iPhone 15 Taptic Engine Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 28 Steps
Ready to give your iPhone 15 some love? If your phone's vibrations are feeling a bit shaky or aren’t quite hitting the mark, it might be time to swap out the Taptic Engine. Don’t forget to grab some replacement back glass adhesive to make this repair a breeze!
Step 1
Let your phone's battery dip below 25%! A fully charged lithium-ion battery can be a bit of a wild card when it comes to safety. So, let's play it safe and give it a little time to wind down.
- Disconnect any cables or accessories plugged into your phone. Give it a little break.
- Press and hold the power button along with either volume button, then slide to turn off your phone. It's nap time for your device.
Step 2
Find a nice, flat spot near the bottom edge that's big enough to let a suction cup get a good grip. You want it to stick securely!
- If your screen or back glass is shattered to the max, slap on some overlapping strips of packing tape to keep the shards in check and make taking it apart a whole lot safer and smoother.
Step 3
- Grab your trusty P2 pentalobe driver and remove the two screws, each 7.7mm long, on either side of the charging port. It's a quick and easy step—no need to overthink it.
Step 4
If you push the opening pick in too far, it might cause some unwanted damage. To keep things safe, mark your pick to avoid any mishaps.
Feel free to mark the other corners of your pick too, just to be extra sure with your measurements.
Alternatively, stick a coin to your pick, about 3mm from the tip, using some tape. That’ll help you keep the distance just right.
- Grab your opening pick and measure out 3 mm from the tip, then throw a mark on it with a permanent marker. Precision never looked so stylish!
Step 5
Keep the heat in check! Going too hot could damage the battery, and nobody wants that. Keep it cool to keep it safe.
- Grab a hair dryer or heat gun and warm up the bottom edge of the back glass until it feels nice and toasty to the touch.
Tools Used
Step 6
- Stick a suction handle onto the bottom edge of the back glass.
- Give the handle a firm, steady tug to pop open a gap between the back glass and the frame.
- Slide the tip of an opening pick into that gap to keep things moving.
Tools Used
Step 7
As you work your magic slicing through the adhesive on the back glass, keep an eye on these spots—they like to hide surprises!
- Watch out for the sneaky little cable hanging out by the volume down button—don’t go poking around with your pick in that spot, unless you want to make it a bad day for your phone.
- There are spring contacts all around the edge of the phone. Keep your pick shallow and don’t play hero—if you go too deep, those contacts might get bent out of shape.
Step 8
Keep your opening pick from diving deeper than 5 mm along the bottom edge. We want to avoid any unexpected surprises down there!
- Gently shimmy your pick back and forth along the bottom edge to break that adhesive seal. You've got this!
- Keep your pick snugly in the bottom right corner to stop that pesky adhesive from reattaching. You're on a roll!
Step 9
- Heat up the right edge of the back glass until it’s nice and toasty to the touch.
Step 10
Keep your pick to a maximum depth of 7 mm along the right edge—it's a tight space in there!
Be careful not to slice past the volume buttons; we wouldn't want to accidentally tangle with the wireless charging cable!
- Twist your pick at the bottom right corner and slide it over to the volume down button, or until you hit a firm stop at a big clip holding the back glass in place.
- Keep that pick in there to stop the adhesive from snapping back together.
Step 11
- Warm up the left edge of the back glass until it feels nice and toasty to the touch.
Step 12
When working along the left edge, keep your pick no deeper than 5 mm—let's keep it shallow and safe!
- Pop in a second opening pick along the bottom edge.
- Swing that second pick around the bottom left corner like a pro.
- Slide it up to the top left corner to slice through the adhesive.
- Keep this pick wedged in place so the adhesive doesn’t sneak back together.
Step 13
- Gently warm up the top edge of the back glass until it feels nicely heated to the touch.
Step 14
Keep your pick on the lighter side—no deeper than 3 mm along the top edge, please!
You might hear and feel a couple of cheerful little clicks as the top two clips pop free.
- Swing your second opening pick around the top left corner, then cruise over to the top right to slice through that sticky adhesive.
- Keep the pick parked there so the adhesive doesn't make a comeback.
Step 15
- Warm up the top right corner of the back glass until it feels nice and toasty—just enough to loosen things up.
Step 16
Keep your pick no deeper than 4 mm along the right edge to avoid any surprises.
- Twist the second opening pick around the top right corner, then slide it over to the volume up button to gently loosen the adhesive.
Step 17
If that back glass is playing hard to get, circle around the edges again to spot any sneaky adhesive or clips still holding tight.
- Carefully swing the back glass open to the right side of the phone—like you're unveiling a surprise!
- Once it's open, rest the back glass on a slightly elevated surface to keep that delicate cable happy and stress-free.
Step 18
As you work through this repair, keep an eye on each screw and make sure it finds its way back home to where it belongs.
- Grab your trusty tri-point Y000 driver and get ready to tackle those two 1.3 mm-long screws holding down the lower connector cover. Let's get this party started!
Step 19
- Grab those tweezers and gently slide the cover up towards the top of the phone to unhook it from the logic board. Easy peasy!
- Now, go ahead and lift off the cover like a pro.
- When it's time to put everything back together, make sure to tuck the top edge of the cover into its cozy spot on the logic board before securing it with that little screw. You've got this!
Tools Used
Step 20
To get that connector back in action, just line it up with its socket and give one side a gentle press until you hear that satisfying click. Then, press down on the other side to secure the connection. Make sure it sits nice and flat; those insulating rubber bits around the socket can be a bit finicky if it’s not seated right.
You’ll see a plus and minus sign on the head of this connector, so keep an eye out for that!
- Grab the back glass and hold it upright with one hand, then gently twist it just enough to sneak a peek at the battery press connector sitting right below the volume buttons.
- Take the tip of an opening pick and carefully pry up to unplug the battery press connector from the logic board.
Step 21
- Grab your tri-point Y000 driver and unscrew that tiny 0.9 mm screw holding down the middle connector cover. Easy does it!
Step 22
- Grab a spudger (or just use your finger if you're feeling adventurous) and give the cover a gentle nudge down toward the bottom of the phone. You’ll hear the top edge pop free—nice!
- Lift off the cover like you’re opening a treasure chest.
- When putting it all back together, line up the cover so its tab sits just behind the logic board’s clip. Press down with one finger and slide it forward, and the clip will snap right into place. Smooth moves!
Tools Used
Step 23
- Gently slide an opening pick underneath and carefully disconnect the wireless charging coil and NFC connector. Take your time, and make sure everything stays in place!
Step 24
- Pop off the back glass.
- As you’re putting things back together:
- This is a great time to test your fix before locking things down. Plug in the battery and the back glass, power up your device, and make sure everything’s working. Power it down again and finish up.
- Follow this guide to stick the adhesive back on and snap your back glass into place.
Step 25
- Grab your Phillips #000 driver and use it to take out the two 1.9mm screws holding the Taptic Engine press connector cover in place.
- Now, just lift off the cover and you're good to go!
Step 26
- Grab your spudger and gently pop up the Taptic Engine press connector. Easy does it—no need to muscle it!
Tools Used
Step 27
- Grab your trusty Phillips #000 driver and unscrew the 1.9mm screw holding the Taptic Engine in place. Nice and easy!
Step 28
- Time to put everything back together! Just follow the steps in reverse and you'll be all set.
- Got some e-waste? Make sure it gets recycled properly at an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
- Things didn't go as planned? No worries! Try some basic troubleshooting or swing by our Answers community for a hand.
