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iPhone 16 Plus Screen Replacement

Use this guide to replace a broken, cracked, or...

Apple iPhone 16 Plus Moderate 30 minutes - 1 hour Guide 177847
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Guide overview

Before you begin

Use this guide to replace a broken, cracked, or non‑responsive screen on your iPhone 16 Plus. You'll need replacement screen adhesive to complete this repair. Note: Since you can't disconnect the battery during this repair, make sure your phone stays powered down, don't use metal prying tools, and be careful not to touch exposed contacts. After a screen replacement, True Tone and auto brightness may be disabled. Calibrate original Apple screens using Repair Assistant to restore this functionality.

Step 1

Prepare your phone for disassembly

  • Allow your phone's battery to drain below 25%, as a charged lithium-ion battery is a potential safety hazard.
  • Unplug any cables from your phone.
  • Hold the power and either volume buttons and slide to power off your phone.
Step 2

Tape over any cracks

  • If your screen or back glass is badly cracked, lay overlapping strips of packing tape over the glass to protect yourself and make disassembly easier.
  • Make sure there's a smooth area near the bottom edge that's big enough for a suction cup to stick to.
Step 3

Mark your opening picks

  • If inserted too far, an opening pick can damage your device. Follow this step to mark your pick and prevent damage.
  • Measure 3 mm from the tip and mark the opening pick with a permanent marker.
  • You can also mark the other corners of the pick with different measurements.
  • Alternatively, tape a coin to a pick 3 mm from the tip.
Step 4

Remove the pentalobe screws

  • Use a P2 pentalobe driver to remove the two 7.7 mm-long screws on either side of the USB-C port.
Step 5

Screen information

  • For easier screen removal in the next steps, note the following:
  • There's a plastic bezel on the underside of the screen. Your opening pick will go underneath this bezel.
  • There's a seam between the plastic bezel and the display panel. Don't insert your pick here or you'll separate the two.
  • Sometimes the display panel separates from the bezel before you even get a chance to insert a pick. This may be unavoidable depending on the condition of the adhesive.
Step 6

Heat the bottom edge

  • Apply a heated iOpener to the bottom edge of the screen for two minutes.
  • Alternatively, you can use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the bottom edge of the screen until it's hot to the touch.
  • Be careful not to heat the phone hotter than this—the battery is susceptible to heat damage.
Step 7

Insert an opening pick

  • Apply a suction handle to the bottom edge of the screen, above the USB-C port.
  • Pull up on the handle with a strong, steady force to create a gap between the screen and the frame.
  • Insert the tip of an opening pick into the gap.
Step 8

Screen information

  • As you slice the adhesive securing the screen in the next eight steps, don't insert your pick deeper than 3 mm to avoid damaging the following areas:
  • Two delicate cables connecting the screen to the phone—one just above the Action button and the other about halfway between the volume down button and the bottom of the phone.
  • Multiple spring contacts around the perimeter of the phone.
Step 9

Separate the bottom adhesive

  • Don't insert your pick deeper than 3 mm to avoid damaging the spring contacts.
  • Slide your pick back and forth along the bottom edge to separate the adhesive.
  • Leave your pick inserted in the bottom right corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
Step 10

Heat the right edge

  • Apply a heated iOpener to the right edge of the screen for two minutes.
  • When using a hair dryer or heat gun, heat the screen until it's hot to the touch.
Step 11

Separate the right adhesive

  • Don't insert your pick deeper than 3 mm to avoid damaging the spring contacts.
  • Slide your opening pick around the bottom right corner and up the right edge of the screen to separate the adhesive and release the metal clip.
  • You'll hear and feel the metal clip release as you pass it.
Step 12

Heat the top edge

  • Apply a heated iOpener to the top edge of the screen for two minutes.
  • When using a hair dryer or heat gun, heat until it's hot to the touch.
Step 13

Separate the top adhesive

  • Don't insert your pick deeper than 3 mm to avoid damaging the spring contacts.
  • Continue sliding your pick around the top right corner and across the top edge to separate the adhesive and release the two metal clips.
Step 14

Heat the left edge

  • Apply a heated iOpener to the left edge of the screen for two minutes.
  • When using a hair dryer or heat gun, heat until it's hot to the touch.
Step 15

Separate the left adhesive

  • Don't insert your pick deeper than 3 mm to avoid damaging the screen cables and the spring contacts.
  • Slide the opening pick down the left edge of the screen to separate the remaining adhesive and release the last two metal clips.
Step 16

Prop up the screen

  • At this point, the screen should be free from the frame. If the screen feels stuck, go back around the perimeter with your pick to check for missed sections of adhesive or stuck clips.
  • Swing open the screen over the left edge of the phone and support it with a clean, sturdy object.
Step 17

Remove the cover screws

  • Use a tri-point Y000 driver to remove the 0.9 mm‑long screw securing the front sensor connector cover.
  • Use a tri-point Y000 driver to remove the 0.9 mm‑long screw securing the screen connector cover.
Step 18

Remove the screen connector covers

  • Use tweezers or your fingers to lift the front sensor cover to a 90-degree angle and unhook it from its slot in the logic board.
  • Lift the cover out of its slot and remove it.
  • Repeat this process for the screen connector cover.
Step 19

Disconnect the screen

  • Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the screen press connector.
  • Repeat this process for the front sensor press connector.
Step 20

Remove the screen

  • Lift the screen off of the frame and remove it.
  • Be careful not to damage any of the spring contacts.
Step 21

Remove the ambient light sensor bracket

  • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the 1.3 mm‑long screw securing the ambient light sensor bracket.
  • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to lift and remove the ambient light sensor bracket.
Step 22

Pry up the ambient light sensor

  • Use a hair dryer, heat gun, or heated iOpener to soften the adhesive under the ambient light sensor and ambient light sensor cable.
  • Use an opening pick to pry up the ambient light sensor.
Step 23

Peel up the ambient light sensor cable

  • Gently slide an opening pick under the ambient light sensor cable, starting near the sensor and moving to the opposite corner.
  • If the adhesive doesn't peel up easily, apply more heat.
Step 24

Remove the ambient light sensor

  • Continue slowly sliding the opening pick under the ambient light sensor cable until the cable is free from the screen.
  • Use a pair of tweezers to lift the ambient light sensor off of the screen.
Step 25

Disassembly complete

  • Congratulations on completing disassembly! The remaining steps will show how to reassemble your iPhone.
  • Some reassembly photos are of the iPhone 16 non‑Plus, which may look slightly different. The procedure is correct.
Step 26

Place the ambient light sensor

  • Without letting the ambient light sensor adhesive touch the screen, use a pair of tweezers to hold the sensor above the back of the new screen.
  • Align the ambient light sensor with its recess in the back of the screen.
  • Use a spudger or your finger to press the ambient light sensor into its recess.
  • Lay the ambient light sensor cable down on the back of the screen.
  • If the ambient light sensor cable isn't sticking, apply a few small pieces of double‑sided tape, like Tesa tape, to the back of the sensor cable.
Step 27

Press the ambient light sensor

  • Use your finger to press down the ambient light sensor cable.
Step 28

Install the ambient light sensor bracket

  • Use tweezers or your fingers to place the ambient light sensor bracket over the back of the sensor.
  • Use a Phillips screwdriver to install the 1.3 mm‑long screw securing the ambient light sensor bracket.
Step 29

Remove the screen adhesive

  • Be careful not to damage any of the spring contacts as you clean the frame.
  • This is a good point to test your repair before sealing up the phone. Connect the screen, power on the phone, and make sure it works as expected. Power it back down, disconnect the screen, and continue reassembly.
  • The adhesive remaining on the phone's frame can be difficult to remove and leaves residue. If you have trouble removing the adhesive, apply some heat using a hair dryer or heat gun.
  • Use a spudger to push the screen adhesive up until you can grab it with a pair of tweezers.
  • Use a pair of tweezers to remove the adhesive around the entire perimeter of the phone.
Step 30

Repair step

  • Any leftover residue will compromise your iPhone's seal. Be sure to clean the frame thoroughly.
  • Wrap a microfiber or lint-free cloth around the pointed end of a spudger and apply a few drops of high-concentration (greater than 90%) isopropyl alcohol to the cloth.
  • Wipe in one direction along the perimeter of the frame to clean the adhesive residue.
  • Wait a few minutes before proceeding to make sure any excess alcohol has evaporated.
Step 31

Orient the adhesive

  • Lay the adhesive next to the phone and use features like cutouts for spring contacts and the front‑facing camera to make sure the adhesive is oriented correctly.
  • Your adhesive may look slightly different.
Step 32

Expose the bottom edge of the adhesive

  • Use the pull tab to begin peeling the back liner off of the adhesive starting from the bottom, but do not remove the liner all the way.
Step 33

Apply the adhesive

  • Once the adhesive is pressed into place, you can't reposition it—you'll have to remove it and start over with new adhesive.
  • While holding the back liner out of the way, carefully align the exposed edge of the adhesive to the bottom edge of the iPhone's frame.
  • When the adhesive is aligned, use your finger to press it down firmly along the bottom edge.
Step 34

Repair step

  • Continue peeling the back liner off of the adhesive while pressing the adhesive into place along the edges of the iPhone's frame.
  • If you correctly aligned the lower edge of the adhesive, the side and top edges will fall perfectly into place. If the adhesive is misaligned, remove it and start over with new adhesive.
  • If your adhesive is misaligned and you don't have another set handy, it's okay to temporarily put your iPhone back together and use it normally without any adhesive, but keep in mind that your iPhone's water resistance will be compromised until you install new adhesive.
Step 35

Press the adhesive into place

  • Make sure the liner is aligned properly by checking that all spring contacts and the front-facing camera are in their cutouts. If they aren't, remove the adhesive and start over with a new sheet.
  • Use the flat end of a spudger to press the adhesive firmly into place all around the iPhone.
  • Be careful not to press on the camera, spring contacts, or other internal components.
Step 36

Remove the top liner

  • Use the point of a spudger to lift the pull tab in the top‑right corner of the frame until you can grab it with your fingers.
  • Your pull tab may be in a different location. Make sure you're pulling the full-size top liner, not the thin liners under it.
  • Peel back the top liner and remove it.
Step 37

Repair step

  • Once the top liner is removed, there should be three narrow liners on top of the adhesive with pull tabs near the bottom edge.
  • Your pull tabs may be in different positions.
  • If you don't see these pull tabs, you may have accidentally removed the thin liners in the previous step. If the adhesive is clean and properly aligned, you may proceed, just be careful not to touch anything to the exposed adhesive until you are ready to install the screen.
Step 38

Prop up the screen

  • Prop the screen up along the left edge of the iPhone frame, using a box or similar sturdy object to support the screen.
Step 39

Connect the screen and front sensor

  • Use the flat end of a spudger or your finger to connect the screen and front sensor press connectors.
Step 40

Cover the connectors

  • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to place the screen connector cover over the screen connector by inserting it at a slight downward angle to engage the hook, then laying the cover flat over the connector.
Step 41

Repair step

  • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to place the front sensor connector cover over the front sensor connector by inserting it at a 90‑degree angle to engage the hook, then laying the cover flat over the connector.
Step 42

Install the cover screws

  • Use a tri-point Y000 driver to install the two 0.9 mm‑long screws securing the front sensor connector and screen connector covers.
Step 43

Remove the final adhesive liners

  • As you remove the liners in this step, the adhesive will be fully exposed. Make sure nothing touches the exposed adhesive.
  • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the two narrow liners covering the adhesive along the right, top, and bottom edges of the iPhone.
Step 44

Repair step

  • Without letting the screen touch the adhesive, hold the screen over the phone so you can access the final liner along the left edge of the phone.
  • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the final liner along the left edge of the phone.
Step 45

Place the screen

  • Align the screen over the frame, then lower it into place.
Step 46

Repair step

  • Firmly press the top edge of the screen into the adhesive, then the bottom edge, until the screen is fully seated in the frame.
Step 47

Heat the screen

  • To help the adhesive bond, apply heat to the edges of the screen using an iOpener, hair dryer, or heat gun until it's hot to the touch.
  • Firmly press around the perimeter of the screen.
  • If you have screen vise clamps, use them to strengthen the bond of your new adhesive. If not, keep reading for more ways to secure the screen.
Step 48

Press the back glass

  • To evenly compress your iPhone and strengthen the bond of the screen to the frame, you need to account for the camera bump.
  • If you have the box your iPhone came in, take the lid and place it on a flat surface.
  • If you don't have your original box, skip this step for an alternate method.
  • Place your iPhone screen-side-up in the lid of your box with the camera bump in its recess.
  • Find something close to the size of your iPhone, but taller than the sides of the box. Stack it on top of the iPhone, followed by a few heavy objects.
  • Leave the objects in place for at least thirty minutes. The lighter the objects, the longer they should be left. Ideally, leave them stacked overnight.
Step 49

Repair step

  • If you don't have the original box for your iPhone, follow the next three steps for another method to evenly compress the screen.
  • Place the iPhone screen-side-down on a soft, flat surface.
  • Apply tape to the back glass to protect its finish.
Step 50

Repair step

  • Place two layers of coins or similarly thick objects on the tape along the edges of the back glass.
  • Evenly distribute the coins and make sure they are at least as thick as the camera bump.
Step 51

Repair step

  • Stack multiple books or other heavy objects on your iPhone.
  • The coins may leave an impression on the bottom object, so don't use anything valuable.
  • Leave the objects in place for at least thirty minutes. The lighter the objects, the longer they should be left. Ideally, leave them stacked overnight.
Step 52

Install the pentalobe screws

  • Use a P2 pentalobe driver to install the two 7.7 mm-long screws on either side of the charging port.