iPhone 12 Battery Replacement

Insert a SIM card eject tool or a paperclip into the small hole in the SIM card tray, located on the volume button edge of the iPhone.

Press firmly to eject the tray.

Remove the SIM card tray from the iPhone.

Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.

Remove the two 6.75 mm long pentalobe P2 screws at the bottom edge of the iPhone.

Measure 3 mm from the tip and mark the opening pick with a permanent marker.

Apply strips of packing tape to the cracked glass until the whole screen is covered—this will help keep the glass contained and allow the suction cup to stick to the screen.

Make sure there's a single strip (not overlapping) of tape across the bottom edge, big enough for a suction cup to fit on.

If you can't get the suction cup to stick in the next few steps, fold a strong piece of tape (such as duct tape) into a handle and lift the screen with that instead.

Pull the blue handle backwards to unlock the Anti-Clamp's arms.

Slide the arms over either the left or right edge of your iPhone.

Position the suction cups near the bottom edge of the iPhone—one on the front, and one on the back.

Squeeze the cups together to apply suction to the desired area.

Pull the blue handle forwards to lock the arms.

Turn the handle clockwise 360 degrees or until the cups start to stretch.

Make sure the suction cups remain aligned with each other. If they begin to slip out of alignment, loosen the suction cups slightly and realign the arms.

Support your iPhone on something sturdy such as a hardcover book so it rests hands-free and parallel to the ground; this makes it easier to work with in the following steps.

Use a hair dryer to heat along the bottom edge of the iPhone. The screen should feel slightly too hot to touch.

Wait one minute to give the adhesive a chance to release and present an opening gap.

Insert an opening pick under the screen's plastic bezel when the Anti-Clamp creates a large enough gap.

Skip the next three steps.

Use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the bottom half of the screen until it’s slightly too hot to touch. This softens the adhesive securing it.

Apply a suction handle to the bottom edge of the screen.

To avoid damaging your screen in the next step, note the following:

There's a plastic bezel on the underside of the screen. Your opening pick will go underneath this bezel.

There's a seam between the plastic bezel and the display panel. Don't insert your pick here or you'll damage the screen.

Pull up on the suction handle with firm, constant pressure to create a slight gap under the screen’s plastic bezel.

Insert an opening pick into the gap.

Slide your pick back and forth along the bottom edge to separate the adhesive.

Leave your pick inserted in the bottom right corner to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.

Use a hair dryer to heat the right edge of the iPhone (the edge with the power button) until the screen is slightly too hot to touch.

Slide the opening pick around the bottom right corner of the iPhone to separate its adhesive.

Continue sliding up the right edge of the iPhone until you reach the top right corner.

Leave the pick in the top right corner before continuing.

Use a hair dryer to heat the top edge of the iPhone until the screen is slightly too hot to touch.

Slide the opening pick around the top right corner of the iPhone to separate the top adhesive.

Leave the pick in the top left corner before continuing.

Use a hair dryer to heat the left edge of the iPhone until the screen is slightly too hot to touch.

Rotate your pick around the top left corner of the screen.

Slide your pick down the left edge of the screen to separate the adhesive.

Rotate your iPhone so the right edge faces you.

Open the iPhone by swinging the display up from the right side, like the front cover of a book.

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

Remove two 1.1 mm long Y000 screws securing the battery and display connector cover.

Remove the cover.

Use a spudger or a clean fingernail to pry the battery connector up from its socket on the logic board.

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.

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the display cable connector.

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the digitizer cable connector.

Use a Y000 driver to remove four screws securing the front sensor connector cover.

Three 1.1 mm long screws

One 1.4 mm long screw

Swing the cover up from the left until the small clip on the right unhooks.

Remove the cover.

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the front sensor assembly cable connector.

Remove the display assembly.

Use a Phillips driver to remove the four 1.6 mm screws securing the loudspeaker.

Remove the loudspeaker.

Use a Y000 driver to remove the two 1.4 mm long screws securing the SIM card reader connector cover.

Remove the SIM card reader cable connector cover.

Use the point of a spudger to pry the SIM card reader cable connector straight up and out of its socket on the logic board.

Use a Y000 driver to remove the three screws securing the SIM card reader.

Two 1.4 mm screws

One 1.1 mm screw

Remove the Taptic Engine cable connector bracket.

Use a standoff or a small flathead driver to remove the 2.82 mm long standoff screw securing the SIM card reader.

Remove the SIM card reader.

Use the point of a spudger to pry the Taptic Engine cable connector straight up and out of its socket on the logic board.

Remove the three screws securing the Taptic Engine.

Two 2.8 mm long standoff screws

One 1.8 mm Phillips screw

Remove the Taptic Engine.

Each piece of adhesive has a black pull-tab at the end, which is lightly adhered to the edge of the battery.

Peel down the first battery adhesive pull-tab to un-stick it from the bottom edge of the battery.

Peel down the second battery adhesive pull-tab to un-stick it from the bottom edge of the battery.

Grab the first pull-tab with your fingers and slowly pull it away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone.

Pull hard enough to maintain tension on the strip, but don't force it. Give it plenty of time to stretch and un-stick from under the battery.

Don't press down on the battery. Hold the iPhone firmly by its sides.

Keep the strip flat and unwrinkled. Try to pull evenly on the whole strip, rather than pulling mainly in the middle or on one side.

Pull at a low angle so the strip doesn't snag on the edge of the battery.

If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers or blunt tweezers, and continue pulling—but do not pry under the battery.

Grab the second pull-tab with your fingers and pull it away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone.

Follow the same procedure as with the previous strip: don't press down on the battery, keep the strip flat and unwrinkled, and pull at a low angle.

If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers or blunt tweezers, and continue pulling—but do not pry under the battery.

Peel up the two remaining battery adhesive pull-tabs to un-stick them from the top edge of the battery.

Using the same procedure as before, pull the remaining two tabs, one at a time, to stretch and remove the remaining adhesive strip holding the battery in place. Try not to snag the adhesive on anything.

If you removed all the adhesive strips successfully, skip the next step.

Otherwise, continue with the next step below.

If you're still having trouble removing the battery, apply a few drops of high concentration (over 90%) isopropyl alcohol under the edge of the battery in the area of the broken adhesive strip(s).

Wait about one minute for the alcohol solution to weaken the adhesive.

Use an opening pick or the flat end of a spudger to gently lift the battery.

Remove the battery.

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.