iPhone 11 Rear-Facing Cameras Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 30 Steps
Ready to tackle the rear camera replacement on your iPhone 11? You've got this! The rear camera assembly is made up of one wide-angle module and one ultra-wide angle module, and guess what? They come as a duo, so you'll be swapping them out together. Just a heads up: this guide will walk you through completely disconnecting the display cables and removing the display assembly for easier access to those rear cameras. But hey, if you're feeling confident, you can totally switch out the cameras while keeping the display cables connected—just make sure the display is supported and those cables stay intact. If you run into any tricky spots, don't hesitate to schedule a repair!
Step 1
Before diving in, make sure your iPhone battery is under 25% charge. A lively lithium-ion battery can get a bit too excited if poked, so let's keep things cool and safe!
Opening up your iPhone's display can put a damper on its waterproof seals. Make sure you have some replacement seals on hand before diving into this step. If you decide to put it back together without swapping them out, just remember to keep it away from any liquids—let's keep your iPhone safe and sound!
- First things first, let's give your iPhone a little nap by powering it down before we dive into the disassembly adventure!
- Now, grab your trusty pentalobe screwdriver and remove the two 6.7 mm-long screws located at the bottom edge of your iPhone. You're doing great!
Step 2
If you push the opening pick in too deep, it might hurt your device—let’s avoid that! Mark your pick to keep things safe and sound.
Feel free to mark other corners of the pick with different measurements for extra precision.
Or, tape a coin to the pick about 3 mm from the tip to act as a handy depth stop.
- Take your trusty ruler and measure 3 mm from the tip. Give that opening pick a little love tap with a permanent marker to mark your spot!
Step 3
Pop on some safety glasses—your eyes deserve a shield from any rogue glass that might make a break for it during the repair.
Cracked screen? Grab some tape and cover the glass to keep the shards in check and your fingers happy while you work.
If the suction cup keeps slipping, go wild and glue it to the screen (superglue style).
- Start by laying down some overlapping strips of clear packing tape on your iPhone's screen until the entire face is covered up. It’s like giving your phone a cozy blanket!
- If the suction cup is being a bit stubborn in the upcoming steps, no worries! Just grab a strong piece of tape (duct tape works wonders) and fold it into a handy little handle to 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 using the Anti-Clamp, feel free to skip ahead three steps for another way to get it open.
For full details on how to handle the Anti-Clamp, check out this guide.
If your iPhone’s surface feels too slick for the Anti-Clamp to grip well, try adding some tape to give it a little extra hold.
- Give that blue handle a gentle pull backwards to free up the Anti-Clamp arms.
- Slide the arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone—dealer's choice.
- Line up the suction cups near the bottom edge of your iPhone, one on top and one on the bottom.
- Squeeze those cups together to get a good grip right where you want it.
Step 5
- Slide the blue handle forward to lock those arms in place.
- Spin the handle clockwise all the way around, or until you see the cups start to stretch.
- Keep an eye on those suction cups—they should stay lined up. If they start drifting apart, loosen them a bit and get the arms back into position.
Step 6
Take it easy—just give it a quarter turn at a time, then chill for a minute before the next move. Let the Anti-Clamp and a little patience handle the hard part.
Feel free to grab a hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate for some extra warmth—but watch out! Too much heat might turn your display or internal battery into a sad story, so take it easy.
If the Anti-Clamp isn't quite making the magic happen, just add a little more heat to the mix and give that handle a quarter twist.
- Warm up an iOpener and thread it through the arms of the Anti-Clamp.
- Bend the iOpener so it rests neatly along the bottom edge of your iPhone.
- Give it about a minute to soften the adhesive and create a little opening gap.
- Carefully slide an opening pick into the gap between the screen and plastic bezel—avoid prying under the screen itself.
- You can skip the next three steps.
Tools Used
Step 7
Warming up the bottom edge of your iPhone loosens the sticky glue holding the screen down, making it a breeze to pop it open.
- Grab a hairdryer, heat gun, or get your trusty iOpener warmed up, then gently apply it to the bottom edge of your iPhone for about a minute to loosen things up.
Tools Used
Step 8
- Grab your trusty suction handle and stick it to the bottom edge of your phone—just steer clear of that curvy glass part. You've got this!
Tools Used
Step 9
The waterproof glue keeping the display snug is super strong, so getting that first gap open can require some serious elbow grease. If you're struggling to pry it open, try adding a bit more heat and gently wiggling the screen up and down to loosen up that adhesive. Once you've got a gap big enough, slide your tool in and keep going!
- Gently tug on that suction cup with steady, firm pressure to make a little gap between the front panel and the rear case. You got this!
- Slide an opening pick into that gap under the screen and the plastic bezel—just be careful not to poke the screen itself. Easy peasy!
Step 10
Keep your pick shallow—no deeper than 3 mm—to avoid giving any hidden parts an accidental makeover.
- Take your opening pick for a spin around the lower left corner, then cruise up the left side of your iPhone, gently slicing through the sticky adhesive that’s holding the screen in place. Easy does it!
Step 11
Careful now! There are some sensitive cables hanging out along the right edge of your iPhone. So, steer clear of inserting your pick here to avoid any accidental damage to those little guys!
Step 12
Be careful not to push your pick more than 3 mm in—it's easy to accidentally damage the display cables if you're not careful!
- Place your pick gently at the bottom edge of the iPhone, and slide it up along the right side to keep working through the adhesive. Easy does it!
Step 13
The top edge of the screen is held in place with both sticky glue and some stubborn clips.
- Give the right side of the display a gentle nudge downward, aiming toward the Lightning port.
- Slide your pick into the top-right corner—like you're slicing through butter, but with tech.
Step 14
Keep your pick shallow—no deeper than 3 mm—or you might end up giving the Face ID sensor an accidental makeover.
- Gently pull the display down toward the Lightning port to create a gap big enough for your pick to slide in.
- Now, slide the pick up to the top left corner and carefully slice through any remaining adhesive that’s still holding the display in place.
Step 15
- Gently pull the little tab on the suction cup to pop it off the front panel.
Step 16
Hold off on pulling the display all the way off for now—there are still some delicate ribbon cables hooking it up to the iPhone's logic board.
- Kick things off by gently lifting the display up from the left side, just like flipping open a book. Easy peasy!
- Once you've got the display up, support it with something sturdy so it doesn't go flopping back down.
- When it's time to put everything back together, lay the display down in its rightful spot. Get those clips lined up along the top edge and give a gentle push to snap the top edge into place. If it’s being a bit stubborn and doesn’t click right away, take a peek at the clips around the edges to make sure they’re not bent out of shape.
Step 17
Handle those display cables with care—no need for a cable wrestling match!
- To get to those screws in the next step, just tilt the display a bit by gently lifting up the bottom edge.
Step 18
As you tackle this repair, keep a close eye on each screw and ensure it finds its way back to its original home. It's like a little screw reunion!
- Grab your Y000 driver and take out the three 1.1 mm screws holding down the battery connector bracket.
- When putting everything back together, it’s a great moment to power on your iPhone and make sure everything’s working perfectly before sealing up the display. Don’t forget to fully power down your iPhone again before moving on.
Step 19
- Pop that bracket off and set it aside—easy does it!
Step 20
Be careful not to mess up the black silicone seal around this and other board connections. These little guys are your best friends when it comes to keeping water and dust at bay!
- Gently pop the battery connector up from its spot on the logic board using a spudger or your clean fingernail.
- Carefully tilt the connector away from the logic board to keep it from accidentally making contact with the socket.
Tools Used
Step 21
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and unscrew the five tiny 1.1 mm screws holding down the logic board cover bracket. Keep them safe!
Step 22
- Time to say goodbye to that bracket! Go ahead and remove it.
Step 23
- Gently use a spudger or your fingernail to disconnect the LCD panel cable. A little finesse goes a long way here!
- Now, let's move on to the next step: disconnect the digitizer connector that's right beside it. Keep it steady!
Tools Used
Step 24
- Gently use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to pop off the front panel sensor assembly connector.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Take off the display assembly.
- When putting things back together, take a quick breather here if you’re thinking about swapping out the waterproof adhesive around the display edges.
Step 26
- Unscrew the two Phillips screws holding the rear camera cover in place:
- One 1.4 mm screw
- One 1.3 mm screw
Step 27
The cover will only sit snugly once those two tabs are clicked into place.
- Gently pop up the camera cover from the side nearest the battery, and take it off.
- When you're ready to put the cover back on, flip the script: start by sliding the outside edge so the two little tabs fit snugly into their bracket on the camera module. Then, swing the cover shut.
Step 28
- Grab a spudger or just use your fingernail, and gently pop the two camera cable connectors straight up from their sockets. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 29
- Slide the tip of your spudger into the bottom right corner of the camera, right between the camera assembly and the iPhone's frame.
- Gently nudge upwards to pop the camera loose from the iPhone.
Tools Used
Step 30
- Give your new replacement part a quick look over and compare it to the original. You might need to switch over any components or peel off some sticky backings before installing.
- To put everything back together, simply follow the steps above in reverse order.
- When it’s time to say goodbye to your old parts, make sure they end up with a certified recycler, like an R2 or e-Stewards recycler.
- Not everything going as planned? Don’t stress. Try some basic troubleshooting or reach out to our iPhone 11 Answers community for some extra help.
