Introduction
Use this guide to bring life back to your iPhone 7 with a new battery. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.
This guide instructs you to completely detach the display assembly; this is intended to prevent damage to the display cables. If you feel comfortable removing the battery without putting undue strain on the display cables, you can skip the steps for disconnecting the display.
For optimal performance, after completing this guide, calibrate your newly installed battery: Charge it to 100% and keep charging it for at least two more hours. Then use your iPhone until it shuts off due to low battery. Finally, charge it uninterrupted to 100%.
Tools
Parts
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Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.
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Remove the two 3.4 mm pentalobe screws on the bottom edge of the iPhone.
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Use a hairdryer or prepare an iOpener and apply it to the lower edge of the iPhone for about a minute in order to soften up the adhesive underneath.
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Pull up on the suction cup to create a small gap between the display assembly and the rear case.
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Insert the flat end of a spudger into the gap.
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Slide the spudger to the left along the lower edge of the iPhone.
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Twist the spudger to widen the gap between the display and rear case.
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Slide the spudger up the left side of the iPhone, starting at the lower edge and moving towards the volume control buttons and silent switch.
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Insert the flat edge of a spudger into the bottom right corner of the device.
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Twist the spudger to widen the gap between the display assembly and the rear case.
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Slide the flat end of the spudger up the right side of the phone to break up the adhesive holding the display in place.
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Slide an opening pick along the top edge of the iPhone, between the rear case and front panel, to break up the remaining adhesive holding the screen in place.
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Pull the display assembly slightly away from the top edge of the phone to disengage the clips holding it to the rear case.
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Open the iPhone by swinging the display up from the left side, like the back cover of a book.
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Remove four tri-point Y000 screws securing the lower connector bracket, of the following lengths:
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Three 1.2 mm screws
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One 2.4 mm screw
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Use the point of a spudger to lift the battery connector out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the two lower display connectors by prying them straight up from their sockets on the logic board.
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Remove the two 1.3 mm Phillips #000 screws securing the bracket over the front panel sensor assembly connector.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the Taptic Engine connector from its socket on the logic board.
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Use a pair of tweezers with blunt tips to peel back one of the adhesive strips on the lower edge of the battery.
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Use a pair of tweezers with blunt tips to peel back the other adhesive strip on the lower edge of the battery.
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Slowly pull one battery adhesive tab away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone.
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Pull steadily, maintaining constant tension on the strip until it slips out from between the battery and the rear case. For best results, pull the strip at a 60º angle or less.
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Repeat the previous step for the second strip.
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If you removed both adhesive strips successfully, skip the next step.
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Otherwise, if either of the adhesive strips broke off underneath the battery and could not be retrieved, continue with the next step below.
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Remove the battery from the rear case.
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Adhere the battery, disconnect it, and continue reassembling your device.
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Perform a force restart after reassembly. This can prevent several issues and simplify troubleshooting.
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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? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
115 comments
Does this effectively negate the waterproof feature of the new iPhones?
Tubby -
yes , unless it is sealed back with new waterproof tape, which almost no one has yet
Atronx -
No you can buy the replacement. See the above guide for a link on how to do that and iFixIt sells them. Recommend buying more than one because installation is tricky - must get it aligned perfectly though the spluger and pointy tweezers can help reposition minor slipups.
The back adhesive is available on ifixit. So you can make it water proof-ish again.
Recall, an original iPhone is far from waterproof after only a month usage.
Guenter -
iPhone 6 take battery off put new one now not changing at all but saying yes but no going up new battery saying all time 6@.all time
ant2101 -
Is there any way to put back the waterproof sealing after changing the battery for iPhone 7? Thanks
I too would like to know this! It's a shame they don't elaborate as such. There is this part here - Display Adhesive iPhone 7 Display Assembly Adhesive which I assume needs to be put on after the screen is taken off but this guide says it's not needed? But for a screen repair it is? Does it get placed on the phone housing or screen? Thanks
blitzn -
Yep, we have a guide for replacing the seal (display adhesive) now. I don't know how waterproof the seal will be afterward, but I think it's worth doing regardless.
Most of the adhesives that are being sold are not rated to be waterproof, and are not the geniune OEM brand materials.
Atronx -
Probably too late, but there are many vendors that sell the waterproof seal for iPhone7. Use alchohol and tweezers to remove the old seal and glue, align the new seal and stick it. Compared to the battery change, it’s a breeze.
Yes it is. Have a look at the iPhone Display Adhesive Replacement guide
steinmb -
Can anyone confirm 7/7P's pentalobe screws have a ring of seal near the screw head?
Cooper Chase -
Confirmed, the screws have a black ring seal around the head.
rcheing -
Can’t get the display front
Bernadette Pfeifer -
From personal experience, I highly recommend before doing this procedure or any other, that you do a backup of your phone (preferably local) in case your procedure goes south.
ballina5ny -
I purchased the repair tools with the replacement battery from iFixit. The tools include a screw driver and three heads none were labeled 3.4 mm. I think the one that fit the pentalobe screws was labeled Y000. The guide should identify the screw driver head supplied by the kit not 3.4mm.
Mark Lieberman -
in the iphone 7 replacement battery kit from iFixit, the screwdriver that fits the 3.4 mm pentalobe screws is labeled P2 (and not Y000)
Jan-Tijn Oppermann -
3.4 mm is the height of the screw and is not related to the screw driver code.
Ahmad Vaziri -
the screwdriver PH000 does not work i wasted two screws and now they dont have the 4 cross mark they are now a circle, i buyed it all from Paraguay and it doesnt work, had to assembly back the parts because i got stuck like i mention with some screws, well im just going to send to a professional to install, thanks
Martin Frutos, Nuñez -
The bottom screws are Pentalobe, not Phillips.
Bram Driesen -
Before starting, I would recommend backing up your Iphone’s data just in case.
Jon Moylan -
If you managed to make it to this section, just send the phone into apple for 50 + 6 dollars shipping. The ribbon cables on the screen are designed to break. I can literally twist on the rest of the cable and it won’t fall apart but there is a diagonal section where it snaps. This is the fault of apple and the fault of ifixit for misrepresenting the fragility of the cables.
Ryan Huebert -
Had to reheat it a few times for a minute each with a hairdryer to get the seal to break after pulling and rocking the suction
Cynthia Lamb -
I’m technically challenged. Is there a premier national service who can professionally install a replacement battery got my 7 +?
Richard -
Do the screws come out in total?
YVES THEUGELS -
Is it the P2 you should use for the bottom??
YVES THEUGELS -
I heated the bottom of the phone with a hairdryer and then used a syringe to put a couple of drops of acetone directly into the bottom two screw holes. I GENTLY pulled on the screen with the suction cup and used the pry tool to GENTLY separate the screen. The sealant is applied around the entire display so be very careful pulling it off so you don’t break the fragile display cables.
Anthony Scaminaci -
At first it was very difficult to open, per instructions. I used a heat/ice pack and nuked it for 1 minute. The pry tool wasn’t working so I carefully used my pocket knife to wedge the cover open. The rest of the procedure went well until I cracked the glass while trying to get the top right corner to pop off. Other than that mistake, all went well. Tip: before setting the new battery, attach the battery connector first and leave enough room for the taptic engine, or better yet, place the taptic engine before adhering the replacement battery. This way you’ll have a small gap between the two, whereas mine barely fit. Good job on hosting the video, Gwendyl.
Klaus Preiss -
I love the fact that the screw bit and shaft are magnetic! I almost lost a screw and found it attached to the magnet.
I used a heat/ice pack and nuked it for 1 minute. At first the display cover was very difficult to open with the pry tool, per instructions. The pry tool wasn’t working so I carefully used the blade of my pocket knife to wedge the cover open. The rest of the procedure went well until I cracked the glass while trying to get the top right corner to pop off. Other than that mistake, all went well. Tip: before setting the new battery, attach the battery connector first and leave enough room for the taptic engine, or better yet, see the taptic engine in place before adhering the replacement battery. This way you’ll have a small gap between the two, whereas mine barely fit because I placed it almost too low.
Good job on hosting the video, Gwendyl.
Klaus Preiss -