It’s a fall tradition: the leaves change, Apple launches a new iPhone, and then you drop said iPhone on the sidewalk. Luckily, there’s a next step.
iFixit has released its full collection of repair guides for the iPhone 7, two weeks after conducting a live teardown of the new phones. If you’ve somehow already broken your battery — or maybe it exploded all on its own! — this is the information you need.
DON’T MISS: Yup, now the iPhone 7 is exploding
Contrary to what some people think, conducting basic fixes on an iPhone is actually pretty easy. You need some simple tools, an hour of your life, and the mental fortitude to rip a $700 piece of electronics in two.
The actual procedures involved with the iPhone 7 for a screen or battery replacement are mostly the same as for an iPhone 6s. It starts with removing the proprietary pentalobe screws at the bottom of the device, which hold the display and body together. Then, you use heat to warm up the adhesive (iFixit recommends a warm tube that you heat up in a microwave), and a suction cup to actually pull the display up.
Once you’re inside, you need to remove a few components to be able to get the battery out. The Taptic engine, barometric vent and sensor assembly all need removing, which mostly just involves taking out screws and undoing connectors.
The final move is to remove the battery from the case using the adhesive pull tabs, which can be a little fiddly. But ultimately, the replacement is easy: undo screws, loosen adhesive, and gently apply force in the right place.
