iPhone 12 Taptic Engine Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 40 Steps
The Taptic Engine is the secret behind your iPhone’s satisfying buzz and haptic feedback. Ready to give it a swap or send it on a vacation? Here’s your step-by-step guide to removing or replacing the Taptic Engine in your iPhone 12.
Step 1
- Grab your trusty SIM card eject tool or a simple paperclip and gently poke it into the tiny hole on the SIM card tray, which is right by the volume button edge of your iPhone.
- Give it a good press to pop that tray out!
Tools Used
Step 2
Heads up: the SIM card loves to pop right out of the tray, so keep an eye on it!
- Pop out the SIM card tray from your iPhone. No need for magic—just use the eject tool or a paperclip.
- When you put the SIM card back in, make sure it’s facing the right way. Upside down SIMs just don’t vibe.
- Notice that little rubber gasket around the SIM tray? It keeps water and dust from crashing the party inside your iPhone. If it looks beat up or missing, swap out just the gasket or grab a fresh SIM tray to keep things snug and protected.
Step 3
Heads up! Before diving in, make sure to run your iPhone battery down to below 25%. A charged lithium-ion battery can be a bit dramatic and might catch fire or even explode if it gets accidentally poked. Safety first!
Opening up your iPhone's display? Just a heads up—you're about to break those waterproof seals! Make sure you've got some replacement seals on hand before diving deeper into the repair. And if you decide to put it back together without those seals, be extra careful to keep it away from any liquids. Let's keep your device happy and dry!
- Before you start taking your iPhone apart, make sure to power it off completely.
- Next, grab your pentalobe P2 screwdriver and remove the two 6.75 mm screws located at the bottom edge of your iPhone.
Step 4
If you push your opening pick in too deep, it might end up hurting your device. To avoid that, mark your pick at the right depth before you start.
Feel free to mark the other corners of your pick with different measurements to keep things neat and safe.
Or, for a quick hack, tape a coin about 3 mm from the tip of your pick to act as a handy depth guide.
- From the tip, measure 3 mm and mark your opening pick with a permanent marker—precision is key, but no pressure!
Step 5
Pop on some safety glasses to keep your eyes safe from any rogue glass bits that might decide to break free during the repair.
If your iPhone's screen is cracked, let's keep the pieces in check and avoid any accidents while you tackle the repair! A little tape over the glass can work wonders.
And if you're really stuck, a bit of superglue on that suction cup can do the trick to help you lift that screen.
- Place overlapping strips of clear packing tape across the iPhone’s screen, making sure the entire front is covered.
- If the suction cup isn’t sticking well, grab a sturdy piece of tape (duct tape works great) and fold it into a handle. Use that to gently lift the screen instead.
Step 6
In the next three steps, we'll show you the Anti-Clamp, our handy little buddy designed to make opening your device a breeze. If you're not rocking the Anti-Clamp, no worries—just skip ahead three steps for another way to get it done.
Want the full scoop on using the Anti-Clamp? Check out this guide.
If your iPhone's surface feels like a slip 'n slide and the Anti-Clamp isn't sticking, just grab some tape to make it grippier. Easy peasy!
- Give the blue handle a gentle tug back to free the Anti-Clamp's arms.
- Carefully slide those arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone.
- Place the suction cups close to the bottom edge of your iPhone—one on the front and one on the back.
- Now, squeeze the cups together to create a nice, snug suction on the area you want to work on.
Step 7
- Pull that blue handle forward to lock those arms in place.
- Give the handle a full spin clockwise—360 degrees—or until you see the cups start to stretch out.
- Keep an eye on the suction cups! If they start drifting apart, just loosen them a bit and realign the arms so everything’s lined up nicely.
Step 8
Don't go all in—just a quarter turn at a time, and give it a minute between each turn. Let the Anti-Clamp and patience do the heavy lifting for you.
For a complete rundown on how to rock a hair dryer, check out this handy guide.
If the Anti-Clamp isn't giving you the gap you need, just crank up the heat a bit more and give that handle a little twist—about a quarter turn should do the trick!
- Place your iPhone on a solid surface like a hardcover book so it stays put and level—this makes the next steps way easier.
- Warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone with a hair dryer until it feels just a bit too hot to touch.
- Give it a minute for the adhesive to loosen and create a small gap.
- When the Anti-Clamp opens up a big enough gap, slide an opening pick under the screen’s plastic bezel.
- Skip the next three steps.
Tools Used
Step 9
Keep your hair dryer moving—don’t let it hang out in one spot too long!
- Grab your trusty hair dryer or heat gun and give the bottom edge of your iPhone a warm hug for about 90 seconds, or until it's just a tad too toasty to touch. Remember, we want to heat things up, not start a bonfire!
Tools Used
Step 10
- Place the single suction handle near the bottom edge of the phone, but steer clear of the very edge of the glass to avoid any mishaps.
Tools Used
Step 11
Gently slide your opening pick under the thick plastic bezel—this helps avoid any screen damage. You should see a little gap, and the pick should glide in smoothly. If you don’t see that gap, no worries—just lift the screen a bit more and try again.
The screen is held in place by some seriously tough watertight adhesive, so getting that first gap open takes a bit of muscle. If it’s being stubborn, heat it up a little more, and gently rock the screen back and forth to soften the glue until you can slip your tool in easily.
- Give that suction cup a gentle but firm pull to create a tiny gap between the screen and its frame. Just enough to slide in an opening pick.
- Carefully slide the opening pick into the gap under the screen and bezel. Make sure you're not poking at the screen itself—aim for that plastic bezel!
Step 12
- Grab your hair dryer and give the right side of your iPhone a warm, 90-second heat-up. Focus on the edge with the power button. Make sure it's nice and warm, but not too hot to handle!
Tools Used
Step 13
Keep your pick shallow—no deeper than 3 mm—or you might poke something you didn't mean to!
- Glide your opening pick along the bottom right corner of your iPhone, loosening up that stubborn adhesive.
- Keep cruising up the right edge with the pick until you hit the top right corner.
- Let the pick chill in the top right corner for now before moving on.
Step 14
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the top edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until the screen feels just a bit too toasty to handle.
Tools Used
Step 15
Keep your pick shallow—no deeper than 3 mm—or you'll risk poking the top sensors.
- Glide your opening pick along the top right corner of your iPhone to loosen up that sneaky adhesive.
- Park the pick in the top left corner and leave it hanging out there for now.
Step 16
- Grab a hair dryer and gently heat up the left edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds. You want it just hot enough to make you think, 'Okay, that's definitely warm enough.'
Tools Used
Step 17
Watch out for the fragile cables sneaking along the left edge of your iPhone! Avoid sticking your pick in this area, as it could lead to some unwelcome damage to those cables.
Step 18
Twist it gently and steadily to get things moving.
If the adhesive won't budge, warm up the left edge a bit more and try again.
- Pop in a second opening pick at the bottom left corner of your iPhone. You've got this!
- Now, give both picks a gentle twist at the same time until you hear those left edge clips go 'click' and release. Easy peasy!
Step 19
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.
- Flip your iPhone so the right edge is facing you.
- Open the iPhone by lifting the display from the right side, just like flipping the cover of a book.
- Prop the display against something sturdy while you work your magic on the phone.
- When it's time to put everything back together, carefully place the display, making sure the clips along the top edge align, and press the top edge down gently before snapping the rest into place. If it doesn’t snap right away, check if any clips around the display are bent, and adjust them if needed.
Step 20
Keep an eye on every screw during this repair and make sure each one goes back exactly where it came from — your iPhone will thank you for the careful comeback!
- Unscrew the two 1.1 mm Y000 screws that are holding down the battery and display connector cover. Keep them safe—they’re tiny but mighty!
- Before you seal up your iPhone, it’s a good idea to power it on and give everything a quick test. Just make sure to turn it off completely before moving forward with the reassembly.
Step 21
- Take off the cover to get things started.
Step 22
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!
- Grab a spudger or just use a clean fingernail—your choice! Gently pop the battery connector up from its spot on the logic board.
- Give that connector a little nudge away from the logic board so it doesn’t sneak back into place and power up the phone while you’re working your magic.
Tools Used
Step 23
- Gently pry up the display cable connector using a spudger or your fingernail to disconnect it.
- When reconnecting, line up one side of the connector and press down until you hear a click, then do the same on the other side. Avoid pressing the middle to prevent bending the pins, which could cause permanent damage.
Tools Used
Step 24
- Gently pry up the digitizer cable connector using a spudger or even your fingernail—easy does it!
- If your screen acts shy and doesn’t respond to touch after reassembly, try disconnecting the battery and then firmly reseating this connector. Make sure it snaps in all the way with no dust or debris blocking the connection.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and carefully unscrew the four screws holding down the front sensor connector cover.
- Three screws measure 1.1 mm in length.
- One screw is a little longer at 1.4 mm.
Step 26
- Gently lift the cover from the left side until that little clip on the right decides to pop free.
- Take off the cover like a champ.
- When you're putting it all back together, start by sliding the clip on the right edge into its cozy spot first, then fold the rest of the cover down snugly.
Step 27
- Gently use a spudger or your trusty fingernail to disconnect the front sensor assembly cable connector. Just take it easy and carefully work your way through—it’ll come apart with a little patience.
Tools Used
Step 28
- Gently lift off the display assembly. You've got this!
- When it's time to put everything back together, take a breather here if you’re thinking of swapping out the waterproof adhesive around the edges of the display.
Step 29
- Grab your Phillips screwdriver and carefully take out the four 1.6 mm screws holding the loudspeaker in place.
Step 30
- Carefully take out the loudspeaker.
Step 31
- Grab your Y000 driver and take out the two tiny 1.4 mm screws that are holding down the SIM card reader connector cover. Easy does it!
Step 32
- Gently lift the cover off the SIM card reader cable connector and set it aside.
Step 33
- Grab 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 for superhero strength here!
Tools Used
Step 34
- Grab your trusty Y000 driver and carefully unscrew the three screws holding the SIM card reader in place.
- There are two 1.4 mm screws and one 1.1 mm screw to remove.
Step 35
- Pop out the Taptic Engine cable connector bracket. Easy does it!
Step 36
If you're in a bind, a small flathead screwdriver can step in as a hero—just be extra careful to keep it from slipping and causing any unwanted damage.
Standoff screws come out easiest with a standoff bit or screwdriver—makes life way simpler.
- Grab a standoff or a small flathead screwdriver and carefully remove the 2.82 mm standoff screw that’s holding the SIM card reader in place.
Step 37
- Take out the SIM card reader from the phone.
- Before putting it back in, double-check that the SIM eject plunger is snugly pushed into the edge of the phone.
Step 38
- Grab your spudger and gently slide its point under the Taptic Engine cable connector. Give it a little lift, pulling the connector straight up and out of its socket on the logic board. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 39
- Let's kick things off by unscrewing those three screws that are holding your Taptic Engine in place. Get ready!
- First up, you'll need to tackle those two standoff screws that are 2.8 mm long.
- And don't forget about that one 1.8 mm Phillips screw waiting for you!
Step 40
- Line up your new part with the original one—sometimes you’ll need to move a few bits over or peel off protective stickers before it’s ready to go.
- Put everything back together by reversing the steps you followed above.
- Don’t toss your old parts in the trash—take them to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler to keep things green.
- If things didn’t quite click, try some basic troubleshooting or schedule a repair for expert help.
