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Use this guide to remove or replace a cracked or broken back glass aka back cover on your iPhone 16 Plus.
This assembly includes the flash light and wireless charging coil. These parts come as one unit, which is uniquely paired to your logic board. Replacing it means you'll need to complete your repair using Apple's Repair Assistant to avoid issues using charging or using the camera's flash.
You'll need replacement back glass adhesive to complete this repair.
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Unplug any cables from your phone.
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Hold the power and either volume buttons and slide to power off your phone.
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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.
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Measure 3 mm from the tip and mark the opening pick with a permanent marker.
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Use a P2 pentalobe driver to remove the two 7.7 mm-long screws on either side of the USB-C port.
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Apply a heated iOpener to the bottom edge of the back glass for two minutes.
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Apply a suction handle to the bottom edge of the back glass, above the USB-C port.
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Pull up on the handle with a strong, steady force to create a gap between the back glass and the frame.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick into the gap.
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There's a delicate cable connecting the back glass to the phone, right next to the volume up button. Don't insert your pick here to avoid slicing the cable.
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There are multiple spring contacts around the perimeter of the phone. Be extra careful not to insert your pick deeper than suggested in each step to avoid bending these contacts.
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Slide your pick back and forth along the bottom edge to separate the adhesive.
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Leave your pick inserted in the bottom right corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Apply a heated iOpener to the right edge of the back glass for two minutes.
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Slide your pick around the bottom right corner and slide it halfway up the right edge, or until you feel a hard stop at a clip securing the back glass.
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Leave this pick inserted to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Apply a heated iOpener to the left edge of the back glass for two minutes.
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Insert a second opening pick at the bottom edge.
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Slide the second pick around the bottom left corner and along the left edge of the screen to separate the adhesive and release the metal clips.
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Leave this pick inserted at the top left corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Apply a heated iOpener to the top edge of the back glass, angled to include the volume buttons, for two minutes.
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Slide your opening pick across the top edge and around the top right corner to the volume up button to separate the adhesive.
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Gently swing open the back glass towards the volume buttons.
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Support the back glass with a clean, sturdy object like a small box to avoid straining the cable.
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Remove the opening picks.
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Use a tri-point Y000 driver to remove the two 1.3 mm-long screws securing the middle connector cover.
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Use blunt-nose tweezers or your fingers to slide the cover towards the left edge of the phone and release its hook from its slot on the logic board.
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Remove the cover.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery press connector.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the wireless charging coil press connector.
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Lift the back glass off the frame and remove it.
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crwdns2931653:021crwdne2931653:0 Disassembly complete
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Use the pointed end of a spudger to press and roll the adhesive until you can grip it with a pair of tweezers.
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Use the tweezers to pull the adhesive off of the phone.
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Repeat the previous step and this step until all of the adhesive is removed.
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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.
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Wipe in one direction along the perimeter of the frame to clean the adhesive residue.
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Wait a few minutes before proceeding to make sure any excess alcohol has evaporated.
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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.
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If any clips on the back glass are bent, gently straighten them with your fingers.
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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.
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Use features such as the camera cutout and notches along the edges to visualize how the adhesive will lay in the frame.
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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.
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Hold the blue liner out of the way and align the adhesive with the bottom edge of the iPhone.
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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.
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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.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to press the adhesive into place around the perimeter of the frame.
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Be careful not to touch the spring contacts sticking through the pink liner.
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Use the small pull tab in the top-right corner to remove the pink adhesive liner.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Use the flat end of a spudger or your finger to connect the charging coil press connector.
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Use the flat end of a spudger or your finger to connect the battery.
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Lay the connector cover on the phone so the hooks are slightly to the left of their slots in the logic board.
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Use your finger to press the connector cover down and to the right until both hooks slide into their slots.
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Use a tri-point Y000 driver to install the two 1 mm‑long screws securing the middle connector cover.
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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.
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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.
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Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the final liner along the right edge of the phone.
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Hold the back glass above the phone and align it with the frame.
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Lay the glass straight down onto the frame and press until the clips engage.
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Press around the perimeter of the back glass to engage all clips.
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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.
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Firmly press around the perimeter of the back glass.
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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.
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If you have the box your iPhone came in, take the lid and place it on a flat surface.
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Place your iPhone screen-side-up in the lid of your box with the camera bump in its recess.
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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.
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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.
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Place the iPhone screen-side-down on a soft, flat surface.
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Apply tape to the back glass to protect its finish.
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Place two layers of coins or similarly thick objects on the tape along the edges of the back glass.
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Evenly distribute the coins and make sure they are at least as thick as the camera bump.
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Stack multiple books or other heavy objects on your iPhone.
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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.
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Use a P2 pentalobe driver to install the two 7.7 mm-long screws on either side of the charging port.
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To reassemble your phone, follow this guide to reapply adhesive and install your back glass.
After your repair, calibrate a genuine replacement back glass using Apple's Repair Assistant. Navigate to Settings → General → About → Parts & Service History, tap Restart & Finish Repair, and follow the onscreen prompts.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our iPhone 16 Plus Answers Community for help.
To reassemble your phone, follow this guide to reapply adhesive and install your back glass.
After your repair, calibrate a genuine replacement back glass using Apple's Repair Assistant. Navigate to Settings → General → About → Parts & Service History, tap Restart & Finish Repair, and follow the onscreen prompts.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our iPhone 16 Plus Answers Community for help.
