iPhone 12 Pro Battery Replacement

The battery is secured to the rear case with four pieces of stretch-release adhesive—two on the bottom edge of the battery, and two on the top edge. Each piece of adhesive has a black pull-tab at the end, which is lightly adhered to the edge of the battery. In the following steps, you'll pull each tab to slowly stretch out the adhesive underneath the battery. These "command-strip" style adhesives lose their stick when stretched, so you can remove the battery with ease. If the strips break, don't panic! They don't always work as intended. Keep reading for tips on removing broken strips.

Peel down the first battery adhesive pull-tab to un-stick it from the bottom edge of the battery. Caution: Don't jab the battery with any sharp tools. A punctured battery may leak dangerous chemicals or catch fire.

Peel down the second battery adhesive pull-tab to un-stick it from the bottom edge of the battery.

Grab the first pull-tab with your fingers and slowly pull it away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone. Pull hard enough to maintain tension on the strip, but don't force it. Give it plenty of time to stretch and un-stick from under the battery. Don't press down on the battery. Hold the iPhone firmly by its sides. Keep the strip flat and unwrinkled. Try to pull evenly on the whole strip, rather than pulling mainly in the middle or on one side. Pull at a low angle so the strip doesn't snag on the edge of the battery. If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers or blunt tweezers, and continue pulling—but do not pry under the battery. If any of the adhesive strips break off underneath the battery and can't be retrieved, try to remove the other strips, and then proceed as instructed below.

Grab the second pull-tab with your fingers and pull it away from the battery, toward the bottom of the iPhone. Follow the same procedure as with the previous strip: don't press down on the battery, keep the strip flat and unwrinkled, and pull at a low angle. If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers or blunt tweezers, and continue pulling—but do not pry under the battery. If the adhesive breaks off underneath the battery and can't be retrieved, continue with the next step.

Peel up the two remaining battery adhesive pull-tabs to un-stick them from the top edge of the battery.

Using the same procedure as before, pull the remaining two tabs, one at a time, to stretch and remove the remaining adhesive strip holding the battery in place. Try not to snag the adhesive on anything. Be careful not to fling the battery from the iPhone as the final adhesive strip comes out. If you removed all the adhesive strips successfully, skip the next step. Otherwise, continue with the next step below.

If you're still having trouble removing the battery, apply a few drops of high concentration (over 90%) isopropyl alcohol under the edge of the battery in the area of the broken adhesive strip(s). Wait about one minute for the alcohol solution to weaken the adhesive. Use an opening pick or the flat end of a spudger to gently lift the battery. Don't try to forcefully lever the battery out. If needed, apply a few more drops of alcohol to further weaken the adhesive. Never deform or puncture the battery with your pry tool.

Remove the battery. If there's any alcohol solution remaining in the phone, carefully wipe it off or allow it to air dry before installing your new battery. If your new battery didn't come with adhesive preinstalled, refer to this guide for help replacing the adhesive strips. Perform a force restart after reassembly. This can prevent several issues and simplify troubleshooting.

Use a hair dryer to heat the right edge of the iPhone (the edge with the power button) until the screen is slightly too hot to touch.

Slide the opening pick around the bottom right corner of the iPhone to separate its adhesive. Continue sliding up the right edge of the iPhone until you reach the top right corner. Don't insert your pick more than 3 mm, as you may damage internal components. Leave the pick in the top right corner before continuing.

Use a hair dryer to heat the top edge of the iPhone until the screen is slightly too hot to touch.

Slide the opening pick around the top right corner of the iPhone to separate the top adhesive. Leave the pick in the top left corner before continuing. Don't insert your pick more than 3 mm, as you may damage the top sensors.

Use a hair dryer to heat the left edge of the iPhone until the screen is slightly too hot to touch.

Don't insert your pick deeper than 2 mm along the left edge to avoid the two cables connecting the screen to the phone. Rotate your pick around the top left corner of the screen. Slide your pick to the bottom left corner of the screen to separate the adhesive. If you're having trouble separating the adhesive, reheat the left edge.

Rotate your iPhone so the right edge faces you. Open the iPhone by swinging the display up from the right side, like the front cover of a book. Don't try to fully separate the display yet, as several fragile ribbon cables still connect it to the iPhone's logic board. Lean the display against something to keep it propped up while you're working on the phone. During reassembly, lay the display in position, align the clips along the top edge, and carefully press the top edge into place before snapping the rest of the display down. If it doesn't click easily into place, check the condition of the clips around the perimeter of the display and make sure they aren't bent.

Remove two 1.1 mm long Y000 screws securing the battery and display connector cover. Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your iPhone. During reassembly, this is a good point to power on your iPhone and test all functions before you seal the display in place. Be sure to power your iPhone back down completely before you continue working.

Remove the cover.

Use a spudger or a clean fingernail to pry the battery connector up from its socket on the logic board. Try not to damage the black silicone seal surrounding this and other board connections. These seals provide extra protection against water and dust intrusion. Bend the connector slightly away from the logic board to prevent it from accidentally making contact with the socket and providing power to the phone during your repair.

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the display cable connector. To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the digitizer cable connector. If any part of your screen doesn't respond to touch after your repair, disconnect the battery and then re-seat this connector, making sure it clicks fully into place and that there's no dust or other obstruction in the socket.

Use a Y000 driver to remove four screws securing the front sensor connector cover. Three 1.1 mm-long screws One 1.4 mm-long screw

Swing the cover up from the left until the small clip on the right unhooks. Remove the cover. During reassembly, insert the clip on the right edge into its slot first, then hinge the rest of the cover into place.

Use a spudger or a fingernail to disconnect the front sensor assembly cable connector.

Remove the display assembly. During reassembly, pause here if you wish to replace the waterproof adhesive around the edges of the display.