Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
Author: Walter Galan
Tools used in this guide
Phillips #00 Screwdriver (1)
Plastic Opening Tools (1)
Small Flathead Screwdriver (1)
Spudger (1)
Tweezers (1)
iPhone 4 5-Point Pentalobe Screwdriver (1) (if iPhone has external pentalobe
screws)
iPhone SIM Card Eject Tool (1)
Parts relevant to this guide
IPhone 4 Home Button Assembly (1)
Use this guide to replace a damaged home button to regain use of your iPhone.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 1 — Rear Panel
Step 2
Before disassembling your iPhone,
be sure it is powered off.
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.
Push the rear panel toward the top edge of
the iPhone.
The panel will move about 2 mm.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 3
Step 4 — Battery
Step 5
Lift the rear panel away from the iPhone.
Remove the single 2.5 mm Phillips screw
securing the battery connector to the logic
board.
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.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 6
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.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 7 — Logic Board
Step 8
Step 9
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.
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.
Use an iPod opening tool to gently pry the
dock cable connector up off the logic board
from both short ends of the connector.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 10
Step 11
Step 12
Carefully peel the dock ribbon cable off the
logic board and the lower speaker
enclosure.
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
Remove the 1.9 mm Phillips screw
securing the bottom of the logic board to the
inner case.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 13
Remove the following five screws securing
the wi-fi antenna 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.
Also make sure to put the long 4.8
mm Philips back in correctly when
reassembling. This is the ground for
the Wi-Fi antenna and is often the culprit if
you are having bad wi-fi reception after
reassembly.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 14
Step 15
Use an iPod opening tool to slightly lift the
top edge of the wi-fi antenna away from the
logic board.
Use the tip of a spudger to pull the wi-fi
retaining clips away from the inner frame.
Remove the wi-fi antenna from the iPhone.
Make sure you don't lose the metal clips on
the top of the cover where the 4.8mm screw
attaches or the 4.8mm screw. 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.
Use an iPod opening tool to carefully lift the
rear camera connector up off its socket on
the logic board.
Remove the rear camera.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 16
Step 17
Step 18
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.
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.
Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove
the 4.8 mm standoff near the headphone
jack.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 19
Step 20 — Speaker Enclosure
Assembly
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.
Remove the single 2.4 mm Phillips screw
securing the speaker enclosure to the side
of the inner frame.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 21
Step 22 — Display Assembly
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.
Remove the following two screws securing
the vibrator to the inner frame:
One 6 mm Phillips
One 1.4 mm Phillips
Remove the vibrator from the iPhone.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 23
Step 24
Step 25
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw
securing the front panel near the
headphone jack.
Remove the three large-headed 1.5 mm
Phillips screws along the volume button
side of the iPhone.
Keep track of the washers under
each of the screws.
Tip: It can be tricky, but it is also
possible to just loosen the large-
headed 1.5 mm Phillips screws
slightly, without having to remove and
replace the screw-and-washer set.
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw near the
lower microphone.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 26
Step 27
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw near the
dock connector ribbon cable.
Remove the three large-headed 1.5 mm
Phillips screws along the SIM card side of
the iPhone.
Keep track of the washers under
each of the screws.
Tip: It can be tricky, but it is also
possible to just loosen the large-
headed 1.5 mm Phillips screws
slightly, without having to remove and
replace the screw-and-washer set.
Remove the small-headed 1.5 mm Phillips
screw near the sleep button.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 28
Step 29
Carefully insert the edge of an iPod
opening tool between the rubber bezel
around the front glass panel and the steel
inner frame.
Do not attempt to insert the tool
between the glass and the rubber
bezel.
Carefully pry the upper edge of the front
panel assembly away from the steel inner
frame.
Slowly and gently lift the top edge of the
front panel assembly away from the steel
inner frame.
Continue to rotate the front panel assembly
away from the steel inner frame until it
slowly begins to peel off the adhesive
applied below the home button area.
Carefully pull the lower edge of the front
panel assembly away from the steel inner
frame.
Be careful, if the home button sticks
to the front panel you may tear the
home button cable.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 30
Step 31 — Home Button
De-route the digitizer and LCD cables
through the steel inner frame.
Before re-fastening the front panel
to the steel inner frame, be sure
both the LCD and digitizer cables
are not folded or pinched between the inner
frame and the front panel assembly. This
will result in possibly damaging the cables
and not having enough slack when
reconnecting them to the logic board.
When the front panel has been
correctly installed both the LCD and
digitizer cables should be
immediately next to one another and
should be the same length and should be
just hanging over the steel frame.
When replacing the front panel
assembly you must remember that
you might have to reuse the
earpiece grille and the clear plastic ring
around the front facing camera from the
old/damaged assembly. This will depend
on where you buy the replacement part.
Use the edge of an iPod opening tool or
your fingernail to lift the home button ribbon
cable retainer.
Be sure you are prying up on the
cable retainer, not the socket itself.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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Step 32
Step 33
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
This document was last generated on Dec 14, 2011.
Use a pair of tweezers to pull the home
button ribbon cable out of its socket.
Do not excessively strain the home
button ribbon cable, as it is very thin
and delicate.
De-route the home button ribbon cable
through the inner case and remove the
home button from the iPhone.
Installing iPhone 4 Home Button
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