Yeah, I know this is off topic… This is not about trailer hitches, towing, or bike racks, but it is a resource sorely needed and what better place to put it than here.
My iPhone dropped out of my pocket onto some rocks the other day. It only fell about 2 feet, but it smashed the screen to smithereens. The screen still worked and I put packing tape over it to protect my face while I considered my options for fixing it. There were some vague tutorials out there on this subject, and I was a little apprehensive, but decided to give it a go. Apple wants almost $300 to fix the screen, which seems steep for a $400 phone. I ordered a replacement glass face off of eBay for about $25 and it arrived in about 10 days.
This morning I did a run to the local hardware store and Radio Shack to pick up the required tools. I bought an X-Acto knife with a flat, stub-nosed blade for prying the glass off the LCD, some Goo-Gone for helping to loosen the glue holding the glass to the LCD, some cotton swabs for applying the Goo-Gone, some Windex for cleaning the LCD, and some Elmer’s rubber cement for glueing the glass on.
In the image above you can see how I’m using the blade to gently lift the glass shards while using the q-tip to apply Goo-Gone to loosen the adhesive. It takes a long time… Set aside 2-3 hours if you want to do it right. I recommend applying the Goo-Gone liberally before lifting the glass so that any air pockets created will be filled with the solvent. Be very slow and deliberate and let the glass lift itself as much as possible. If your screen is not shattered as badly as mine, it will be more difficult or nearly impossible, as the larger chunks are very hard to remove. I thought about trying a hair dryer to soften the glue, but didn’t have one handy.
Once the glass has been largely removed, I used the same blade to scrape off the adhesive. I think I went a little overboard with the Goo-Gone. More on that later… You can also see some O-ring sticking out of the sides of the phone. That o-ring was damaged pretty badly getting this apart since it was glued into the adhesive in places. I’m not sure how important it is, but I’m not going to worry about it.
Above you can see the pile of debris I’ve created and the tools I was using. The replacement glass is shown, too. The LCD is now ready to be cleaned with Windex.
I applied a little rubber cement to each of the four corners under the black portion of the glass and stuck the face on. I decided not to try putting glue between the LCD and the glass, as it would be almost impossible to do without bubbles. I cannot tell the difference between a phone with glue and a phone without glue, so other than sealing it up, there is no visible need for it.
Pressing the button and watching the phone come on was a great relief. However, when I tried the touch panel, it didn’t work at first. OMG, I destroyed my phone!!! Fortunately after waiting a few more minutes it was working just fine. It must have been the windex evaporating off. The touchscreen now works just like new. However, there is some strange shadowing on the screen that is new. I think I must have applied a little too much goo-gone and had it go behind the LCD. It doesn’t affect the performance, but you can definitely see a slight shadow. That said, it is 50X better now than it was before and I saved $250, so I can live with the shadow. Maybe it will go away, too over time.
This was a difficult and time consuming process, but I’m happy with the result. If I had destroyed the phone in the process, I was planning to buy an LCD/Glass unit for $165 as my backup plan. Fortunately plan A did the trick.
**** UPDATE 06/23 ****
The shadowing that appeared on the screen seems to be slowly healing itself. I think the adhesive remover is slowly evaporating out from between the backlight and the LCD. The pattern has changed substantially and is getting lighter and lighter. Hopefully it will disappear all together. I’m thinking about leaving it in the sun for a while to see if it speeds the evaporation.
Also, the lack of the o-ring is noticeable. Some lint has already made it behind the screen. At some point, I’ll remove the glass again and do a better job of sealing it. I think a large gauge syringe could be used to squirt a small bead of rubber cement all the way around the screen to take the place of the original o-ring without getting it under the visible part of the screen.
**** UPDATE 07/12 ****
The dark spots on the screen continue to disappear, albeit slowly. I still have not sealed the glass up, thinking that the goo gone needs a way for the vapors to escape. Compare the picture below to the original image. You’ll see it is much, much better. Maybe a few more weeks and it will be clear… Be careful not to use too much solvent so this doesn’t happen to you.
**** UPDATE 09/25 ****
Well, the display stopped healing itself about where the last image shows. Overall I’d say the project was a success. Some weird things that resulted from this project… The screen worked great with two exceptions. First, the display calibration seems to wander more than before. When you play a game, or use an application for an extended period of time (~>5 min), the screen sometimes stops recognizing your finger. To fix, you simply lock the phone and unlock it again. This seems to reset the calibration. The second thing is that the auto-dim feature when you hold the phone to your face is sporadic. That means you sometimes will mute the phone with your face.
The first problem is probably due to the lack of adhesive between the LCD and the glass. It means there is more variation in the capacitance between the touch panel and the user’s finger. Finding a way to glue it would probably solve this problem.
I’m stumped about the second problem. I’ve since verified that my light sensor works, so it must be related to the new glass somehow.
Tinkering is a hobby of mine, so I decided to buy and install a new LCD/touchpanel/glass assembly to see what that process is like as well. Found one on ebay for ~$175 delivered. Being an electrical engineer by training and having pretty good motor skills, I have to say it was much more difficult than I expected… At one point, I thought the phone was dead for good.
My notes from the job:
1) Getting the antenna cover off was a big challenge. Both “disassembly tools” that came with the LCD broke before I got the antenna cover off. I ended up using a chisel to pry the cover off and that seems to have worked pretty well.
2) Getting the aluminum backing off made the antenna cover look easy! With both disassembly tools already broken, I used a small jeweler’s screw driver to pry and pry until I finally got it to come loose. In the process I scraped and bent the case pretty badly. I was able to bend it back into shape, but it’s definitely a little dog-eared. All the videos on youtube made it look easy and it was anything but easy for me. Maybe my phone was unique…
3) Getting the rest of the phone apart is not very difficult, but putting it back together is. There is a ribbon cable with no connector that slides into a connector on the motherboard. It is very difficult to reseat properly. Don’t forget to reconnect it when you reassemble. There are a total of 5 connectors that need to be seated with great precision in a very tight space. It took me about five attempts before all the connectors were finally seated properly.
The phone works like new now, but it was a big job. Having done both repairs, it’s a tough call which way I’d go in the future. Both have pros and cons. The prospect of paying $175 for a new screen and still risking that the phone won’t work when you’re done is a tough one…
Thanks for this site and everyone who responded.
I sucessfully replaced the glass myself. It took me a about four hours to get it off very carefully.
Couple of lessons learned. I used a soldering iron to help soften the glue, works quite well but be careful not to prolong the heat exposure. I have two small spots where the lcd stays white, can only be noticed if the background is dark. Also don’t get glue to close to edge of black area. I have another small spot where it smudge of glue is showing.
The final problem in case I decide to do this again, Has anyone solved the issue with dust eventuall getting under the LCD?
Hi there , im here in Dublin and cannot get the rubber cement.
Does anybody know where i can get it ?
Can anybody reccomend an alernative to rubber cement ?
cheers
the rubber cement on ebay is used for magic tricks, is this the one to use ?
Jack –
The rubber cement we have in the states comes in little jars with a built-in brush applicator. It’s usually sold in the kids section where school supplies are.
If you don’t have that in Ireland, then I’d suggest trying a clear, latex based caulk. If you use silicone based caulks, it can get really messy. Latex cleans up with a wet rag.
I have a problem, my iphone was dropped and now, a quarter of the screen starting from the left side has white vertical lines and the touch screen still works over there but i was wondering if there was anyway to fix it. Apple is more than happy to replace it but i don’t have AT&T so they wont…..WHAT SHOULD I DO??!
Hi everyone. I’ve been following this post for a few days now and wanted to share my experiences and thoughts after reading what you all have had to say.
I hope nobody is insulted by this, but rubber cement is NOT what you want to use to glue a new lens to your iphone. As Ken mentioned above, it’s sold in the kids section where school supplies are.. That should say it all! Don’t be fooled by the fact it has the word cement in the name. The last time I used rubber cement was in 4th grade art class to glue pieces of paper together. Not what you want to use on a $500+ iphone. Rubber cement does not dry hard but rather stays rubbery. It’s also very vulnerable to minor temperature changes. Heat will make it soften and cold will make it harden and become brittle. And from looking at the pics above, the residue you see on the screen is not from the Goo Gone, but rather it’s the vapor trails left from the outgassing of the rubber cement, similar to what crazy glue does on plastic but not as bad. But I could be wrong since the last time I used it was 25 years ago. They may have made non-toxic rubber cement now since it’s primarily used for childrens craft projects.
Either way, don’t use it. There are two ways to install the glass. The 100% correct way is to get a small 3×5 sheet of optically clear adhesive film. This is what’s used in all touchscreen and most LCD display applications so it’s not too hard to find at a good full service electronics repair shop. First, you want to lay your piece of glass over the film and mark where the holes for the home button and ear hole will be. Then take a razor blade and cut them out. Make the holes slightly larger then they actually are so the film doesn’t affect thos two areas. DO NOT CUT THE HOLES ONCE THE FILM IS ALREADY ON THE GLASS BECAUSE YOU WILL SCRATCH THE BLACK FINISH ON THE GLASS AND IT WILL SHOW THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE. Next, peel the paper off of one side, line up the holes, and smooth it down over the glass from top to bottom so there are no air bubbles. Next, take a razor blade and slowly run it along the edge of the glass so you cut off the extra film hanging over the edges. Then peel off the protective paper on the side that will be face down and drop it into your phone. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR HOME BUTTON IN PLACE FIRST! Press firmly and evenly starting from top to bottom until it’s secured in place. This method will also make it easier to replace your glass if God forbid, it breaks again.
The other way is using glue but I’m against it because you risk ending up with the calibration issues many people have wrote about along with dust under the glass over time. If you decide to use the glue method, make sure you get glue that will not outgas as it dries. A good one I’ve used on other projects is called “Stik ‘n Seal” by LOCTITE. Also, try your local hobby store and ask what they recommend for your requirements. I’ve heard there is a glue sold at hobby shops called “water” that has the consistency of oil. This may be a good one to try if anyone is daring enough to coat the entire underside of the glass in glue to try and replicate the original assembly.
I personally wouldn’t use anything other than a sheet of OCAF. (optically clear adhesive film) This will solve all reported problems. There will be no calibration issues because there won’t be a gap between the digitizer and glass, and you won’t get dust inside if you destroy your o-ring.
Hope this helps anyone that had any lingering questions.
Where do you get the Optically Clear Adhesive Film.
Would a UV Glass on Glass Glue work?
http://www.glass-etching-kits.com/uv_glass_glue_orders.htm
OK
I did this again with better sucess. I just wanted to reccomend some glue that I found. G-S Hypo cement. I used this on the second phone and it works great. Zero calibration issues and no dust.
I happened to find it in one of those DIY bead shops that are so popular.
This glue comes with a needle aplicator for fine detail work. I used the glue on all black areas (all the way to the borders) of the phone in addition to vertical lcd area on to the left and right sides (border of the lcd panel). It has worked great thus far and does dries crystal clear. You don’t actually want to get the glue to show under the glass but just close enough to get a proper seal.
Does anyone know where to get a new gasket/o-ring if you happen to damage the origianl one?
I want to thank everyone who added input and advise on this repair. I have just sucessfully removed my broken glass and am getting ready to fit the replacement glass. I will quickly describe my process as you may find it very helpfull after already being aware of other methods. I feel very confident that I could repeatedly replace the lenses without damaging the phones using this method. If I end up doing it again I will publish a video on youtube.
First of all I want to start by saying that my lens was only cracked in the upper left portion so I was a little unsure how it would go. I decided to omit the use of goof off or any other solvent as it seems to have caused issues with other folks.
There was a small piece of glass that had fallen out near the ear speaker hole so I used a tweezers to remove as much of the loose glass pieces as I could. I found that only the real small pieces will come off easily. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE A PIECE LARGER THAN A PIECE OF RICE KRISPY CEREAL OR YOU MAY CRACK YOU TOUCH PANEL!
I watched a video on youtube where the person had used a large butch knife to remove the glass, I decided that I would try that since it seemed to have a great deal of control because of the size of the tool. On the small pieces that the tweezers would not remove I used the tip of the knife to separate the glass from the adhesive (I will also note that it appears to have a layer of optical film between the glass lens and the touch panel, undoubtedly applied using heat and vacuum). I removed as much as I felt comfortable with and then pondered a plan of attack on the rest that was for the most part not cracked.
I found that laid the knife flat on the phone with the sharp edge away and I placed my left hand thumb on the edge of the phone as a fulcrum and with a back and forth sweeping motion, I slowly began to pulverize the glass. This makes a lot of debris and I found that a good way to avoid a huge mess and still see what I was doing, was to make a sort of tent over the phone using clear packaging tape. I had to replace the tape about 10 times during the process so I could see what I was doing.
I found that the glass on both ends is easiest to remove and can be remvoed in larger pieces as along as it is not over the actual touch screen.
Then I was left with that layer of optical film covered in glass dust over the touch panel. I used one of the plastic tools that came with my replacement lens to slowly scrape the adhesive away from the touch panel. After it was all removed I was left with a nice looking perfect condtion touch panel, I put a piece of clear packaging tape over it and powered it up and tested the entire screen and it works great. I had a couple specs of adhesive that didn’t come off with the scraper so I used a small amount of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) on a q-tip and it came off quickly.
I am still not sure how I will attach the new lens to avoid the calibration issues that others have had. I may try a vacuum sealer with thin double sided tape under the black areas of the lens in case I need to remove it again. Once you put the optical adhesive on you are stuck with it. If you get air bubbles you wont’ be able to remove them.
Hope this helps others, the main thing I found is that you should not try to pry upwards on the pieces that are above the touch panel and if you glass if shattered you may find it easier to use the knife to separate each small piece from the film and use tweezers to remove it.
The entire process to remove my cracked lens was 90 minutes and I was very cautious.
Hi, I have also done the same process, and my experience says:
A hair dryer helps a lot. If you manage to have the hot air applied to the glass and still have 2 hands free, you can work pretty well removing pieces of glass at the same time the heater is on. The glue melts an you can slide a very thin knife blade under quite big pieces of glass (as big as home button).
If you have that horrible plastic tools that are supposed to remove the cases, before you broke them you can first separate the case a little with any other metalic tool, just enough to allow the plastic tool to fit in the space you left, then that tool can be useful.
Now my questions:
The first time I tried to fix a glass, I broke the touchscreen under the glass, there were a couple of big scratches from side to side. Is this why the touchscreen is not responding at all? Or maybe because I also broke a small cable? :s (As you can see my first attempt was not very successful)
Does anyone know a safe way to break the glass into more pieces before start removing them?
And a comment for DummyDuhast: I find it very interesting what you were explaining, but hard for me to fully understand…
Marc from Barcelona
Someone on eBay from Texas sells the optically clear adhesive sheet already cut to fit for 9.99. Search iPhone glass adhesive. There’s only like 3 results.
Sorry if my comments are difficult to understand, I will try to explain it again. The way I broke the large portions of glass was as such. This works very well for the glass directly above the touch screen. Start by covering the area loosely with something you can see through, I just used wide clear packaging tape attached to the sides of the phone and left a 1/2 inch or so gap over the glass. Then with my LARGE butcher knife I used the tip with the blade lying flat (parallel with the glass) to basically scrape back and forth the edge of the glass lens. As I did this it broke the glass into very fine dust. Most if not all of the breaking occurs as you pivot the blade away from your thumb which is what you are using as a support for the dull edge of the knife as you pivot it back and forth. Picture a windshield wiper motion. I will put some pics on photobucket soon, hopefully they will help someone. Wish I had recorded video too. If you have another question I would be happy to try to answer it, I hope this is a little easier to understand.
How about using dental floss or fishing line for the big pieces? Use a flat blade to get the edge up and slide it under and pull towards the top or bottom. Then you wouldn’t be prying it just separating it. I’ve used this on car emblems before
Can anyone please say where are the areas that needs to have the glue applied to?
1. Is it to only the black portion of the new glss top?
2. Is it to the entire replacement glass?
3. Does the adhesive sheet covers the entire glass?
I am getting ready for this adventure and would like to know from those of you that had success; there are plenty of videos in youtube, but not one shows the part applying the glue or the 2 side adhesive clear sheet, thanks in advance
I am also getting ready for this adventure. From what I read, I can conclude that:
1. If you use adhesive sheet, you wouldn’t need to use glue.
2. If you apply glue, you should only apply to black area as there will be air bubble visible if you don’t. However, with glue only on black area, dust would get under the glass and you’ll probably have calibration problem.
As a side comment, I am thinking about using a cheap screen protector and apply glue to one of the side as an alternative to the optically clear adhesive.
Okay so let me get the steps clear
1) remove pieces of glass of screen using goo off and razor carefully
2) clean lcd with windex
3) get optically clear adhesive film and install on phone
4) iinstall glass with non-gasing glue and voila?
Am i correct?
Could people share their experience using the optically clear adhesive film? How did you install it? Did you take any steps to avoid air bubble?
Same question like Steven (above) – Please if anybody has succeeded using the adhesive film, let us know!!!
My short story: bought it with cracked screen $50, cleaned it with a razor blade and goof off, bought an OEM glass(only) $25. Wasn’t that hard – I had my girlfriend do it, since I am the brute type.
I haven’t used any adhesive to attach the glass to the phone, but somehow it stays on (4 months so far). I get beautiful picture, can’t tell screen had been cracked.
BIG SENSITIVITY PROBLEM THOUGH !
Practically can’t be used as a phone. If phone is in pocket and you get a call, the screen does not respond, and you can’t answer. Only after reseting (the on/off button on the top) it becomes responsive.
Other than that, works very well as an entertaining device. I browse the net and play a lot of games without a problem.
I really hope the adhesive solves the conductivity problem.
We’re working on a solution to the adhesive issue. We’ve been working with a large adhesives manufacturer that makes OCA adhesives for touchscreens. They are prototyping a product for us for this application and we’re getting our first prototypes this week.
The product is very unique in that it holds very strong, but can be easily removed in the future, in case the installation does not go well, or if the glass breaks at some point.
We have not dialed in the process for attaching it, although we have some basic guidelines. We are willing to share a few of the samples if someone is adventurous enough to try it. Contact us at by email via sales at hitchsource dot com. For $5 to cover S&H we’ll send out a sample to you in return for a short description of your experience, some photos, and your take on the product.
Regarding the adhesive film:
If we forget about the adhesive properties for a moment, do all generally available films have the same conductivity properties? How are we going to judge if one is better than another?
Can I buy adhesive films at any stores?
This is a cool DIY fix, but note that if you have a 3G it is totally not necessary. In the 3G, just the digitizer and glas are stuck together, not the LCD. You can get the digitizer and glass as a unit for $25 shipped on ebay, and it pops out and back in in minutes. MUCH easier than trying to scrape off the glued on glass, and much better results, for about as cheap.
It was nice of apple to make the 3G more repairable like this!
i got a mp4 8gb 2.8″ touch screen, how do i fix the screen on that?
Can anyone who bought the adhesive on ebay please scan and send me the instructions sheet? hot0192 at gmail .com
thanks
Has anyone used optical adhesive over entire face of phone and overlapped to make up for a broken o-ring?
“we” obviously have an epidemic problem not being addressed by Apple ..
thanks all for the above
You can go to Ebay, type “adhesive, iPhone” and search, you will find someone sells adhesive glue (Optically Clear adhesive sheet).
Still waiting for somebody with successful attempt of applying the adhesive film against the insensitivity issue.
Anybody….?
I want to share my experience replacing my screen.
My screen was not completely smashed, so I had to find a way to break the glass. I tried using a nail, but it won’t scratch at all. I finally found a semi-sharp rock that was able to scratch the screen. I used a not very sharp fruit knife to lift the glass off. I went a little overboard with the scratch through… the little pieces of the glass that breaks off was too small and so it takes more time. I tried to use nail polish remover to dissolve the glue, but it didn’t seem to do anything. I decided to just go ahead and remove the glass anyway without any solvent. The entire operation took about 4 to 4.5 hours and was successful.
When I put the glass on, there was still some glass stuck to the top and bottom sticky area. So… my glass’s black area is no longer perfect.
Anyone know what things can mimic the glue in the black area? I went and removed glue in one corner of the black area… and now the glass doesn’t stick on that corner.
Very informative article! My iphone 2g lens just cracked but its not shattered. It has a crack going across…
How do I shatter it more so its easier to peel off? Any ideas appreciated.
This is a HORRIBLE way to replace your lense. Spend $2 and get the plastic tool to take apart the iphone and put it in like you are supose to.
I bought the Optically clear adhesive film on Ebay…maybe i was under the wrong impression, but i assumed it was a intact film…it actually is a layer of glue attached to the film that transfers when applied to lcd. The screen so far works well but looks terrible. Lots of marks that looks like glue was just dabbed on. I am hoping it dissapates with the heat of the phone. Maybe try external heat. Any help would be appreciated.
hey, great post many thanks for your time and info, I’m in simipar situation, cracked the glass on mine yesterday and currently contemplating my options..!! Could you please let me know a little more about the home button, how this was removed and if you have to remove it and if so how u fit a new one and if this generally comes with the eBay kits?
Any Info would be much appreciated. Thanks
Craig
Once you remove the glass, the home button comes right off. It is actually held in place by the glass itself. As long as it is not damaged just put it back and place the new glass over it.
You really don’t want to take the apart the phone as it does nothing to aid in the replacement of the glass. In fact you have a bigger chance of fucking it up all together.
I am interested in demoing your film Ken. I tried the mail you listed but not sure if it went through. I just finished removing the cracked lens. I used a stainglass window cutting wheel to crack the lens more. It took me probably 4 hours off and on to do it all. Right now I just have the new lens sitting in and the corners scotch taped around to hold it in place. So far so good. Just waiting on glue.
To DummyDuhast,
I’m having a hard time fiing this optically clear adhesive film, can you or anyone viewing this forum help?
Thanks!
To DummyDuhast,
I’m having a hard time finding this optically clear adhesive film, can you or anyone viewing this forum help?
Thanks!
Thank you guys for all the help I broke the screen on my i phone 2 G it is a hairline crack going down the whole left side of the screen everything still works. Will my phone work forever or eventually will I need to fix the screen after some more usage
to Brian
you can get it on Ebay, but when I used it I was not satisfied withe the results…..see above post
my iphone top screen is cracked but not alot—phone still works like normal—the screen is divied into large chunks because it is not shatterd—bwt 5cm each–its like cracked in quarters—- do i take the glass off big chunks at a time? or do i shatter the screen 1st?— n how do i shatter the screen?
thanx simon
plz help!!!
Hey DummyDhast
will you plz tell me where to go to c the pics of your process
ok heres what not to do first DONT use heat because it will mess
up your lcd, the Lcd is made up of thin layers of plastic and will melt easily also when glueing the screen back down use a non oxidizing glue like GS hypo Cement and just go aroud the phone in a thin line following the chrome bezel and it will work fine also the whole xacto process isnt smart becaus the blade is to thick and will crack the digitizer most likely try DummyDhasts way of making it fine dust over the glue by cracking it with a knife then scraping it off it is the most likely to work
Ecxellent post and MUCH appreciated. Last night I removed the glass and glue from the phone and am waiting on the new glass to arrive.
In the mean time I am trying to nail down the best method for attaching the new glass. I’ve had no luck searching for the clear film which sounds like the best alternative to the original setup. Someone mention Loktite Stik n Seal and I’m curious to know if it was applied to the entire glass or only in the black areas at the top and bottom…..
Again, thank you ALL for the great posts and info here!
Hi,
i am so confused with this entire touch panel issue of iphone.
i recently cracked my iphone 2g phone and touch stopped working though phone still works fine.
i tried to take off the cracked glass panel and surprisingly it came out in one shot unlike all te videos on you tube showing so much of work.
i am just wondering how it happened.. but now my phone has a display but no touch sensor. only thing i did notice tat the top glass which has come out has another layer of a glass which i assue as digitizer.
so guys please suggest me how should i proceed.. do i need to buy just the glass panel or the entire kit with LCD, digitizer and glass. which product would fix my problem and bring my iphone back to life..
@ Rakesh
If your phone is not responding to touch then you will need to purchase the entire lcd/digitizer/glass assembly. They prices are decent on eBay at the moment (around $150).
Replacing just the glass will not do anything for the touchability of the device. People who are replacing the glass only (like myself) still have a functioning digitizer which recognizes touch.
My best guess (and thats all it is) as to why your glass came off in one piece is that it has been replaced before. Some people’s method recommend just small amounts of glue in the corners which would make removing it a second time a very easy process… was your phone purchased used perhaps? If so then I would say my guess is pretty accurate.
@ smassie
hey thanks for the reply.
well yes your guess is correct. my iphone was used one.
so it means that the guy who was using my iphone earlier had just repalced the glass that is why i could easily take off my glass in one shot.
i figured out tat my glass had an additional layer which seems to be the digitizer. so please suggest me if a glass replacement like earlier would fix my phone.
many thanks in advance.
Rakesh
@ Rakesh
It’s hard to say if you need to replace the digitizer or just the glass. Can you touch all areas of the phone and do they respond? If so then just replacing the glass will work for you. If you have dead areas of the touchscreen however, you will need to replace the glass and digitizer together.
That actually seems to be an easier fix (from a time required standpoint). I’ve never replaced a digitizer personally but the videos on youtube make it seem pretty straight forward.
Good luck with it, I hope it’s an easy fix for ya!
I found that the touch screen will response if you put a piece of tape on it. I imagine saran warp would also work.
This was the first site i could find with a lot of detail on this difficult repair. So why not tell everybody my experiences..I have done a couple of these repairs, what i have done is removed the cracked lens with a razor blade, then used goo gone to remove the adhesive left behind. Its very difficult to keep the rubber o-ring in tact so i usually remove it. I then put some silicone gasket sealant into a syringe and carefully insert the sealant into the crack between the lcd and the metal trim(where the o-ring previously was situated). I then use some GS hypo cement i see previously mentioned above and run it along the side edges of iphone (very thin) and apply it in small dabs on the black areas on the top and bottom of the iphone.I then place he oem glass lens into the iphone and, voila! let it dry and there you have a like new iphone lcd. With this method no dust is able to get into the screen, and the digitizer works perfectly. I am currently in the process of making a youtube video that is very specific on how to do this. Please email me at
bbrepairservice at gmail dot com with any questions. I do this repair as a service for $100, if you think this is to big of a job for yourself, email me and we can discuss.
Good luck,
-Thopmans