iPhone 12 Pro SIM Card Reader Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 35 Steps
Ready to swap out the SIM card reader in your iPhone 12 Pro? Follow these steps and give your phone a fresh start. If things get tricky, you can always schedule a repair.
Step 1
- Grab a SIM card eject tool or a trusty paperclip and pop it into the tiny hole on the SIM card tray—it's hanging out on the volume button side of your iPhone.
- Give it a steady press to make the tray pop right out.
Tools Used
Step 2
Heads up! The SIM card can slip right out of the tray, so handle it with care.
- Carefully pop out the SIM card tray from your iPhone.
- When putting the SIM card back in, double-check it’s sitting the right way in the tray — no upside-down surprises.
- That slim rubber gasket hugging the SIM tray? It keeps water and dust out. If it’s looking worse for wear or missing, swap it out or get a new tray to keep your iPhone safe and sound.
Step 3
Heads up: Before diving in, make sure your iPhone battery is below 25%. A charged lithium-ion battery can be a real firecracker if poked the wrong way!
Popping open your iPhone’s display is like breaking its waterproof magic—those seals will lose their mojo. Make sure you have fresh replacement seals on hand before going any further, or be extra careful to keep liquids away if you’re putting it back together without swapping the seals.
- Before you start taking your iPhone apart, make sure it’s powered off—trust me, your future self will thank you.
- Flip your phone over and unscrew those two 6.75 mm pentalobe P2 screws down by the charging port. They’re tiny but mighty!
Step 4
Be careful not to shove your opening pick in too deep; it could end up causing some unintentional damage to your device. Use this step to mark your pick and keep everything safe!
Feel free to get creative and mark the other corners of your pick with different measurements too.
Another fun option is to tape a coin to the pick about 3 mm from the tip. It’s a handy trick!
- Grab your opening pick and, starting from the tip, measure 3 mm. Mark that spot with a permanent marker—precision is stylish!
Step 5
Pop on some safety glasses—nobody wants a surprise glass confetti moment during a repair.
Got a cracked screen on your iPhone? No worries! Just tape over that glass to keep the pieces in check and avoid any accidents while you tackle the repair.
If you're really in a pinch, try supergluing the suction cup to the screen for a little extra grip!
- Grab some clear packing tape and lay it down in overlapping strips over the iPhone's screen until you've got the whole face covered like a cozy blanket.
- Having trouble getting the suction cup to stick? No worries! Just take a sturdy piece of tape (like duct tape) and fold it into a handy handle to lift the screen instead. You've got this!
Step 6
The next three steps will walk you through using the Anti-Clamp, a nifty tool we created to make opening your device a breeze. Not using it? No worries! Skip ahead three steps for an alternate method.
Want to learn more about how to use the Anti-Clamp? Check out this guide for all the details.
If you find your device a bit too slippery for the Anti-Clamp to get a good grip, just add some tape to the surface for extra traction!
- Give that blue handle a gentle pull to let the Anti-Clamp’s arms loose.
- Slide the arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone—go with whatever feels right.
- Line up the suction cups close to the bottom edge, one on the front and one on the back. Like a phone sandwich.
- Press the cups together until you feel the suction lock in. Now you’re ready to get things moving!
Step 7
- Slide the blue handle forward to lock those arms in place.
- Give the handle a full 360-degree clockwise twist, or keep turning until the suction cups start to stretch.
- Keep an eye on the suction cups to make sure they stay lined up. If they start to drift, just loosen them a bit and realign the arms.
Step 8
Give the Anti-Clamp just a quarter turn, then chill for a minute before the next move. Patience pays off—let the tool do its thing.
Need a refresher on wrangling a hair dryer? We've got you covered—check out this guide.
If the Anti-Clamp is being coy and not giving you enough space, hit the area with more heat and twist the handle another quarter turn.
- Set your iPhone on something solid—think hardcover book. This keeps it hands-free and perfectly level, making the next moves way easier.
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone. You want it just a bit too hot to touch, like a fresh cup of coffee that's gone rogue.
- Give it a minute to let the sticky stuff loosen up. We're looking for a nice gap to show itself.
- When the Anti-Clamp gives you enough space, slide an opening pick under the plastic bezel of the screen. You're officially in!
- Skip the next three steps. Yep, you read that right—go ahead and jump ahead.
Tools Used
Step 9
Keep your hair dryer moving—hovering too long in one spot is a no-go!
- Gently warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone with a hair dryer or heat gun for about 90 seconds. Aim for 'toasty but not roast your fingers' hot—just enough to loosen things up.
Tools Used
Step 10
- Grab your single suction handle and stick it near the bottom edge of your phone—but keep it just shy of that very edge of the glass to avoid any slip-ups.
Tools Used
Step 11
Gently slide the opening pick under the thick plastic bezel to keep your screen safe from damage. Look for a little gap to appear—if the pick gets stuck, it means you need to lift the screen a bit more before proceeding.
That waterproof glue holding your screen? Yeah, it's a beast. Getting that first gap will take some real muscle. If your screen refuses to budge, hit it with more heat and give it a gentle wiggle—eventually, you'll loosen things up enough to slip your tool in.
- Give the suction cup a steady, confident pull to open up a small gap between the screen and the frame.
- Slide an opening pick into the gap at a sharp angle—think ninja precision.
Step 12
- Grab your hair dryer and warm up the right edge of your iPhone (the side with the power button) for about 90 seconds, or until it feels a bit too toasty to touch. This will help loosen things up for the next step.
Tools Used
Step 13
Be careful not to push your pick in more than 3 mm – anything beyond that could risk messing with the delicate internals.
- Take your opening pick for a spin around the bottom right corner of the iPhone and loosen up that sticky adhesive.
- Keep sliding the pick up along the right edge, cruising towards the top right corner.
- Park the pick in the top right corner for now, and get ready for the next move.
Step 14
- Grab your trusty hair dryer and give the top edge of your iPhone a warm hug for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a smidge too hot to touch.
Tools Used
Step 15
Keep your pick shallow—no deeper than 3 mm—or you might poke the top sensors.
- Glide your opening pick around the top right corner of the iPhone to loosen that stubborn adhesive. Give it a gentle wiggle if it’s holding tight.
- Let the pick chill in the top left corner for a bit before moving on. It’s doing important work!
Step 16
- 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 touch.
Tools Used
Step 17
Heads up! There are some fragile cables running along the left edge of your iPhone. Avoid sliding your pick in there to keep those cables safe and sound.
Step 18
Gently twist to separate those stubborn parts – patience is key!
If the adhesive is being a bit clingy, give that left edge a little reheat to loosen things up.
- Slide another opening pick into the bottom left corner of your iPhone—like you're giving it a little bit of a sandwich.
- Now, give both picks a gentle twist at the same time. The left edge clips should pop free—no sweat!
Step 19
Hold off on fully separating the display just yet! There are still a few delicate ribbon cables connecting it to the logic board, so take it slow and steady.
- Turn your iPhone around so the right edge is facing you.
- Gently lift the display up from the right side, just like opening a book's front cover.
- Prop the display against something sturdy to keep it upright while you work your magic on the phone.
- When putting things back together, lay the display back in place, align those nifty clips along the top edge, and gently press down on the top edge until it clicks. If it doesn’t pop into place easily, take a peek at the clips around the display's edge and make sure they’re not bent out of shape.
Step 20
Keep an eye on every screw as you go—each one has its own spot, and mixing them up could make your iPhone cranky.
- Let's kick things off by removing those two Y000 screws, each measuring 1.1 mm, that are holding down the battery and display connector cover. Easy peasy!
- When you're putting everything back together, here's a little tip: why not power on your iPhone to check if all the features are working like a charm before sealing up the display? Just remember to power it down completely before diving back into the repair!
Step 21
- Take off the cover.
Step 22
Be careful not to mess up the black silicone seal around this and other board connections! These little guys are like superheroes, keeping water and dust at bay.
- Grab a spudger or your trusty clean fingernail and gently nudge the battery connector upwards from its cozy spot on the logic board.
- Give the connector a little bend away from the logic board, just enough to keep it from accidentally reconnecting and powering up your device while you're working your magic.
Tools Used
Step 23
- Gently pop off the display cable connector using a spudger or your trusty fingernail. No brute force needed—just a little finesse.
- When you're putting the connector back, line it up and press down on one edge until it clicks, then do the same on the other side. Avoid pressing the middle—those little pins are delicate and like to stay straight. Bent pins? Major headache. So take it easy and make sure it's lined up right!
Tools Used
Step 24
- Gently pry up the digitizer cable connector using a spudger or your fingernail to disconnect it.
- If your screen isn’t responding to touch after the repair, try disconnecting the battery and then firmly reconnect this cable. Make sure it snaps into place with no dust or debris blocking the connection.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Grab your Y000 driver and spin out the quartet of screws holding down the front sensor connector cover.
- Three screws are 1.1 mm long.
- One screw stands out at 1.4 mm long.
Step 26
- Lift the cover from the left side until the small clip on the right side pops loose.
- Take off the cover.
- When putting everything back together, start by slotting the clip on the right edge into its place, then gently swing the rest of the cover into position.
Step 27
- Gently pop off the front sensor assembly cable connector using a spudger or your fingernail—no need to wrestle with it!
Tools Used
Step 28
- Gently lift the display assembly off the device. Be careful not to damage anything underneath.
- When you're putting everything back together, stop here if you want to swap out the waterproof adhesive around the edges of the display. It's a great opportunity for a fresh seal!
Step 29
- Grab your Y000 driver and carefully unscrew the two tiny 1.4 mm screws holding down the SIM card reader connector cover. Keep track of those little guys!
Step 30
- Go ahead and take off the cover that protects the SIM card reader cable connector. You're doing great!
Step 31
- Take your spudger and gently pop the SIM card reader cable connector straight up from its spot on the logic board. Easy does it—no need to wrestle!
Tools Used
Step 32
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and take out the trio of screws holding the SIM card reader in place.
- Two of these are 1.4 mm—like twins in a tool lineup.
- The last one's 1.1 mm, just to keep things interesting.
Step 33
- Lift out the Taptic Engine cable connector bracket—like a pro removing a secret ingredient from a recipe.
Step 34
If your toolkit is missing a spudger, a small flathead screwdriver can step in—just go slow and steady to avoid any slips that could knock into nearby parts.
Standoff screws are easiest to remove with a standoff screwdriver or bit. Make sure you've got the right tool for the job to avoid any hassle.
- Grab your trusty standoff or a small flathead screwdriver and get ready to tackle that 2.82 mm long standoff screw holding the SIM card reader in place. You've got this!
Step 35
- Check out your new part next to the old one—sometimes there are bits to swap over or sticky stuff to peel before you pop it in.
- Putting everything back together? Just roll the steps backwards, like rewinding your favorite jam.
- Got leftover parts or trash? Give your old tech a second chance at an R2 or e-Stewards recycler.
- Ran into a hiccup? Try some quick troubleshooting, or hit up our iPhone 12 Pro Answers community. And if things get wild, you can always schedule a repair.
