iPhone Battery Adhesive Strips Replacement

Written By: Jeff Suovanen
  • Comments: 144
iPhone Battery Adhesive Strips Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

11

Time Required

5 - 10 minutes

Introduction

Use this guide to correctly apply replacement battery adhesive strips in many late-model iPhones. Any time you remove the battery, these strips must be replaced. The strips are easily damaged if not applied correctly, so you may want to have a spare set of strips on hand if following this guide for the first time.

The larger iPhone "Plus" models use three strips instead of two, but the procedure is the same.

Before you begin, you should have removed the battery by following a guide like the ones linked below. Note: iPhone 5 and earlier models do not use any adhesive strips.

To replace the battery adhesive strips in a different model iPhone, use one of the following guides:

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    • If your new battery came with adhesive strips already stuck on, skip to Step 7.

    • Otherwise: If present, remove the small plastic film(s) covering the flat ends of the adhesive strips.

    It’s 2018 but still providing this same type of horrible adhesive strips that won’t let go of the blue backing like Jerad mentioned.

    Guess I don’t have your skills guys and haven’t tried the one in the picture above but this really isn’t working and I don’t think changing the instructions will help removing the blue backing. I achieved nothing with mine… The rest is perfect.

    Jou -

    I just had the same experience. The blue backing would not separate from the adhesive.

    I tried a new tactic: Remove the ping backing and apply to the case, and then remove the blue backing. No go. It stuck to the blue backing more than it did to the case.

    I should have just left the remains of the old strips in place. Instead, I just installed the battery without the adhesive. I hope that’s good enough.

    bester -

    Effectivement j’ai connu la même expérience, le support bleu n’a pas voulu s’en détacher j’ai donc mis un adhésif double face sur deux petit points afin de maintenir la batterie et évite qu’elle bouge. C’est une étape qui m’a bien pourri le cession d’en remplacement de la batterie de l’iphone 5S. Je pensais avoir des difficultés sur autre chose mais certainement pas sur des adhésifs de m……e!

    bekman -

    I had the exact same problem, the adhesive wouldn’t release from the blue backing. I spent more time trying to get the adhesive off than rest of the steps combined. I ended up utilizing 3M double sided tape, which worked fine. There is obviously a problem with the adhesive and IFIXIT should correct the issue.

    Dan Russow -

    I’m in the same boat. Why iFixit uses this blue film the adhesive tends to stick to is beyond me. It’s impossible to remove, I tried the various techniques like highlighted above to no avail.

    Florent Pillet -

    To reiterate Kadan’s comments further down: If you run into issues with your adhesive strips not coming off the backing properly, or accidentally getting ruined in the process, please reach out to the Support team via help.ifixit.com. There are far too many guides to monitor to proactively seek customers who are encountering issues, so it’s best that you reach out to us so that we can assist you in a quick fashion. Thanks again for your comments, and we look forward to helping! —I think it comes down to a few defective strips getting into the supply chain and unfortunately there’s no way to test them before we ship them out. It’s a very small number as most customers are not having this issue, but I realize that’s not much consolation if you’re one of the few. Reach out to us and we’ll get it sorted, with apologies for the trouble. In the meantime, a little double-sided tape should hold onto your battery just fine until the replacement strips arrive.

    Jeff Suovanen -

    I think that there is a better way to align the strips. I suggest NOT removing ANY of the protective film(s) from the adhesives at first. First, lay the strips on the side of the battery that will adhere to the case, WITH THE PROTECTIVE STRIPS STILL ON. Make sure the right side of the strips is facing the battery, and move the strips around until they are correctly aligned right to left and up to down, and until the little tabs that go around the other side of the battery are the right length. At this point, use clear tape to hold the strips in place on the battery. NOW, once the strips are aligned, remove the small protective plastic strips as described in Step 1, and adhere them to the battery. Then, remove the clear tape you put on the strips to hold them in place on the battery, and continue with the tutorial. If I remove the small protective plastic strips first and try to put the small tabs on one side so that the long strips are aligned on the other side, I just can’t get it right.

    Tom -

    I found the instructions at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrTDzkF6... to be the best for putting these strips back on. Worked perfectly for me.

    alanderson -

    I had a little trouble with these tabs, but found coming at them from the other end was better. There was a little corner that hung over the edge that I was able to grab onto, and then could pull counter to the strip. I didn’t have any other trouble the rest of the way!

    Kevin Rollins -

    Looks like iFixit has fixed this issue by shipping the replacement battery with strips already attached. In this case, skip to step 7.

    lkollar -

    I would start with a preliminary test fit of the battery to be familiar with how the battery needs to exactly be placed before applying the adhesive strips.

    Lou Fazio -

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    • With the battery facing up (battery connector on the right), carefully align the exposed portion of the adhesive strips along the lower edge of the front of the battery, and press them gently into place.

    • Take care to line up the strips correctly the first time. Once they adhere to the battery, they can't be removed and reused—you'll have to start over with fresh strips.

    I found it easy to align the exposed portion by putting the strips on a flat surface and lowering the lower edge of the battery onto the strips. Therefore I could see that the battery was adhering the correct portion.

    tdroz -

    I agree it was easier to lay the strips on a flat surface in order to align the battery and the strips properly.

    rustyherrington -

    I used the edge of a desk as an alignment guide. I would *not* eyeball this alignment, unless you don't mind wasting your first pair of adhesive strips.

    Jeff Clayton -

    Same issue, blue film will NOT separate from the adhesive! Bad adhesive batch?

    theamzngq -

    hoorible adhesive couldn’t find the form to separate them!

    joan -

    Before adding the adhesive strip, I found it necessary to compare the shapes of the flat cable of the new battery vs the old battery. The shape of the flat cables were very different so I gently shaped the flat cable of the new battery to match the old battery. When the new battery is installed, the connector will be in correct position.

    kilaueakilimanjaro -

    I knew this was all too good to be true. Just like the above commenter, the blue film would not separate from the adhesive strips. Now this was all a waste of time and money because there is no way to salvage the strips. Thanks.

    Derek -

    Same issue with the blue film - there was no way the adhesive strip would separate from the blue film. Maybe tech support should QC the latest batch of adhesive strips?

    gutm -

    Same as above. NOTHING is going easy about this. simplest step is a botch! Blue strip WILL NOT COME OFF. GARBAGE. total garbage

    zoe zane -

    Had the same issue with the blue adhesive not coming off. I contacted iFixit support. They sent me new strips for free, but it took about 5 days total. Unless you like being without a phone for a week, I highly recommend checking the blue adhesive on the strips in your kit before you attempt a repair. It should peel off effortlessly.

    Edgar Diaz -

    Why on earth do the adhesive strips not come with the battery? They should automatically ship with the battery - this is a ridiculous solution for stabilizing a battery. Very disappointed to find out about the strips only after I’ve taken part the phone. Everything about this is absurd!

    Steve Esser -

    The battery I received in my kit 6/2018 came with a stiff clear plastic sleeve over the battery. The edges of the sleeve were perforated so it could bend squarely at the battery edges, and was a tight fight. It was also fitted with an opening around the battery connector cable. It LOOKED removable - but was securely overlapped and glued to itself. No such plastic sleeve is shown in the instructions or video, leaving the impression this clear plastic cover should be removed before install - BUT the sleeve isn’t mentioned or shown in any of the instructions. It is also made of fairly thick plastic (about guitar pick thickness), so I was a bit concerned leaving it on might create pressure on the back side of the display. However, the sleeve was so well-fitted I finally decided it was probably meant to remain on the battery permanently, so I left it on. The new battery works fine, but still not sure whether I should have removed that clear plastic sleeve. How about an update on this?

    w5kp -

    The battery should look exactly like the original (apart from the labeling, which may be slightly different). Any protective sleeves or films should always be removed before installation.

    Jeff Suovanen -

    How could you do so well with other parts of the process and completely @%^*up this section? The strips don’t separate correctly…and there isn’t a spare set in the kit. How much would it cost to include a spare set?!? This is really irritating.

    John Griffin -

    I had no problem with the blue plastic film. However, I did manage to do something stupid (actually I don’t ever have a problem doing stupid things!)!! I managed to put the glue strips on the wrong end of the battery! Hey! I told you it was stupid. Fortunately, I still had them on the correct SIDE, so the battery is still secure in the iPhone! Take things slower than I did!!

    Jim Chaffin -

    I placed the battery on a lined paper so it was easy to get the adhesive strips exactly in line.

    Frank Demarest -

    I found it easier to place the adhesive strips on the bench, and then place the battery on the strip.

    gordojenkins -

    TIP for correcting misaligned strips before it’s too late: OK, after laying the battery down on the ends before rolling them around to the other side (as others have described) - it’s good to try and visually align the adhesive before you start pressing down. Nevertheless, if you start pressing them down slowly, and notice they are going on an angle (and therefore, will continue off the side of the battery instead of heading to the top), you can “course correct” by lifting up the other end of the plastic film off the already adhered end of the strips, till only the adhesive itself is loosely holding the film to the phone. Then you can change the angle of the whole thing, BUT only by stretching one side of the strips, not crumpling the other side. Stretching is better because crumpling will add 1mm of thickness which may impact the phone closing properly and give you pressure points on the screen!

    domarius -

    Why not just use double-stick tape?

    John Dziadecki -

    I did not have the adhesive, so I just folded over some packing tape and stuck it under the battery. I’m hoping it’s going to be enough to hold the battery in place.

    Umar Farooq Khawaja -

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    • Place the battery face down on a flat surface.

    • Starting at the pointed end of the adhesive strips, peel off the large blue film covering the strips.

    • The blue film sometimes has a defect that prevents it from peeling off, and the strips have to be discarded and replaced.

    • If this happens to you and you got your strips from iFixit, contact us here and we'll send you a replacement on the double.

    • In the meantime, you can temporarily reassemble your iPhone with a bit of double-sided tape to hold the battery.

    First time I tried this - it was near impossible to remove the plastic cover from the adhesive strip without damaging (i.e. - stretching the adhesive strip) - effectively, the adhesive strip was ruined, and I'll have to order another hoping better luck the 2nd time

    Jean-Paul Eberle -

    The blue film would NOT remove from my strips. It was permanently adhered to the strips. I now wonder if the manufacturer messed up and put the blue film on upside down.

    kwschnautz -

    Same problem with the blue film not removing. I used a thin command strip instead of ordering a new set - hopefully that doesn’t interfere with the heat dissipation :(

    James -

    I agree with ++kwschnautz++. It took me about 30 minutes of painstaking scraping to get the backing off.

    martin chisholm -

    Same problem, I couldn’t get the strips off the blue backing film. Manufacturing fault? Have ordered some more but will now be without phone for the next couple of days.

    David Simpson -

    I had exactly the same thing happen: The blue strip is firmly attached to the adhesive strip. It will not come off. The pink side came off just fine. I want to order more, but if they all have the same problem, what do I do? Now my daughter’s iPhone 5c will be in pieces until I get one that works!

    Engel Sanchez -

    Yah me too. I was totally unable to remove the blue strip.

    By closely inspecting the blue strip I noticed, that its both sides feel differently (as Robert Watkins noted also). One side felt smooth and a bit oily and the other was dry and a little bit ruff.

    The ruff side was attached to the strips an I have the feeling it should have been the other way around.

    I am a litte bit frustrated now, since my phone is now bricked even though I did nothing wrong and I couldn’t have anticipated this, before I started. And it’s a sunday so it will be some time until I can get my hands on some new strips.

    :(

    Bernhard Schmidt-Hackenberg -

    I can’t speak to the problem with the strips, but it’s perfectly fine to use a little double-sided tape on the back of the battery to temporarily secure it while you wait for a replacement strip. Just make sure it’s not jiggling around, then close your phone up and use it normally. I probably wouldn’t recommend doing this long-term, but it should be fine for a few days.

    Jeff Suovanen -

    I am running into the same problems as others have described above. The pink strip pulls free from the adhesive without issue but the blue strip is seemingly permanently adhered. The strips came from the battery kit for the 5C and I have two kits exhibiting the same problem. Another clue: in following the video above, in order to maintain the orientation of the hole in the tag (toward the cable side), the pink strip must be removed first, then the blue strip as the final step. I think there is a manufacturing issue here! Worse still, it is my wife’s phone that is taken apart now!!

    Larry Fahnoe -

    I’m having the same issue of the adhesive sticking to the backing. I’m hesitant to order replacements unless I have a sense that the replacement strips are manufactured correctly.

    Len -

    I did not have the problem of the blue strip not coming off on my 6S, but I did have the problem of that strip springing back onto the adhesive. Only the pointy ends were ruined, so I just cut as much as I could of the ruined chunks off once the adhesive strips were on. A little chunk of blue strip will live inside my phone forever.

    Alexander Hughes -

    OK - so I had some of the above issue with my first iPhone 6. Blue film did peel off easily, but the “snap back” at the end of the peel caused trouble with the film getting in the strips! When I did the second iPhone, I was ready for it. I had done several “dry fits” of the battery and the strips to prepare my mind for the task. I checked the initial alignment, position of the strips on the front (with the pink film still on, and running perfectly straight and aligned with the battery edges before the flip, and finally to the lower end of the battery to see that the strips do not reach the entire length of the battery. (And, I was ready for the “flip!) On this phone, I performed the strip install exactly as shown in the video, and all went as described. Also, be sure to hold the battery firmly before the drop-in - no second chances! Practice really helped me get it right this time. Oh yeah, and this time I had a “back-up” set of strips, and did not have to use them. YES!

    Bill Groth -

    Hi everyone!

    If you run into issues with your adhesive strips not coming off the backing properly, or accidentally getting ruined in the process, or removal, please reach out to our Support team via '''help.ifixit.com'''. There are far too many guides to monitor to proactively seek customers who are encountering issues, so it’s best that you reach out to us so that we can assist you in a quick fashion.

    Thanks again for your comments, and we look forward to helping!

    Kadan Sharpe -

    These are faulty or the QC is napping. There is no way to get the blue side unstuck from the adhesive strip. I even tried heating it. What happened ifixit? Every part I’ve bought in the past worked fine. I kinda need my phone ….so i’ll put it back together with double stick tape and hope for the best. .

    will -

    Wow, reading the comments I was really worried about this step. But I must have gotten a good batch, because the blue backing came right off and this step was no problem at all.

    Joe Teichert -

    No problem with the blue strips with the set that came with my kit. Came right off.

    kbohannon -

    Big problem with the blue strip, we read this earlier but was amazed at how hard it was and tried it anyway. Please resend us some please.

    Fitzy05 -

    I was able to remove the blue backing, unfortunately it stretched the adhesive as I did it. So I pulled the sheet parallel to the pink backing, this made the curve such that it didnt stretch the adhesive, but once it removed, the severe angle caused the blue sheet to flip and hit the adhesive on the not non-stick side. The &&^&^$^ thing then couldn’t be removed. I had to cut the sheet off from the mostly exposed adhesive. Luckily it was strong enough with 2.4 strips to remain secure in the phone.

    Enrique Mendez -

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    • Using your fingertip, gently roll the adhesive strips over the bottom edge of the battery, toward the back.

    • Don't pull or stretch the strips when applying them.

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    • Lay the strips down flat and let them stick to the back of the battery.

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    • Use your fingers or a cloth to press the strips firmly into place all along the back of the battery.

    STOP HERE!

    Before you take the plastic off the adhesive, take a look at your previous battery.

    See how the connector on it is bent? The connector on the new battery will also need to be bent this way before it will successfully connect to your iPhone, while still leaving enough clearance for the case to close.

    I would highly recommend that you take some pliers, and carefully bend the connector to look like the previous one.

    It’s much easier to bend this connector before you’ve taken the adhesive off, or (like I did) put the battery in the phone already.

    This is tricky, and take special care not to grab the battery plug itself, or you might damage the connector.

    Michael Gruben-Trejo -

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    • Carefully peel away the remaining piece of film, fully exposing the adhesive strips.

    Be careful you don’t do what I did on attempt no.1 and let the side of the plastic that will stick to the adhesive catch on it.

    James Meek (Jamz) -

    Same happened to me, couldnt peel off the adhesive from the remaining piece of film. What a waste.

    Maksim Luzik -

    This unlucky didn’t work out for me. Strips didn’t stick to the battery so I needed a quick fix and used TESA double-sided adhesive strip. Worked well and sticked very well. BUT the thickness of the tape compared to the iFixit adhesive strips is maybe 6:1, so I have slight problems with the display, but as a quick fix it works. Ordert new strips and hope I will get it done next time.

    Stefan Hinterberger -

    Adhesive strips did not stick to the battery very well.  When pulling off the pink plastic, the strips wanted to come up with it, only in certain spots.  I tried every angle pulling off the plastic.  Finally just had to let happen what happened, strips came up and snapped back down, but twisted and bunched up, so I just installed the battery anyways and applied lots of pressure to ensure battery was stuck in place.  Didn't seem to raise that battery up enough to cause a problem.  I recommend as a possible solution, is to clean battery with an alcohol wipe and let dry naturally just prior to applying the adhesive and not touching the battery where the adhesive will go with your bare hands.

    Carl Eubanks -

    I did just as you said. Cleaned a bit with alcohol. Then when trying my second adhesive I made sure it sticked to the battery PERFECTLY EVERYWHERE. Then removing the plastic SLOWLY making sure it doesn’t come up (It did once at the beginning but I continued anyway and just sticked back to the battery) Worked for me.

    Manuele -

    I just replaced the battery in my wife’s iPhone 6. Thanks, iFixit, for the parts, tools and instructions! Everything went very smoothly except that I ruined the first set of new adhesive strips. They are quite ‘fragile’ and must be handled and aligned very carefully. The second set was used without a problem. The phone seems good as new. :-)

    Russ Schuetz -

    I agree until battery is connected there is no need to peel away the film. DO NOT PEEL AWAY THE FILM until and unless you have connected the battery.

    Shivaji Rao -

    Best to leave the pink film on until after you have connected the battery and set it in the cavity. Then when you have it where you want it, tilt the battery at a 30 degree angle, remove the film and stick it down.

    Timothy Lee Russell -

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    • Without sticking the battery down, lower its connector into the iPhone and align it to its socket on the logic board.

    • Connect the battery.

    Leave an equal sliver of empty space on all 4 sides of the battery. My original installation had this. I suspect it helps reduce transfer of vibration and shock from the battery to the rest of the internals.

    Jeff Clayton -

    I’m glad I read the comments above first!! I decided after I attached the adhesive strips to the back of the new battery to leave the plastic backing on the sticky side of the tape that faces down and first attach the cable. I then pulled of the plastic backing and carefully centered the battery leaving room all around before pushing down to stick to the back of the case. I then disconnected the battery from the connector to complete the front panel re-connections. Good to go at that point and no bad alignment of the battery and its connector with respect to the case and surrounding components.

    calvord -

    Good advice.

    Ted -

    yes, definitely leave room for the connector ribbon to fit between the MB and battery. I didn’t and now my ribbon is folded over the battery!

    So Cal Joe -

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    • Carefully position the battery and set it into the iPhone.

    • If possible, try to leave a little space around the battery on the bottom edge and along the left side. This will make it easier to extract the adhesive strips should you need to replace the battery again in the future.

    Should the battery be positioned as far up and right as is can? Or is it as far up and left as it can? This part wasn’t very clear.

    kurtaschenbeck -

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    • When the battery is correctly positioned, lay it down in the iPhone and press it firmly into place, allowing the adhesive strips to stick to the rear case.

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    • Be sure to disconnect the battery again before reassembling your iPhone.

    • Working on your phone with the battery connected can destroy sensitive components.

    Now what do I do? Can you include a link here to the last group of steps?

    Joshua Greve -

    It depends on which model you have. All the instructions are linked in the introduction, above.^^

    Jeff Suovanen -

    I had the iPhone 6s Plus, so I returned to step 26 here:

    iPhone 6s Plus Battery Replacement

    It would be nice, though, to have all the links at the top of the page down here as well.

    Joe Teichert -

    “Be sure to disconnect the battery again before reassembling your iPhone.”

    Ummm…how does one reassemble with the battery disconnected?

    Tim Shackelford -

    The battery needs to be disconnected while you reinstall other components, like the display. You reconnect the battery before closing up the phone. As a rule, in any electronics repair you always disconnect power first, and reconnect it last.

    Jeff Suovanen -

    Don’t do this on your own. The adhesive strips are a nightmare and the directions are terrible.. I ended up wasting money on this battery replacement set and had to go out and buy a whole new phone. Save your time and money,

    kimberlyjroberts -

    Sorry to hear you had such a rough time. That said, “directions are terrible” is not a very constructive comment—tell us specifically what was unclear and where you had difficulty, and we can try to clarify it for the next person. Meanwhile, you can contact customer service for a refund on your kit.

    Jeff Suovanen -

    I accidentally pulled out the logic board socket when re-disconnecting the battery at this step. I came here from the iPhone 6 Battery Replacement page, where the disconnect step has this warning: “Take care to only pry up on the battery connector, and not the socket on the logic board. If you pry up on the logic board socket, you may break the connector entirely.“ I suggest adding that warning here as well, though it’s entirely my fault that I got sloppy.

    And lucky, as the battery connection appears to be OK.

    steve -

    I messed up the strips a little die to this and that, but I don’t think it is a big deal, in reality. Good documentary, here.

    Lou Fazio -

    Worked for me. B&ttclench when the adhesive strips went on, but got there and battery placed fine. Good instructions. thanks. Just hope it all powers on when its all re-assembled again. ;)

    Phil -

    I might be completely wrong, please correct me if I am wrong. If replacement battery is washout adhesive strips, and I have purchased the adhesive strip can I connect the battery ,connect display , start the iPhone and charge it just to check if the battery, is working…I know I wont be able to move the iPhone but incase the battery does not work, then I will have to buy the strips again too.

    Ahitagni Mandal -

    @ahitagni - correct, the adhesive strips are not reusable, so in that rare case, you would need to have a new set of strips.

    Patrick Kansa -

    Are the adhesive strips necessary? I mean, if I replace the battery with a new one without attaching the strips, does the battery stay in is place when I close the phone or will it move?

    vincenzo_bisceglia -

Conclusion

To reassemble your iPhone, return to the guide you used to remove the battery and follow the steps in reverse order.

Remember to take your old battery to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Author

Jeff Suovanen

Member since: 06/08/13

406697 Reputation

68 comments

I had to read these directions thoroughly three times before proceeding as I didn't want to screw it up on the adhesive. Went slow and it worked just fine

patrick knaggs -

I would say jus watch out as you go from step 4 to step 5 - the white adhesive can become slightly detached from the backing as you push it onto the edge of the battery and then around to the back side. Extreme care here! Very good guide and equipment. Galaxy class!

Steve Cottrell -

All was good, aside from the adhesive bunched up when I removed the blue backing and it started to separate from the pink backing. I had to just gingerly make sure it was all straight and kept steady like a heart surgeon until I had it smoothed down as best as possible. It all went well, but I was worried I'd end up with a big stuck ball of white adhesive in the middle of the battery plate, making it all uneven and stupid looking.

DiscoDan74 -

What happens if I use a different adhesive than this one?

gleeglee217 -

The iPhone adhesive strips we sell (and the original Apple ones) are special since they have very strong adhesion, but they can be removed easily by pulling on the tabs on the lower edge of the battery. People have had success with our 3M double-sided sticky tape (aka sticker tape), but standard plastic double-sided tape may not have enough strength to hold the battery in place. If you want the strongest adhesive possible, you should use iPhone adhesive strips mentioned above, but if your phone isn't subject to lots of movement, you could get by with some sticker tape.

Evan Noronha -

Thanks for this Jeff! I had a small problem after I followed Step8 and 9 because the battery connector attached to the replacement battery was about 1mm too long and thus aligning the top of the battery caused the connector to be 1mm too high for the socket. I had to bend the 'neck' between the connector and the battery just to align the connector with the socket.

patrickczar -

Are the adhesive strips necessary? Mine broke and i put in the battery anyway. Should i purchase a new set and add them in?

dsesnovich -

DO not follow their directions! The color of the film is wrong. Which ever film pulls off the easiest without wrinkling is the one you pull off first then apply it to the battery. Then pull the hardest plastic off next and push the battery to the phone case.

craigmatherly -

If you've wrinkled the strips, it's too late—you'll have to start over with new strips. This guide uses the strips you'll get from iFixit; if you bought different colored strips from somewhere else, you can likely still use the guide, but you'll have to be a little more alert about which side is which.

Jeff Suovanen -

The strips come with a single piece of plastic covering both strips ("double strip cover") on one side, and single pieces of plastic covering each strip individually on the other side ("single strip covers"). If you pull off the single strip covers first, the double strip cover holds the two strips aligned. This makes it easy to position them.

If instead you pull off the double strip cover first, you are left with two individual strips, and have a harder job attaching them. So I think it's clear that you pull off the single strip covers first, regardless of the color of the plastic covering.

Winston -

I completed this in about 25 minutes it was very straightforward I think of anybody has a problem with any of the instructions or videos they really shouldn't attempt it! You just need to take it slow and don't force anything.

Greg Stevens -

It's reduculous to charge for these strips. Ifixit should include them with their premium priced batteries.

Mike734 -

We currently include them with all our battery fix kits.

Evan Noronha -

Many of us don't need the kit as we already have all the tools. But everyone ordering a new battery needs the adhesive.

Mike734 -

Fair point. I'll ask our product team what they think of including them.

Evan Noronha -

i changed the battery every things ok now but i have problem whith charg it , 7 hours and the battery got 50% of charg ! its not full

newstyle -

I don't want to put anything sticky and troublesome for replacing anything as I may want to tinker around with it.

Just want to ask if there are any problems if one is not to stick it back on.

Xavier Jiang -

Unfortunately the battery needs to be firmly adhered in place. Leaving it loose inside the phone is a possible fire hazard, since the battery's foil pouch may deform or get damaged if it's free to rattle around and potentially impact on nearby components. Unless your plan is to leave the phone lying flat on a table and never move it, I'd strongly recommend replacing the adhesive.

Jeff Suovanen -

1. Be very careful not to pry near the top of the battery if the adhesive breaks during removal. It's tempting to use a long plastic probe/spudger at the top of the battery: there is more space there than on the side. Don't. The upper component cable is under the top of the battery. It's easy to catch with whatever you use to pry. I damaged mine, and now the power button, video microphone, flash, and mute switch don't work. (Luckily the volume buttons still do.) Even from the side, be careful not to pry near the top.

2. I put the adhesive on the case first. This left plenty of tab at the end of the adhesive strips, but this didn't help when I found I had a defective replacement. The adhesive tore. It's possible the adhesive is directional, and meant to go on the battery first.

3. Pulling the adhesive to the side is not recommended by 3M for their Command hooks, which use similar adhesive.

http://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/...

4. Replacement adhesive I got was thicker than the original.

Winston -

Some posts suggest putting the adhesive in the case first. This defeats the black plastic tabs on the adhesive. Note Steps 1 & 2 in the instructions. A bit of adhesive above the black plastic strips on one side adheres to the TOP side of the battery. This positions the black plastic strips at the foot of the battery. If you put the adhesive in the case first, the black plastic tabs will be upside down, and you'll have the tabs sticking up.

Look at the black plastic tabs to see which side of the plastic coverings to remove first, Remove the side which has the bit of adhesive first.

Alterations to instructions:

1. Put long part of adhesive on the battery first, then do the black plastic tabs. Alignment of the adhesive is easier.

2. Align the side of the battery with the side of the iPhone case, leaving 1/16"/1mm at bottom, then fold the battery down into the phone. This allows for easy top and bottom alignment. Check that the adhesive will not touch the Upper Component Cable before folding the battery down.

Winston -

Easy Peasy! Lemon Squeezy! Thanks for the great tutorial, it went off without a hitch!

Patrick Burnett -

Thoroughly read the directions prior to installation to ensure how to install the adhesive strips properly. Was able to remove the old battery adhesive with very little problems. Just took my time and removed it by pulling it out slowly. If you follow the directions you shouldn't have a problem. Took 7 minutes to remove the old battery and install the new one.

ronjon40 -

Very helpful instructions for the adhesive strips. The most challenging part is lining up that tiny battery connector PRIOR to sticking the battery in place. It is very helpful to line the battery/connector up BEFORE removing the last pink strip. This way you know exactly where the top of the battery needs to be BEFORE you stick it to the bottom of the case. Hope this helps!

Ryan -

A piece of the plastic case that the rubber adhesives came with ended up sticking to the adhesive strips when i was not being careful. Because I don't have another set of strips, and the plastic was only blocking a portion of the adhesive, i trimmed around the plastic, and installed the battery.

If there is a small piece of plastic between the adhesive and the back of the phone, will this cause future problems? Thanks in advance!

srdisciullo -

I wonder if it'd be ok to maybe use less of the adhesive strips. I guess their function is to keep the battery from sliding around. I was thinking in hindsight since I had such a hard time getting the battery out, why not just use minimal stripping to keep it from sliding? Maybe little squares on the corners. This would make the battery easier to get free when the strips break because there would be less sticky surface area holding it in but enough to keep that light weight battery from sliding. I did the full stripping and I'm hoping I never have to do this again as my experience of taking off the strips almost resulted in a calamity. Next time though I may just heat the back up to melt the strips without even trying to take them out like described.

Garret Gray -

I have replaced about 6 batteries in iPhone 5S and 6. I cut and only use about 1.5 inches of the new strip, centered in the middle (horizontally) of the battery with the end tab wrapped over the battery bottom for future grasping / removal. Those strips are very secure and don’t see the point of two 3.5 inch strips to hold it in place. I thought that they possibly served a dual purpose of securing the phone and as a thermal transfer medium to move heat from the battery to the case back. I have yet to see anyone post that there is a need for heat transfer from the strips, so to me, use the smallest length possible to secure the phone and make it an easy job for the next removal !!

bdahl385 -

i used any Double-sided adhesive tape and had never issues.

Mandala Fris -

Very straight forward.. very simple and easy to apply.

Dennis Burgos -

The blue backing won’t peel away from the adhesive!! What kind of crap design is this?!?!

Nathan Crane -

All went well until removing the old adhesive tape as it broke off close to the tab end. Not having a warming pad, I used my wife’s hairdryer to heat the underside of the phone. Being mindful not to overheat the phone, it took several attempts with the hairdryer on full heat, to build up enough heat to soften the tapes. I was surprised at just how much heat was needed! Not also having the plastic card tool, I improvised with cutting out my own from an empty ice cream tub lid. This worked well together with the spunge tools and eventually lifted the battery from the case side.

The phone is now reassembled and being charged up so fingers crossed that it works without any problem when it reaches full charge!

Dave Pym -

I tried it and it worked the first time. I had trouble getting the left adhesive out, but once I got a second ‘grip’ of it I got it out. On reassemble I lost one of the tiny screws for the ribbon cable cover plate. But phone works great again. Thanks for the excellent step-by-step.

Kent Kersey -

Worked as planned. The adhesive strips are really stiiiicky. It’s a little tricky making sure they lay flat on the back of the battery. Once they touch they are stuck. Had a little trouble deciding how to and then positioning the very stiff part of the new battery lead. Worked out OK. I have an optivisor loop. It was really helpful for seeing and replacing the tiniest of the screws. I’d recommend some kind of magnification aid if you have older eyes like mine.

Claude Rightmire -

Excellent guide, this battery replacement went perfectly for me.

mikeatkinson -

Great guide with lots of details. I ended up skipping removal of the display and leaving it rubber-banded to a soda can while I pulled the adhesive tabs loose. The adhesive came right out and I was done in less than 10 minutes.

dllamond -

Blue side adhesive was beyond stuck to the plastic backing. Either was old/defect or… something… The adhesive tab was not the same as shown in video. kinda disappointing but this is the first time its happened out of all the ifixit jobs I have done.

Sean Tobeler -

Hi Sean! Thank you for your comment. We’re sorry to hear your adhesive strips arrived unusable. Our Support team would be happy to send you a new set of adhesives if you like! If it’s not too much trouble, please contact them through our help page so that they can get you all fixed up.

Kadan Sharpe -

OMG these are terrible instructions. My adhesive strip? The pink side peeled off easily, but the blue side refused to come loose. The instruction imply that the blue side goes down on the battery, and the pink side goes down on the case. But there is no way my blue side is going to come loose. To top it off, people are commenting that the instructions are backwards. It would great if there was a definitive correction to this!

peterbastian -

These are TERRIBLE instructions. My blue side (which the instructions say goes down on the battery) will not separate from the blue backing. The pink side, which the instructions say goes down on the case comes off very easily. But, since I cant separate the blue side from the blue backing, I’m screwed. To top it off, some people are commenting that the instructions are backwards. Either way, my adhesive strips are defective. Cannot separate the strips from the blue side. They will not budge.

peterbastian -

Sorry to hear that! If you get in touch with customer service we’d be happy to set you up with a replacement.

Evan Noronha -

I went through the instructions entirely one tie and it took me approximately 10 minutes to completely open, remove, install, and close. I was able to fix this by only removing the two Penelobe screws at the bottom of the phone and the two Phillips for the battery ribbon. I left the screen attached and had no issue. Excellent guides.

Brian Moore -

Same. Pink comes off fine; blue will not release from adhesive. Blue-side-complaints seem to begin around Oct 2017. I’d bet it’s a manufacturing flaw, not a problem with instructions.

shawncampbell -

The adhesive refuysed to come off the blue foil. It completely ripped and it ruined the entire repair. Absolute material fail. Worst repair ever.

Doopy -

My repair worked fine. I pressed the adhesive strip down with my fingers to make sure it stuck to the battery, and was able to peel the pink strip away. The adhesive wanted to come off the battery in places but I kept steady pressure on removing the pink strip at a 45 degree angle. The adhesive stayed on the battery. I didn’t remove the screen (just the 2 Penelopes), and the 2 Phillips screws for the battery connector cover. So I completed the repair successfully.

ericrose62 -

The blue tape DOES NOT release from the white sticky tape. Even worse: you've known about this issue for months and have not corrected it, sending me junk tape in January. Shame on you.

Paul Daly -

@catsnot I hear your frustration and I’m sorry you had a bad time with this. If you get in touch with the support team they will be happy to send you some replacement strips. Yes, we know there are some defective release liners out there; unfortunately we don’t manufacture this particular product and there’s no way for us to test individual strips without destroying them. It’s also hard to track because the vast majority of folks have no problem. (I’ve yet to see a defective one in person even though I use them all the time.) Long story short, we haven’t figured out how to prevent the bad ones from shipping out—but if your order is one of the unlucky ones, just contact us and we’ll get you a replacement on the double. In the meantime, if you want, you can reassemble your phone with a little double-sided tape to secure the battery temporarily. Apologies again for the trouble.

Jeff Suovanen -

for anyone doing this for the first time, definitely detach the camera/screen before trying to remove the battery.  it became a real tug of war to get it out.  battery can get mangled/bent.  Be sure to reconnect before the final battery attachment.  bending the battery connection before reconnecting was key.

todd adelman -

I’m not sure how many people had trouble with the screen, but the rubber band and the box trick worked very well for keeping the screen attached and out of my way. It was the first time I attempted iPhone surgery.

James Gatts -

If you remove the Taptic Engine while trying to get the battery out, be sure to put it back in BEFORE putting the battery back in with new adhesive strips. If you don’t leave enough space for the Taptic Engine, you’ll have to start all over with new adhesive strips.

Erik Johnson -

i literally used the tape things from the backs of the adhesive hooks

Jake Longacre -

So I removed the old battery, and secured the new battery and then I reassembled the phone, put last two screws in and then it wouldn’t turn on. I plugged it in and the white turn on screen with the Apple in the middle came up, then it turned back off. And did it several times till unplugged it, then it wouldn’t turn on at all. So I put the old battery back in and that’s what I’m using now. — not sure what is my plan of recourse..- Mike Gliko

zoot_scoot_riot -

Sounds like you got a defective battery. Contact the seller and ask for a refund or exchange. On the off-chance you bought the cheapest thing you could find off eBay or Amazon, you might want to cut your losses and just buy one from someplace reputable—not worth trying to save a few bucks on something as important as a battery.

Jeff Suovanen -

Worked perfectly. No issues, thanks!

mdavis43 -

Tolle und Verständliche Anleitung, als Erfahrener Modellbauer hatte ich mit dem Akku Tausch keinerlei Probleme.

Ich habe den Kleber unter dem Akku mit der Kleberziehmethode ohne Erwärmen und ohne verbiegen entfernt, das Alte Akku ist ohne jede Beschädigung.

Das Werkzeug das bei dem Set war ist zwar Einfach aber Ausreichend. Die Montageplastikkarten sowie das Ersatzklebeset fürs Akku habe ich umsonst gekauft weil nicht benötigt.

Das war ganz Sicher nicht der letzte Akku den ich hier gekauft habe. Wir haben noch mehr iPhone in der Familie da kommt noch etwas auf mich zu :-)

LG Hennaman

D.Drumm -

I received one of the defective strips and iFixit sent me replacement strips with no issue. :) Thanks iFixit!

Sarah Ybarra -

Sehr einfach! Habe allerdings eine Lupenbrille benutzt ;-).

Pete Adeberg -

Lol i toattaly and unequivocally f-ed up my battery adhesive strips and just used electrical tape. Not about to wait a week for that in the mail. Ordered a logo light with new adhesive strips though and here’s to hoping the electrical tape holds until then!

Alex Bouchard -

Edit: I finished my battery and screen replacement. My new battery is held in place with folded double sided electrical tape but honestly ask me if I care. I was almost sure I shorted the entire thing because I connected my battery back before my screen but then everything turned on properly once I closed up. My stupidity is only surpassed by my luck I guess.

Alex Bouchard -

I bought the battery only instead of the kit because I already have the tools.

Although I appreciate that it *is* mentioned in the description, it seems absurd not to include the sticky strips with the battery given that the chances of reusing the strips is close to nil!

buyjohn -

I attached the strips to the battery fine and then peeled off the backing film, but as it came free from the strips it flipped over and stuck to the ends of the strips. Carelessness on my part no doubt but something to be aware of. All assembled now and working!

buyjohn -

Great guide! These strips are much thinner than a 3M Command strip, which was what I thought they’d be like before I attempted a battery change. Your guide helped me do it correctly the first time.

John Johnson -

So, now what do I do with the old battery - find a local recycle point?

Patrick Kansa -

@pkansa Yes! Please take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler. Depending on where you live, local electronics or office supply stores may also accept old batteries for recycling.

Jeff Suovanen -

Great Tutorial… Well done work by ifixit… Best repair tutorials are here… JazakAllah….

Bilal Ahmad -

Merci pour le manuel de réparation fort bien fait.

jpmoll -

Thank you for this guide. It' was really helpful and the video was a great added value.

Axel Egolf -

My battery kit came with the pre-attached adhesive strips. I had no trouble removing the plastic over the strips, plugging in the battery, then placing the battery in the phone.

Ronald Glosemeyer -

Grossartig!Danke.

Lutz Pleul -

Absolute $@$* guide, watched the video 3 times, still managed to install it upside down twice and ended up with a ball of sticky gooey strips. Get bent.

Jason -