iPhone X Earpiece Speaker Replacement Without Losing Face ID
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 31 Steps
Get ready to tackle the earpiece speaker replacement without losing that awesome Face ID feature! The earpiece speaker is just two tiny solder points away from the front sensor array, making this repair a breeze. While you'll be doing a little soldering, it’s straightforward enough to keep your existing front sensor array intact and your Face ID functioning like a champ. Plus, you won’t even need to detach the front sensor array, which makes this process simpler than the full iPhone X Earpiece Speaker and Front Sensor Assembly Replacement guide. If you're feeling a bit stuck at any point, don’t hesitate to schedule a repair for some extra help!
Step 1
- Make sure your iPhone is powered off before you start taking it apart—trust me, your fingers will thank you.
- Next up: remove the two pentalobe screws (they’re 6.9 mm long!) from the bottom edge of your iPhone. Pentalobe, not pentagon—don’t let them fool you.
- If those screws are stripped or looking rough, swap them out for fresh ones and keep your repair smooth.
Before you dive in, make sure to drain your iPhone battery to below 25%. A fully charged lithium-ion battery can be a bit temperamental—if it gets punctured, it could start a fire or even explode. Safety first!
Opening up your iPhone's display means you're breaking those waterproof seals. Be sure to have some fresh seals ready before you go any further, or, if you're not replacing them, just be extra careful to avoid any water while putting your iPhone back together.
Step 2
Don't go too deep with that opening pick! If you do, you might end up hurting your device. Just mark your pick to keep things safe and sound.
Feel free to mark other corners of the pick with different measurements, too—just to be extra cautious.
Alternatively, stick a coin to your pick about 3mm from the tip using tape. Simple and effective!
- Grab your opening pick and measure about 3 mm from the tip. Mark it with a permanent marker so you can easily spot the spot to start your work.
Step 3
Pop on some safety glasses to keep those sneaky little glass shards from making a surprise visit to your eyes.
If your iPhone's screen is looking a bit like a spider web, no worries! Just slap some tape over that glass to keep things safe and sound while you tackle the repair. Safety first, right?
And if things get really tricky, a little superglue on that suction cup can work wonders to keep it in place. You're doing great, keep it up!
- Grab some clear packing tape and lay down overlapping strips over the iPhone's screen until the whole face is nicely covered. It’s like giving your phone a cozy blanket!
- If the suction cup is being a bit stubborn in the next few steps, no worries! Just fold a sturdy piece of tape (duct tape works wonders) into a handy little handle and lift the screen with that instead.
Step 4
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 this 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 the blue handle a gentle tug backward to let those Anti-Clamp arms loose and ready for action!
- Slide those arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone like a pro.
- Place the suction cups just above the bottom edge of your iPhone—one on the front, and one on the back—like they’re best buds!
- Squeeze the cups together to create a solid suction seal on the area you want to work on.
Step 5
- Give that blue handle a gentle tug forward to lock those arms in place.
- Now, twist that handle a full 360 degrees or until those suction cups start to stretch out a bit.
- Keep an eye on those suction cups to make sure they stay in sync with each other. If they start to wander off course, just loosen them a tad and realign the arms. You've got this!
Step 6
Turn no more than a quarter turn at a time, then take a breather for a minute. Let the Anti-Clamp and a little patience do the heavy lifting!
You can try using a hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate to warm things up—but be careful, too much heat might mess with the screen or battery.
If the Anti-Clamp isn’t opening up enough, give the area a bit more heat and twist the handle a quarter turn to loosen things up.
- Warm up that iOpener and slide it through the arms of the Anti-Clamp like a pro.
- Bend the iOpener so it rests on the bottom edge of the iPhone like it's lounging on a beach.
- Take a breather for a minute—this gives the adhesive a moment to chill and create a little opening gap.
- Gently slip an opening pick under the screen and the plastic bezel, but remember, no poking at the screen itself!
- Feel free to skip the next three steps—you've got this!
Tools Used
Step 7
Go easy with the hairdryer or heat gun—too much heat can turn your screen into a sad pancake.
Gently heat the lower edge of your iPhone to loosen up the adhesive holding the display in place. This will make it much easier to open up, no sweat!
- Grab your trusty hairdryer, heat gun, or an iOpener, and give the lower edge of your iPhone a warm hug for about a minute. This will help loosen up that pesky adhesive lurking underneath, making your repair journey a breeze!
Tools Used
Step 8
- If you're rolling solo with a suction handle, stick it on the bottom edge of your phone, just be careful to dodge that curved glass edge!
Tools Used
Step 9
The adhesive around the screen is seriously tough stuff—it takes some real muscle to get things moving. If the screen isn’t budging, hit it with a bit more heat and gently wiggle it up and down. Keep at it until you’ve got enough space to slide your tool in.
- Give that suction cup a good pull with steady, confident pressure to make a cozy little gap between the screen and the frame.
- Slide an opening pick into that gap under the screen's plastic bezel—just avoid poking the screen itself!
Step 10
Keep your pick insertion under 3 mm to avoid poking around where you shouldn’t and keep those delicate parts safe.
- Gently glide the opening pick around the lower left corner and up the left edge of the iPhone, cutting through the adhesive that keeps the display snug and secure.
Step 11
Heads up! There are some fragile cables hanging out along the right edge of your iPhone. Skip poking your pick in there or you might give those cables a bad day.
Step 12
Keep your pick insertion under 3 mm to avoid any unhappy display cables!
- Grab your pick and slide it along the bottom edge of your iPhone, then cruise up the right side to loosen up that stubborn adhesive. Keep it smooth and steady!
Step 13
Go easy on the clips—too much force and they might snap. Take your time, stay patient, and you'll do just fine.
Don't push your pick more than 3mm in, or you might accidentally damage the front panel sensor array. A little care goes a long way!
The top edge of the screen is held on tight with both sticky glue and some stubborn clips, so don't be surprised if it puts up a fight!
- Gently slide the opening pick around the top corner of the display, while giving a little tug or wiggle to the display in the direction of the Lightning port. You're doing great!
- Now, move that pick to the opposite corner and slice through any leftover adhesive that's holding the display in place. Almost there!
Step 14
- Give the little nub on the suction cup a gentle tug to pop it off the front panel.
Step 15
Hold up on fully lifting off the display—those delicate ribbon cables are still hanging on for dear life!
Make sure the frame tags along with the display and doesn't get left behind inside the phone, just like in the photo.
- Open your iPhone by gently swinging the display up from the left side, just like flipping open the cover of a book.
- Prop the display against a stable surface so it stays upright while you get to work on the phone.
- When putting it back together, set the display in place, line up the clips along the top edge, and press the top edge down first before snapping the rest of the display into position. If it’s being stubborn, double-check the clips around the edges to make sure none are bent or out of place.
Step 16
As you dive into this repair adventure, make sure to keep a close eye on each screw and put it back in its original home. This way, you’ll keep your iPhone safe and sound, and avoid any mishaps along the way!
- Time to tackle those Y000 screws holding the logic board connector bracket in place! You’ll need to unscrew five of them, each with its own special length:
- Three screws that are 1.1 mm long
- One screw that's 3.1 mm
- One more that's 3.7 mm
Step 17
The bracket might be holding on for dear life with a bit of sticky stuff. Just lift it up gently but with enough oomph to break free.
- Take off the bracket.
- Now's a great time to power on your iPhone and check that everything is working like a charm before you seal up the display. Just remember to turn your iPhone off completely before diving back into your repairs!
Step 18
Be gentle with the black silicone seal around this and other board connections. These little guys are the device’s personal bodyguards, keeping water and dust out!
- Gently use the tip of a spudger or your clean fingernail to lift the battery connector up from its cozy home on the logic board.
- Now, give that connector a little nudge away from the logic board. This will help ensure it doesn’t accidentally touch the socket and power up your phone while you’re in the zone fixing things.
Tools Used
Step 19
- Gently use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to unplug the front panel sensor assembly connector.
Tools Used
Step 20
- Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to gently unplug the OLED panel cable connector.
- When reconnecting press-fit connectors like this one, line up one side carefully and press down until you hear a click, then do the same on the other side. Avoid pressing the middle to prevent bending pins, which can cause permanent damage.
Tools Used
Step 21
- Gently use the pointy end of a spudger to lift the digitizer cable connector out of its socket.
- Since this connector sits snugly in a recessed spot, reconnecting it can be a bit of a ninja move. Take a breath, line it up carefully, then press it down softly with your fingertip—start with one side, then the other. You'll know it’s in place when you feel a satisfying click.
- If your screen isn’t responding to touch after the repair, try disconnecting the battery and then reseating this connector. Make sure it clicks fully into position and that there’s no dust or debris blocking the connection.
Tools Used
Step 22
The front panel sensor assembly flex cable is gently stuck in place.
- Gently lift the cable just enough to break the sticky seal—no need to yank!
Step 23
- Take off the display assembly. It’s like peeling a sticker off your favorite notebook—carefully, but satisfying!
- When putting everything back together, take a moment here if you want to swap out that waterproof adhesive around the display edges. It's a nice touch to make sure everything stays sealed tight.
Step 24
- Unscrew the tiny 1.2 mm Y000 screw chilling on the back of the display assembly, right next to the infrared camera port.
Step 25
- Right under the screw you just took out, there’s a little metal grounding clip waiting for you. If it didn’t pop out with the screw, just grab it and remove it now.
- When putting things back together, line up the clip the way you see it here. Hold it in place while you screw it back in nice and tight.
Step 26
- Take out two more Y000 screws that are holding the speaker and sensor assembly in place:
- One is 1.6 mm long
- The other is 1.3 mm long
Step 27
The speaker is connected by a super slim flex cable. Handle it gently to avoid any strain or damage, and keep the good vibes flowing!
The earpiece speaker is just hanging out, lightly stuck in place.
- Carefully slide your spudger under the top edge of the speaker assembly, then flip it down and away from the display like you’re giving it a little wave.
Tools Used
Step 28
- Peel off that tape covering the solder points—think of it as unwrapping a little gift. Onward!
Step 29
- Dab a little flux on those two solder points.
Step 30
- Grab those tweezers and hold the flex cable steady. Warm up the first solder pad just until the solder melts, then quickly move the iron away and lift the flex cable so it doesn’t stick back down as things cool off.
- Do the same for the second solder pad. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 31
- The earpiece speaker has been taken out.
