Anyone repair their own iPhone screen?

[atgcpaul]

My wife's iPhone 4S screen is on the fritz. Several of the "keys" on her keyboard don't work as well as other spots on the screen. She did a reset and that didn't fix it. Anyway, I think she's been playing too much Simpsons Tapped Out and killed the screen. I'm thinking about buying a screen repair kit. There's a $45 kit from iCracked and a $40 kit from iFixIt. It seems like you get a few more tools from iCracked.

Anyone buy repair kits from either of these companies?

Thanks,
Paul

[cwsmith]

Last year I had the joy of watching my 14-year-old grandson fix his Android phone, using a screen repair kit. He called me because he need the smallest size Torx bit (a #3 IIRC). I didn't have one, so we had to run to the local HF store.)

In any case, it took him about 20 minutes. I was really sort of astounded at his mechanical abilities, as he went through the process rather matter-of-factly.

At one point he need a hair dryer to loosen the adhesive... not sure if it was holding the glass or a circuit board. I half suspected that when he got it back together it wasn't going to work, but it did. I was a bit concerned about electrostatic damage, but apparently the circuitry is far better than the micro-electronics of a couple of decades ago.

CWS

[TB Roye]

Granddaughter cracked the screen on her 4S. We went out to local Apple store but outside was Kiosk that fixed different cell phones. for $69 we had the screen replaced, was amazed on what is on the inside of the phone, He had to take all the components out to get to the screen. Took about 15 minuets to do, Apple would have charged and lot more, if they would have even done it, probably would have sold us a newer iPhone. While we were waiting we went into Apple Store Granddaughter was in awe of the store. Later this year when it is time to upgrade her phone I will take her out there so she can go through the Apple experience. For those of you who know what I mean it will be fun as it is an experience.

Tom

[gerti]

The 4/4S is much easier to repair than the 3/3G was. But you'll have to completely disassemble it, as it opens from the back and you'll have to work your way through to the front. Available instructions are pretty good though. Be warned: parts are VERY small.

Of the two companies you mentioned I only know iFixIt. Tools are not of great quality but good enough to get the job done. Good luck!

[atgcpaul]

Nurse, the operation was a success...sort of.

Not including the half hour it took to watch the repair video on YouTube, replacing the screen took me just under an hour. I'm not an Apple fan, but what an impressive feat of engineering to cram all that stuff into such a small space. I can't imagine being a Foxconn worker who assembles those all day long.

The instructions from iCracked were good and all the included tools were nice. All the screwdrivers are magnetic tipped which is a must for working with screws that tiny.

Anyway, I handed the phone back to my wife and it's exhibiting the same problem she was having with the previous screen so it wasn't the screen afterall! She actually reinstalled the OS the other night before I ordered the screen so that's why we ruled out a software issue.

Back to the drawing board, but at least I've got a spare screen

[leehljp]

I like iFixIt and go down the list of photos at my speed. For me, this is much better than a video that I have to start and stop. I have replaced a screen on a laptop, wifi boards, fans, and other things on laptops without a problem.

Working on the 4S was not any different for me.
I replaced a screen on my 4s and a speaker too. The speaker went out after about 18 months. I figured I could get the price of the screen back by replacing the scratched screen with a new one. Then I decided not to sell it.

I take a piece of duct tape and tape it down with the sticky side up. As I remove a screw, I place it at the rear in order and come forward. Reverse it for assembly and no lost screws. I keep a large magnet bar close by incase of dropping a screw while transfering it from the phone/laptop to the tape.

[Cochese]

You replaced the digitizer, right?

[atgcpaul]

I like iFixIt and go down the list of photos at my speed. For me, this is much better than a video that I have to start and stop. I have replaced a screen on a laptop, wifi boards, fans, and other things on laptops without a problem.

You found me out. The iCracked kit includes an instruction pamphlet that has spots for "place screws here" boxes. However, the pictures are small. I did pull up the iFixit site for closeup pics. Their order of operations is different than iCracked, though.

You replaced the digitizer, right?

Yep. The kit is LCD and digitizer. Other than the full disassemble, it's essentially plug and play.