Before disassembling your iPhone, be sure it is powered off.
Remove the two 3.6 mm Phillips screws next to the dock connector.
Apple has recently substituted the two Phillips screws with 5-Point "Pentalobe" screws. If your iPhone 4 has 5-Point "Pentalobe" screws instead of Phillips, please refer to the second picture.
Remove the two 3.6 mm Pentalobe screws next to the dock connector.
During reassembly, we recommend you replace the 5-point screws with equivalent Phillips screws. Our Liberation Kit provides the tools and screws needed to replace the Pentalobe screws with Phillips screws.
The 5-Point Screwdriver should only be used once, as it has the potential to strip the screws.
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Push the rear panel toward the top edge of the iPhone.
The panel will move about 2 mm.
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Lift the rear panel away from the iPhone.
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Remove the single 2.5 mm Phillips screw securing the battery connector to the logic board.
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Use an iPod opening tool to carefully pry the battery connector up from the ends closest to the top and bottom edges of the iPhone.
Do not pry against the contact clip.
Remove the contact clip from the iPhone.
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Use the clear plastic pull tab to gently lift the battery out of the iPhone.
Be careful when removing the battery with the plastic pull tab. On some units, Apple uses an excessive amount of glue, making it virtually impossible to remove the battery in this fashion (with the tab possibly tearing due to excessive force).
For batteries that "stick", you could use the iPod opening tool to assist (take extra care whilst doing so).
Remove the battery.
Before reconnecting the battery connector, be sure the pressure contact (shown in red) is properly positioned next to the battery connector.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the pressure contact as well as its contact point on the rear panel with a de-greaser such as windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.
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Use a SIM card eject tool or a paperclip to eject the SIM card and its holder.
This may require a significant amount of force.
Remove the SIM card and its holder.
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Remove the following two screws:
One 1.2 mm Phillips
One 1.6 mm Phillips
Remove the thin steel dock connector cable cover from the iPhone.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the dock connector cable cover with a de-greaser such as windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.
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Use an iPod opening tool to gently pry the dock cable connector up off the logic board from both short ends of the connector.
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Carefully peel the dock ribbon cable off the logic board and the lower speaker enclosure.
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Use an iPod opening tool to pry the lower antenna connector up off its socket on the logic board.
Make sure you don't damage the blue inductor while prying the antenna connector. If you end up having no service message, double check that the blue inductor is still there and soldered properly
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Remove the 1.9 mm Phillips screw securing the bottom of the logic board to the inner case.
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Remove the following five screws securing the connector cover to to the logic board:
One 2.3 mm Phillips
Two 1.6 mm Phillips
One 1.4 mm Phillips
One 4.8 mm Phillips
When re-assembling, start off with replacing the 4.8 mm Philips screw first, then the 2.3 mm. This is to ensure there is no mix-up, and avoid rendering the LCD and digitizer useless.
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Use an iPod opening tool to slightly lift the top edge of the connector cover away from the logic board.
Use the tip of a spudger to pull the connector cover retaining clips away from the inner frame.
Remove the connector cover from the iPhone. Make sure you don't lose the metal clips on the top of the cover where the 4.8mm screw attaches. That's the primary reason for abnormal Wi-Fi performance after the reassembly.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the connector cover with a de-greaser such as Windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues. Do not clean the connectors themselves with Windex.
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Use an iPod opening tool to carefully lift the rear camera connector up off its socket on the logic board.
Remove the rear camera.
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Remove the small circular white sticker (warranty sticker and water indicator) covering the screw near the battery pull tab.
Remove the 2.4 mm Phillips screw that was hidden underneath the sticker.
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Disconnect the following connectors from the top of the logic board:
Digitizer cable (From Bottom)
LCD cable (From Bottom)
Headphone jack/volume button cable (From Top)
Top Microphone/sleep button cable (From Top)
Front camera cable (From Top)
It is helpful to use the edge of an iPod opening tool to gently lift the connectors up and out of their sockets on the logic board.
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Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the 4.8 mm standoff near the headphone jack.
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Carefully remove the logic board from the iPhone, minding any cables that may get caught.
Note that there is a rubber guard on the edge of the logic board where the Digitizer and LCD ribbon cables bend over the logic board. Make certain it is there before replacing the logic board during reassembly.
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Remove the single 2.4 mm Phillips screw securing the speaker enclosure to the side of the inner frame.
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Remove the speaker enclosure from the iPhone.
Before re-fastening the speaker enclosure to the inner frame, be sure the four small EMI fingers rest below the lip of the LCD frame.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points between the EMI fingers and the internal frame as well as the brass screw mounting point with a de-greaser such as Windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.
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Use the edge of an iPod opening tool or your fingernail to flip up the home button ribbon cable retaining flap.
Be sure you are prying up on the retaining flap, not the socket itself. The retaining flap is the teeny-tiny flap on the tip of the cable retainer. It should flip up 90º.
Use a pair of tweezers to gently pull the home button ribbon cable out of its socket. Note it's position for reinsertion.
Do not excessively strain the home button ribbon cable as you remove it, as it is very thin and fragile.
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Remove the two 1.3 mm Phillips screws securing the dock connector to the inner frame.
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Use the edge of an iPod opening tool to carefully peel the dock connector assembly and its ribbon cable off the adhesive securing it to the inner frame.
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Use a pair of tweezers to pull the lower microphone away from the bottom edge of the iPhone.
Note the folding of the cable and the positioning of the rubber microphone cover for reassembly.
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Remove the dock connector assembly from the iPhone, minding any cables that may get caught.
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Remove the dock connector assembly from the iPhone, minding any cables that may get caught.
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