iPhone 11 Earpiece Speaker and Front Sensor Assembly Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 33 Steps
This assembly is uniquely paired with your iPhone right from the factory.
Get ready to dive into a fun little adventure as you tackle the removal, transfer, or replacement of the earpiece speaker and front sensor assembly in your iPhone 11! This nifty piece includes the earpiece speaker, microphone, ambient light sensor, flood illuminator, and proximity sensor, all bundled together for your convenience. Remember, this assembly is uniquely matched to your phone from the factory, so when you're swapping out your display, you'll need to transfer it from the old one to the new one. The flood illuminator is super important for Face ID—if it gets damaged or replaced incorrectly, Face ID might just decide to take a vacation. So, keep your eyes peeled and handle everything with care! If something goes wrong, only Apple’s authorized service providers can save the day and restore your Face ID magic. And if you ever feel like you need a little extra help, you can always schedule a repair.
Step 1
Before you dive in, make sure to drain your iPhone battery to below 25%. A fully charged lithium-ion battery can be a bit dramatic and might catch fire or even explode if you accidentally poke it. Let's keep things safe and sound, shall we?
Popping open your iPhone’s display will break its waterproof seals. Make sure you’ve got replacement seals on hand before moving forward, or be extra careful to keep liquids away if you’re putting it back together without new seals.
- First things first, power down your iPhone. Safety first, right?
- Now, grab your pentalobe screwdriver and unscrew the two 6.7 mm screws at the bottom of your iPhone. Nice and steady!
Step 2
Be careful with your pick! If you push it in too far, it could cause some damage to your device. To avoid that, just mark your pick first to keep things safe.
Feel free to mark the other corners of your pick with different measurements too, just to be thorough.
Another trick is to tape a coin to the pick, about 3 mm from the tip, for a quick and easy guide.
- Measure about 3 mm from the tip and use a permanent marker to mark the opening pick. It's a small but crucial step to ensure you're on the right track.
Step 3
Pop on some safety glasses to keep your eyes safe from any sneaky glass bits that might fly loose during the repair.
Got a cracked screen on your iPhone? No worries! Just grab some tape and cover that glass to keep it from shattering further and to protect yourself during the repair. Safety first, right?
If you're really in a jam, you can always consider supergluing the suction cup to the screen for a little extra grip. Just be careful with that glue!
- Cover the iPhone's screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape until the entire front is sealed up.
- If the suction cup refuses to stick in the next steps, no worries! Just fold a sturdy piece of tape (like duct tape) into a little handle and use that to gently lift the screen instead.
Step 4
The next three steps walk you through using the Anti-Clamp, a handy tool we created to make opening your device a breeze. If you’re not working with the Anti-Clamp, just skip ahead three steps for a different approach.
For full details on how to work the Anti-Clamp like a pro, check out this guide.
If your iPhone’s surface feels a bit too slick for the Anti-Clamp to grip, try adding some tape to give it a better hold.
- Give that blue handle a good pull towards you to free the Anti-Clamp's arms.
- Slide those arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone like a pro.
- Place the suction cups just above the bottom edge of your iPhone—one on top and one on the bottom, like they’re ready for a hug.
- Squeeze the cups together to create some suction magic on the spot you need.
Step 5
- Slide the blue handle forward to lock those arms in place.
- Give the handle a full 360-degree clockwise spin, or keep turning until the cups begin to stretch.
- Keep an eye on the suction cups to make sure they’re staying perfectly aligned. If they start to drift apart, just loosen them a bit, realign the arms, and you’re good to go.
Step 6
Give the Anti-Clamp a gentle quarter turn, then let it chill for a minute before the next move. Slow and steady wins the repair race!
Feeling a little warm? You can grab a hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate to crank up the heat! Just remember, too much heat can be tough on your display and internal battery, so take it easy and be careful.
If the Anti-Clamp isn't giving you the gap you need, add a bit more heat to the spot and give that handle a quarter turn. You've got this!
- Grab that iOpener and slide it right through the arms of the Anti-Clamp. You're doing great!
- Now, fold that iOpener so it rests comfortably on the bottom edge of your iPhone. Just like a cozy blanket!
- Hang tight for a minute! This is your chance to let the adhesive loosen up and create a little opening for you.
- Time to get to work! Slide an opening pick into the gap between the screen and the plastic bezel, but don't poke the screen itself. You got this!
- And hey, feel free to skip the next three steps. You're making wonderful progress!
Tools Used
Step 7
Warming up the bottom edge of your iPhone loosens the sticky glue holding the screen in place, making it much easier to pop open.
- Grab your hairdryer, heat gun, or get your iOpener ready, and warm up the lower edge of your iPhone for about a minute to loosen things up.
Tools Used
Step 8
- If you’ve got a single suction handle, pop it onto the bottom edge of your phone—just steer clear of the curvy part of the glass for best results.
Tools Used
Step 9
The adhesive keeping the display sealed tight is super stubborn; getting that first little gap open takes some serious muscle. If it’s being stubborn, add a bit more heat and gently rock the screen up and down to soften the glue before sliding your tool in.
- Give that suction cup a confident tug—steady and firm—to coax a little space between the front panel and the back.
- Slide an opening pick into the new gap, aiming for the spot between the screen and the plastic bezel. Keep clear of the screen itself!
Step 10
Keep your pick to a maximum of 3 mm; we wouldn’t want you to accidentally poke something you shouldn’t!
- Gently slide the opening pick around the lower left corner and glide it up the left edge of the iPhone, cutting through the adhesive that's keeping the display snug and secure.
Step 11
Heads up! There are some fragile cables hanging out along the right edge of your iPhone. Avoid sliding your pick in there or those little guys might get hurt.
Step 12
Keep your pick under 3 mm, or you might accidentally poke the display cables and cause some trouble.
- Slide your pick back into the bottom edge of the iPhone and glide it up the right side to keep peeling away that adhesive like a pro!
Step 13
The top edge of the screen is held in place with both sticky glue and some stubborn clips.
- Carefully tug down the right side of the display a bit, heading towards the Lightning port.
- Slide your pick into the top-right corner of your device.
Step 14
Keep your pick insertion under 3 mm to avoid giving the Face ID sensor array an unexpected ouch!
- Gently keep pulling the display downward, toward the Lightning port, until you've got enough space to sneak the pick in.
- Now, glide the pick up to the top left corner and slice through any leftover adhesive holding the display in place.
Step 15
- Give that little nub on the suction cup a gentle pull to release it from the front panel. Easy peasy!
Step 16
Hold off on pulling the display all the way off just yet—there are still some delicate ribbon cables hooking it up to the iPhone's logic board.
- Swing the iPhone display up from the left side, just like opening a book cover.
- Lean the display against something solid to keep it out of your way.
- When putting things back together, lay the display down, line up the clips along the top edge, and gently press the top into place before snapping down the rest. If it’s being stubborn, double-check the clips around the edge and make sure none are bent.
Step 17
Handle those display cables with care – you don’t want to give them a workout they can’t handle!
- Ready to get to those screws? Gently lift the lower edge of the display and give it a little tilt. That's your ticket to the next step!
Step 18
As you dive into this repair adventure, keep a close eye on each screw! Make sure they find their way back to their original homes—no screw left behind!
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and take out those three tiny 1.1 mm-long screws that are holding the battery connector bracket in place. You're doing great!
- Now, while you're in the zone, it's a perfect time to power up your iPhone and check that everything's working like a charm before you seal the display back on. Just remember to turn your iPhone off completely before diving back into your project. Keep it up!
Step 19
- Pop that bracket off and set it aside.
Step 20
Be gentle around the black silicone seal that hugs the board connections—it's like a little raincoat keeping water and dust out. Treat it kindly so your device stays protected.
- Grab a spudger or your trusty clean fingernail and gently lift that battery connector right up from its cozy spot on the logic board.
- Now, give the connector a little bend away from the logic board—this will keep it from accidentally sneaking back into its socket. You got this!
Tools Used
Step 21
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and unscrew those five 1.1 mm screws holding down the logic board cover bracket. Easy does it!
Step 22
- Time to say goodbye to that bracket! Go ahead and remove it.
Step 23
- Gently pry up the LCD panel cable connector using a spudger or just your fingernail to unplug it.
- Right next to it, carefully disconnect the digitizer connector.
Tools Used
Step 24
- Gently pop off the front panel sensor assembly connector using the tip of a spudger or your trusty fingernail.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Take off the display assembly carefully.
- When putting it back together, this is a great spot to stop if you want to swap out the waterproof adhesive around the display edges.
Step 26
- Time to get those screws out! First, you'll need to unscrew four little heroes holding the speaker/sensor assembly in place:
- Three of these are 1.6 mm Phillips screws, ready to be released.
- And don't forget the one special 1.3 mm Y000 screw that wants to join the party!
Step 27
The speaker is still connected by some super slim ribbon cables. Just a heads up to handle them gently and avoid any strain or damage!
- Carefully slide the pointed end of a spudger under the top edge of the speaker and gently lift it up.
- Turn the speaker assembly over, moving it down and away from the top edge of the display.
Tools Used
Step 28
- Grab a hairdryer, heat gun, or an iOpener and warm up the top front of the display for 1-2 minutes to soften that stubborn adhesive holding the sensors in place.
Tools Used
Step 29
- Take your opening pick and ease it under the flex cable beneath the microphone—go slow and steady, like you’re sneaking the last cookie from the jar.
- Give the pick a gentle twist to separate the microphone, but keep it chill—don’t tug or stretch that flex cable.
- If the microphone’s still holding on tight, grab the spudger’s pointy end to finish the job and pop it out of its notch in the front panel.
Tools Used
Step 30
- Grab your tweezers and gently lift the tiny bracket straight up off the ambient light sensor. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 31
Heads up! The sensor is still hanging out with the rest of the sensor assembly through a super thin flex cable. Take it easy and avoid putting any stress on that delicate little guy.
If the sensor doesn’t come loose after a few seconds, give it a little more heat and try again. You’ve got this!
- Grab those trusty tweezers and gently wiggle the ambient light sensor until it pops out of its cozy little spot in the display. Easy peasy!
Tools Used
Step 32
To make your life easier, gently lift and set the speaker aside for better access. Just make sure to treat that delicate flex cable with care while you work your magic.
- Starting from the left, slide an opening pick under the flex cable and beneath the proximity sensor plus flood illuminator module.
- Carefully wiggle and lift to pop the module out of its spot in the front panel.
Step 33
- Take a peek at your new part and the original side-by-side—if you spot any leftover bits, move them over or peel off any sticky backing before popping the new part in.
- To put your device back together, just flip these steps and work your way back.
- When you're done, be cool to the planet and drop your old parts at an R2 or e-Stewards recycler.
- If your repair journey hit a bump, try some basic troubleshooting, or swing by our iPhone 11 Answers community for advice. If all else fails, you can always schedule a repair.
