Google Pixel 3 Motherboard Replacement

Written By: Arthur Shi

Comments: 102

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

Time Required

50 minutes - 2 hours

Introduction

This repair guide was authored by the iFixit staff and hasn’t been endorsed by Google. Learn more about our repair guides here.

Follow this guide to remove and replace the motherboard for the Pixel 3. The procedure involves removing many small grounding clips, which are easy to lose.

Note that removing the loudspeaker will compromise its ingress seal.

Tools

Parts

Precut Adhesive Card

Step 1

Heat an iOpener and apply it to the bottom of the phone for one minute.

Older devices may require 2 or more minutes with a very hot iOpener. Also note, the photo shows the opener on the FRONT of the phone. The heat needs to be applied to the back of the device!

Rick Johnson - 03/12/20

I just realized that I was trying to pry apart the front of my Pixel 3… and have separated the class from the display. ??‍♂️ Even though the rest of the directions show the back, it would be nice for the first picture to also show the back, just to be safe.

JR Raith - 25/02/21

Agreed, I’ve done exactly the same and completely broken my display. I probably should’ve paid more attention to the initial steps before diving in but the step could do with a new picture for sure.

Daniel Fryer - 03/03/21

Thanks for the comments! I’ll add a note in the step warning people to make sure to pry the back cover, not the screen.

Arthur Shi - 03/03/21

I prefer my favorite opening method with something like this. Dental floss. So thin it can slide in the gap. A little sawing to get it far enough past the edge to lift and get the first pick in.

John Hoffstetter -

I found another wonderful tool. I used something like medicine packaging which is aluminum foil with plastic. It’s thin and strong enough!

Christie Lin -

I also went for the hairdryer, dental floss, and then the provided picks and this worked. Not easy to get that initial seal broken but once that's done the rest is pretty easy.

James -

I needed 20 nerve wracking minutes with a hairdryer

Amy schneider -

My battery had bulged and opened the case for me!

Warmed it up a bit with hairdryer

Floss helped also.

David Lincer -

Step 2

Apply a suction cup to the heated bottom edge of the back cover.
Make sure you did not mistake the screen side for the back cover side.
If your back cover is badly cracked, covering it with a layer of clear packing tape may allow the suction cup to adhere.
Lift on the suction cup with strong, steady force to create a gap.
Depending on how aged your phone is, this may take significant force. If you are having trouble, apply more heat and try again.
Insert an opening pick into the gap.
Don't use metal tools to pry, or you'll mar or shatter the glass back cover. If the panel won't budge, apply more heat, either with a hair dryer or heat gun.

The initial opening/insert is the hardest part of this repair, and if you end up having to use a flat-head screwdriver (etc) to get the first gap opened, you’ll scratch the phone. But it works.

William Kew - 21/06/20

I don’t recommend using a screwdriver. I tried this and it shattered the glass in that area. I replaced the battery on my Pixel 1 recently and noted that heating the FRONT glass on that phone enough to get a gap for one of the pics takes a considerable amount of time AND patience. I was one of the few who didn’t break or otherwise damage the glass in that process. I would say the same rule applies here. Allow for significant time and patiences to heat the old adhesive enough to get a pick inside the cover.

kevlion88 - 24/06/20

Definitely, this opening/insert is the hardest part of the procedure. I was unable to open even a slight separation with a suction cup and even with tons of heat from a hair dryer. What worked really well, and what I would highly recommend to others who experience really strong adhesive, is to use a small X-acto knife with a #16 blade. Make sure it’s a #16 (find on Amazon) because it differs greatly in angle and rigidity from the usual #11 blade. The sharpness of the blade makes it really easy to find the crack and open a gap, where you can then insert a pick with no problem.

Andris Vizulis - 25/07/20

I used a typical razor blade (like Matt and Rick and Greg) pressing the whole of the blade against the edge (blade parallel and flush against the back cover). The razor slipped under enough that I could get a pick in. (No damage, but when I first tried the corner of the razor, a small cut was immediately evident. Only use the whole blade.) Then, I used blue picks exclusively.

I'm very curious about the dental floss method. I'll try that if I need to get back inside.

pandam3ch4 -

I gave up with the iOpener and pick, I tried >5 times for over an hour… After heating with theiOpener, I used and X-acto knife instead and that worked like a charm, except it did leave a few scuff marks unfortunatly. I used a size 22 blade.

Manny - 30/07/20

I really wanted to level off the back of the phone when pulling on the suction cup in this step, but found it was actually pretty easy once I used the opening tool to push down on the edge of the bezel, at the crack, barely putting any force on the back of the phone at all (just to keep it steady).

Eugene Creswick - 01/08/20

I have about a 2 year old Pixel 3. iOpener didn’t work at all on this step, but once I broke out the hair dryer, I was able to get the phone hot enough to insert the pick (no screwdriver or xacto knife needed)

sliverdragon37 - 21/08/20

I’m having trouble with the iOpener too. It is frustrating because I practiced on a bricked iPhone earlier this week and it was effortless. My Pixel 3 is also about 2 years old. Out of curiosity, were you replacing the charging assembly because of the charging cables fitting too loosely on the phone or for some other reason?

Edwin - 23/08/20

I used a stanley knive to get started and then a combo of opener and plektrums.

All went well till I used to much force on the camera corner and broke the back into lots of small pieces. Be careful on that corner, people.

But the new camera does focus, so for a first attempt at fixing a phone I am happy.

clas ebeling - 31/08/20

I heated the bottom up with the Iopener and then used a rectangular razor blade and the suction cup to lift the bottom. Place the entire blade edge into the crack and push/pry while lifting with the suction cup. As soon as you have a gap start to open, have a second person insert a pick into the corner. It was actually really easy. I had given up after a couple of tries without a blade. My Pixel 3 is 2 years old.

Jeremy Stewart - 25/09/20

Agreed with many other comments here. My Pixel 3 is two years old and neither the iopener nor a blow dryer were capable of loosening it enough. I ended up using a VERY hot iopener for a couple of minutes, the suction cup, and then a wide-bladed razer blade (about 80% width of bottom edge to spread out the stress and prevent risk of fracturing the rear glass panel). Once adding the razer blade I was able to get the pick in and follow the rest of the instructions as written.

Matt Johnson - 11/11/20

I also had to follow this process but resorted to a heat gun on its lowest setting as I couldn’t get the iOpener hot enough (I was afraid of overheating and bursting it). Other how-to videos also show using a thin piece of plastic or metal to slide into the corner, saving substantial time.

Rick Johnson - 03/12/20

So I didn’t use a blade, but I did get my fingernail in before the plectrum haha. Happened by accident as I was trying to push down on the bezel to counter the suction cup force.

I also heated the sides and corners as well as the bottom, which may have helped it budge.

Dmitriy - 14/01/21

Helped me to notice that the focus here is to lift in the center (like right over the USB C connector). Was able to get it with just the iOpener and pushing down on the rest of the phone with the pry tool. My phone is over 2 years old though and it took about 50 minutes of working / reheating / repeating

Tim Noack - 01/02/21

Destroyed the glass back trying to take it off. This is not an easy phone to take apart.

Andrew Richie - 19/02/21

It would be nice if there was a heads up that the rear of the phone is glass….. Phone piping hot glass shattered and splintered

John Gates - 16/05/21

Hi John!

Good suggestion! I'll add that into the step.

Arthur Shi -

The Jimmy tool from the iFixit toolkit worked like a freakin’ charm. Took me 10 mins to open the phone and it came out unscathed.

adrianpauly -

I used dental floss to cut the adhesive and slide it open. Just wiggle it back and forth from the corners until you cut enough that you can switch to a pick. Helps to have a extra hand to hold the phone.

Javier Sullivan -

Brother, dental floss was an absolute godsend!!! After 4 hours with the IOpener and attempting to use a heat gun which I balked from out of fear I came across this comment. Teased it around a corner and was then able to saw away at the adhesive. A lot of patience but no heat or potentially damaging tools needed. Thanks!

Elijah Wilcox -

With the floss, I wasn't getting enough "sawing" motion as it just slipped through my fingers too easily (my phone is about 4-5 years old I think, I bought it used). So I tied a few knots around a pen (the kind with a gripper, so the floss won't slide off) and it was a lifesaver. After about 3 hours trying other ways, the floss/pen saw got it open enough to stick the picks in and eventually open it up!! Thank you to everyone who commented these tips!!

Rachel DeGouff -

I have a 2-3 year old phone. The “heating pad” and blue picks did not work. I tried for two hours. Two weeks later I tried again using a hair dryer on high heat and low fan, and a rectangular utility razor blade. Start at the bottom of the phone, heat, and insert the razor blade into the gap and use it to cut the adhesive back a little at a time. Do not insert it more than about a 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. Once you start getting a separation, use the blue picks to hold it open. Go up both sides an inch or two on both sides at a time. Do not pry the back open more than an 1/8 of an inch or so until you get it separated all the way around. Be patient. Work slowly. This took about 30 minutes once I got the hang of it. Do NOT pull the cover away from the phone after you separate it all the way around!! Read the instructions several times. There is a cable to the finger print sensor attached to the cover!

Re-read these entire set of instructions and ALL of the comments TWICE before you start.

Greg B -

I used and iOpener and the iFixit tool (the one with the metal spatula). Ended up inserting about 10 picks, but it worked.

Kevin Dick -

I couldn’t get the pick in so I tried the sharper pry tool. Got it in and slid it sideways towards the corner —- BLAM, the back shattered. Not a good home repair experience.

Roy Feague -

Similar experience with others, iOpener would not heat up the phone enough to separate the adhesive. Had to use a hair dryer to finally insert the blue pick. After sliding the pick past the corner, the back glass scattered… Time to get a new phone and give up on this battery replacement i guess.

John Wu -

On a 3 years old Pixel 3 phone, after unsuccessfully trying iOpener and the suction cup, I used a piece of dental floss, and it worked perfectly.

To make the process easier - tie little loops on both ends of the floss, put a finger or a screwdriver through the loop to help pulling the floss. Pull it through to one side and then to another, continue until you’re 1/2 inch in. At this point it should be possible to insert a pick

Sergey Kiselev - 16/03/22

This was the hardest step. I could not get the pick in at all. I tried dental floss and it slid in no problem. I eventually stuck the very tip of a razor blade in which allowed me to slide in a pick. Also be very careful when sliding the picks around as my wife broke the back glass of her phone, try to keep pressure as even as possible without bending the glass much.

Adam Simmons -

I like the dental floss idea. I set edges of the phone-back and also the blunt metal tool on an electric cooktop on low heat, and the adhesive softened enough to be workable. SAFETY TIP: the tool and phone were hot to touch, I wore cotton gloves throughout this task.

Student4Life -

Can confirm, with a 4-year-old Pixel 3, it was not possible to get the back cover off with any amount of force, heat, and the blue picks. I managed to get started by using single-edge box cutter razor blades and a hair dryer on high--got in just a bit under the left corner, then added a second blade along the bottom edge, and a third near the right corner, and that gave me enough space to get a blue pick in and start replacing the razors with blue picks one by one, and then proceeded as per the instructions. Dental floss is a neat idea; I wish I'd tried that--the razors didn't do any damage, but I was worried about the possibility.

Adiv Paradise -

Agreed; a 4cm section of utility knife was required along with heat/alcohol/patience to break the initial seal.

Managed to do it without cracking anything, but sweated through this step quite prolifically.

Mike -

3.5 year old phone. Just wanted to confirm that dental floss, combined with the iOpener, does the trick to get the first pick in.

I was able to slide the floss under the bottom right corner if you are looking at the phone. I alternated between sawing with the floss and applying heat with the iOpener. Eventually I was able to get a pick in that corner and was able to remove the rest of the adhesive by applying heat with the iOpener and sawing with additional picks around the perimeter of the phone.

Matt Dubois -

My Pixel 3 is 4 years old. I tried using the iOpener heat pad for 2 minutes. Didn't work. Then I tried using a heat gun on low for about 30 seconds. Didn't work. Then I used the heat gun on high for about a minute, then the suction pulled it off. I used the picks to peel the rest off. I thought about using the floss which would have work well. I also though about letting the phone sit in the car when it's hot outside. The key is to be patient and try not to use something besides the plastic tools. If I can do it then anyone can. Heat guns are very cheap and a good tool to have.

Alex Schultz -

After unsuccessfully trying all prying tools including metal ones - I finally hit the motherlode with the most inane thing possible-a stiff plastic collarbone-it has a slight angle at one end that gives it the required amount of rigidity and prying power.

Yes, a heat gun is an absolute must!

Jatinder Singh -

I've ordered the battery replacement kit, it will arrive next week. I keep my house cool in fall/winter, so I'm a bit concerned about how well I'll be able to heat the adhesive. I'm considering heating the whole phone in my convection oven's "warm" function. Its thermostat compares well with a meat thermometer, I might try my lab grade thermometer too.

I see "The phone is designed to work best in ambient temperatures between 32° and 95° F (0° and 35° C), and should be stored between ambient temperatures of -4° and 113° F (-20° and 45° C)." 113° F seems pretty low, perhaps that's when the adhesive begins to soften appreciably. I was considering starting at 120F. (And trying "toast" if it defeats me.)

Experience, suggestions, good luck wishes welcome.

reg -

Hi reg!

The temperatures you listed are operating temperatures—once the Pixel exceeds those temperatures, it will shut down and show a heat warning symbol. Ideally, you want to heat just the adhesive perimeter. The back cover should be slightly too hot to the touch—aim for about 80°C.

Arthur Shi -

3.5 year old phone. Thank the gods you guys recommended floss. I broke 2 nails trying the picks. Unfortunately I used extra slippy floss so I couldn't even tie it into loops to help. Even with the floss I couldn't saw my way through or get a pick in so I ended up just adding more and more floss (and more and more hairdryer) until I could get the pick in. After that it was just careful muscle.

Amy schneider -

Step 3

When inserting an opening pick above the power button, be careful not to insert the pick too deeply, or you will damage the fingerprint sensor cable.

Step 4

Slice the adhesive along the bottom edge of the phone and around the right corner.
Leave a pick in the bottom edge to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.

The back cover is glass! I was sure it was some kind of nice plastic. It's probably obvious to a lot of people, and it's very obvious in hindsight, after shattering it. But I'm writing this in case anyone else is oblivious to the last decade of smartphone design. I got impatient and flexed it out as I cut the glue. Don't do that. Carefully work your way around and avoid applying any significany bending forces to the cover.

Dharman Gersch -

Yup, shattered the back of my phone while trying to follow these instructions. You can’t flex the back cover much at all or it is toast.

Roy Feague -

Someone else had said to use floss to start the cutting I found this to be the most useful. After I heated the phone with a hairdryer I would cut some of the adhesive at the bottom corner after sawing away for a bit I was able to move it enough to fit one of these picks in then I slowly reheated around the edge as I slowly moved more picks and slowly cut away at the adhesive .

Braden D -

Didn't have guitar picks. I grabbed some plastic packaging from my recycle bin and cut it into a bunch of triangles to hold the gap open as I worked my way around.

Student4Life -

Step 5

Heat the right edge with an iOpener and continue slicing the adhesive with an opening pick.
The adhesive can be very gummy. Push the pick in and out in a sawing motion to help with slicing.

What is the required temperature to soften the glue? Can I just use a small bag filled with boiling water or a heat gun.

Wiley Sanders - 31/03/21

The iOpener is a plastic bag filled with what appears to be water so probably, yes.

Christopher St. John -

Step 6

Continue heating and slicing through the rest of the phone perimeter. Leave a pick in each edge to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
When slicing above the power button, do not insert the pick more than halfway in to avoid damaging the fingerprint sensor cable.

Step 7

Once you have sliced around the perimeter of the phone, carefully lift the left edge of the back cover.
Do not attempt to remove the back cover. It is still attached to the phone by the fingerprint sensor cable.
Flip the back cover along its long axis and rest it so that the fingerprint sensor cable is not strained.

Step 8

Remove the two 4.1 mm-long Phillips screws securing the fingerprint connector bracket.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.
During reassembly, be careful not to over-tighten these screws, or you may damage your display.

A magnetic screwdriver tip helped here.

Ciprian Chelba - 08/08/20

If you purchase iFixit’s kit for this replacement, their included driver is magnetic. Helped immensely!

Rick Johnson - 03/12/20

after replacing my camera, my screen had a big green/white vertical stripe. I didn’t see the disclaimer about overtightening these screws. I think it may be related.

Ethan Berry - 27/09/20

KEEP TRACK OF THE SCREWS - sketch a scale diagram of the open, inside of the phone on a piece of paper and mark the position of each screw as you remove it - lay the screws on your diagram to keep track of which screw goes where - they are NOT the same size.

Greg B -

Step 9

Use the point of a spudger to slide the fingerprint connector bracket out from under the NFC coil.
Remove the fingerprint connector bracket.

Re-inserting this is tricky and requires pretty good dexterity. The shiny metal frame of the wireless charger is also not held down, so you may wish to gently apply pressure to it as you try to re-position the connector bracket.

William Kew - 21/06/20

I could use a whole tutorial on how to reinstall this

Amy schneider -

Step 10

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the fingerprint connector from its socket.
When you disconnect connectors like these, be careful not to dislodge the small surface-mounted components surrounding the socket.
To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

Step 11

Remove the back cover.
Before you install a replacement back cover, be sure to remove all adhesive residue from the phone frame. Use an opening tool to scrape and high concentration isopropyl alcohol to clean the surface.
If you are re-using the back cover, be sure to clean off any adhesive, and apply new back cover adhesive.
If you are installing a replacement back cover, be sure to compare it with the original part. Transfer any remaining parts (such as the flash diffuser) over to your replacement part.
Follow this guide to correctly apply new back cover adhesive.

When reassembling is it better to first attach the new adhesive back gasket to the phone back or the phone chassis frame?

Tom Burke - 16/09/20

Hi Tom!

It depends on the adhesive. Carefully align the adhesive to the phone by matching the contours. Note which adhesive side is backed by a clear liner, and which side is backed by a colored liner. The clear liner should be removed first. Whichever component the exposed adhesive faces should be the first surface to apply to.

Hope that helps!

Arthur Shi - 17/09/20

Two things:

1) I recommend attaching the adhesive to the Phone frame and not the back panel. As you attach, you can more easily see the gaps and guide the adhesive along the groove, leaving equal space all around.

2) To transfer the fingerprint sensor, you will need double-sticky tape to make a new gasket. Put the tape on the back from the inside, and trim with a blade to make the sensor hole. To attach the sensor, place it on something small to raise it off your working surface, then lower the back over it. You’ll be able to see the sensor alignment as you lower the back, which helps get a good position.

Gary Beardsley - 09/10/20

Oh, and be prepared: Removing the old adhesive is teeeeedious!! It will take you some time. :-b Alcohol is not a strong solvent, so don’t expect it to remove much; it is mostly for cleaning afterward. In the end, I used one of iFixit’s flat metal tools from the big toolkit to remove the final remains. Its was blunt enough to not cut metal shavings as I cleaned.

Gary Beardsley - 09/10/20

I used “medicinal” 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and about 30 Qtips to do the final cleaning of the adhesive, that is, after using a razor blade and the supplied tweezers to remove most of the tape. Patience and many Qtips soaked in IPA removed most of the remaining glue and film.

Greg B -

I ended up reusing the original adhesive as it was in pretty good shape. So far, no problems.

Dan Comiskey - 13/11/20

Does your IF356-119-1, Google Pixel 3 Rear Cover Adhesive, template use 2 sided pressure sensitive tape? Do I simply align it on the back cover and then press it to the device to reassemble the unit? If so, how long til the back cover is “glued” to the unit?

Martin Seffens - 04/01/21

Hi Martin,

The rear cover adhesive is indeed two-sided PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive). Apply firm even pressure for a minute to bond the adhesive to the unit.

Arthur Shi - 04/01/21

When scraping the adhesive off the back cover be careful and don’t apply too much pressure (and/or position the cover against the surface so that it’s supported against the tool used), especially in the corners, or the glass cover rounded edges could break.

Bart Oleksiak - 23/02/21

Agree. BEWARE of SCRATCHING off the PAINT from the BACK COVER when cleaning !

The back cover is painted glass it seems - using a razor blade to scrape off adhesive also scratches off the paint on the inside of the back cover, under the adhesive, and the clear lines it creates are visible from the outside of the back case. If you are using a phone case, this won’t matter.

Greg B - 28/11/21

My battery swelled and did all the hard work getting started popping the back open so I didn’t need the iOpener to get the back off, but now the iOpener is handy to heat up the sticky foamy factory original adhesive.

I found isopropanol ineffective. I found heat softens it considerably. Just very warm, like hot water warm, is effective. Use tweezers or a plastic blade to help pull it off. Metal blades will either gouge the plastic or, worse, create metal shavings that will wreak havoc.

Are there any solvents other than isopropanol that work and won’t harm the plastic? How do pros speed up this step?

wsanders - 02/04/21

I think pros often use heating pads or special jigs. They’d set the temperature, set the phone on the pad, and let the phone heat up for a few minutes. Heat guns are also a popular choice.

Arthur Shi - 05/04/21

I found that an opening pick worked well to scrape the glue off the inside of the curved edges of the back cover

Richard Elder - 13/05/21

The adhesive on mine took some effort to clean off all the way. During reassembly I did notice that my replacement back panel adhesive was larger than I expected and based off of product photos it looks like I received the 3 XL adhesive instead of the 3. That ended up having me fiddle with the adhesive to try and get it to fit right and unfortunately the camera side now has a bit of a gap that I can still press down on without having it stick. I’ll see how it stays but I fear I might have to get another adhesive. The guide was very helpful though!

Craig Mileham -

Does the replacement back come with all the sticky bits I need to replace it, including the fingerprint sensor, led and camers cover?

wsanders -

I decided not to bother with new adhesive. The seal doesn't seem great but I tend not to drop my phone in toilets as often as other people.

James -

The actual back glass cover part is missing from the parts list and it appears iFixit doesn't sell it anymore.

It used to be there, and I ordered one months ago and used this guide successfully then. I broke it again and the part is no more.

Elijah Lynn - 05/09/22

Step 12

Remove the five Phillips screws securing the wireless charging coil:
Two 1.9 mm screws
Two 4.2 mm screws
One 4.3 mm screw

The top 1.9 mm screw can’t be totally removed — it comes out with the coil once loosened

Dmitriy - 14/01/21

Can I leave the wireless charging coil out?

This may also allow a bigger battery!

Jex Webster - 15/04/21

You may be able to! Note that this is not only the wireless charging coil, but also the NFC antenna (the upper loop).

Arthur Shi - 20/04/21

The 1.9 mm screws are actually screwed into the head of another screw beneath them. Sometimes the lower screw unscrews instead of the upper. That leaves both screws attached to the coil. If possible you should separate the two screws and screw the lower one back in first using a small flat blade screwdriver.

Richard Elder - 13/05/21

If you decide to clean the wireless coil assembly, be aware that IPA will completely remove the printed 2-D barcode on the lower right. (Hopefully that's not important.)

Bitt Faulk -

There were 7 screws!!! The last two were both near the power button.

Emily Viehland -

Step 13

Lift up and remove the wireless charging coil.

Step 14

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery press connector from its socket near the right edge of the phone.

The connecton board is quete flexible … be careful otherwise other connectors may get looze.

This is also valid when re-assemble … pusing battery conector may cause other conectors to “pop“.

Tsanko Tsolov - 06/09/20

The square connector directly below the battery connector came undone and will not pop back into place.

Curtis Redfield - 13/11/20

Step 15

Remove the two screws securing the camera bracket:
One 4.1 mm Phillips screw
One 4 mm standoff screw
Standoff screws are best removed using a standoff bit. In a pinch, a small flathead screwdriver will do the job—but use extra caution to ensure it doesn't slip and damage surrounding components.
Remove the camera bracket.

Step 16

If you are replacing front-facing cameras, determine which one you need to replace:
Normal view camera
Wide-angle camera
If you are doing the motherboard removal procedure, you will need to remove both cameras.

I actually didn't have to remove the cameras to get my motherboard out and back in, just pushed the connectors out of the way. It's probably less hassle prying them up as directed than wiggling the board back under two extra connectors when re-assembling as I did :)

elyze - 09/10/19

Make sure that the cameras each go in exactly the same spots or not the phone will boot loop forever. The connectors on both of these cameras are the same, so they will easily connect on both sides. So be careful.

Let's Talk Tech - 31/12/19

Step 17

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the connector for the camera(s) you are replacing.

Step 18

The cameras are held in place with adhesive.
Insert the point of a spudger behind the edge of the camera module and pry up to loosen it from the frame.

Step 19

Use a pair of blunt nose tweezers to remove the camera(s).
If the adhesive holding the camera module is in good condition, you can re-use the adhesive. Otherwise, replace the adhesive with double-sided Tesa tape.
When installing a replacement camera module, make sure that the phone frame lens are free of adhesive residue or debris.

Step 20

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the loudspeaker connector from its motherboard socket near the right edge of the phone.
Be careful not to puncture the battery with the spudger.

Step 21

Remove the following four Phillips screws:
One 1.9 mm screw
One 4.3 mm screw
Two 4.3 mm screws with thinner shanks
Remove the tiny grounding clip from the left screw hole. Be careful not to lose it.
The grounding clip installs such that the contoured edge faces the left side of the phone.
Remove the small plastic insert from the right side of the USB-C port.
Be sure to reinstall this insert before you screw down the daughterboard.

The three 4.3 mm screws highlighted in Orange are not all the same. The one closest to the battery is slightly different, a larger diameter. It would be good to note this for reassembly.

genec123 - 23/05/20

Thank you! I will adjust the guide to reflect this!

Arthur Shi - 04/06/20

Ah, all great and everything but this should be in big bold red letters: “Be sure to reinstall this insert before you screw down the daughterboard.“

Screwed 4.3 thin screw without that small insert and penetrated new screen module behind…

Maks - 16/07/20

Noted and changed!

Arthur Shi - 16/07/20

Step 22

The loudspeaker is still held in place by a strong adhesive gasket. Before attempting to remove it, pry it up in a few different places to break the adhesive seal.
Insert the point of a spudger under the bottom right corner of the loudspeaker.
Pry up to loosen the loudspeaker from the phone.

Step 23

Insert the point of a spudger under the top left corner of the loudspeaker.
Be careful not to puncture the battery with the spudger.
Pry up to loosen the loudspeaker.

Step 24

Insert the flat end of the spudger under the top edge of the loudspeaker, towards the left edge.
Pry up to loosen the loudspeaker.

Step 25

Remove the loudspeaker.
Before you install a replacement loudspeaker, check the adhesive gasket.
If it is in good condition, you can re-use the gasket. Make sure that the gasket does not cover the exit hole.
If the gasket is pulled out of place, remove it and replace the adhesive with a pre-cut strip or Tesa tape.

tesa tape seems hard to come by in my town. Is there anything else I could use?

Michael Schlimmer -

Never mind. A bunch of tesa tape came with the kit

Michael Schlimmer -

Step 26

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the blue antenna cable from its socket on the charging assembly.

Step 27

Use the point of a spudger to carefully pry up and release the blue antenna cable from its grounding clips.
The cable is fragile and prone to breaking. If it feels like the wire is firmly clamped in place, use the point of a spudger to push the clip open slightly, then try again.

Step 28

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the black antenna cable from its socket near the USB-C port.

Step 29

Carefully de-route both antenna cables and move them away from the charging assembly.

Step 30

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the charging assembly's connector from its motherboard socket, near the right edge of the phone.
Carefully peel the flex cable from the top of the SIM card reader.

Step 31

Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully pry up the black tape holding the display flex cable in place, near the right edge of the phone.
Do not use metal tools to pry, or you may damage the flex cable.
Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the display connector from the motherboard.

Step 32

Whenever you use the spudger near the battery, be very careful not to puncture the battery.
Slide the point of a spudger in the crevice underneath the black tape bridging across the battery and the motherboard.
Slide the spudger along the crevice to pry up the tape from the battery side.
Carefully peel the tape from the battery and fold it out of the way.

Step 33

Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the following seven press-fit connectors from their motherboard sockets:
External buttons connector
Top microphone connector
Earpiece connector
Left squeeze sensor connector
Screen connector
Right squeeze sensor connector
SIM tray connector

Note the "screen connector" mentioned here SHOULD refer to the smaller, upper screen connector. The one indicated here was already disconnected in step 31.

Ray Livingston -

Step 34

Use the flat of a spudger to carefully pry up and bend the earpiece speaker's flex cable upwards, out of the way of the motherboard.

I STRONGLY recommend simply REMOVING the phone speaker at this step. It is VERY easy to damage the flex cable when removing the motherboard if the speaker is left in place. Removing the speaker entirely takes only a few seconds. Just be sure to replace the adhesive when re-installing. TESA tape works fine here.

Ray Livingston -

When re-installing, make sure you remember this part when putting the motherboard back in. I followed the steps in reverse order, as suggested, and almost damaged the orange flex cable when I pushed it down.

Alex Schultz -

Step 35

Some of these screws hold very small grounding clips in place. Be careful not to lose these clips as you remove the screws.
Remove the six screws securing the motherboard in place:
One 4.2 mm Phillips screw
Three 1.9 mm Phillips screws
One 4.3 mm Phillips screw
One 3.83 mm standoff screw
Standoff screws are best removed using a standoff bit. In a pinch, a small flathead screwdriver will do the job—but use extra caution to ensure it doesn't slip and damage surrounding components.
Remove and retain the three small metal grounding clips.

During reassembly, don’t forget to replace the plastic piece before placing the 4.3mm screw.

William DeCook - 27/01/21

be careful not to forgetto remove the bottom screw not to damage your motherboard

Paul -

Step 36

Carefully remove the antenna bracket from the top left edge of the phone.
To reinstall the small metal grounding clips:
Orient the clips such that the silver side is facing upwards.
The teardrop shaped clips should have their points facing towards the phone edge.
The double-holed clip dips downwards towards the frame's top-right screw hole.

Step 37

Insert the point of a spudger near the top left corner of the motherboard, right below the rear-facing camera.
Pry up gently to loosen the motherboard, bending all flex cables away to accommodate for the movement.
If the motherboard feels firmly seated, check for any flex cables or screws that may still be connected.

Step 38

Insert the spudger underneath the top edge of the motherboard and carefully pry up to loosen the motherboard.
The earpiece speaker's flex cable will press tightly against the motherboard. Take your time and carefully guide the motherboard around the flex cable.

Make sure the ambient sensor is disconnected right underneath the flash!

jrancanoarias - 25/08/20

Step 39

Lift the left edge of the motherboard and carefully swing upwards it towards the right. Carefully push any press connectors snagging the motherboard out of the way.

Step 40

Carefully lift the top end of the motherboard away from the frame.
Remove the motherboard.
When you reinstall the motherboard, be careful not to trap any flex cable connectors underneath it.
It may be difficult to reposition the motherboard around the earpiece flex cable. You can gently pry up the earpiece speaker, install the motherboard, and reinstall the earpiece speaker.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Google Pixel 3 Answers community for troubleshooting help.

Author

Arthur Shi

Member since: 03/01/18

218169 Reputation

6 comments

Hallo,

wo bekomme ich denn ein neues Mainboard her? Ich komme nicht mehr ins recovery und vermute Mainboarddefekt.

Helge - 29/01/20

I followed your instructions to the letter. Got it all put back together, but before affixing the back glass, I powered up the Pixel 3 to make sure all features are working. The touch screen does not work, now, but it did before. Any advice?

Philip Wickstrom -

Hi Philip,

Does the screen light up? If it doesn’t, I would suggest disconnecting the battery connector and double-checking the display connector to make sure it is properly seated. As I looked into your question, I noticed that the step was missing a disconnection procedure—so thank you! I’ve amended that step.

Arthur Shi -

Where can I buy the motherboard? Is the 128 GB motherboard different from the 64 GB?

Orlando Terte -

You can find the motherboards on ebay here https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=goo...

Paul -

muy interesante todo, seria bueno compartieras donde comprar la placa madre de reemplazo que sea original, para no caer en estafas, en mi caso se me rompió el regulador de voltaje del LCD el PM8005 y no tengo idea de donde lo venden para comprarlo, solo me queda la opción de una placa nueva. Si fueras tan amable de compartir donde comprarla te lo agradecemos. Excelente trabajo por cierto.

Yunis Maikel Suárez Martinez - 02/03/22