iPhone 17 Back Glass Installation — Fixonic repair guide

Step 1

Remove the back glass adhesive

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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 your phone. Connect the battery and back glass, power on your phone, and make sure it works as expected. Power it back down, disconnect the battery and back glass, and continue reassembly.
The adhesive remaining on your phone is difficult to remove and leaves residue. If you have trouble removing the adhesive, apply some heat using a hair dryer or heat gun.
Use the pointed end of a spudger to press and roll the adhesive until you can grip it with a pair of tweezers.

Step 2

Repair step

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Use the tweezers to pull the adhesive off of the phone.
Repeat the previous step and this step until all of the adhesive is removed.

Step 3

Clean the frame

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Any leftover residue will compromise your iPhone's seal. Be sure to clean the frame thoroughly.
Wrap a microfiber or lint-free cloth over the point of a spudger and apply a few drops of high-concentration isopropyl alcohol (over 90%) 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 4

Clean the back glass

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If you're not reusing your back glass, skip this step.
Apply a few drops of high-concentration isopropyl alcohol (over 90%) to a microfiber or lint-free cloth and wipe around the perimeter of the back glass to prepare the surface for new adhesive.
If any clips on the back glass are bent, gently straighten them with your fingers.

Step 5

Orient the adhesive

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Orient your replacement adhesive over the frame with the larger blue liner on the underside and its pull tab in the bottom-right corner.
The color of your liner and the pull tab locations may be different on your adhesive.
Use features such as the camera cutout and notches along the edges to ensure the adhesive is oriented correctly.

Step 6

Expose the bottom edge of the adhesive

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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 7

Apply the adhesive

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Once the adhesive is pressed into place, you can't reposition it—you'll have to remove it and start over with new adhesive.
Hold the blue liner out of the way and align the adhesive with the bottom edge of the iPhone.
Lay the bottom edge of the adhesive into its recess in the frame, making sure the iPhone's spring contacts are aligned with their cutouts in the liner.

Step 8

Repair step

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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 9

Press the adhesive into place

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Use the flat end of a spudger to press the adhesive into place around the perimeter of the frame.
Be careful not to touch the spring contacts sticking through the pink liner.

Step 10

Remove the pink liner

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Use the small pull tab in the top-right corner to remove the pink adhesive liner.

Step 11

Repair step

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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 back glass.

Step 12

Connect the charging coil

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Prop up the back glass along the right edge of your iPhone, using a box or similar sturdy object to support the screen.
Use the flat end of a spudger or your finger to connect the charging coil press connector.

Step 13

Connect the battery

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Use the flat end of a spudger or your finger to connect the battery.

Step 14

Install the cover

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The connector cover has two hooks that slide into slots on the logic board.
Lay the connector cover on the phone so the hooks are slightly to the left of their slots in the logic board.
Use your finger to press the connector cover down and to the right until both hooks slide into their slots.

Step 15

Install the cover screws

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Use a tri-point Y000 driver to install the two 1 mm‑long screws securing the middle connector cover.

Step 16

Remove the final adhesive liners

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As you remove the liners in this step, the adhesive will be fully exposed. Make sure nothing touches the exposed adhesive.
Use the blue tabs to remove the liners from the bottom, left, and top edges of your iPhone. Wait to remove the liner along the right edge.

Step 17

Repair step

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Without letting the back glass touch the adhesive, hold the back glass over the phone so you can access the final liner along the right edge of the phone.
Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the final liner along the right edge of the phone.

Step 18

Place the back glass

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Hold the back glass above the phone and align it with the frame.
Lay the glass straight down onto the frame and press until the clips engage.
Press around the perimeter of the back glass to engage all clips.

Step 19

Heat the back glass

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To help the adhesive bond, apply heat to the edges of the back glass using an iOpener, hair dryer, or heat gun until it's hot to the touch.
Firmly press around the perimeter of the back glass.
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 back glass.

Step 20

Press the back glass

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To evenly compress your iPhone and strengthen the bond of the back glass 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 21

Repair step

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

Step 22

Repair step

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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 23

Repair step

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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.