iPhone 14 Pro Max Front-Facing Camera Assembly Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 27 Steps
Face ID has decided to take a little vacation and won't be working for now!
Ready to swap out the front-facing camera on your iPhone 14 Pro Max? This guide will walk you through each step, using the A2894 (international) model as the example. If your iPhone 14 Pro Max looks slightly different, don’t sweat it—the steps are the same. You’ll need fresh adhesive to seal the screen when you put it all back together. Heads up: your phone will work perfectly, but it’ll lose its official water resistance rating. The camera assembly includes your selfie cam and Face ID hardware, all rolled into one. The sensors are matched to your logic board, so if you replace this unit, Face ID won’t work anymore. You’ll get your selfie cam working again, but if you’re on iOS 17.6 or older, only Apple or an Apple-authorized tech can restore Face ID. On iOS 18 and newer, you can recalibrate genuine front cameras using Apple’s Repair Assistant. If you hit a snag, you can always schedule a repair.
Step 1
- First things first, power down your iPhone before diving into the repair process. Better safe than sorry!
- Next, grab your pentalobe P2 screwdriver and carefully unscrew the two 6.8 mm-long screws at the bottom edge of the iPhone. Keep them safe for the next step!
Step 2
Pushing the opening pick too far can turn your device into a sad pancake. Mark your pick at the right spot so you don’t go overboard.
If you’re feeling fancy, mark the other corners with different measurements for extra precision.
Or, get creative: tape a coin 3 mm from the tip for a DIY depth gauge.
- Mark the opening pick 3 mm from the tip using a permanent marker so you know exactly where to work your magic.
Step 3
Pop on some safety glasses—your eyes aren’t fans of surprise glass bits!
Got a cracked screen? No worries! To avoid making things worse (and to keep your hands safe), try taping over the glass before you dive into the repair.
Stuck? If nothing else works, you can always superglue that suction cup to the screen and give it another go!
- Cover the entire iPhone screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape—think of it as giving your phone a shiny armor.
- If the suction cup isn't cooperating, grab a sturdy piece of duct tape, fold it into a makeshift handle, and gently lift the screen.
Tools Used
Step 4
The next three steps showcase the Anti-Clamp, our nifty little buddy designed to make opening your device a breeze. If you’re not rolling with the Anti-Clamp, feel free to jump ahead three steps for a different approach!
For the full scoop on how to master the Anti-Clamp, check out this guide.
If your iPhone feels as slippery as a banana peel and the Anti-Clamp isn't gripping well, just slap on some tape to give it a bit more traction!
- Give that blue handle a little tug back to free the Anti-Clamp's arms!
- Gently slide those arms over either the left or right side of your iPhone.
- Place the suction cups just above the bottom edge of your iPhone—one on the front and one on the back.
- Squeeze the cups together to create a snug grip on the area you want to work on.
Step 5
- Slide the blue handle forward to lock those arms in place.
- Give the handle a full 360-degree spin clockwise, or keep turning until the suction cups start to stretch.
- Keep an eye on the suction cups—they should stay lined up. If they start to drift, loosen them a bit, then adjust the arms back into proper alignment.
Step 6
Give the tool just a quarter turn, then chill for a minute. Slow and steady wins this race—let the Anti-Clamp do its magic.
Looking to master using a hair dryer for this task? Check out this handy guide for all the tips and tricks you need!
If the Anti-Clamp isn't creating enough space, no worries—just heat things up a bit more and give the handle a quarter turn to get the job done.
- Prop your iPhone on a sturdy surface—something like a hardcover book works great. This keeps it steady and gives your hands a break as you move through these next steps.
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone. Aim for a temperature that's a bit too hot for comfort, but not scorching.
- Hang tight for about a minute. This helps loosen up the adhesive and should give you a nice little gap to work with.
- Once the Anti-Clamp opens up that gap, slide an opening pick under the screen's plastic edge. Take it slow and steady!
- You can skip the next two steps. Less work for you—nice!
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Step 7
Keep that hair dryer moving—parking it in one spot is a recipe for disaster!
Got a suction handle? Use it in the next two steps to carefully loosen up that screen.
- Grab your hair dryer or heat gun and warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds. Stop when the screen feels just a bit too spicy to touch—like, not burn-your-fingers hot, but almost there.
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Step 8
The adhesive keeping the screen in place is pretty tough, so getting that first gap open requires some muscle. If it's giving you trouble, just heat things up a little more and gently wiggle the screen up and down to loosen the adhesive. Once you've got a gap, slip in your opening pick and you're good to go.
- Grab a suction handle and attach it to the bottom edge of the screen, just be careful to steer clear of the glass's very edge.
- With steady and firm pressure, pull up on the suction cup to create a little gap between the screen and the frame. You've got this!
- Now, slide an opening pick into that gap beneath the screen's plastic bezel. Let's get that screen freed up!
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Step 9
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the right edge of your iPhone (where the power button lives) for about 90 seconds, or until it’s just a bit too toasty to keep your finger on comfortably.
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Step 10
Keep your pick to a maximum of 3 mm to avoid accidentally poking something you shouldn't inside your device.
- Gently glide that opening pick around the bottom right corner of your iPhone to break free the adhesive holding it hostage.
- Keep on sliding up the right edge of the iPhone until you hit the top right corner—you're almost there!
- Once you reach the top right corner, just leave that pick in place and get ready for the next step.
Step 11
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the top edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until the screen feels just a bit too hot to handle.
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Step 12
Be careful not to push your pick in deeper than 3 mm, as it might mess with those delicate top sensors.
- Slide your trusty pick under the top right edge of the phone. Give it a little wiggle around the corner and glide it halfway across the top edge, stopping just shy of the earpiece speaker cut-out. You're doing great!
Step 13
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the left edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a little too warm to touch. Keep it cozy, not scorching!
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Step 14
Heads up: there are some super-sensitive cables hanging out along the left edge of your iPhone. Slide your pick anywhere else—trust me, your phone will thank you!
Step 15
Apply a steady twisting motion, taking your time with it.
If you're still struggling to peel off the adhesive, try reheating the left edge and give it another go.
- Pop a second opening pick into the bottom left corner of the iPhone.
- Gently twist both picks at the same time until the left edge snaps free.
Step 16
If you're in a pinch and don't have anything to prop the screen against, your trusty suction handle can step up to the plate!
- Turn your iPhone so the right side is facing you.
- Open your iPhone by gently swinging the screen up from the right edge, just like opening the front cover of a book.
- Prop the screen up by leaning it against something stable while you work on the phone.
- When putting it back together, place the screen in position, line up the clips along the top edge, then carefully press down the top edge before snapping the rest of the screen into place. If it doesn’t snap in easily, double-check the clips around the screen’s edge to make sure none are bent or out of place.
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Step 17
As you dive into this repair adventure, don’t forget to keep an eye on each screw. Make sure it finds its way back to its original home to keep your iPhone happy and safe from any mishaps!
- Grab your Y000 screwdriver and let's tackle those eight screws holding the battery connector cover in place!
- When you're putting everything back together, why not power on your iPhone and check that all the functions are running smoothly before sealing the screen? Just remember to turn your iPhone off completely before diving back into the work.
- Keep an eye out for six screws that are 1.3 mm long.
- You'll also need to find one screw that's 1.6 mm long.
- And don't forget about the one screw that measures 1.9 mm long!
Step 18
- Grab the connector cover with some tweezers and slide it down carefully to free up those flex cables.
- Take off the connector cover.
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Step 19
Be careful not to damage the black silicone seal around this and other board connections. These little guys work hard to keep water and dust out, giving your device that extra layer of protection it deserves.
- Grab your trusty spudger and use the pointed end to gently pry the battery cable connector straight up from its socket. Be careful, we want to keep everything in one piece!
- Once it's disconnected, give the connector a little bend away from the logic board. This will keep it from accidentally touching the socket and powering up the phone while you’re in the zone fixing it. Safety first, right?
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Step 20
- Grab the pointy end of your spudger and gently pry the first display cable connector straight up to unplug it from its socket.
- When reconnecting press connectors like this one, line up one side carefully and press down until you hear a click, then do the same on the other side. Avoid pressing the middle—if it’s off-kilter, those pins can bend and cause permanent trouble.
Tools Used
Step 21
- Grab your spudger—pointy end up—and gently lift the second display cable connector straight out of its socket like you're unplugging a tiny, stubborn friend.
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Step 22
- Carefully take off the screen.
- Clean the areas that need new adhesive with isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher), then apply fresh adhesive where it’s needed.
- When putting everything back together, feel free to pause here if you want to swap out the screen adhesives.
Step 23
- Grab a Phillips screwdriver and unscrew the two 1.6mm-long screws holding the earpiece speaker in place. Nice and easy, you'll have it out in no time.
Step 24
- Slide the pointy end of your spudger under the right side of the earpiece speaker — nice and easy.
- Tilt the back of the spudger downward to lift the earpiece speaker up. No need to wrestle it; a gentle pry does the trick.
- Heads up: there’s a rubber gasket on the top right edge of the speaker. When you’re putting everything back together, make sure that gasket fits snugly into its spot in the frame.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Grab your tweezers or just use your fingers and lift out the earpiece speaker like you're plucking a tiny treasure.
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Step 26
- Grab a spudger and gently pry those camera and sensor cables free by lifting the connectors straight up from their cozy sockets. You've got this!
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Step 27
- If you can, power up your device and give your repair a test drive before slapping on new adhesive and sealing it up.
- Line up your shiny new replacement part with the original—sometimes you’ll need to swap over leftover bits or peel off adhesive liners before popping it in.
- To put everything back together, just follow these instructions backwards.
- Once you’re done, some parts let you calibrate them using Apple’s Repair Assistant (available from iOS 18). Just update your device, go to Settings → General → About → Parts & Service History, tap Restart & Finish Repair, and follow the prompts.
- Don’t toss your old parts in the trash—take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler to keep things green.
- If things didn’t quite go as planned, try some troubleshooting or feel free to schedule a repair and get back on track.
