iPhone XS Lower Speaker Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 32 Steps
The iPhone XS is all about that stereo sound, blending the primary loudspeaker and earpiece speaker for a delightful audio experience. This guide focuses on swapping out the primary loudspeaker at the bottom of your phone. If you're dealing with sound issues—like a complete loss of sound, lackluster audio quality, or that annoying distortion—replacing this speaker could be the magic fix you need. Let's get your tunes back on track!
Step 1
Before you get started, let your iPhone battery drop below 25%. Poking a charged lithium-ion battery is a risky move—it could catch fire or even explode.
Cracking open your iPhone’s display is going to give those waterproof seals a run for their money. If you've got new seals handy, great—pop them in when you're done. If not, just steer clear of any splash zones after reassembly.
- Shut down your iPhone before you start cracking it open—let’s keep things chill.
- Take out the two pentalobe screws (they’re 6.9 mm long) hanging out at the bottom edge of your iPhone.
Step 2
Pushing your opening pick too far can lead to some unintentional damage to your device. To avoid this, mark your pick to keep things safe and smooth.
Feel free to mark the other corners of your pick with different measurements for extra precision.
Another handy trick: tape a coin 3mm from the tip of your pick to act as a nice, gentle stop.
- 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
Pop on some safety glasses to keep your eyes safe from any sneaky glass bits that might go flying during the repair.
Got a cracked iPhone screen? Wrap some tape over the glass to keep those pesky shards in check and avoid any accidental ouchies while you work.
If the suction cup just won’t stick, try a little superglue magic to get it firmly attached to the screen.
- Cover the iPhone's screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape until the entire front is protected.
- If the suction cup isn't sticking in the upcoming 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.
Step 4
The next three steps walk you through using the Anti-Clamp, a handy tool we created to make opening your device a breeze. If you don’t have the Anti-Clamp, just skip ahead three steps for another way to get the job done.
For full details on working with 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.
- 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—one on the front and one on the back.
- Press the cups together to create suction and get a good grip on the area.
Step 5
- Give the blue handle a little push forward to lock the arms in place.
- Twist the handle a full 360 degrees or until you see the suction cups stretching out.
- Check that the suction cups are still in line with each other. If they’re starting to slip, just loosen them a tad and give the arms a quick realign.
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!
If you’ve got a hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate lying around, these can help. Just be careful! Too much heat could mess with the display or the internal battery, so use a little extra caution here.
Not enough gap from the Anti-Clamp? No problem! Just heat up the spot again and give the handle a little twist—about a quarter turn—and you should see some progress.
- Warm up that iOpener and slide it through the arms of the Anti-Clamp.
- Now, fold the iOpener and let it rest along the bottom edge of the iPhone.
- Take a breather and wait for a minute to give that adhesive some time to loosen up and create a nice little gap.
- Gently slide an opening pick into that gap between the screen and the plastic bezel, but not on the screen itself.
- You can skip the next three steps.
Tools Used
Step 7
Warming up the bottom edge of your iPhone gives that stubborn adhesive a little nudge, making it way easier to pop the display open.
- Grab a hairdryer, heat gun, or whip up an iOpener! Aim it at the bottom edge of your iPhone for about a minute to get that adhesive nice and cozy for removal.
Tools Used
Step 8
- When you're ready to get started with your phone, grab that single suction handle and stick it on the bottom edge. Just be sure to steer clear of the curved glass part—let's keep things smooth and safe!
Tools Used
Step 9
The adhesive sealing the display is super strong, so popping open that first little gap takes some serious muscle. If you’re struggling to get it started, try heating it up a bit more, then gently rock the screen up and down to loosen the glue until you can slip your tool in easily.
- Gently tug on the suction cup with steady, even pressure to open up a little space between the front panel and the back case.
- Slide an opening pick into that newly created gap beneath the screen and the plastic bezel, making sure to avoid the screen itself.
Step 10
Be careful not to push your pick more than 3 mm in – you don’t want to accidentally nick anything important inside!
- Gently glide the opening pick around the lower left corner and up the left edge of the iPhone, cutting through the sticky adhesive that's keeping the display snug and secure.
Step 11
Heads up! There are some fragile cables running along the right edge of your iPhone. Avoid sliding your pick in there or you might accidentally mess up those tiny connectors.
Step 12
Keep your pick insertion to under 3 mm to avoid any oopsies with the display cables.
- Gently slide your pick into the bottom edge of the iPhone, then glide it up the right side to keep separating that sticky adhesive. Easy does it!
Step 13
Those little clips are delicate—they're not fans of brute strength. Take your time, go easy, and keep it chill.
Keep your pick shallow (no deeper than 3 mm), or you risk poking the front panel sensor array where it hurts.
The top part of the screen is held in place with a combo of sticky glue and sneaky little clips.
- Gently slide the opening pick around the top corner of the display, while gently pulling or wiggling the display down towards the Lightning port. Go ahead, make it smooth!
- Now, move the pick to the other corner and cut through any remaining adhesive keeping the display in place. Almost there!
Step 14
- Gently pull the tiny nub on the suction cup to pop it off the front panel.
Step 15
Hold off on fully separating the display just yet! There are still a few delicate ribbon cables connecting it to the logic board, so take it slow and steady.
- Open the iPhone by gently swinging the display up from the left side, just like flipping open the back cover of a book.
- Prop the display up against something sturdy to keep it steady while you work on the phone.
- When putting it back together, position the display, line up the clips along the top edge, and press that top edge down carefully before snapping the rest of the display into place. If it doesn’t snap in easily, double-check the clips around the edges to make sure none are bent or out of place.
Step 16
- Time to unscrew five little guys holding the logic board connector bracket in place. Here’s the lineup of screw lengths you’ll be dealing with:
- As you tackle this repair, keep an eye on those screws! Make sure each one goes back to its original spot to keep your iPhone in tip-top shape.
- Three tiny 1.0 mm Y000 screws
- One slightly bigger 1.3 mm Y000 screw
- And one 3.7 mm Phillips screw to round it all out
Step 17
The bracket might be sticking just a little. Give it a gentle but firm nudge to pop it loose.
- Take off the bracket—give it a gentle wiggle if it’s feeling stubborn.
- When you're putting things back together, this is your moment to fire up your iPhone and make sure everything’s working before you seal the screen. Just remember to shut it down completely before you dive back in.
Step 18
Be careful not to mess up the black silicone seal around the board connections. This little guy helps keep out water and dust, giving your device some extra protection. Handle it with care and it'll handle the elements for you.
- Grab a spudger or use a clean fingernail to gently lift the battery connector off its socket on the logic board.
- Carefully bend the connector away from the logic board just enough to keep it from touching the socket and accidentally powering up the phone while you work your magic.
Tools Used
Step 19
- Gently pop up the front panel sensor assembly connector using a spudger or your trusty fingernail—think of it as giving your device a little nudge to wake up!
Tools Used
Step 20
- Pop that OLED panel cable connector loose using a spudger or just your fingernail—no special moves required.
- When you're ready to reconnect, line up the press connector with care. Press down one edge 'til it clicks, then do the same on the other side. Skip pressing the middle! Misalignment can bend the pins, and nobody wants that kind of drama.
Tools Used
Step 21
- Pop up that digitizer cable connector using a spudger or your fingernail—think of it like opening a stubborn pickle jar, just with more precision.
- Getting this connector back in place can be a little fiddly because of where it sits. Line it up patiently, then press down gently with your finger—side to side—until you feel that satisfying click.
- If your screen’s touch is acting up after the swap, unplug the battery, then reconnect this cable. Make sure it’s clicked in all the way and there’s no dust hanging out in the socket.
Tools Used
Step 22
The front panel sensor assembly flex cable is gently stuck down, so take your time when lifting it up.
- Gently lift the cable and watch the sticky stuff let go.
Step 23
- Carefully detach the display assembly from the device. It's like giving your gadget a little spa treatment!
- When you're putting everything back together, take a moment here if you'd like to swap out that waterproof adhesive around the display's edges. It's a smart move to keep things sealed up!
Step 24
- Let's start by taking out the five screws holding down the two brackets located beneath the Taptic Engine and main speaker:
- One 1.0 mm tri-point Y000 screw
- Two 1.3 mm Phillips screws
- One 1.7 mm Phillips screw
- One 1.8 mm Phillips screw
Step 25
The brackets are just holding on lightly, so a little nudge should do the trick.
- Carefully lift each bracket to peel it off, but keep those brackets nice and flat—no bending allowed!
- Stubborn adhesive? Hit it with a little warmth from a hair dryer or heat gun to loosen things up. (Skip the iOpener here—it could mess with the spring contacts up top.)
Tools Used
Step 26
- Unscrew the 1.9 mm Phillips screw that’s holding the speaker connector cover in place.
Step 27
- Pop off the cover that hides the speaker connector. Let's get to the good stuff!
Step 28
- Grab your spudger and gently pop up the speaker connector—just give it a little nudge!
Tools Used
Step 29
Go easy when popping out the speaker—don’t let that flex cable you just disconnected get caught in the crossfire. If it's in the way, just nudge it gently toward the battery so the speaker slides out smoothly.
- Slide a spudger under the top edge of the speaker, close to where the iPhone's case ends.
- Carefully pry up and lift the speaker's top edge just a bit—easy does it!
- When putting the speaker back in place, double-check the flex cable’s position so it doesn’t get stuck underneath.
Tools Used
Step 30
A little heat can help loosen up that stubborn adhesive and make the bumper strip pop right off with less hassle.
- When lifting the speaker, grab your tweezers and carefully peel back the plastic bumper strip from the top edge. Easy does it, we want to avoid any damage here!
Tools Used
Step 31
- Gently grip the speaker by its side edges and give it a little wiggle from side to side to loosen up that pesky adhesive sticking it to the bottom edge of the iPhone.
- Now, pull the speaker away from the bottom edge of the iPhone until you feel that adhesive gasket give and separate. You're doing great!
Step 32
- Give your new replacement part a quick comparison to the original—you might need to move over a few components or peel off the adhesive backing before you pop it into place.
- To get everything back together, simply retrace your steps from earlier, but in reverse.
- Got e-waste? Don’t let it sit around—take it to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler and let them handle it responsibly.
- Something didn’t quite go according to plan? No worries! Head over to ourAnswers community for troubleshooting tips, or if you’d rather leave it to the pros, schedule a repair!
