iPhone 12 SIM Card Reader Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 35 Steps
Follow this straightforward guide to swap out the SIM card reader in your iPhone 12 with ease.
Step 1
- Grab your trusty SIM card ejector tool or a good old paperclip and gently poke it into the tiny hole on the SIM card tray, which you’ll find on the edge near the volume button of your iPhone.
- Give it a firm push to pop that tray out!
Tools Used
Step 2
Heads up: the SIM card loves to pop right out of the tray, so keep a close eye on it!
- Pop out the SIM card tray from your iPhone—like removing a little treasure chest.
- When you put the SIM card back in, double check it's facing the right way in the tray. No upside-down adventures here.
- Notice the slim rubber gasket hugging your SIM tray. It keeps water and dust from crashing the party inside your phone. If this gasket looks beat-up or has gone missing, swap it out or replace the tray to keep your phone’s insides safe and sound.
Step 3
Heads up! Before diving in, make sure your iPhone battery is below 25% charge. A fully charged lithium-ion battery can be a bit spicy—poke it the wrong way and it might catch fire or explode. Stay safe and keep it cool!
Cracking open your iPhone’s display will break the waterproof seals, so be prepared! If you’re not swapping in fresh seals, make sure to keep your phone dry when you put it back together.
- Make sure to power off your iPhone before you start taking it apart.
- Next, remove the two 6.75 mm long pentalobe P2 screws located at the bottom edge of your iPhone.
Step 4
If you push the pick in too deep, it might hurt your device. Mark your pick at the right spot to keep things safe!
Feel free to mark other corners of the pick with different measurements to keep track.
Another trick: tape a coin onto your pick about 3 mm from the tip for a quick depth guide.
- Grab your opening pick and make a mark with a permanent marker—right at the 3 mm spot from the tip. Precision is cool, and this little trick keeps you right on track!
Step 5
Pop on some safety glasses—nobody wants a surprise glass confetti moment during the fix!
Cracked screen? Grab some tape and slap it over the glass to keep those shards in check and save your fingers from a surprise poke.
If your suction cup is playing hard to get, just break out the superglue and stick it right onto the screen—sometimes you gotta make it work.
- Cover the entire iPhone screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape—think of it as giving your screen a temporary superhero suit.
- If the suction cup refuses to cooperate in the next steps, grab some strong tape (duct tape works wonders), fold it into a makeshift handle, and use that to lift the screen instead.
Step 6
The next three steps show you how to use the Anti-Clamp, a handy tool we put together to make opening your device a breeze. If you’re not using the Anti-Clamp, just skip ahead three steps for another way to get it done.
For the full lowdown on using the Anti-Clamp, 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 gentle tug towards you to unlock the Anti-Clamp's arms.
- Slide those arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone—easy peasy!
- Now, let’s get those suction cups into position! Place one near the bottom edge of the iPhone on the front, and the other on the back.
- Squeeze the cups together to create some solid suction magic where you need it.
Step 7
- Give that blue handle a good pull forward to secure those arms in place.
- Now, twist the handle clockwise a full 360 degrees, or until you see those cups start to stretch out.
- Keep an eye on those suction cups and make sure they're still buddies, aligned just right. If they start to drift apart, just loosen them up a tad and get those arms back in line.
Step 8
Go easy—just give it a quarter turn at a time, and take a minute break between each twist. Let the Anti-Clamp do its thing and chill while it works.
Want to master the hair dryer for repair magic? Check out our guide for the full scoop.
If the Anti-Clamp isn’t opening up enough space, hit the area with a bit more heat and give that handle a quarter spin.
- Set your iPhone on something solid, like a hardcover book. Let it chill hands-free and flat—makes your life a whole lot easier for these next moves.
- Grab your trusty hair dryer and warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone. The screen should be just past cozy—think 'ooh, that's hot!'
- Give it a minute for the glue to loosen up and show you a nice gap to work with.
- Once you’ve got a good opening thanks to the Anti-Clamp, slide an opening pick under the screen’s plastic edge.
- No need to bother with the next three steps—skip ahead!
Tools Used
Step 9
Keep your hair dryer moving! Staying in one spot for too long can cause trouble. Give it a little dance around to keep things cool and breezy.
- Grab your hair dryer or heat gun and warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a bit too hot to touch—think spa day, but for your phone.
Tools Used
Step 10
- If you're rolling with a single suction handle, stick it on the bottom edge of the phone, just make sure to steer clear of the very edge of the glass. You're doing great!
Tools Used
Step 11
Slide the opening pick under the thick plastic bezel carefully so you don’t nick your screen. Look for a visible 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 that keeps your screen snug as a bug is super strong! So, getting that first gap open might take a bit of elbow grease. If you're struggling to pry it open, try applying a little more heat, then gently wiggle the screen up and down to help loosen that sticky stuff. Once you've got a nice little opening, you can slide your tool in. You've got this!
- Grab the suction cup and pull up steadily with some solid pressure to gently create a tiny gap between the screen and the frame.
- Slide an opening pick into the gap between the screen and the plastic bezel—make sure it’s under the bezel, not the screen itself.
Step 12
- Grab a hair dryer and give the right edge of your iPhone (the one with the power button) a little warmth for about 90 seconds or until it feels a bit too hot to handle. Just a bit of heat will help loosen things up without going overboard.
Tools Used
Step 13
Keep your pick within 3 mm of the surface, or you might accidentally poke something important inside!
- Gently slide the opening pick around the bottom right corner of your iPhone to loosen up that sticky adhesive.
- Keep sliding the pick up along the right edge until you reach the top right corner.
- Leave the pick tucked in at the top right corner before moving on to the next step.
Step 14
- Grab a hair dryer and gently warm the top edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until the screen feels just a bit too toasty to comfortably touch.
Tools Used
Step 15
Keep your pick to a maximum of 3 mm—going deeper might just ruffle those top sensors' feathers!
- Gently slide the opening pick around the top right corner of your iPhone to loosen the adhesive holding things together.
- Keep the pick wedged in the top left corner while you get ready for the next step.
Step 16
- Grab your trusty hair dryer and aim it at the left edge of your iPhone. Give it a good 90-second blast, or until the screen feels just a little too warm to handle. You want it to be warm, but not a hot mess!
Tools Used
Step 17
Be careful along the left edge of your iPhone—there are some fragile cables hiding there. Don't let your pick wander into that area, or you might end up with a surprise!
Step 18
Twist gently and steadily — slow and steady wins the race!
If the adhesive is being stubborn, warm up the left edge again to give it a little nudge.
- Slide a second pick into the bottom left corner of your iPhone—think of it as tag-team action for stubborn clips.
- Give both picks a gentle twist at the same time and watch the left edge clips pop loose. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Step 19
Hold up on fully lifting off the display—those delicate ribbon cables are still keeping it tethered to your iPhone's logic board.
- Turn your iPhone so the right side is facing you—like you’re about to flip open a secret agent gadget.
- Lift the display from the right, just like opening a book cover. No bookmark needed.
- Prop the screen up against something sturdy so it doesn’t flop over while you work your magic.
- When putting it all back together, set the display in place, line up those top clips, and gently press the top edge first. If it doesn’t snap in nicely, check that the clips around the edge aren’t bent or out of shape. Take your time—your phone deserves a good fit!
Step 20
Each screw has its own special spot—mixing them up can cause trouble for your iPhone. Keep track of where each one goes so everything fits back together perfectly.
- Take out the two 1.1 mm Y000 screws holding down the battery and display connector cover. Tiny but mighty, don’t lose them!
- Before you close up shop, power on your iPhone and give everything a quick test run—make sure all your phone’s skills are still intact. Once you’re done, shut it down again before moving forward. Safety first, hero!
Step 21
- Pop off the cover and get ready for the next move.
Step 22
Be gentle with the black silicone seal that hugs this and other board connections. These little protectors are your best friends against pesky water and dust trying to sneak in.
- Grab a spudger or even just a clean fingernail and gently lift the battery connector up from its spot on the logic board.
- Give the connector a little nudge away from the board to keep it from accidentally touching the socket and powering up the phone while you’re working on it.
Tools Used
Step 23
- Pop that display cable connector loose with a spudger or your fingernail—no need for superhero strength here.
- When reconnecting, line it up carefully and press down on one side until you hear a click, then do the other side. Skip pressing the middle—misaligned pins can end up bent and that's a headache nobody needs.
Tools Used
Step 24
- Grab a spudger or your trusty fingernail and gently disconnect that digitizer cable connector. You've got this!
- If your screen is playing hard to get and doesn't respond to touch after your repair, no worries! Just disconnect the battery and then reconnect that cable, giving it a firm push until you hear that satisfying click. Also, double-check for any dust bunnies or other sneaky obstructions hanging out in the socket.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Grab a Y000 driver and use it to take out the four screws holding down the front sensor connector cover.
- Take out three screws, each 1.1 mm long.
- Now, unscrew the single 1.4 mm long screw.
Step 26
- Lift the cover up from the left side until the little clip on the right pops loose. You've got this!
- Time to take off the cover. Easy peasy!
- When putting it back together, start by slotting the clip on the right edge into its place first, then gently swing the rest of the cover down. You're nailing it!
Step 27
- Gently pry up the front sensor assembly cable connector using a spudger or your fingernail to disconnect it.
Tools Used
Step 28
- Gently lift off the display assembly—like opening a treasure chest, but with fewer pirates.
- If you're feeling extra fancy during reassembly, now's your moment to replace the waterproof adhesive around the display edges for that snug fit.
Step 29
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and take out the two 1.4 mm screws that are holding the SIM card reader connector cover in place. You’ve got this!
Step 30
- Gently take off the SIM card reader cable connector cover.
Step 31
- Grab your spudger and gently nudge the SIM card reader cable connector upwards, carefully prying it out of its cozy spot on the logic board. Easy does it, no rush!
Tools Used
Step 32
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and unscrew the three screws holding the SIM card reader in place.
- Remove the two 1.4 mm screws with ease.
- Finish it off by unscrewing the one 1.1 mm screw.
Step 33
- Take off the bracket that holds the Taptic Engine cable connector in place.
Step 34
In a pinch, a small flathead screwdriver can save the day—but be extra careful to avoid any slips that might cause damage to nearby parts.
To get those standoff screws out without a fuss, grab a standoff screwdriver or the right bit—it’s the perfect tool for the job!
- Grab a standoff or a tiny flathead screwdriver and gently unscrew the 2.82 mm long standoff screw that’s holding down the SIM card reader. You've got this!
Step 35
- Take a quick look at your new part next to the original—sometimes a little bit of leftover adhesive or a hidden screw needs to make the journey over.
- Ready to put things back together? Just reverse the steps above and you’re golden.
- Got old parts or busted bits? Drop them off at an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler so they don’t end up haunting a landfill.
- If your device is still acting stubborn, try some basic troubleshooting, or reach out to our iPhone 12 Answers community for extra tips. If all else fails, you can always schedule a repair with Salvation Repair—we’ve got your back!
