iPhone 11 Display Panel Replacement

Written By: Jeff Suovanen

Comments: 55

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

If your iPhone 11 screen is cracked, not responding to touch, or not showing a picture when powered on, use this guide to get your iPhone working again with a new screen, a.k.a. display assembly.

If the back of your new screen already includes a thin metal LCD shield plate, follow this shorter guide instead for an easier repair. But if the plate is missing, keep reading—this guide will show you how to replace your screen and keep your old LCD shield plate.

The combined earpiece speaker + sensor assembly affixed to the back of the screen is paired to your individual iPhone from the factory, so you must use the instructions below to transfer it from your old screen to your new one. It contains the flood illuminator, which is part of the biometric Face ID security feature. If it is damaged or replaced, Face ID won’t work, so take extra care not to damage any of these components during this procedure. If damaged, only Apple’s “authorized” technicians can restore Face ID function.

Note: True Tone functionality won’t work after a screen replacement, even when using an original Apple screen.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Before you begin, discharge your iPhone battery below 25%. A charged lithium-ion battery can catch fire and/or explode if accidentally punctured.
Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.
Remove the two 6.7 mm-long pentalobe screws at the bottom edge of the iPhone.
Opening the iPhone's display will compromise its waterproof seals. Have replacement seals ready before you proceed past this step, or take care to avoid liquid exposure if you reassemble your iPhone without replacing the seals.

the right screws wouldn’t come off

Yusef San Inocencio - 19/04/21

Hello guys, I still haven't found away to power off the iphone without using the screen. Cheers!

danielaguirre93 -

You can try this.

Quickly Press and release the volume up button.

then Quickly Press and release the volume down button.

then press and hold the power button and wait until it turns off.

worked for me :D

Benóný Egilson -

Step 2

If your iPhone has a cracked screen, keep further breakage contained and prevent bodily harm during your repair by taping over the glass.
Lay overlapping strips of packing tape over the iPhone's display until the whole face is covered.
This will keep glass shards contained and provide structural integrity when prying and lifting the display.
Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from any glass shaken free during the repair.
If the broken glass makes it difficult to get a suction cup to stick in the next few steps, try folding a strong piece of tape (such as duct tape) into a handle and lifting the display with that instead.

How to detect my Iphone what screen it is, OLED or LCD?

sabrihakulii - 08/07/20

It’s OLED. You can find the specs here, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201296

When you find your phone, at the bottom of the description click on, See the tech specs…

mcr4u2 - 23/08/20

The included suction cups were stiff and worthless. They would not lift the screen. Also, I tried every type of tape on the screen to help the suction cups stick without success. Heavy duty suction cups were for my bathroom also failed. However, I had an old GoPro mount with some preapplied double sided 3M VSB tape and stuck that on the screen near the bottom. Magic! This method had the added bonus of being able to use a GoPro attachment as a handle to lift the screen, and propped up the screen like a kickstand in step 12.

Tawan Khamapirad - 15/12/20

Very cool! Thanks

Antonio -

My screen was pretty stuck… would not budge. Heated, super glued the suction cup, tried gorilla tape. Ended up doing the GoPro mount with 3M VSB tape method mentioned. Worked great. That 3M tape is the bomb.

Rich Wachtel - 03/05/21

The included suction cup took a few tries but ended up working for me.

charlotte -

If you have flat feeler gauges (for adjusting engine valve tappet clearance, ignition points … old school) the .003 thick goes right in. Work your way up until you can get the pick or supplied pry tool in.

William Olstad -

where can I buy 3M VSB plis!!

gerardo artigas cuellar -

3M VHB tape is at auto stores and other big box stores, or online.

nicO Gurney -

I used the tweezers that came with the replacement screen and jammed one of them into the glass and that eventually worked. Heating with a blow dryer is also important. The suction cup was helpful in loosening the adhesive for sure, but just not enough to get the display to come out.

J Olin -

Step 3

Heating the lower edge of the iPhone helps soften the adhesive securing the display, making it easier to open.
Use a hairdryer or heat gun or prepare an iOpener and apply it to the lower edge of the iPhone for about a minute.

Step 4

The next two steps demonstrate the Anti-Clamp, a tool we designed to make the opening procedure easier. If you aren't using the Anti-Clamp, skip down two steps for an alternate method.
For complete instructions on how to use the Anti-Clamp, check out this guide.
Pull the blue handle towards the hinge to disengage opening mode.
Position the suction cups near the bottom edge of the iPhone—one on the front, and one on the back.
Push down on the cups to apply suction to the desired area.
If you find that the surface of your device is too slippery for the Anti-Clamp to hold onto, you can use packing tape to create a grippier surface.

Step 5

Push the blue handle away from the hinge to engage opening mode.
Turn the handle clockwise until you see the cups start to stretch.
Make sure the suction cups remain aligned to each other. If they begin to slip out of alignment, loosen the suction cups slightly and realign the arms.
Wait one minute to give the adhesive a chance to release and present an opening gap.
Insert an opening pick under the screen when the Anti-Clamp creates a large enough gap.
If the Anti-Clamp doesn't create a sufficient gap, apply more heat to the area and rotate the handle clockwise half a turn.
Don't crank more than a half a turn at a time, and wait one minute between turns. Let the Anti-Clamp and time do the work for you.
Skip the next two steps.

where do i get this from g

Sami Pala -

Here: iSclack

Athanasius Pernath - 02/12/22

Step 6

If you're using a single suction handle, apply it to the bottom edge of the phone, while avoiding the curved portion of the glass.
If your display is badly cracked, covering it with a layer of clear packing tape may help the suction cup to stick. Alternatively, you can use very sticky tape instead of the suction cup. Or if all else fails, you can superglue the suction cup to the broken screen.

Step 7

Pull up on the suction cup with firm, constant pressure to create a slight gap between the front panel and rear case.
Insert an opening pick into the gap.
The watertight adhesive holding the display in place is very strong; creating this initial gap takes a significant amount of force. If you're having a hard time opening a gap, apply more heat, and gently rock the screen up and down to weaken the adhesive until you create enough of a gap to insert your tool.

This turned out to be the most difficult part for me. My old ifixit suction cup didn't suck hard enough to generate enough force to pry the display from the case. I ended up applying heat at least a dozen times, and I had to pull up on the suction cup forcefully over and over and over while repositioning it several times. I finally had success inserting my pick into the tiny gap after 30 or so rapid tugs on the suction cup.

matthew r -

Step 8

Slide the opening pick around the lower left corner and up the left edge of the iPhone, slicing through the adhesive holding the display in place.
Don't insert the opening pick too far into the iPhone, or you may cause damage to internal components.

Step 9

Re-insert your pick at the bottom edge of the iPhone, and slide it up the right side to continue separating the adhesive.
Don't insert the pick very far, or you may damage the display cables along this side of the iPhone. Insert it only a few millimeters, or about the width of the display bezel.

Step 10

The top edge of the display is secured with both glue and clips.
Gently pull the right edge of the display down slightly (in the direction of the Lightning port).
Insert your pick into the top-right corner of the phone.

Step 11

Continue pulling the display down (toward the Lightning port) as needed in order to make a gap large enough for the pick.
Slide the pick to the top left corner and cut any remaining adhesive securing the display.
Again, don't insert the pick more than a few millimeters—about the width of the display bezel—or you may damage the Face ID sensor array.

Step 12

Pull the small nub on the suction cup to detach it from the front panel.

azertuiopsdk

le français -

Step 13

Open the iPhone by swinging the display up from the left side, like the back cover of a book.
Don't try to fully separate the display yet, as several fragile ribbon cables still connect it to the iPhone's logic board.
Prop the display up against something sturdy.
During reassembly, lay the display in position, align the clips along the top edge, and carefully press the top edge into place before snapping the rest of the display down. If it doesn't click easily into place, check the condition of the clips around the perimeter of the display and make sure they aren't bent.

Step 14

To access the screws in the following step, tilt the display by slightly lifting its lower edge.
Be careful not to strain or tear the display cables.

Step 15

Use a Y000 driver to remove the three 1.1 mm-long screws securing the battery connector bracket.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.
During reassembly, this is a good point to power on your iPhone and test all functions before you seal the display in place. Be sure to power your iPhone back down completely before you continue working.

During reassembly, I had to connect my phone to the charger before it would power up.

Austin Culberson -

Step 16

Remove the bracket.

Step 17

Use a spudger or a clean fingernail to pry the battery connector up from its socket on the logic board.
Try not to damage the black silicone seal surrounding this and other board connections. These seals provide extra protection against water and dust intrusion.
Bend the connector slightly away from the logic board to prevent it from accidentally contacting the socket.

Step 18

Use a Y000 driver to remove the five 1.1 mm screws securing the logic board cover bracket.

Step 19

Remove the bracket.

Step 20

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the LCD panel cable connector.
Disconnect the digitizer connector next to it.

Step 21

Use the point of a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the front panel sensor assembly connector.

Step 22

Remove the display assembly.
During reassembly, pause here if you wish to replace the waterproof adhesive around the edges of the display.

After this step its probably a good idea to test the new screen (you dont have to plug in the front camera assembly)

Richard Kraus - 16/04/21

Not a technician, so correct me if I'm wrong: I think that it's at this step of reassembly (before you reattach the screen) that you apply waterproof glue, if you have it.

Athanasius Pernath -

Step 23

Remove four screws securing the speaker/sensor assembly:
Three 1.6 mm Phillips screws
One 1.3 mm Y000 screw

Correct me if I am wrong but you no longer need to do this as of IOS 15.2 as apple doesnt disable Face ID on 3rd party repairs

Oliver Pressello -

Step 24

Use the point of a spudger to gently pry up the top edge of the speaker.
Flip the speaker assembly over—down and away from the top edge of the display.
The speaker remains attached via very thin ribbon cables. Be careful not to strain or damage the cables.

Step 25

Use a hairdryer or heat gun or prepare an iOpener and apply it to the top front of the display for 1-2 minutes, in order to soften the adhesive securing the sensors.

Step 26

Carefully slide the edge of your opening pick underneath the flex cable below the microphone.
Twist gently to separate the microphone, while being careful not to strain or damage the flex cable.
If needed, use the point of the spudger to finish separating the microphone from its notch in the front panel.

This step was a little bit confusing. I thought that the entire ribbon assm should be removed once the speaker was detached. The entire assm doesn’t actually come off until Step 30.

Andre LeBlanc - 14/07/20

Be careful in the next few steps, as you can easily damage some parts. Make sure that you operate gently, and that you don't pull, twist or apply too much pressure on the components.

Athanasius Pernath -

Step 27

Use tweezers to slide the small bracket straight up and off of the ambient light sensor.

As you remove it, familiarise with its position. It will be hard to put it back into place. If you pay close attention to how it comes out, it will be easier to put it back

Athanasius Pernath -

Step 28

Use tweezers to wiggle the ambient light sensor and lift it from its notch in the display.
If the sensor does not wiggle free after a few seconds, apply more heat and try again.
The sensor remains attached to the rest of the sensor assembly via a very thin flex cable. Be careful not to strain or damage the cable.

Step 29

Working left to right, slide an opening pick beneath the flex cable and underneath the proximity sensor + flood illuminator module.
Gently wiggle and lift to separate the module from its notch in the front panel.
It's helpful to lift and hold the speaker out of the way for access. Just be careful not to pull on the thin flex cable while you work.

Step 30

Remove the earpiece speaker and front sensor assembly.
During reassembly, check the position of the black plastic module containing these components:
Proximity sensor
Flood illuminator
The module must be positioned so that these components are not obstructed by any adhesive.

Also, your iPhone 11 will now display a notification that the screen on it is not original.

Rob - 01/05/20

Also if I‘m using an original Display? Will coping screen data with iCopy help? Or is there any other solution to get rid of this?

Katrin - 10/12/20

How about LCD shield plate removal instructions?

Os Reini - 16/06/20

Right here. Hope it helps!

Jeff Suovanen - 10/10/20

Step 31

Use a Y000 driver to remove the 1.1 mm screws securing the LCD shield:
Three screws on the side nearest the display cables
Two more screws on the opposite side
Press your driver firmly into the screw while turning it. If needed, you can use your spudger to brace each screw from behind, in order to apply more pressure to the screws without bending the shield.

There is two more screws at the bottom !

ubrunner - 16/10/20

L’appui sur les vis est réellement important, au risque de foirer celles-ci. N’hésitez donc pas à appuyer, en faisant contre-poids du côté opposé bien évidemment.

Tristan Nans -

This is the bit that was difficult. The tri'point screwdriver y0000 barely fits this tricky size. It could have been the cheap screwdriver that came with the screen replacement kit. Stripped 2 screws, drilled out with an appropriate size drill bit ' frame still intact. I had more success using a size 0.7mm flathead screwdriver.

noname -

Step 32

Remove the remaining 1.1 mm Y000 screws from the top and bottom edges of the LCD shield:
Two screws near the camera cutouts
Two screws at the bottom corners

Step 33

Apply a little heat from an iOpener (or hair dryer / heat gun) to the back of the display, in order to soften the adhesive securing the display cables to the LCD shield.

Step 34

Insert an opening pick between the display cables and LCD shield.
Slide it toward the bottom edge of the display to begin separating the cables.
Stop when you reach the end of the first cable.

Step 35

Re-insert your opening pick, this time between the two cables.
Slide the pick to the bottom edge of the display to separate the cables from each other.

Step 36

Grab each cable near its 90° bend, and peel them apart.

Step 37

Peel the entire digitizer cable away from the LCD shield, and fold it aside.

Be very careful of all parts of the ribbon cable connected to the screen, especially the segment close to the top, as it can tear easily at this

crtrue - 12/09/19

IPhone XS copy phone ka folder

भीम आर्मी Jila Yamunanagar - 06/10/20

Step 38

Insert an opening pick under the top edge of the LCD shield, and twist to separate it from the display.

Step 39

Grab the LCD shield by its top edge and swing it upward a few degrees.
Using your spudger, press gently on the lower part of the display cable, pushing it through the cutout in the LCD shield.

Step 40

Raise the top edge of the LCD shield a bit higher, and feed the rest of the display cable through the cutout in the shield.

Step 41

Raise the LCD shield up at a higher angle, until you can see the rest of the display cable stuck to the back.
Slide a spudger between the LCD shield and the display cable, and separate them completely.

Step 42

As you lift the LCD shield, note the metal prongs on the bottom edge.
During reassembly, make sure these prongs (a.k.a. EMI fingers) are correctly inserted into the LCD frame as shown.

hello whaty if one of the golden contact pins ( i guess it is) to be exact right one has freyed up a bit and looks messy. could it cause harm or it is not very important?

thetroll1401 - 28/09/20

On reassembly leave the adhesive cover on the digitizer cable so that it doesn’t get caught on the LCD shield while working the other cable in place and positioning the shield on the frame. When you are ready to stick the digitizer cable to the shield remove the protective plastic.

pgrobin - 29/11/20

Step 43

Remove the LCD shield.

Step 44

Only the LCD and digitizer remains.

Tech nor working my iphone xr

Mohammed Chand -

Conclusion

Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.

To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.

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

Repair didn’t go as planned? See our extensive iPhone troubleshooting library, or specifically our iPhone 11 won't turn on page. Try our basic troubleshooting tips or you can also ask our iPhone 11 Answers community for help.

Author

Jeff Suovanen

Member since: 06/08/13

406808 Reputation

19 comments

I am a repair technician from California, and I use your company’s tools and I gotta say that I love them. Very sleek, and the powerful magnetic bits help me get the job done. I did 5 repairs yesterday and each one finished was a good feeling of satisfaction. In the future, if you guys decide to make some sort of in-depth manual for the newer iPhones, that would be great because diagrams are not only a great way for me to sharpen my own skills, but will help make training new techs a breeze.

Cheers all the way from Fresno!

anthony_brletic - 03/01/20

Hi, I replaced the display independently, not in the Apple service, to my disappointment I found a message in the device that warned me that the part is not original, consequently the FaceID was disabled. Can you tell me about ear? Thank you

954kuki - 10/02/20

Getting a message saying not genuine is known issue. there is no workaround yet. as far as face ID not working, you need to check for tear on the flex as you probably damaged it during transfer. If it’s broken, there is no way to fix.

ifixsmartphone - 06/03/20

The Important Display Message can be removed, check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLo0_p7O...

Ricky LV - 28/08/20

Great repair guide. My only issues:

1. There are no instructions for removing the metal panel from the back of the old screen (nor how to reinstall it).

2. There are no instructions for removing the old, black adhesive from around the edge of the old case (nor the much needed instructions for reinstalling the new adhesive without damaging it or compromising the purpose of replacing this adhesive). This info is also missing from the adhesive replacement page for the iPhone 11.

I was able to patiently work my way through both of these issues and complete the repair on an iPhone 11. Covering these issues as additional steps of the repair guide would be very helpful for future iFixers.

Ryan R. Smith - 11/04/20

Anyone have the phone randomly reboot after screen replacement? All aspects work on the phone after replacement. It just randomly goes black and then restarts

Cory Schumacher - 11/06/20

Maybe just a bad battery connection or a stained/bent connector

Richard Kraus - 16/04/21

I am a repair tech at a repair shop we do more but thats what we are called and i love you’re tools, they are just perfect for everything and all i can say really is, be super careful with the screen and the prox flex, they can be eaisly ripped and really ruin you’re day because to restore the face id with a new prox requires micro sodering but other then that just be careful

Zach Mentz - 06/10/20

I find the OEM screen looks more yellowish, is it me only?

Victor Santana - 16/11/20

OEM screens tend to have the colors a little bit off, could also be caused by disabled true tone.

Richard Kraus - 16/04/21

Overall a very useful repair guide, there´s just one issue I came across:

Different display manufactors.

Been looking around, due to some issues and so far I´ve seen some different manufactors for the iPhone 11 (and the XR):

Toshiba (the print on the display starts with C11 or F7C, as seen on the last picture)

LG (DTP or C3F)

Sharp (DKH)

someone else stumbled across this?

Günter Scherf - 24/02/21

Apple doesnt offer new displays, however afaik the original apple product manufacturer foxconn refurbishes original screens. Or you could just get a refurbished screen from somewhere else…

Richard Kraus - 16/04/21

For iphone 11, on the flex if there is a square code QRC is DTP and a rectangle is C11

Didier -

Awesome guide, thank you very much! By the way, after the replacement the true tone function will most likely be disabled, which can as far as i know only be fixed by copying the firmware from the old screen over to the new one with a programmer (for example Qianli iCopy Plus). Also, the phone will notify you that the screen is not genuine after every restart and it will always show a notification in the settings. The only way to get around that is to swap the chip on the display cable with a hot air station and solder paste (not worth the hustle in my opinion, i dont mind the one notification in settings). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agq2HPK-...

Cheers!

Richard Kraus - 16/04/21

Hi, since replacing my screen my ear speaker has been very muffed/static. Is there any way I can fix this? Thanks

caoife98 - 01/05/21

I’d suggest checking the mesh under the earpiece for dirt and stuff that could be blocking the sound and maybe trying to refit it, maybe it’s not properly seated. Could also be fixed by just reseating the earpiece flex…

Richard Kraus - 01/05/21

completed the guide. thx. my iphone claimed the screen is not original. anyway, seems to work correct

Miguel Cretu -

Hello I was wondering if anyone could help me. I recently replaced the screen of an iphone 11. The phone was good for the first couple of days but now the customer is having some issues. His display is something randomly scrolling up, mainly while watching videos and sometimes the screens just starts to act crazy and press random things. I’ve been doing some research and I found that something i could do is reset the phone to factory settings. However i’m unsure if this is like a software or a hardware issue. Any advice is helpful, thanks!

Andres -

From my experience this sound like a ghost touch issue. Usually caused by a loose/broken/dirty connection or an overly tight screw somewhere. It's unlikely, but if you installed a screen protector afterwards, it may have a fingerprint or dirt between the protector and the phone screen. Same thing happened when we did my sisters phone at our store, a connection was loose and a screw was a little bit tight. Maybe a more experienced tech could offer more in-depth insight.

Teejay R -