iPhone XS Battery Replacement

Written By: Jeff Suovanen

Comments: 39

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

iPhone batteries are rated to hold 80% of their capacity for up to 500 charge cycles, which lasts roughly 18-24 months for most users. After that, your iPhone may need to be charged far more frequently, and iOS may warn you that performance is affected (in other words, your phone will run slower). Use this guide to replace your battery and restore your iPhone to like-new performance.

If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.

Note: After the repair, your iPhone may display a warning about the “genuineness” of the battery, even when using original Apple parts. If your iPhone functions normally, you can safely ignore the warning.

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

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 6.9 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.

Step 2

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 in order to soften up the adhesive underneath.

Step 3

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 4

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.

pay attention to not insert tools between glass and plastic display frame, as I do.

(insert separation tool under plastic frame)

cristiano -

Step 5

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 allow the suction cup to adhere. Alternatively, very strong tape may be used instead of the suction cup. If all else fails, you can superglue the suction cup to the broken screen.

Step 6

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.

Step 7

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 8

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 9

The top edge of the display is secured with both glue and clips.
Slide the opening pick around the top corner of the display, while gently pulling or wiggling the display down in the direction of the Lightning port.
The clips will break if you use too much force. Work carefully and be patient.
Again, don't insert the pick more than a few millimeters—about the width of the display bezel—or you may damage the front panel sensor array.
Slide the pick to the opposite corner and cut any remaining adhesive securing the display.

Step 10

Pull on the small nub on the suction cup to remove it from the front panel.
If you used an iSclack and it's still affixed to the iPhone, remove it now.

Step 11

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.
Lean the display against something to keep it propped up while you're working on the phone.
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.

Open from the LEFT. Photo confused me and I came very close to damaging my phone by opening from the wrong side.

charlotte -

Step 12

Remove five screws securing the logic board connector bracket, of the following lengths:
Three 1.0 mm Y000 screws
One 1.3 mm Y000 screw
One 3.7 mm Phillips screw
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your iPhone.

The ribbon makes the 1.3 mm screw a little tricky. Use one hand to hold the display at a 90 degree or smaller angle to create the slack necessary to get the screw driver in place.

charlotte -

I tracked my screws by using my kids fridge magnets to hold each screw size and placing a piece of masking tape below with the screw size.

charlotte -

I stripped a screw ugh

Tresia -

Step 13

Remove the bracket.
The bracket may be lightly adhered in place. Lift gently but firmly to separate it.
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, pause here to check function. Gently reattach the top of the display to the base to test face ID.

charlotte -

Step 14

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 making contact with the socket and providing power to the phone during your repair.

Step 15

Use a spudger or a fingernail to pry up and disconnect the front panel sensor assembly connector.

In my phone the connector made poor contact with the socket resulting in no sound audible through the phone receiver/headset. There was an overhang of insulation close to the socket which I believe may have prevented a good connection. So if you have these kinds of audio problems you might see if this is the problem.

goblazers -

Step 16

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the OLED panel cable connector.
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.

Shine a bright light here to help you align the connector. Eventually, the right side snapped in first.

charlotte -

On reassembly, use the pad of your fingertip to reconnect.

charlotte -

Step 17

Use a spudger or fingernail to pry the digitizer cable connector up from its socket.
This connector's recessed location makes it tricky to reconnect. Take your time and align it carefully, then gently press it into place with your fingertip—first one side, then the other. You should feel it click into place.
If any part of your screen doesn't respond to touch after your repair, disconnect the battery and then re-seat this connector, making sure it clicks fully into place and that there's no dust or other obstruction in the socket.

Reassembly: reconnecting the press connectors upon reassembly was so hard, even for the ones not seated in a recessed location !! It took me two days to get them reconnected. What helped me was to shine bright lights on all sides of the iPhone and then hold the iPhone vertically like a book and press it in that way. They are now all in, but the touchscreen functionality has disappeared :( so I will need to reconnect that one.

natialollie -

Step 18

The front panel sensor assembly flex cable is lightly adhered in place.
Carefully lift the cable until the adhesive separates.

Will replacing camera and sensors fix damaged face I'd

Siddhartha Chowdhury - 04/03/20

No, FaceID will be disabled because the original sensors are paired with the logic board.

Arthur Shi - 04/03/20

Step 19

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

I wish the reassembly directions were separate. I forgot to pause here to do the waterproof seal.

charlotte -

Step 20

Remove the five screws securing the two brackets below the Taptic Engine and main speaker:
One 1.0 mm tri-point Y000 screw
Two 1.3 mm Phillips screws
One 1.7 mm Phillips screw
One 1.8 mm Phillips screw

Bonjour,

Plus pratique avec une Y000. Dans mon cas c’était impossible en Y00.

Bonne journée. :)

Pascal Prugna -

got stuck on the 1.8 mm screw and had to abort. The Phillips head provided “PH000” didn’t quite fit and stripped the screw.

Jimmy Zhang -

kit doesn’t come with the right screwdrivers for this step!! :(

R.J. -

I ended up skipping this step through 32. It’s not necessary to take the speaker and taptic thing off. I just used the thin black spudger flat edge and pried under the battery on the L-shaped edge and dislodged the adhesive and then did the same on the top edge. You will end up bending the old battery but that’s ok—just don’t poke it. keep poking the flat edge of the spudger in there kind of like a knife to break the adhesive. once you get at least two spots of the adhesive pulled, the rest comes up quite easily when you lift the whole battery.

R.J. -

Step 21

The brackets are lightly adhered in place.
Gently lift to unstick and remove each bracket, being careful not to bend it.
If necessary, apply a little heat with a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the adhesive. (Putting an iOpener on the brackets is not recommended, as this may bend the spring contacts along the top.)

Step 22

Remove the 1.9 mm Phillips screw securing the speaker connector cover.

screew is 1,81mm

Boni Zei - 28/04/20

Step 23

Remove the speaker connector cover.

Step 24

Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the speaker connector.

Step 25

When prying up the speaker, take care not to damage the speaker flex cable you just disconnected. If necessary, bend the cable toward the battery so the speaker has room to come out.
Insert a spudger under the top edge of the speaker, near the edge of the iPhone's case.
Gently pry up and lift the top edge of the speaker slightly.
When reinstalling the speaker, check the position of the flex cable and make sure it doesn't get trapped underneath the speaker.

Step 26

While prying up the speaker, use tweezers to peel away the plastic bumper strip from the top edge of the speaker.
If necessary, apply a little heat to soften the adhesive and make the bumper strip easier to separate.

Step 27

Hold the speaker by its side edges and rock it side-to-side, separating the adhesive securing it to the bottom edge of the iPhone.
Pull the speaker away from the bottom edge of the iPhone until the adhesive gasket separates.

Step 28

Remove the speaker.
The speaker's adhesive gasket is not reusable. Peel away any remaining adhesive residue with tweezers.
To help protect against water and dust intrusion, replace the adhesive gasket during reassembly. Prep the area by cleaning it with a bit of isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth or coffee filter so that the gasket adheres properly. Install a new gasket onto the speaker, and then install the speaker.

Why is the speaker gasket not included or offered as required parts when you sell a battery?

Daryl - 15/09/22

I thought my speaker gasket was also missing, however looking back into the part box I found it tucked under the flap at the other (unopened) side of the box. Glad I took a second (and closer) look. IFIXIT needs to do a better job securing very small parts as it is very easy for these types of parts to get jostled during shipping and then could fall out or stuck in the box unnoticed. I've purchased iFixit products for more than 10 years and am super satisfied their quality in parts and provided instructions. Hopefully they'll make some adjustments to their shipping containers as I'd love to continue using them.

gelatofanatic -

My speaker gasket was stuck to the inside of the box also. Unfortunately it has the back peal removed and has stuck itself to the cardboard box. I tried to remove it but it was firmly attached. Bummer. This is my first iFixIt. Please package it more carefully as the other person said.

Austin Abercrombie -

Step 29

Use a spudger to disconnect the Taptic Engine flex cable by prying it straight up from its socket.

Step 30

Remove the two 1.9 mm Phillips screws securing the Taptic Engine.

Step 31

Grasp the plastic bumper strip and carefully lift it over the speaker connector.

Step 32

Remove the Taptic Engine assembly.

Step 33

The battery is secured to the rear case by four pieces of stretch-release adhesive—one under the upper area of the battery, and three under the lower area.
Each piece of adhesive has a black pull-tab at the end, which is lightly adhered to the side edge of the battery.

Step 34

Separate the first battery adhesive tab from the bottom edge of the battery.
Each tab has a small loop in the center; insert a tool through the loop if you're having trouble grabbing hold of the tab.
Don't jab the battery with any sharp tools. A punctured battery may leak dangerous chemicals or catch fire.

Step 35

Repeat the above step to separate the remaining two adhesive tabs from the bottom edge of the battery.
Take care not to damage the speaker cable connector, near the center adhesive tab.

The tabs are stuck on with the same glue that is holding the battery down. It is fairly strong but will come off with some patience and consistent progress.

Despite the photo, I do NOT suggest using the tweezers for this but the black plastic spudger that comes with the kit. I say this after having the tweezers lose grip and slide across the bottom black ribbon attached to the case. If you must use the tweezers because of the strength of the glue, use a downward force into the case bottom, not an outward force. That way, you will not have the same happen to you…

Here is hoping the slight scratch did not damage anything vital…

Aleksandr Demidenko - 24/05/21

Step 36

In the following steps, you'll pull each tab to slowly stretch out the adhesive underneath the battery. This special stretch-release adhesive loses its tack when stretched and then comes out in your hand, allowing you to lift out the battery with ease.
If the strips break, don't panic! They don't always work as intended. Keep reading for some additional steps for removing broken strips.
To increase your odds of success:
Don't press down on the battery. Hold the iPhone firmly by its sides.
Keep the strips flat and unwrinkled as you pull.
Pull very slowly, giving the strip time to stretch and separate. It takes around 15-30 seconds of stretching to remove each strip.
Pull at a low angle so the strip doesn't snag along the bottom edge of the battery.
If a strip does break off underneath the battery and cannot be retrieved, move on to the other strips and then continue with the additional steps below.

Pour cette étape, vous pouvez saisir les bandes adhésives avec une pince à bouts ronds (pour éviter de percer la batterie) et l’enrouler petit à petit.

Pascal Prugna -

Step 37

Grab one of the outer battery adhesive tabs and slowly pull it away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone.
Pull steadily, maintaining constant tension on the strip until it slips out from between the battery and the rear case.
The strip will stretch to many times its original length. Continue pulling and re-grab the strip near the battery if necessary.
If the battery adhesive tabs break during the removal process, use your fingers or blunt tweezers to retrieve the remaining length of adhesive, and continue pulling.
If any of the adhesive strips break underneath the battery and cannot be retrieved, try to remove the remaining strips, and then proceed as instructed below.

Step 38

Repeat the previous step to remove the strip on the opposite side, leaving the center strip for last.

Step 39

Remove the center strip, being careful not to snag it on the speaker flex cable.

Step 40

The final pull tab lies very close to the Face ID hardware. If damaged, Face ID can only be repaired by Apple, so work with care.
Peel and separate the pull tab on the final adhesive strip, on the top edge of the upper battery cell.

Step 41

Pull and remove the final adhesive strip.
The strip may fling the battery when it separates from the iPhone, so hold your hand over the battery to secure it—but don't press down on the battery itself, or the added pressure may cause the adhesive strip to break off underneath the battery.
If you removed all four adhesive strips successfully, skip the two next steps.
Otherwise, if any of the adhesive strips broke off underneath the battery and could not be retrieved, continue with the next step below.

Step 42

If any of the adhesive strips broke off and the battery remains stuck to the rear case, remove it by adding a few drops of isopropyl alcohol (90% or greater) underneath the battery near the stuck strip(s).
After about a minute, gently lift the battery.
The battery should come free with minimal force. If not, add a little more isopropyl alcohol and try again. Do not bend or puncture the battery.
Be careful not to damage the ribbon cables or the wireless charging coil directly underneath the battery.
For an alternative method to unstick the battery, continue to the next step.

Step 43

If any of the adhesive strips broke off and the battery remains stuck to the rear case, prepare an iOpener or use a hair dryer to heat the rear case directly behind the battery.
Heat the iPhone until the rear case is slightly too hot to comfortably touch. Don't overheat the iPhone, or you may accidentally ignite the battery.
Flip the iPhone back over and thread a strong piece of string (such as dental floss or a length of thin guitar string) underneath the battery.
Wear gloves to protect your fingers, or wrap each end of the string around a tool.
Pull the string from side to side in a sawing motion to separate the adhesive. This can take some time since the adhesive is slow to deform, but with patience it will come free. Do not deform or damage the battery.
Start from the top or bottom edge of the battery, and pull toward the middle. Don't pull the string through the middle third of the battery, or you may damage the ribbon cables or the wireless charging coil directly underneath.
If you choose to use pry tools to lift the battery out of the iPhone, use extreme caution or you may damage the ribbon cables or the wireless charging coil directly underneath the battery.

I didn't have any of the alcholol, so came in straight here. Can't over stress the need for patience, but once I put the phone on my microwaved sock of rice (that's how we roll) and started to gently saw away with the floss - it all came good.

James Stanbridge -

Step 44

Grasp the battery from the bottom edge and remove it from the iPhone.
If there's any alcohol solution remaining in the phone, carefully wipe it off or allow it to air dry before installing your new battery.
Reinstall the Taptic Engine and speaker before installing a new battery. This helps keep the battery aligned correctly during installation.
Before you adhere the replacement battery, temporarily reconnect the battery connector to the logic board socket. This ensures that the battery is properly aligned in its recess.
Adhere the battery, disconnect it, and continue reassembling your device.
If your new battery does not come with adhesive preinstalled, refer to this guide for help replacing the adhesive strips.
Perform a force restart after reassembly. This can prevent several issues and simplify troubleshooting.

For those that plan to proceed with the hack that eliminates the “battery is not genuine” message and no battery health information (requires extra tools that most don’t have), be careful not to bend the original battery’s flex cable too much. I found out the hard way that the flex cable doesn’t really “flex” much and ended up snapping in half when trying to hook it up to a programmer. So much for trying to do the hack :(

Willy Parr -

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? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.

Author

Jeff Suovanen

Member since: 06/08/13

406802 Reputation

14 comments

i don’t know what happened but now my iphone xs will only boot into recovery mode and there is nothing showing up on the display. i have double triple quadruple checked and dont know what my issue is. any feedback on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Daniel Bolton - 23/05/20

My iPhone has been turned off completely for the past few weeks, I have tried to hard restart it but nothing seems to work. It has a black screen and isn’t responding to anything. Nothing has ever been wrong with the phone it just shut down one day and hasn’t restarted since. Do you have a suggestion to get my phone working again?

Olivia - 26/07/20

Anyone have an issue where the phone won’t charge after replacing the battery/

Christopher Rich -

Yes, I cant figure out why. I wonder if because its not the original battery, it wont let the new one charge? Idk.

Nick Lo -

It is possible the you went to deep with the plectrum, knocking of a capacitor from the logic board. I think it’s best you take it to a really good repair shop where the owner has expert solder skills to replace it.

Good luck

TheKillerbee24 -

I ended up skipping steps 20-32. The kit didn’t come with the right screwdriver top and I realized it’s not necessary to take the speaker and taptic thing off.

I just used the thin black spudger flat edge and pried under the battery on the L-shaped edge and dislodged the adhesive and then did the same on the top edge. You will end up bending the old battery but that’s ok—just don’t poke it. keep poking the flat edge of the spudger in there kind of like a knife to break the adhesive. once you get at least two spots of the adhesive pulled, the rest comes up quite easily when you lift the whole battery.

R.J. -

Hey, after changing the battery the volume and silent buttons stopped working. There is no apparent reason as why they would, what could it be and can it be fixed before I close the phone ??

Jonas Rayet -

you've likely damaged the volume flex cable that lies under the battery, it is very thin and easily damaged. unfortunately pull tabs rarely work as intended. alcohol is the best method for loosening adhesive.

andrew.o.scott -

I skipped removing the taptic engine and speaker because I knew I was going to break the adhesive strips when pulling as they break very easily. Just dripped some alcohol, waited 10 minutes and with a bit of force the battery came right off without even bending. Makes the process much quicker although that’s not the intended way of removal.

Vic -

iPhone wird nach dem akkutausch heiß und startet neu

Nowak -

Ive got a metal protection plate of some sort in-between the screen and the battery around the inside perimeter of the phone. it is blocking access to most of the bottom screws. and does look like it pulls out. might be fixed at the bottom or sides.
anyone found one of these plates in their attempts? might have been placed by a repairer at some point

gordonmsykes -

that is the display frame you have damaged it and you will need to replace the display because the display has its own frame and that frame holds it in place.

Diesel Woods -

My phone's touch screen and camera were unresponsive after reassembly. I prised it all apart and checked all the connections 3 times unfortunately ruining the glue around the edge and then after Googling found a Forced Restart cleared the problem. Press and release volume up button then the volume down button then hold and keep holding the on off button on the right until the apple appeared. And hey presto it all worked!!! I'm well chuffed as I'm a 64 year old 'girl' with no experience of this sort of thing but am pretty competant with practical things - I thought 'how difficult can it be?' Not too difficult, except for removing the adhesive from behind the battery (should have read the detailed instructions properly) which I eventually did with some Isopropyl alcohol following the further instructions.

My top tip! I found putting all the screws on a bit of 'blue tac' kept them safe and in order.

TheoneandonlyRed Rose -

Very tricky indeed but thankfully I managed to replace battery and screen and it worked 😊

Paul Tighe -