iPhone/iPod Touch Cracked Screen Repair Guide
Carlton FlowersSO YOU DROPPED & CRACKED YOUR IPHONE/IPOD SCREEN... NOW WHAT?
iPhone & iPod Touch screens are fragile. Sure, they might be made from Corning's amazing gorilla glass, but that certainly does not mean they are indestructible.
In fact, I don't find them to be very durable when dropped face-first down to hard surfaces like concrete or tile floors. All iPhone & iPod Touch models are notorious for cracking & shattering, especially the iPhone 4 since it has glass on the front and on the back.
But depending which model you have, there are a few things you need to know before you make your plans to fix it. Read this report and be educated!
SHOPPING FOR REPLACEMENT IPHONE PARTS - BUYER BEWARE!
If you cracked or shattered your screen, your repair strategy depends on the model you have. This is critical. You can get duped by unscrupulous parts suppliers if you don't clearly understand the differences between the 4 iPhone models.
There are handfuls of parts suppliers out to make a quick buck, and they will sell you components without telling you the full story on whether or not the parts are even usable. You've got to watch out.
IPHONE SCREEN COMPONENTS
Before I explain the repair for each model, let's talk about what the screen is made up of. There is a lot of confusion on this, so here is how it works... You have 3 components that make up your display. They are the LCD panel, the digitizer, and the front glass or screen.
The LCD panel is what gives you the graphics. The digitizer locates the position of your finger touches and transmits that information to the operating system. The screen is the protective gorilla glass layer on the outside.
Basically, the digitizer and the outer screen are very thin and sandwiched together. It's not possible to separate the two of them. There really isn't any reason to do so either. You can buy replacement LCD's, and also replacement digitizer/screens. For simplicity, we'll just call the digitizer/screen the front glass or simply “screen”.
YOUR IPHONE MODEL NUMBER MATTERS!
---> IPHONE 2G (EDGE NETWORK)
The first generation iPhone has the screen glued to the LCD display. You can't remove it without damaging the LCD. If you crack the front glass, you replace everything together. Parts are a bit harder to come by for the iPhone 2G due to its age, but a link is provided below for an LCD/digitizer/glass replacement kit.
---> IPHONE 3G & 3GS
The iPhone 3G and 3GS models are different. The LCD is not glued to the front glass. You can take them apart, even though it is still tricky. The first time I took a 3GS apart, I destroyed the LCD. The slightest bit of prying pressure on the LCD will ruin it!
Replacement screens for the 3G and 3GS are cheap. Some sell as low as $4 plus shipping. But the cheaper ones can be off-spec. Sometimes, the plug for the replacement screen that goes into the mainboard does not fit. This renders the replacement useless.
I've also seen some that do not sync up correctly. You'd touch one icon, and activate another one 1” over to the right, or on a row higher up. Sometimes you can correct this issue with a hard reset, but it just depends.
---> IPHONE 4
By the time the iPhone 4 came out, Apple decided to go back to the original glued-together screen design. They did this because so many people were complaining about dust getting in between the LCD panel and the front glass. Because of this, you cannot replace only the front screen.
You have to replace the whole shootin' match. That means the LCD, digitzer, and screen altogether. You buy it as a set pre-assembled. A word of warning – there are several suppliers selling iPhone 4 screen replacements without the LCD for cheap. It's a waste of money.
You have very little chance of chipping off the broken screen from the LCD without damaging the LCD beyond use. Do not buy these! There is only one use for buying an iPhone 4 replacement screen alone. You'd have to buy the LCD panel separately along with it.
Some people are reporting that it is easier to replace the glass screen only if you break it in the future when you purchase a separate LCD that is not glued to the glass. I don't recommend this, but it is possible to go this route.
I can't recommend it because I don't know anyone personally who has tried it, but several bloggers have written about performing this type of replacement successfully.
Please note that there are two versions of the replacement LCD/Digitizer kit for the iPhone 4. One is made specifically for AT&T iPhones, and the other is made for the CDMA version of the iPhone that Verizon and Sprint sell. Make sure you order the right part that matches your carrier.
---> IPOD TOUCH 2ND GENERATION
The 2nd generation iPod touch is an easy fix. There are 2 ways you can replace the screen. The first way is to purchase only the digitizer and keep the frame.
You will need to scrape the broken screen off of the frame, and install the new digitizer with the included glue strips as you would with an iPhone 3G/3GS. OR, you can purchase the entire front bezel & frame with the home button and digitizer for only a few bucks more, and just pop in the new front face.
This is the method that I recommend, as it eliminates the difficult task of scraping off the old broken screen from the frame. The slightly higher cost of buying the whole front assembly is well worth it and will save you time.
Either way, you do not have to replace the LCD if it is not damaged, because it isn't glued to the glass.
---> IPOD TOUCH 3RD GENERATION
The same holds true with the 3rd generation iPod Touch. You can scrape off the old digitizer glass, or just purchase the entire front assembly. It is much easier to purchase the front assembly and do a quick install.
---> IPOD TOUCH 4TH GENERATION
As with the iPhone 4/4S, the iPod Touch 4th Generation device has the digitizer glass glued to the LCD screen. They cannot be separated. They must be replaced as a whole. You need to purchase the kit that comes with both the LCD screen and the digitizer together.
PURCHASING REPLACEMENT SCREEN PARTS FOR YOUR IPHONE/IPOD TOUCH
Instead of buying from Apple and paying the retail price, you can buy replacement iPhone/iPod Touch screen parts and LCD panels from secondary suppliers through Amazon
Some of the suppliers are shady, and their parts can be off spec (meaning they don't fit the device because of poor manufacturing tolerances). Apple will charge you $200 to replace your iPhone 4 screen. You can also buy a replacement package from them for $150 and install it on your own.
Fortunately, you don't need to pay that high price. I have found them as low as $35. Your iPhone 3GS and 3G parts are much cheaper due to the amount of time the replacement parts have been on the market.
You can get digitizer screens for as low as $5, but again, watch out for cheap replacement parts. The same holds true for the iPod Touch 4th Generation device where you will need to install both the LCD and digitizer as one whole assembly.
The iPod Touch 2nd Generation and iPod Touch 3rd Generation devices are easier to install, as you can buy the front assembly alone. All you need to do is to pop off the front assembly with a screen removal tool, and there are no screws involved.
Instead, it is held in place by a series of internal clips on each edge of the device. Check the links below to my recommended suppliers on Amazon for purchasing your replacement parts.
WHERE TO GET YOUR IPHONE REPLACEMENT SCREEN PARTS
Click on the links below to jump to Amazon and order your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, plus your iPod Touch 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Generation screen replacement kits from trusted Amazon suppliers.
Your products are guaranteed when purchasing through Amazon, and this is a trusted and well-known site for safe shopping. Here are the links:
IPHONE 4 FRONT LCD/SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT (AT&T):
IPHONE 4 FRONT LCD/SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT (VERIZON/SPRINT):
Click the links to jump to the products, but also check out the alternate listings for lower prices. Before you settle on a kit, make sure you check out the supplier's rating, and comments from customers. If they only have 1 or 2 actual user ratings, move on to the next one. I usually purchase from the suppliers that have 50 or more ratings from customers. Taking apart an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 is a daunting task. I have done this 3 times, and it just doesn't get very easy. The screws are miniscule, and the wire ribbons that plug the components into the mainboard are tiny and hard to handle. On the iPhone 3GS, you must use a hair dryer to loosen the glue that holds the top and bottom of the glass front screen to the frame, for example. So you've got to pay close attention and be very careful. If you are planning on fixing your own device, go search out iPhone screen replacement videos on Youtube for the model that you own. You can also check out some good videos directly on the website for iFixYouri. They have very plain and descriptive videos. Want an easier solution? Just pay someone else to do the fix. I can almost guarantee you that there are several people in your town moonlighting as iPhone repair specialists. I have found people willing to replace digitizers for as little as $20 not including the parts. Just check your local paper or Craigslist.com and I'm sure you will find a willing repair person. I wish you the best of luck for your iPhone repair! Thanks for visiting this page, and please help support the costs of "The Carlton Zone Blog" by purchasing through our affiliate links. The expense of running a blog site of this complexity can get pricey, so we have to establish partnerships to pay the bills around here. We are an official Amazon Affiliate, and are quite proud to partner with such a trusted retailer. Got a story you'd like to share about your iPhone or iPod Touch repair? I'd love to hear about it! Post your comments below! Carlton Flowers IPHONE 3GS SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT:
IPHONE 3G SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT:
Replacement Apple iPhone 3g Glass Screen + Digitizer + Adhesive Lens CoverIPHONE 2G (EDGE NETWORK) LCD & SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT
IPOD TOUCH 2ND GENERATION SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT
iPod Touch 2rd Generation Screen Kit with Chassis & Bezel Pre-Assembled IPOD TOUCH 3RD GENERATION SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT
iPod Touch 3rd Generation Screen Kit with Chassis & Bezel Pre-Assembled IPOD TOUCH 4TH GENERATION LCD & SCREEN REPLACEMENT KIT
iPod Touch 4th Generation LCD & Screen Replacement KitGETTING YOUR IPHONE FIXED ONCE YOU RECEIVE YOUR REPLACEMENT PARTS
iPhone Destroyer
Reader Comments (1)
Hmmmmmm. Hard to find the "Post a Comment" link. hehehehe Can you change the font color on that? This is quite different boss. Not able to view images here. Hmmmm. Love the little red x.
Apple repairs......booooooo! Just trash it and get a REAL phone!