iPhone 8 Plus Lower Speaker Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 34 Steps
Your iPhone 8 Plus rocks both the primary loudspeaker and the earpiece to serve up some fantastic stereo sound vibes. In this guide, we’re zeroing in on replacing just the primary loudspeaker at the bottom of your phone. If you're facing silent moments, sound that's not up to snuff, or just some funky distortion, swapping out this speaker is your ticket to audio bliss! Let's get started on bringing that sound back to life!
Step 1
Before you start, make sure your iPhone’s battery is below 25%. A charged lithium-ion battery can be a little dramatic if poked the wrong way—think fire or explosion. Stay safe and keep that juice low!
Popping open your iPhone’s display will break its waterproof seals. Make sure you have new seals on hand before moving forward, or be extra careful to keep liquids away if you put it back together without swapping the seals.
- Make sure to power down your iPhone before you start taking it apart.
- Unscrew the two 3.5 mm pentalobe screws located at the bottom edge of your iPhone.
Step 2
Be careful not to push your opening pick too far in, or you might end up causing some damage to your device. To avoid that, let's mark your pick to keep things safe and sound!
Feel free to add some markings to the other corners of the pick with different measurements too.
Another fun trick is to tape a coin to your pick about 3 mm from the tip. It's a nifty way to keep your distance just right!
- Grab your opening pick and mark a spot 3 mm from the tip with a permanent marker—precision is the name of the game!
Step 3
Don your safety glasses to keep your peepers snug as a bug while tackling any rogue shards that might pop loose during the repair. Stay safe and stylish!
Got a cracked iPhone screen? Slap some tape over the glass to keep things in one piece and save your fingers from any surprise pokes.
If the suction cup refuses to cooperate, go ahead and stick it to the screen with a dab of superglue—sometimes you’ve just gotta get creative.
- Cover the iPhone’s screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape until the entire front is protected.
- If the suction cup won’t stick in the next steps, try folding a sturdy tape like duct tape into a little handle and use that to gently lift the screen instead.
Step 4
In the next few steps, we're going to introduce you to the Anti-Clamp, a nifty little tool we created to make opening your device a breeze. If you're not using the Anti-Clamp, just hop down three steps for a different approach.
Want to master the Anti-Clamp? Check out this handy guide for all the details!
If your iPhone's surface feels a bit too slick for the Anti-Clamp to grip, no worries! A little tape can help create a better hold.
- Give that blue handle a gentle pull back to set the Anti-Clamp arms free.
- Slide those arms around either the left or right edge of your iPhone—like a hug, but for your device.
- Get the suction cups lined up just above the home button, one on the front, one on the back, right near the bottom edge.
- Squeeze the cups together until you’ve got a good grip on the spot you want to work with.
Step 5
- Slide the blue handle forward to lock those arms in place.
- Give the handle a full 360-degree twist clockwise, or keep turning until the suction cups start to stretch a bit.
- Keep the suction cups lined up like a well-rehearsed dance duo. If they start to drift apart, just loosen the cups a smidge and realign the arms.
Step 6
Take it easy! Just twist a quarter turn at a time and chill for a minute between each turn. Let the Anti-Clamp and a bit of patience do their magic!
A hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate can help here, but watch out—too much heat could mess up your screen or battery. Go easy!
If your Anti-Clamp isn’t giving you enough wiggle room, crank up the heat a bit more and give the handle a quarter turn to try again.
- Warm up your iOpener and slip it between the arms of the Anti-Clamp—like threading a needle, but way less stressful.
- Bend the iOpener so it cozies up to the bottom edge of your iPhone.
- Give it about a minute for the adhesive to loosen its grip and make room for some action.
- When the Anti-Clamp gives you a nice gap, slide in your opening pick under the screen with style.
- No need to bother with the next three steps—skip ahead!
Tools Used
Step 7
Let's get that screen off! The next three steps show you how to work your magic with a suction cup.
A little heat on the bottom edge of your iPhone makes the sticky stuff holding the screen loosen up, so popping it open gets way easier.
- Grab a hairdryer or prep your iOpener, then warm up the bottom edge of your iPhone for about 90 seconds—just enough to loosen up that stubborn adhesive holding things together.
Tools Used
Step 8
Make sure the suction cup stays clear of the home button. If it overlaps, you won’t get a good seal with the front glass, and that could make things trickier. Keep it neat and tidy for the best results!
- Place a suction cup on the lower part of the front panel, right above the home button, and get ready to gently lift that screen!
Step 9
The adhesive keeping the display sealed is quite tough; creating that first little gap requires some serious effort. If you're struggling to get started, crank up the heat a bit and give the screen a gentle wiggle to loosen that sticky stuff until you've got enough space to slide your tool in.
- Give that suction cup a nice, steady pull to wiggle open a tiny gap between the front panel and rear case. You've got this!
- Now, slide in an opening pick or any other slim pry tool just a few millimeters into that gap you've created.
Step 10
- Gently slide your pick around the corner and up the left side of the phone, heading towards the volume buttons and silent switch, carefully loosening the adhesive that’s keeping the display stuck in place.
- Pause once you reach the top left corner of the screen.
Step 11
Watch out! There's a fragile cable hanging out along the right side of your iPhone. Keep that pick away from here, or you might accidentally give it a bad day.
Step 12
Keep your pick insertion shallow—no more than 3 mm—to avoid messing up those delicate display cables.
- Gently reintroduce your tool into the lower right corner of the iPhone, then glide it around the corner and up the right side to skillfully break apart the adhesive. Keep it smooth and have fun with it!
Step 13
Keep the display angle under 15º to avoid stretching or snapping the delicate ribbon cables—handle with care!
- Carefully lift the bottom edge of the display by pulling up on the suction cup with a gentle touch.
Step 14
- Give that little nub on the suction cup a gentle tug to pop it off the front panel. You got this!
Step 15
- Gently slide an opening pick under the top edge of the display to carefully break through the last bit of adhesive holding it down.
Step 16
- Gently slide the display assembly down a bit, away from the top edge of your phone, to free those clips that are keeping it snug against the rear case. You've got this!
Step 17
Hold up! Don’t pull the display all the way off just yet — a bunch of delicate ribbon cables are still hooking it up to the iPhone’s logic board.
- Pop open the iPhone by swinging the display up from the left side, just like flipping open the back cover of a book.
- Prop the display up by leaning it against something sturdy so it stays put while you work your magic inside.
Step 18
- First, let's tackle those four Phillips (JIS) screws that are holding the lower display cable bracket snugly to the logic board. Keep an eye out for the lengths needed:
- As you progress through this guide, be sure to keep tabs on your screws! Each one deserves to go back to its original home during reassembly. Placing a screw in the wrong spot could lead to some serious drama.
- You'll need two 1.3 mm screws
- One 1.4 mm screw
- And one 2.7 mm screw
Step 19
- Pop off the lower display cable bracket—just a gentle lift and it’s free!
Step 20
- Take your spudger and carefully lift the battery connector from its spot on the logic board. Go slow and steady here!
- Gently tilt the connector cable upwards a little so it won’t accidentally make contact with the socket and power up your phone during the repair. A little precaution goes a long way!
Tools Used
Step 21
- Gently use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to lift the big lower display connector straight up and unplug it from its socket.
- When putting connectors like this back, press down on one side until you hear a click, then do the same on the other side. Avoid pressing the middle—if it’s even a bit off, the connector might bend and get permanently damaged.
Tools Used
Step 22
- Unplug the second lower display cable connector, which is right behind the one you just disconnected. You're doing great!
Step 23
- Take out the two tri-point Y000 screws holding down the bracket covering the front panel sensor assembly connector:
- One screw is 1.0 mm
- The other is 1.2 mm
Step 24
- Take off the bracket that's hanging out over the front panel sensor assembly connector—no need for drama, just a smooth move.
Step 25
- Gently pry open the front panel sensor assembly connector using the tip of a spudger or your fingernail, and disconnect it from its socket with care.
Tools Used
Step 26
- Carefully take out the display assembly.
- When you're putting everything back together, feel free to stop here if you'd like to swap out the adhesive around the edges of the display.
Step 27
- Let's kick things off by loosening up the three screws that are keeping that L-shaped bracket snug right by the Taptic Engine. Here’s what you’re looking for:
- One energizing 1.3 mm Y000 screw
- One charismatic 2.6 mm Phillips screw
- One reliable 3.5 mm Phillips screw
Step 28
- Take off the bracket and set it aside like a pro.
Step 29
This section of the flex cable is just a little stuck. If you find it tricky, a gentle blast of warmth from an iOpener or hair dryer can help loosen that adhesive. It’ll make it a breeze to separate (and stick it back down) the flex cable without a hitch.
- Grab an opening pick and carefully wiggle it underneath the antenna flex cable, gently lifting it away from the top of the speaker. A little patience goes a long way here!
Tools Used
Step 30
- Grab the pointy end of a spudger and gently pry up the antenna flex cable from the logic board to disconnect it.
Tools Used
Step 31
- Grab your trusty spudger and use the tip to carefully pry up and detach the other end of the antenna flex cable from its cozy little socket next to the Lightning Port. You've got this!
- Now, reconnecting this cable might feel like a little puzzle. Make it a breeze by using your tweezers to hold the flex cable steady as you line up the connector with its socket. Then, give it a gentle press down with the flat side of your spudger until you hear that satisfying click. Perfect!
Step 32
- Take out the Wi-Fi diversity antenna with care.
Step 33
- Unscrew the three Phillips screws holding the speaker in place. It’s not a screw party until all three are out!
- When you’re putting things back together, gently press the speaker down toward the bottom edge of your iPhone until those screw holes line up perfectly. Hold it steady while you pop the screws back in.
- Two screws are 1.4 mm—small but mighty.
- One screw is 2.4 mm—tall, dark, and slightly longer.
Step 34
- Give your shiny new replacement part a good look against the original part—you might need to move over some residual bits or peel off sticky stuff from the new part before it goes in.
- Put your device back together by doing everything we covered above in reverse. Easy peasy!
- Don’t let that e-waste go to waste! Take it to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
- If things didn’t quite go as planned, don’t sweat it! Swing by our Answers community for some troubleshooting tips or if you prefer, you can always schedule a repair.
