iPhone 12 Pro Max Rear-Facing Cameras Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 30 Steps
Ready to give your iPhone 12 Pro Max a fresh set of eyes? This guide walks you through swapping out the rear cameras—yep, all the modules come out and go in as a single unit. If your phone is running iOS 18 or later and you're using genuine camera parts, you can calibrate them with Apple’s Repair Assistant. Let’s get those cameras back in action!
Step 1
Heads up: Take a minute to drop your iPhone battery charge below 25% before you start. Poking a charged lithium-ion battery is a pretty dramatic way to start fireworks, and not the fun kind!
Opening up the iPhone's display may let the water escape its cozy seals. Make sure to have replacement seals on hand before diving deeper into this step. If you decide to reassemble your iPhone without swapping out the seals, just be extra careful to keep it away from any liquids!
- First things first, let’s power down that iPhone – we don’t want any surprises while we’re getting our hands dirty!
- Next up, grab your trusty pentalobe P2 screwdriver and remove those two 6.7 mm screws chilling at the bottom edge of your iPhone. You got this!
Step 2
Pushing your opening pick in too deep can cause damage—let’s avoid that! Mark your pick to keep your device safe and sound.
Feel free to mark different corners of your pick with various measurements for extra precision.
Or, try taping a coin 3 mm from the tip of your pick to create a handy depth guide.
- Take a moment to measure about 3 mm from the tip and give your opening pick a little mark with a permanent marker. You're doing great!
Step 3
Pop on some safety glasses to keep your eyes safe from any sneaky glass bits that might break free during the repair.
If your iPhone screen is cracked, keep those shards in check and avoid any ouch moments by carefully taping over the glass before you start your repair.
And hey, if you’re having trouble getting the suction cup to stick, a little superglue can help hold it in place.
- Cover the iPhone's screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape until the entire front is sealed up nice and snug.
- If the suction cup refuses to stick in the next steps, no worries—grab a sturdy piece of tape (like duct tape), fold it into a little handle, and use that to lift the screen instead.
Step 4
The next three steps show you how to use the Anti-Clamp, a handy tool we made to simplify opening your device. If you’re not using the Anti-Clamp, feel free to skip ahead three steps for another way to get the job done.
For full details on how to handle the Anti-Clamp, check out this guide.
If your iPhone’s surface is too slick for the Anti-Clamp to grip, try adding some tape to create a better hold.
- Pull that blue handle back to set the Anti-Clamp arms free.
- Slide those arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone—whichever side feels right.
- Get those suction cups cozy near the bottom edge: one on the front, one on the back.
- Give the cups a good squeeze so they stick where you want 'em.
Step 5
- Slide the blue handle forward to lock those arms in place.
- Rotate the handle a full 360 degrees clockwise, or until you notice the cups starting to stretch out.
- Keep an eye on the suction cups — they should stay lined up. If they start to drift apart, just loosen them a bit and realign the arms before continuing.
Step 6
Turn no more than a quarter turn at once, then chill for a minute. Let the Anti-Clamp and a bit of patience do their magic.
Want the full scoop on how to use a hair dryer like a pro? Check out this handy guide.
If the Anti-Clamp isn’t opening a big enough gap, give the area a little more heat and twist the handle about a quarter turn.
- Prop your iPhone up on something solid—think hardcover book—so it's hands-free and chilling parallel to the ground. This setup makes the next moves way smoother.
- Aim a hair dryer at the bottom edge of your iPhone and give it some heat. The screen should end up just a tad too hot to touch.
- Hang tight for a minute. This lets the sticky adhesive loosen up and gives you a nice gap to work with.
- Once the Anti-Clamp has done its magic and there's a good gap, slide an opening pick under the screen's plastic bezel.
- Skip the next three steps—seriously, you don't need them.
Tools Used
Step 7
Keep your hair dryer on the move! Don't let it hang out in one spot for too long, or it might get a little too cozy.
- Grab your hair dryer or heat gun and warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until the screen is just a little too warm for comfort.
Tools Used
Step 8
- Grab your single suction handle and stick it near the bottom edge of your phone—just be sure to steer clear of the very edge of the glass to keep things safe and sound.
Tools Used
Step 9
Carefully slide the opening pick under the thick plastic bezel to keep your screen safe from any scratches. Look for a gap where the pick slides in smoothly without catching. If you don’t spot the gap, gently lift the screen a bit more and try again.
The adhesive keeping the screen snug as a bug is super strong, so creating that first little opening requires some serious elbow grease. If you’re finding it tough to get a gap going, don’t fret! Just apply a bit more heat and gently wiggle the screen back and forth to loosen things up until you can slide your tool in there. You've got this!
- Grab the suction cup and pull up with steady, confident pressure to gently create a little gap between the screen and frame.
- Slide an opening pick in at a sharp angle into that gap to get things moving.
Step 10
- Grab your trusty hair dryer and give the right edge of your iPhone (where the power button hangs out) a warm hug for about 90 seconds, or until it’s feeling a tad too hot to handle.
Tools Used
Step 11
Keep your pick shallow—no deeper than 3 mm—unless you want to turn internal components into confetti.
- Gently slide the opening pick around the bottom right corner of your iPhone to break free that pesky adhesive.
- Keep the good vibes going as you glide the pick up the right edge of the iPhone until you hit the top right corner.
- Once you reach the top right corner, leave that pick there for a moment before moving on.
Step 12
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the top edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until it feels a bit too toasty to keep your finger on it comfortably.
Tools Used
Step 13
Keep your pick insertion under 3 mm to avoid messing with the top sensors!
- Glide your opening pick around the top right corner of your iPhone and let that stubborn adhesive know who's boss.
- Let the pick chill in the top left corner while you get ready for the next move.
Step 14
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the left edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a bit too toasty to keep your fingers on comfortably.
Tools Used
Step 15
Heads up! There are some fragile cables hanging out along the left edge of your iPhone. Avoid sliding your pick in there to keep everything safe and sound.
Step 16
Gently twist your way to success, letting the force build up gradually.
If the adhesive is putting up a fight, a little heat on the left edge can work wonders!
- Slide a second opening pick into the bottom left corner of your iPhone.
- Gently twist both picks at the same time until you hear the left edge clips pop free.
Step 17
Hold up on pulling the display all the way off—there are still some delicate ribbon cables hooking it up to the iPhone's logic board.
- Flip your iPhone so the right side is facing you—like it's looking for a handshake.
- Swing the display up from the right edge, as if you're opening a hardcover book to the best chapter.
- Prop up the display against something sturdy, so it doesn’t flop down while you’re working magic inside.
- When putting things back together, lay the display flat, line up those top edge clips, and press the top down gently until it snaps in. If it’s not clicking smoothly, double-check the clips around the edge to make sure none are bent or hiding from you.
Step 18
Keep your screws organized and make sure each one goes back to its original spot—your iPhone appreciates the attention to detail!
- Take out the four 1.1 mm Y000 screws holding the cover over your battery and display connectors. Tiny screws, big progress!
- When you're putting things back together, it’s a great moment to power up your iPhone and make sure everything’s working before you lock the screen down. Just don’t forget to turn it off again before you keep tinkering!
Step 19
- Pop off the battery and gently lift the display connector cover.
Step 20
Be gentle with that black silicone seal around the board connections—it’s there to keep water and dust out, so let it do its superhero job.
- Grab a spudger or just use your trusty fingernail to gently pop the battery connector up from its spot on the logic board.
- Tilt that connector away from the board—think of it as giving the socket some personal space—so it doesn’t sneakily reconnect and power on the phone while you’re working.
Tools Used
Step 21
- Gently use a spudger or your fingernail to unplug the display cable connector—no need to be rough, just a little nudge will do.
- When reconnecting these kinds of connectors, line them up carefully and press down on one side until you hear a satisfying click, then do the same on the other side. Avoid pressing in the middle to keep those pins happy and damage-free!
Tools Used
Step 22
- Grab your Y000 driver and carefully unscrew the four tiny 1.1 mm screws holding down the front sensor connector cover. Keep those screws safe!
Step 23
- Gently lift the cover from the left side until that little clip on the right pops free.
- Take off the cover with a smile!
- When putting it all back together, make sure to tuck that right edge clip into its slot first, then swing the rest of the cover down into place like a pro.
Step 24
- Gently pry open the front sensor assembly cable connector using a spudger or your trusty fingernail. You've got this!
Tools Used
Step 25
- Carefully detach the display assembly.
- If you're feeling adventurous and want to add some fresh waterproof adhesive around the display's edges during reassembly, this is your moment to pause and make it happen!
Step 26
- Grab your Y000 driver and carefully unscrew the five tiny 1.5 mm screws holding the rear-facing camera cover in place.
Step 27
- Gently pry up the camera cover starting from the edge nearest the logic board, then lift it off.
- When putting the camera cover back, slide the tab on the outer edge into its slot on the phone frame first, then carefully close the cover like a hinge.
Step 28
- Grab a spudger or your fingernail and gently pop the first camera cable connector straight up from its socket.
Tools Used
Step 29
- Grab a spudger or even just your fingernail, and gently pry the second camera cable connector straight up to unplug it from its socket.
Tools Used
Step 30
- Before you dive into the installation, give your new replacement part a good lookover compared to the original. You might need to swap some leftover bits or peel off those pesky adhesive backings first.
- Time to put everything back together! Just retrace your steps from earlier and you'll be golden.
- After you’ve wrapped up your repair, depending on your replacement part, you might get to fine-tune it with Apple’s Repair Assistant, now available with iOS 18. Just update your device, head over to Settings→General→About→Parts & Service History, hit Restart & Finish Repair, and follow those handy on-screen prompts.
- Got some e-waste? Make sure to drop it off at an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler; Mother Earth will thank you!
- If things didn’t quite go to plan, don’t sweat it! Give some basic troubleshooting a shot, or for a little extra help, feel free to schedule a repair.
