iPhone SE 2022 Wi-Fi Diversity Antenna Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 29 Steps
Follow this fun and breezy guide to swap out the Wi-Fi Diversity Antenna in your iPhone SE 2022. We’re focusing on the A2783 (international) model here. Just a quick heads-up: this guide suggests fully removing the display assembly, and trust us, it makes life way easier and keeps those delicate display cables safe from harm! If you've got the confidence to tackle the Wi-Fi Antenna with the display cables still connected, feel free to skip the disconnecting steps. Just remember, if you don't replace those adhesive seals during reassembly, your device will still work, but you might kiss that water protection goodbye. So, make sure to grab some replacement adhesive to stick everything back together nicely!
Step 1
- First things first, let's make sure your phone takes a little nap before we dive in – power it off!
- Next up, grab your trusty P2 pentalobe screwdriver and let’s pop off those two tiny 3.4 mm screws chilling on the bottom edge of your iPhone.
Step 2
If you push the opening pick in too deep, it might hurt your device—so let's avoid that! Mark your pick to keep it safe and sound.
Feel free to mark the other edges of your pick with different lengths for handy reference.
Another trick: tape a coin to your pick about 3 mm from the tip to act as a depth stop.
- Grab your opening pick and measure about 3 mm from the tip. Use a permanent marker to make a clear, visible mark. Now you're ready to get the job done with precision!
Step 3
Put on those safety glasses to keep your peepers safe from any sneaky glass shards that might pop out during the repair!
If your iPhone screen is cracked, don’t panic—just keep the glass in check with some tape to prevent it from shattering further and keep yourself safe while you’re at it.
If nothing else works, a little superglue on the suction cup should help it stick to the screen.
- Cover the entire iPhone screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape like a pro, making sure no area is left uncovered.
- If that suction cup just won’t stick in the next steps, no worries! Grab a strong piece of tape—duct tape works great—fold it into a sturdy little handle, and use that to gently lift the screen instead.
Step 4
The next three steps will show you how to use the nifty Anti-Clamp, our special tool designed to make opening your device a breeze. Not using the Anti-Clamp? No worries! Just skip down three steps for a different approach.
For a complete rundown on how to rock the Anti-Clamp, check out this guide.
If your iPhone's surface feels a bit too slick for the Anti-Clamp to grip, just grab some tape to give it a bit more texture. Easy peasy!
- Pull the blue handle back to release the Anti-Clamp's arms.
- Slide the arms onto either the left or right side of your iPhone.
- Place the suction cups near the bottom edge of the iPhone just above the home button—one on the front and one on the back.
- Press the cups together to create suction on the spot you want.
Step 5
- Give that blue handle a little nudge forward to lock those arms in place.
- Turn the handle 360 degrees clockwise, or keep twisting until those suction cups start stretching.
- Make sure the suction cups stay nice and aligned. If they start to slip, just loosen them a bit and get everything back on track.
Step 6
Take it easy and don't go turning more than a quarter of a twist at a time! Give it a minute between each turn and let the Anti-Clamp and a little patience do their magic.
Feel free to use a hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate to give the area a little warmth—but keep in mind, too much heat might mess with your display or battery, so take it easy!
If the Anti-Clamp isn't giving you enough space, try applying more heat and give the handle a quick quarter turn to help things along.
- Warm up that iOpener and slide it right through the arms of the Anti-Clamp.
- Now, fold the iOpener so it snuggles up against the bottom edge of your iPhone.
- Give it a minute to let the adhesive loosen up and create a little gap for you.
- Carefully slide an opening pick under the plastic bezel of the screen, steering clear of the screen itself.
- Go ahead and skip the next two steps.
Step 7
If you're rocking a suction handle, just follow these next couple of steps to get that rear glass nice and loose!
A hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate can do the trick too, but watch out for overheating—both the display and the internal battery are super sensitive to heat. Keep it cool!
- Grab your trusty iOpener and give it a warm hug on the screen for a good two minutes. This will help loosen up that sticky adhesive hiding underneath, making your repair adventure smoother!
Tools Used
Step 8
If the gap isn't budging, try warming up the bottom half of the screen a bit more to loosen that adhesive. Just remember to follow the iOpener instructions carefully so you don’t overdo the heat!
- Grab a suction handle and stick it to the lower half of the front panel, getting as close to the home button as you can.
- Gently pull on the suction handle to lift the front panel, creating a little gap between it and the frame.
- Slide an opening pick into that gap beneath the screen's plastic bezel.
Tools Used
Step 9
- Gently slide the opening pick down to the bottom right corner to cut through the front panel adhesive.
- Pop in a second opening pick along the bottom edge of your phone.
- Now, slide that pick over to the bottom left corner to slice through the remaining adhesive.
- Keep those picks in place to stop the adhesive from snapping back together.
Step 10
Heads up! Don’t force the top edge of the display away from the rear case—those sneaky plastic clips are holding tight and can snap if you’re too rough.
If the adhesive is giving you a hard time and feels tough to cut, it’s probably had a little too much chill time. Grab your iOpener and give it a cozy two to three minutes of warmth to wake it back up.
- Gently slide the bottom left opening pick up along the left side of your phone to carefully cut through the adhesive.
- Pause once you reach the top left corner of the display.
Tools Used
Step 11
Keep your pick to a maximum of 3 mm! Going deeper might put some internal components at risk. Let's keep everything safe and sound!
- Gently slide the bottom right opening pick up along the right side of your phone to carefully cut through the adhesive.
- Pause when you reach the top right corner of the display.
Step 12
Keep that display angle chill—no more than 15º! Going beyond that could put some serious strain on those ribbon cables that connect your display. Let's keep everything in one piece, shall we?
- First up, let's get those opening picks out of the way.
- Now, give that suction handle a gentle tug to lift the bottom edge of the display. You've got this!
- Time to say goodbye to the suction handle. You're doing great!
Tools Used
Step 13
- Gently slip an opening pick under the top left corner of the display, like you're giving it a little nudge.
- Continue sliding the opening pick around the top left corner and along the top edge of the phone to neatly slice through the remaining adhesive. Keep it steady and smooth!
Step 14
- Gently slide the display assembly down toward the charging port to pop loose the clips that keep it attached to the rear case.
Step 15
Hold your horses! Don't fully detach the display from the phone assembly just yet, as there are some delicate ribbon cables still tethering it to the logic board.
- Gently lift the display up from the left side, just like opening a book to reveal its pages. You're cruising into the heart of your phone!
- Prop that display against something sturdy to keep it nice and steady while you work your magic on the phone.
Step 16
- Take out the four Phillips screws holding down the lower display cable bracket:
- Keep an eye on your screws throughout this process—each one needs to go back exactly where it came from. Mixing them up can cause some serious trouble later on.
- Two screws are 1.2 mm long
- Two screws are 2.8 mm long
Step 17
- Grab your tweezers and gently lift off the lower display cable bracket with care.
Tools Used
Step 18
- Grab your trusty spudger and use its sharp end to gently lift the battery connector straight up from its socket. You've got this!
Tools Used
Step 19
The display and digitizer cables are like best friends who just can't help but sit on top of each other. To keep them safe and sound, always unplug the upper cable first—it's like giving it a gentle nudge to say goodbye! And remember, never try to disconnect both at once; that's just asking for trouble.
- Grab the pointy end of a spudger and gently pry the bottom two display cables straight up from their sockets to disconnect them.
- When reconnecting these press-fit connectors, press down on one side until you hear a click, then do the same on the other side. Avoid pressing in the middle—if the connector isn’t perfectly aligned, it can bend and cause permanent damage.
Tools Used
Step 20
- Grab a Phillips screwdriver and take out the three screws that are holding the front sensor assembly bracket in place. Each screw is 1.2 mm long, so keep an eye on those tiny guys!
Step 21
- Grab a pair of tweezers and gently lift out the front sensor assembly bracket. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 22
- Grab the pointy end of your spudger and gently pop the front sensor assembly connector straight up out of its socket. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 23
- Gently detach the display assembly with care.
Step 24
- Start by loosening the three screws that are holding the Lighting connector bracket in place:
- One 1.2 mm-long Y000 screw (tiny, but mighty)
- One 2.7 mm-long Phillips screw (just the right size)
- One 2.9 mm-long Phillips screw (not too big, not too small, just right)
Step 25
- Grab a pair of tweezers and carefully lift out the Lightning connector bracket. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 26
This part of the flex cable is taking a little nap with the speaker. If you’re having a hard time coaxing it apart, just give it a gentle warm-up with an iOpener or a hair dryer to melt that adhesive a bit. It’ll make separating the flex cable a breeze and keep everything safe and sound.
- Gently slide an opening pick between the antenna flex cable and the top edge of the speaker to carefully separate them.
Tools Used
Step 27
The connector socket is nestled snugly between the speaker and the Taptic Engine, making it a bit of a challenge to disconnect that cable. To simplify the process, grab an opening pick and use it to gently hold down the connector socket while you work your magic.
- Grab the pointy end of your spudger and give the Wi-Fi diversity antenna connector a gentle upward nudge to pop it out of its socket.
- Getting this cable back in place can be a bit of a balancing act. Try holding the flex cable steady with tweezers, line up the connector with the socket, and then press straight down with the flat side of your spudger until you hear that satisfying click.
Step 28
- Grab the pointed end of your spudger, and gently pop the Wi-Fi diversity antenna connector straight up from its socket on the logic board. It’s like unplugging your device’s little radio—easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 29
- Fire up your device and make sure everything’s working before you stick it all back together.
- Double-check your new part against the old one—sometimes you’ll need to peel off protective stickers or move little bits over.
- To put your device back together, just follow these steps backwards.
- Got broken bits you’re not using? Drop them off at an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
- If things didn’t quite go as planned, try some basic troubleshooting, or get a hand from our Answers community.
- Still stuck? You can always schedule a repair with Salvation Repair.
