnings

Chris -

On step 3 when replacing the back panel with a new one, they aren't kidding about removing ALL the protective slips. There's THREE of them.

1), the obvious back slip that protects the new back.

2). the one inside the back protecting the side with the camera lens

3). the little square one OVER the lens itself.

First time I tried to reinstall my back, that tiny little square over the lens prohibited my ability to actually get the back on completely. My husband jammed it for me, but the screws still wouldn't take. It's amazing that these things are so precise that the tiny little film on the lens would make it that much tighter.

Anyways, hope that helps somebody. :)

rachelfinder -

Easiest repair I've ever done. Thanks y'all!

patrickbeeson -

my iPhone 4 has been really badly kept. I can see on the bottom part of the phone of which it has a bit of metal slightly coming out. The phone doesn't work. It has a low battery sign everytime I switch it on by the cable. I have tried every single way to fix this. Could it be that the battery is damaged?

THEFREDBOT CHANNEL -

once i change the battery, after opened rear panel i founded samsung battery ))))

John Olbert -

Does the panel fit on a normal unlocked iphone? (Used one)

Jason Zheng -

Yes it does.

Walker wallace -