iPhone 14 Pro Taptic Engine Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 29 Steps
Heads up: Before cracking open your device, make sure the battery is below 25%. Low battery, lower drama!
The Taptic Engine is what makes your iPhone buzz and feel those cool haptic taps. This guide will walk you through removing and replacing the Taptic Engine on an iPhone 14 Pro, specifically the A2890 (international) model. If you have a different iPhone 14 Pro version, things might look a bit different, but the steps are pretty much the same. For safety, make sure to drop your battery charge below 25% before you start taking your phone apart — this helps lower the chance of fire if the battery gets damaged. If your battery looks swollen, be extra careful! When putting your screen back, you’ll need fresh adhesive to keep it secure. Keep in mind, maintaining water resistance depends on how well you reapply the adhesive, but your iPhone will lose its official IP (Ingress Protection) rating after the repair.
Step 1
- Give your iPhone a little nap—turn it off before you start taking things apart.
- Spin out the two 6.8 mm-long pentalobe P2 screws hanging out at the iPhone’s bottom edge.
Step 2
Don't let your pick go on a wild adventure—mark it so you know exactly how deep is too deep, keeping your device safe from accidental pokes.
Want to get fancy? Mark the other corners with different measurements—your pick, your rules.
Or, if you're feeling creative, tape a coin 3 mm from the tip to keep your pick in check.
- Grab your trusty opening pick and measure out 3 mm from the tip. Give it a little mark with a permanent marker so you'll know exactly where to go!
Step 3
Pop on some safety glasses to keep your eyes safe from any rebellious glass shards that might fly during the repair.
Got a cracked screen on your iPhone? No worries! Just slap some tape over that glass to keep things from getting worse and to protect yourself while you tackle the repair.
If you're really in a bind, a little superglue on the suction cup can do the trick to stick it to the screen.
- Cover the iPhone's screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape until the entire front is wrapped up tight.
- 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.
Tools Used
Step 4
The next three steps show off the Anti-Clamp—a clever little tool we whipped up to make opening your device way smoother. Not using the Anti-Clamp? Just skip ahead three steps for another way to crack it open.
Want to master the Anti-Clamp? Full instructions are waiting for you in this guide.
If your iPhone keeps slipping away from the Anti-Clamp like a greased watermelon, slap on some tape to give it a little extra grip.
- Give that blue handle a gentle tug backwards to let the Anti-Clamp’s arms stretch out.
- Slip the arms over the left or right edge of your iPhone—no wrong choice here.
- Line up the suction cups close to the bottom edge, one facing the screen, one on the back.
- Press the cups together so they stick to your chosen spot, just like a high-five for your phone.
Step 5
- Give that blue handle a gentle pull towards you to secure those arms in place.
- Twist the handle a full 360 degrees, or until you see those suction cups starting to stretch.
- Keep an eye on those suction cups! They should stay perfectly aligned. If they start to wander off track, just loosen them up a bit and get everything back in line.
Step 6
Take it easy! Only twist a quarter turn at a time, and give it a minute to breathe between each turn. Let the Anti-Clamp and a little patience do their magic for you.
Need a refresher on wielding a hair dryer like a pro? Check out this guide for the full scoop.
If the Anti-Clamp isn’t giving you the gap you need, hit the spot with more heat and give the handle a quarter turn to keep things moving.
- Place your iPhone on something solid like a hardcover book so it stays put and level—this makes the next steps way easier to handle.
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone until it feels a bit too hot to touch—this loosens the adhesive.
- Hold tight and wait about a minute to let the heat work its magic and create a small opening gap.
- Carefully slide an opening pick under the screen’s plastic bezel once the Anti-Clamp has made enough space.
- Go ahead and skip the next two steps.
Tools Used
Step 7
Keep your hair dryer moving—don’t hold it in one spot too long!
Got a suction handle in hand? Hang tight for the next two moves—they’ll help you coax the screen loose like a pro.
- Grab a hair dryer or heat gun and warm up the bottom edge of the iPhone for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a bit too toasty to touch.
Tools Used
Step 8
The waterproof glue that keeps the screen securely attached is super strong; creating that first little opening requires a good amount of elbow grease. If you're struggling to pry it open, feel free to add a bit more heat and gently wiggle the screen up and down to loosen the adhesive until you can slide your tool in there.
- Grab a suction handle and stick it to the bottom edge of the screen, just be careful not to go too close to the edge of the glass.
- With a steady hand, pull up on that suction cup to create a little wiggle room between the screen and the frame—just enough to sneak in an opening pick.
- Slide an opening pick into the gap you've created under the plastic bezel of the screen.
Tools Used
Step 9
- Grab your hair dryer and give the right edge of your iPhone (the side with the power button) a warm blast for about 90 seconds, or until the screen feels just a bit too warm to touch. We're turning up the heat—literally!
Tools Used
Step 10
Keep your pick insertion to under 3 mm to avoid messing up the delicate bits inside.
- Gently slide the opening pick around the bottom right corner of your iPhone to loosen up the adhesive holding it together.
- Keep sliding the pick up along the right edge until you reach the top right corner—smooth and steady wins the race.
- Let the pick hang out in the top right corner for now before moving on to the next step.
Step 11
- Grab your trusty hair dryer and give the top edge of that iPhone a warm hug for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a tad too hot to touch. You're aiming for that sweet spot where the screen is cozy and ready for its next adventure!
Tools Used
Step 12
Keep your pick shallow—no deeper than 3 mm—or those top sensors might get a surprise they didn’t ask for.
- Glide your opening pick around the top right corner of your iPhone—you're slicing through that stubborn adhesive like a pro.
- Let the pick chill in the top left corner for a bit before you keep going.
Step 13
- 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 keep your finger on comfortably.
Tools Used
Step 14
Heads up! There are some fragile cables running along the left edge of your iPhone. Keep your pick away from this area to avoid any accidental cable carnage.
Step 15
Heads up: the cables along the left edge can get damaged pretty easily if you go wild with your pick. For a smoother ride, check out this alternate method to separate the left adhesive.
Gently twist to apply the force, taking your time!
If the adhesive is being stubborn, just give the left edge a little heat and try again.
- Slide a second pick into the bottom left corner of your iPhone—like you're dealing cards at a tech poker night.
- Give both picks a twist at the same time and let those left-side clips pop free.
Step 16
No screen support? No problem! Your suction handle can step up to the plate and lend a hand.
- Take off that suction handle like it's a sticky note on your screen!
- Give your iPhone a little spin so its right edge is staring right back at you.
- Open up your iPhone by lifting the screen up from the right side, just like flipping the cover of a book.
- Prop that screen up against something sturdy while you work your magic on the phone.
- When it's time to put everything back together, gently place the screen in its spot, align those clips along the top edge, and push the top edge down until it clicks. If it’s playing hard to get, take a peek at those clips around the screen's edge and make sure they’re not all bent out of shape.
Tools Used
Step 17
Keep a close eye on every screw during this repair and make sure each one returns to its original spot—your iPhone will thank you for it!
- Grab your Y000 screwdriver and unscrew the eight little guys holding down the battery connector cover—don't mix them up!
- Before you button things up, power up your iPhone and make sure everything’s working like a charm. Once you’re done checking, shut it down completely before moving on.
- Five screws at 1.3 mm—tiny but mighty.
- Two screws at 1.6 mm—keep track of these.
- One screw at 1.9 mm—the solo superstar.
Step 18
- Grab the connector cover with your tweezers and give it a gentle slide down to clear the flex cables. Like moving luggage out of the hallway—just way smaller.
- Lift out the connector cover and set it aside. Easy as pie.
Tools Used
Step 19
Be careful not to mess up the black silicone seal that's hugging this and other board connections. These little guys are like your device's protective armor against sneaky water and dust invaders.
- Grab the pointy end of your spudger and gently lift the battery connector straight up from its socket—think of it like unplugging a tiny power cord.
- Give the connector a little bend away from the logic board, just enough to keep it from sneaking back into the socket and giving the phone power while you work your magic.
Tools Used
Step 20
- Grab a spudger and gently pop up the first display cable connector—straight up, no tilting! Think of it like unplugging a tiny, stubborn Lego.
- When you're reconnecting these press connectors, line them up perfectly and press one side until it clicks, then do the other side. Skip pressing the middle—if it’s off-center, those little pins can get bent out of shape and that’s a one-way ticket to permanent damage.
Tools Used
Step 21
- Grab the pointy end of your spudger and gently pop the second display cable connector straight up from its socket. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 22
- Time to get that screen off! Gently lift it away and set it aside.
- After giving the relevant areas a clean with some isopropyl alcohol (90% or better), apply new adhesive where needed. Make sure everything sticks nice and secure.
- If you're planning to replace the screen adhesives, now's the perfect time to pause and do that before putting everything back together.
Step 23
- Grab your trusty Phillips #000 driver and let's get to work! Carefully take out those four little screws, each about 1.5 mm long, that are holding the loudspeaker in place. You've got this!
Step 24
- Gently slide the flat end of your spudger under the loudspeaker at the bottom-right corner and give it a little nudge to loosen it up.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Grab your trusty tweezers and gently pick up the loudspeaker.
- Tilt it slightly to detach it from the adhesive strip connected to the Taptic Engine.
- Carefully remove the loudspeaker from its spot.
- When putting it back in place, remember to go battery-side down first, then align it with the adhesive strip.
Tools Used
Step 26
- Grab your trusty spudger and gently pop the Taptic Engine connector straight up—think of it like unplugging your phone’s little heartbeat.
Tools Used
Step 27
To tackle those standoff screws, grab a dedicated standoff driver or driver bit if you have one handy. In a pinch, a small flathead screwdriver can work too—just be careful not to let it slip and accidentally give your device a little love tap!
- Grab your Phillips screwdriver and carefully remove the two screws holding down the Taptic Engine.
- Next, use a standoff screwdriver to take out the 2.9 mm-long standoff screw securing the Taptic Engine.
- There's one 1.8 mm-long screw to remove as well.
- And finally, remove the one 2.1 mm-long screw.
Step 28
- Grab a pair of tweezers or use your fingers to gently lift out the Taptic Engine. It should come out without much fuss, just take your time and be careful.
Tools Used
Step 29
If your replacement part is missing that snazzy plastic strip sitting on top of the Taptic Engine, just move it over from your old part. Easy swap!
- Line up your new part with the old one—sometimes you’ll need to bring over a few pieces or peel off any sticky bits before popping it in.
- Put everything back together by reversing these steps. No magic required.
- When you’re ready to say goodbye to your old part, drop it off at a certified e-waste recycler.
- If things didn’t go your way, try a bit of troubleshooting, or ask the Answers community for some wisdom.
- If you need a hand, you can always schedule a repair.
