Introducción
Esta guía de reparación ha sido creaada por el personal de iFixit, y no está oficialmente respaldada por Google. Consulta más información sobre nuestras guías de reparación aquí.
Sigue esta guía para desmontar y sustituir una batería desgastada para el Pixel 3. Si tu batería está hinchada, sigue una serie de recomendaciones de seguridad.
Por tu seguridad, descarga la batería por debajo del 25 % antes de desmontar el teléfono. Esto reducirá el riesgo de un sobrecalentamiento peligroso si la batería se daña accidentalmente durante la reparación.
Qué necesitas
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Calienta un iOpener y aplícalo a la parte inferior del teléfono durante un minuto.
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Aplica una ventosa en el borde inferior caliente de la cubierta trasera.
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Levanta la ventosa con una fuerza fuerte y constante para crear un espacio.
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Inserta una púa de apertura en la grieta.
The initial opening/insert is the hardest part of this repair, and if you end up having to use a flat-head screwdriver (etc) to get the first gap opened, you’ll scratch the phone. But it works.
I don’t recommend using a screwdriver. I tried this and it shattered the glass in that area. I replaced the battery on my Pixel 1 recently and noted that heating the FRONT glass on that phone enough to get a gap for one of the pics takes a considerable amount of time AND patience. I was one of the few who didn’t break or otherwise damage the glass in that process. I would say the same rule applies here. Allow for significant time and patiences to heat the old adhesive enough to get a pick inside the cover.
Definitely, this opening/insert is the hardest part of the procedure. I was unable to open even a slight separation with a suction cup and even with tons of heat from a hair dryer. What worked really well, and what I would highly recommend to others who experience really strong adhesive, is to use a small X-acto knife with a #16 blade. Make sure it’s a #16 (find on Amazon) because it differs greatly in angle and rigidity from the usual #11 blade. The sharpness of the blade makes it really easy to find the crack and open a gap, where you can then insert a pick with no problem.
I used a typical razor blade (like Matt and Rick and Greg) pressing the whole of the blade against the edge (blade parallel and flush against the back cover). The razor slipped under enough that I could get a pick in. (No damage, but when I first tried the corner of the razor, a small cut was immediately evident. Only use the whole blade.) Then, I used blue picks exclusively.
I'm very curious about the dental floss method. I'll try that if I need to get back inside.
I really wanted to level off the back of the phone when pulling on the suction cup in this step, but found it was actually pretty easy once I used the opening tool to push down on the edge of the bezel, at the crack, barely putting any force on the back of the phone at all (just to keep it steady).
I have about a 2 year old Pixel 3. iOpener didn’t work at all on this step, but once I broke out the hair dryer, I was able to get the phone hot enough to insert the pick (no screwdriver or xacto knife needed)
I’m having trouble with the iOpener too. It is frustrating because I practiced on a bricked iPhone earlier this week and it was effortless. My Pixel 3 is also about 2 years old. Out of curiosity, were you replacing the charging assembly because of the charging cables fitting too loosely on the phone or for some other reason?
Edwin -
I used a stanley knive to get started and then a combo of opener and plektrums.
All went well till I used to much force on the camera corner and broke the back into lots of small pieces. Be careful on that corner, people.
But the new camera does focus, so for a first attempt at fixing a phone I am happy.
I heated the bottom up with the Iopener and then used a rectangular razor blade and the suction cup to lift the bottom. Place the entire blade edge into the crack and push/pry while lifting with the suction cup. As soon as you have a gap start to open, have a second person insert a pick into the corner. It was actually really easy. I had given up after a couple of tries without a blade. My Pixel 3 is 2 years old.
Agreed with many other comments here. My Pixel 3 is two years old and neither the iopener nor a blow dryer were capable of loosening it enough. I ended up using a VERY hot iopener for a couple of minutes, the suction cup, and then a wide-bladed razer blade (about 80% width of bottom edge to spread out the stress and prevent risk of fracturing the rear glass panel). Once adding the razer blade I was able to get the pick in and follow the rest of the instructions as written.
I also had to follow this process but resorted to a heat gun on its lowest setting as I couldn’t get the iOpener hot enough (I was afraid of overheating and bursting it). Other how-to videos also show using a thin piece of plastic or metal to slide into the corner, saving substantial time.
Helped me to notice that the focus here is to lift in the center (like right over the USB C connector). Was able to get it with just the iOpener and pushing down on the rest of the phone with the pry tool. My phone is over 2 years old though and it took about 50 minutes of working / reheating / repeating
Destroyed the glass back trying to take it off. This is not an easy phone to take apart.
It would be nice if there was a heads up that the rear of the phone is glass….. Phone piping hot glass shattered and splintered
Hi John!
Good suggestion! I'll add that into the step.
The Jimmy tool from the iFixit toolkit worked like a freakin’ charm. Took me 10 mins to open the phone and it came out unscathed.
I used dental floss to cut the adhesive and slide it open. Just wiggle it back and forth from the corners until you cut enough that you can switch to a pick. Helps to have a extra hand to hold the phone.
Brother, dental floss was an absolute godsend!!! After 4 hours with the IOpener and attempting to use a heat gun which I balked from out of fear I came across this comment. Teased it around a corner and was then able to saw away at the adhesive. A lot of patience but no heat or potentially damaging tools needed. Thanks!
With the floss, I wasn't getting enough "sawing" motion as it just slipped through my fingers too easily (my phone is about 4-5 years old I think, I bought it used). So I tied a few knots around a pen (the kind with a gripper, so the floss won't slide off) and it was a lifesaver. After about 3 hours trying other ways, the floss/pen saw got it open enough to stick the picks in and eventually open it up!! Thank you to everyone who commented these tips!!
I have a 2-3 year old phone. The “heating pad” and blue picks did not work. I tried for two hours. Two weeks later I tried again using a hair dryer on high heat and low fan, and a rectangular utility razor blade. Start at the bottom of the phone, heat, and insert the razor blade into the gap and use it to cut the adhesive back a little at a time. Do not insert it more than about a 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. Once you start getting a separation, use the blue picks to hold it open. Go up both sides an inch or two on both sides at a time. Do not pry the back open more than an 1/8 of an inch or so until you get it separated all the way around. Be patient. Work slowly. This took about 30 minutes once I got the hang of it. Do NOT pull the cover away from the phone after you separate it all the way around!! Read the instructions several times. There is a cable to the finger print sensor attached to the cover!
Re-read these entire set of instructions and ALL of the comments TWICE before you start.
I used and iOpener and the iFixit tool (the one with the metal spatula). Ended up inserting about 10 picks, but it worked.
I couldn’t get the pick in so I tried the sharper pry tool. Got it in and slid it sideways towards the corner —- BLAM, the back shattered. Not a good home repair experience.
Similar experience with others, iOpener would not heat up the phone enough to separate the adhesive. Had to use a hair dryer to finally insert the blue pick. After sliding the pick past the corner, the back glass scattered… Time to get a new phone and give up on this battery replacement i guess.
On a 3 years old Pixel 3 phone, after unsuccessfully trying iOpener and the suction cup, I used a piece of dental floss, and it worked perfectly.
To make the process easier - tie little loops on both ends of the floss, put a finger or a screwdriver through the loop to help pulling the floss. Pull it through to one side and then to another, continue until you’re 1/2 inch in. At this point it should be possible to insert a pick
This was the hardest step. I could not get the pick in at all. I tried dental floss and it slid in no problem. I eventually stuck the very tip of a razor blade in which allowed me to slide in a pick. Also be very careful when sliding the picks around as my wife broke the back glass of her phone, try to keep pressure as even as possible without bending the glass much.
I like the dental floss idea. I set edges of the phone-back and also the blunt metal tool on an electric cooktop on low heat, and the adhesive softened enough to be workable. SAFETY TIP: the tool and phone were hot to touch, I wore cotton gloves throughout this task.
Can confirm, with a 4-year-old Pixel 3, it was not possible to get the back cover off with any amount of force, heat, and the blue picks. I managed to get started by using single-edge box cutter razor blades and a hair dryer on high--got in just a bit under the left corner, then added a second blade along the bottom edge, and a third near the right corner, and that gave me enough space to get a blue pick in and start replacing the razors with blue picks one by one, and then proceeded as per the instructions. Dental floss is a neat idea; I wish I'd tried that--the razors didn't do any damage, but I was worried about the possibility.
Agreed; a 4cm section of utility knife was required along with heat/alcohol/patience to break the initial seal.
Managed to do it without cracking anything, but sweated through this step quite prolifically.
Mike -
3.5 year old phone. Just wanted to confirm that dental floss, combined with the iOpener, does the trick to get the first pick in.
I was able to slide the floss under the bottom right corner if you are looking at the phone. I alternated between sawing with the floss and applying heat with the iOpener. Eventually I was able to get a pick in that corner and was able to remove the rest of the adhesive by applying heat with the iOpener and sawing with additional picks around the perimeter of the phone.
My Pixel 3 is 4 years old. I tried using the iOpener heat pad for 2 minutes. Didn't work. Then I tried using a heat gun on low for about 30 seconds. Didn't work. Then I used the heat gun on high for about a minute, then the suction pulled it off. I used the picks to peel the rest off. I thought about using the floss which would have work well. I also though about letting the phone sit in the car when it's hot outside. The key is to be patient and try not to use something besides the plastic tools. If I can do it then anyone can. Heat guns are very cheap and a good tool to have.
After unsuccessfully trying all prying tools including metal ones - I finally hit the motherlode with the most inane thing possible-a stiff plastic collarbone-it has a slight angle at one end that gives it the required amount of rigidity and prying power.
Yes, a heat gun is an absolute must!
I've ordered the battery replacement kit, it will arrive next week. I keep my house cool in fall/winter, so I'm a bit concerned about how well I'll be able to heat the adhesive. I'm considering heating the whole phone in my convection oven's "warm" function. Its thermostat compares well with a meat thermometer, I might try my lab grade thermometer too.
I see "The phone is designed to work best in ambient temperatures between 32° and 95° F (0° and 35° C), and should be stored between ambient temperatures of -4° and 113° F (-20° and 45° C)." 113° F seems pretty low, perhaps that's when the adhesive begins to soften appreciably. I was considering starting at 120F. (And trying "toast" if it defeats me.)
Experience, suggestions, good luck wishes welcome.Hi reg!
The temperatures you listed are operating temperatures—once the Pixel exceeds those temperatures, it will shut down and show a heat warning symbol. Ideally, you want to heat just the adhesive perimeter. The back cover should be slightly too hot to the touch—aim for about 80°C.
3.5 year old phone. Thank the gods you guys recommended floss. I broke 2 nails trying the picks. Unfortunately I used extra slippy floss so I couldn't even tie it into loops to help. Even with the floss I couldn't saw my way through or get a pick in so I ended up just adding more and more floss (and more and more hairdryer) until I could get the pick in. After that it was just careful muscle.
Despite several frustrating tries across several days, I had zero success creating a molecule of seam gap to begin to remove back cover without breaking it! Suction cup ineffective (needs 3rd? hand to pull-and-insert pick); heated iOpener doesn't U-fold to cover perimeter (soon cools off in 63F room); hair dryer likewise too-brief heat; Exacto or utility knife blades useless. Dental floss no luck. But only! once I tried keeping the Px3 on my electric 1980s food warming tray (Lo heat ..hands resting on insulating hot pads ..it also! keeps iOpener hot) ..would dental floss fit into corners (No chance midpoint at charge port per foto); then blue pick. But! floss was too slippery to pull/grip strongly ..one must tie loops at each end, then use old-style 'peg' clothespins (or pen with clip) to roll-up floss length to enable pulling right at insertion point. With fingers/hands preoccupied manipulating floss, it was awkward to simultaneously tug suction cup upward effectively at all. Didn't break rear cover ;-)
I had no luck with just a suction cup and heat. Heat and a razor blade as others commented worked well; HOWEVER, while working the blue opening picks around the bottom I cracked the glass. The back glass is more delicate than I anticipated. :-( Be very careful/gentle with the back glass! If I attempt this with another glass-backed phone I will plan to work on an actively heated pad for this step.
The plastic opening pick was to thick to get into the (almost nonexisting) crack. I had to use a thin sharp metal knife, which scratched the paint a little bit but finally made the crack wide enough for the plastic pic to fit in and finish the job. Perhaps one thin metal pick would be helpfull in the kit for this first step.
As others have said, this step was by far the most difficult and time consuming. DO NOT RUSH THIS STEP THOUGH. Take it slow and do NOT bend the back glass to try and speed things up. Keep slicing your way though, patiently being aware of the fingerprint sensor cable. On my phone it required a lot of force and im not even sure the puller was able to make a gap.. I found that the plastic picks were too thick to get a crack started. I ended up using a piece of plastic from a clamshell plastic container to finally make it through the crack and through the adhesive. I tried the plastic backing of one of the adhesives but that wasn't rigid enough. Once though I made my way about half way through; and in haste I made the fatal mistake of bending the back glass to much and shattered it. Yes it is in fact made of glass! It will NOT BEND. I ended up getting a replacement back glass kit on Amazon for $16 which had a new sensor and the adhesive pre-installed which was very nice.
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While the text is accurate, I found this image to be misleading - it appears as if the finger print cable is attached to the right side (from a back-of-phone reference). Only upon close image inspection is it clear that the cable has already been disconnected from the connector that is positioned just inside and above the power button.
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Desliza el adhesivo a lo largo del borde inferior del teléfono y alrededor de la esquina derecha.
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Mantén la púa en el borde inferior para prevenir que el adhesivo se vuelva a adherir.
The back cover is glass! I was sure it was some kind of nice plastic. It's probably obvious to a lot of people, and it's very obvious in hindsight, after shattering it. But I'm writing this in case anyone else is oblivious to the last decade of smartphone design. I got impatient and flexed it out as I cut the glue. Don't do that. Carefully work your way around and avoid applying any significany bending forces to the cover.
Yup, shattered the back of my phone while trying to follow these instructions. You can’t flex the back cover much at all or it is toast.
Someone else had said to use floss to start the cutting I found this to be the most useful. After I heated the phone with a hairdryer I would cut some of the adhesive at the bottom corner after sawing away for a bit I was able to move it enough to fit one of these picks in then I slowly reheated around the edge as I slowly moved more picks and slowly cut away at the adhesive .
Didn't have guitar picks. I grabbed some plastic packaging from my recycle bin and cut it into a bunch of triangles to hold the gap open as I worked my way around.
Leaving the pick in the bottom as described while using another to slide up for the next steps shattered the back cover - these instructions should be clear to only leave the pick in the bottom with as little inserted into the phone as possible as it does not take much flex at all to shatter. Also beware that there are no replacement back covers available from iFixit either :(
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Calienta el borde derecho con un iOpener y continua cortando el adhesivo con una púa de apertura.
What is the required temperature to soften the glue? Can I just use a small bag filled with boiling water or a heat gun.
The iOpener is a plastic bag filled with what appears to be water so probably, yes.
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Continúa calentando y cortando a través del resto del perímetro del teléfono. Deja una púa en cada borde para prevenir que el adhesivo se vuelva a sellar.
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Al cortar por encima del botón de encendido, no insertes la púa más de la mitad para evitar dañar el cable del sensor de huellas dactilares.
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Una vez que cortes alrededor del perímetro del teléfono, con cuidado levanta el borde izquierdo de la tapa trasera.
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Desliza la cubierta posterior a lo largo de su eje largo y apóyala de forma que el cable del sensor de huellas digitales no esté tirante.
Yes, per Step 7 foto, lift rear cover to vertical only! along the left edge (camera, power/volume) ..while also keeping the opposite long edge down (almost touching wireless coil) ..as left/camera edge rises (and right/lower edge slides leftward), take care to keep lower/right edge no further rightward than midway across coil (foto) ..then gently rotate now-lower right edge leftward 'clockwise', lay it flat without straining cable. [When my rear cover eventually suddenly released from the perimeter adhesive while still pulling on it, the upward force almost yanked the cover off cable; got lucky]
[this updates my minutes-ago post ..apparently one can't edit after 5min? ..or delete/replace with this?]
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Retira los dos tornillos Phillips de 4,1 mm de largo que sujetan el soporte del conector de huellas dactilares.
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Durante el reensamblaje, ten cuidado de no apretar demasiado estos tornillos o podrías dañar la pantalla.
A magnetic screwdriver tip helped here.
If you purchase iFixit’s kit for this replacement, their included driver is magnetic. Helped immensely!
after replacing my camera, my screen had a big green/white vertical stripe. I didn’t see the disclaimer about overtightening these screws. I think it may be related.
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Usa la punta de un spudger para sacar el soporte del conector de huella digital que se encuentra debajo de la bobina NFC.
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Remueve el soporte del conector de huella digital.
Re-inserting this is tricky and requires pretty good dexterity. The shiny metal frame of the wireless charger is also not held down, so you may wish to gently apply pressure to it as you try to re-position the connector bracket.
I could use a whole tutorial on how to reinstall this
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Usa la punta de un spudger para hacer palanca y desconectar el conector de huellas digitales de su zócalo.
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Remueve la tapa trasera.
When reassembling is it better to first attach the new adhesive back gasket to the phone back or the phone chassis frame?
Hi Tom!
It depends on the adhesive. Carefully align the adhesive to the phone by matching the contours. Note which adhesive side is backed by a clear liner, and which side is backed by a colored liner. The clear liner should be removed first. Whichever component the exposed adhesive faces should be the first surface to apply to.
Hope that helps!
Two things:
1) I recommend attaching the adhesive to the Phone frame and not the back panel. As you attach, you can more easily see the gaps and guide the adhesive along the groove, leaving equal space all around.
2) To transfer the fingerprint sensor, you will need double-sticky tape to make a new gasket. Put the tape on the back from the inside, and trim with a blade to make the sensor hole. To attach the sensor, place it on something small to raise it off your working surface, then lower the back over it. You’ll be able to see the sensor alignment as you lower the back, which helps get a good position.
Oh, and be prepared: Removing the old adhesive is teeeeedious!! It will take you some time. :-b Alcohol is not a strong solvent, so don’t expect it to remove much; it is mostly for cleaning afterward. In the end, I used one of iFixit’s flat metal tools from the big toolkit to remove the final remains. Its was blunt enough to not cut metal shavings as I cleaned.
I used “medicinal” 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and about 30 Qtips to do the final cleaning of the adhesive, that is, after using a razor blade and the supplied tweezers to remove most of the tape. Patience and many Qtips soaked in IPA removed most of the remaining glue and film.
Greg B -
I ended up reusing the original adhesive as it was in pretty good shape. So far, no problems.
Does your IF356-119-1, Google Pixel 3 Rear Cover Adhesive, template use 2 sided pressure sensitive tape? Do I simply align it on the back cover and then press it to the device to reassemble the unit? If so, how long til the back cover is “glued” to the unit?
Hi Martin,
The rear cover adhesive is indeed two-sided PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive). Apply firm even pressure for a minute to bond the adhesive to the unit.
When scraping the adhesive off the back cover be careful and don’t apply too much pressure (and/or position the cover against the surface so that it’s supported against the tool used), especially in the corners, or the glass cover rounded edges could break.
Agree. BEWARE of SCRATCHING off the PAINT from the BACK COVER when cleaning !
The back cover is painted glass it seems - using a razor blade to scrape off adhesive also scratches off the paint on the inside of the back cover, under the adhesive, and the clear lines it creates are visible from the outside of the back case. If you are using a phone case, this won’t matter.
Greg B -
My battery swelled and did all the hard work getting started popping the back open so I didn’t need the iOpener to get the back off, but now the iOpener is handy to heat up the sticky foamy factory original adhesive.
I found isopropanol ineffective. I found heat softens it considerably. Just very warm, like hot water warm, is effective. Use tweezers or a plastic blade to help pull it off. Metal blades will either gouge the plastic or, worse, create metal shavings that will wreak havoc.
Are there any solvents other than isopropanol that work and won’t harm the plastic? How do pros speed up this step?
I think pros often use heating pads or special jigs. They’d set the temperature, set the phone on the pad, and let the phone heat up for a few minutes. Heat guns are also a popular choice.
I found that an opening pick worked well to scrape the glue off the inside of the curved edges of the back cover
The adhesive on mine took some effort to clean off all the way. During reassembly I did notice that my replacement back panel adhesive was larger than I expected and based off of product photos it looks like I received the 3 XL adhesive instead of the 3. That ended up having me fiddle with the adhesive to try and get it to fit right and unfortunately the camera side now has a bit of a gap that I can still press down on without having it stick. I’ll see how it stays but I fear I might have to get another adhesive. The guide was very helpful though!
The actual back glass cover part is missing from the parts list and it appears iFixit doesn't sell it anymore.
It used to be there, and I ordered one months ago and used this guide successfully then. I broke it again and the part is no more.
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Remueve los cinco tornillos tipo Phillips que sujetan la bobina de carga inalámbrica:
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Dos tornillos de 1.9 mm
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Dos tornillos de 4.2 mm
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Un tornillo de 4.3 mm
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Remueve la bobina de carga inalámbrica.
The top 1.9 mm screw can’t be totally removed — it comes out with the coil once loosened
This was not true for me.
Can I leave the wireless charging coil out?
This may also allow a bigger battery!
You may be able to! Note that this is not only the wireless charging coil, but also the NFC antenna (the upper loop).
The 1.9 mm screws are actually screwed into the head of another screw beneath them. Sometimes the lower screw unscrews instead of the upper. That leaves both screws attached to the coil. If possible you should separate the two screws and screw the lower one back in first using a small flat blade screwdriver.
If you decide to clean the wireless coil assembly, be aware that IPA will completely remove the printed 2-D barcode on the lower right. (Hopefully that's not important.)
There were 7 screws!!! The last two were both near the power button.
Yes, I have that to, and a little black plastic part covering I port.
l won’t mother board google pixel3 contact on WhatsApp +250783996430
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Usa la punta de un spudger para levantar y desconectar el conector de batería de su zócalo cerca del borde derecho del teléfono.
The connecton board is quete flexible … be careful otherwise other connectors may get looze.
This is also valid when re-assemble … pusing battery conector may cause other conectors to “pop“.
The square connector directly below the battery connector came undone and will not pop back into place.
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Desliza la punta de un spudger en la hendidura por debajo de la cinta negra conectando la batería y la placa madre.
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Desliza el spudger a lo largo de la hendidura para levantar la cinta del lado de la batería.
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Con cuidado despega la cinta de la batería y dóblala para sacarla fuera del camino.
On my two-year-old phone, I found this tape tears VERY easily.
Anyone know where I can get a replacement to this thermally conducting tape? Or some alternative to it? It tore right off without any hope of reusing the bit that was attached to the battery and now my phone is overheating constantly after doing this repair.
tenía la misma duda y encontré este articulo the electrical tap will do just fine
espero te sea útil lo voy a probar también.
Amazon sells a 100mm X 200mm sheet of it you can cut to match the original profile with some tracing paper and an exact-o knife. Electrical tape is not appropriate for this. see my comment below.
Boy should I have read to be careful before I started this step.
Yes, this step I think requires a replacement piece. This is a thermally conductive graphite sheet and is to transfer heat from the battery to the heat sink. Its very thin and I was not able to dislodge it as cleanly as it was described. And I disagree that it will still work if torn. You will essentially cut off a considerable amount of the heat transfer path of the tear is too big. Amazon sells a 100mm X 200mm sheet for about $11 which I cut to match the shape of the old one. I ended up making it even larger than the original on the battery portion to improve the heat transfer. And electrical tape is NOT an appropriate replacement, as it is a very poor thermal conductor.
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Usa la punta de un spudger para hacer palanca y desconectar el conector de los botones de la toma de la placa madre cerca del borde izquierdo del teléfono.
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Empuja el conector y su cable flexible fuera del camino de la batería.
This step should absolutely come with a warning about just how fragile all ribbon cables like this are. I managed to break the volume rocker cable, I think while I was trying to pry up the battery. Make sure that's well clear of your working area when inevitably applying force to remove the battery. I'm lucky I didn't break the power button too -- at least volume can be controlled by software.
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Inserta la punta de un spudger debajo de la lengüeta negra para tirar de la batería en el borde izquierdo del teléfono.
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Desliza el spudger hacia arriba a lo largo del borde para aflojar la lengüeta de tracción de la batería.
On very old devices, there’s a good chance these will just break before you get the strip out. The alcohol tip in the next step is quite likely going to be required.
The "pull tab" on mine was transparent orange, like kapton, and not black.
https://i.imgur.com/gFI1gyD.jpg
(Sorry for the lousy photo. Normally, I'd use my phone, but…)
Photos showing use of the kit adhesives for the battery and case would have been most helpful. Thanks.
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Tira de la lengüeta negra en un ángulo poco profundo con una fuerza constante. Cuando el adhesivo se alargue, enróllalo alrededor de algunas puntas de pinzas y sigue tirando.
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Si las tiras adhesivas se rompen, utiliza una púa de apertura para ayudar a levantar y aflojar la batería.
This was pretty tricky for me, required a reasonable amount of force as the bottom of the 3 tapes shown above ripped straight away, so I couldnt stretch to de-sticky it. There seemed to also be a fourth piece of adhesive on the bottom most part of the battery which was not shown in this guide, and did not have an external tab.
I also had issues with this step. The tweezers immediately caused the tape to break on all three strips (after working with my hands for a while) and prying up the battery was tricky with ~1/2 of the adhesive still in place.
Same here, all three strips broke with most of them left in place under the battery. The small foam buffer block from the left edge of the battery mentioned in the next step broke while I was working on removing the battery with the opening !$$&*.
same issue here … just pry the battery and hope for the best :)
I have iFixit plastic card (from MacBook battery replacement kit) … it made me more confident while removing the battery.
This was the hardest part of the repair for me. I wasn’t able to pull these out without them tearing. I would definitely elaborate more on how to do this in different situations.
Yeah, if you are going to have a catastrophic battery melt down, this will be the step. If your phone is older, those tapes will not stretch enough to release and you will need to gently pry. Watch your fingers and keep some water near by. Why on earth they feel the need to GLUE the battery down I will never understand.
I tried adding some heat to the front.. I don’t know if that helped, but this is definitely the most physically forceful part. After my adhesive broke, I pried the battery up and was able to us the spudger to poke at remaining adhesive and break it apart manually.
Haven't seen anyone post anything about this, but be careful when you pull the battery up if the adhesive didn't fully come out. Mine was stuck to the ribbon cable for the "squeeze for google assistant" buttons and tore it as I pried the battery up. If you're careful you may be able to loosen the adhesives grip on the ribbon cable before pulling the battery out.
I used 99% isopropanol (not the normal 70% that's available at a pharmacy; try a hardware store) to soften the remaining glue and had basically no problems at all. Just slow prying and it took less than a minute. I've used 99% IPA before and found that it works significantly better than 70% IPA for de-sticking glues. But it's also possible that I got lucky.
If your glue is stuck (like mine was), be mindful of the ribbon cable for the volume buttons at the top left corner of the battery when you are releasing the adhesive. I applied a little too much force and the pick cut through that cable.
I was very lucky and this came out very easily using the original pull tabs.
I was very lucky and this came out very easily using the original pull tabs. Putting it back in though was a different story. Make sure don't forget the little rubber filler block on the lower left side of the battery. Also I completely botched the adhesive and tried to install it with both backings removed. Don't attempt this - or you will be cursing like a drunken sailor. I ended up getting a new one instead of the double sided tape which doesn't hold as well IMHO. Cut the whole thing down down to a size (with both backings on) of where it will be placed and trim off the backing at the pull tabs so it will flex into place when the lower (phone) backing is removed. Also make sure you side the battery all the way down to the bottom to give the power cable enough length to reach the socket. If its at the top, the cable wont reach and will perhaps put too much stress on the connector.
What you don't mention is the ribbon cable than runs underneath the battery. The plastic pry that I used to get underneath the battery damaged the cable so now the phone is junk,
I'm sorry to hear about that! I'll add a caution bullet to the step.
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Retira la batería.
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Tira con cuidado y retira el pequeño bloque de espuma del borde izquierdo de la batería y transfiéralo a la pieza de repuesto. Si se empieza a rasgar, usa el lado plano de una spudger para gentilmente quitarlo de la batería.
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Coloca un poco de cinta adhesiva de doble cara en el compartimento de la batería del teléfono. Si está utilizando cinta Tesa para volver a unir componentes, sigue esta guía. Si usas adhesivo de liberación por estiramiento, sigue esta guía.
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Vuelve a conectar temporalmente el conector de la batería a la toma de la placa madre. Esto asegura que la batería esté en la posición correcta.
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Despega cualquier revestimiento de la cinta para exponer el adhesivo.
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Coloca la batería sobre el adhesivo y presiona firmemente.
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Desconecta el conector de la batería de la toma de la placa madre y volver a montarlo.
It’s very easy to tear the foam block off from the adhesive backing strip that holds it to the battery; I think it’d be good to talk explicitly about how you need to get under that adhesive strip if you want to re-attach it to the new battery… I think friction will work to hold mine in place, but I do wish I’d known that would be an issue.
I also found installing the new adhesive strips to be next to impossible. For other folks trying this with the iFixit adhesive strips:
Just cut the three strips apart as you remove them from the packing plastic; you only want to deal with one strip at a time. You will probably never get them apart (without stretching them out of shape) if they stick to eachother.
Hi Eugene,
Thanks for the comments! I’ll adjust the step to include your suggestions.
Directions/photos on how to use the iFixit adhesive strips would have been nice. I wish I saw your comment first.
Yeah, I completely ruined my adhesive strips. It would have been nice to have a step for that. I ended up using some double sided tape.
Oh, and not to mention that there’s basically no way to get the foam to come off the old battery without destroying it. So, I used a small piece of rolled up tape (not squished completely so it has some springiness) and taped it to the battery.
I failed with these too. The backing came off and I put it back, but then I couldn't remove the backing! Maybe I accidentally turned the backing over? Photos of this step work let be really useful. I ended up using the tape from the smallest size 3M command hooks i could find. They are thin, easy to adhere and have a tab to remove by stretching.
Same here. I ended up having to order a second one. Cut it down to the size and trim off the potion of the backing at the pull tab. It wil. go in much easier. I hope they change the instructions to state this part.
Very good description. Battery replaced and working perfect! Thank you!
Seconding Chuck’s comment about making sure the connectors are slotted in at the end. In my case, the primary connector for the battery was finnicky plugging in, and I didn’t realize that it hadn’t actually clicked into place. Spent a couple days with my phone randomly powering down because the battery was touching the board just enough to turn on, but slight movement would jostle it out of place.
I was getting pretty worried until I took it all apart again and had the realization that it was never fully plugged in. No problems since (knock on wood)
What happens if I break the black foil tape on the top of the battery while peeling back? I notice there is a plus and minus positivity area on the battery here. Is this conductive tape? Will it not work if this area breaks?
Hi Brenton
The tape acts as a cooling pad for the motherboard and battery. It does not need to be in one piece to do its job.
This is thermally conductive graphite sheet and transfers heat from the battery to the heat sink. Ripping it WILL diminish the heat transfer capability and you'll end up having overheating problems. Amazon sells a 100mm x 200mm sheet for $11 which I cut to match the original. Do not use electrical tape. Plastic is a poor heat conductor.
Had a bulging battery and during removing the adhesive behind it I cut through the bottom portion of cable leading to the buttons.
All of this glue is an unnecessary part of smartphone design. I’d rather see a few screws in my phone (which always has a case on it) then ruin my phone attempting a repair because the designer thought it’d be a good idea to pinch this cable between two pieces of metal next to where they used tons of adhesive to make the battery so difficult to remove. We need a right to repair law in place already.
Nothing negative to iFixit. Directions and supplies are top notch.
Edit: Ends up the phone works but the volume keys do not, so that’s a plus. I’ll have a functional phone until I replace the cable.
For some reason after replacing the battery, the pixel is stuck on G. it booted once and showed “battery not readable”. and now its not booting. Any help will be appreciated.
Hi Ankit,
If you still have your original battery, please try plugging that in and booting the Pixel. If it works, you may have a defective replacement battery. If you bought the replacement from iFIxit, please contact our customer support and we will get the issue resolved!
So these days they send you replacement tape (instead of needing to find some double-sided tape like the directions mention). Unfortunately, it *sticks* to one side of the film it’s shipped in, so strongly, that you’ll deform (if not completely ruin) trying to get it off. so yeah, i had to go buy some 2-sided tape. :(
Agreed. The directions are a bit misleading:
Peel away any tape liners to expose the adhesive.
I think the proper way is to leave the liners in place. Test seat the new battery. Then peel one side of liner off. Stick the tape to the phone. Then, peel the second protective liner. Then place the battery.
If you try to peel the adhesive off of the liner, it snaps back on itself and is stuck to itself and is a goner.
Agree with this comment, and Noah's comment too, however solutions offered (other than buying regular 2-sided tape) did not work for me.
I wanted to remove one liner on the ifixit provided adhesive replacement tape, place it inside the battery well and then remove the second liner. However, the liner that needs to be removed to be able to stick inside the wheel well is not the first one to come off, it's the other one that does! So I tried to remove both liners and yeah I made a mess of my adhesive strips, it's a nest of adhesive tape below my new replacement battery but it’s holding up fine.
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll adjust the wording slightly to correct this.
Just FYI, the foam buffer on mine was disintegrated and would crumble at the slightest touch, perhaps due to age and heat. So I guess I’ll use double stick foam tape. Hope that doesn’t create issues. Otherwise good tutorial, great pictures and tips.
Definitely need some kind of direction on how to use the iFixit double sided tape. I think I pulled the wrong side of the liner off of the tape and realized after the fact that it was backwards in how it goes in the phone. Too late. Once you pull that liner off, you can’t put it back on to flip and use in the correct orientation - the tape is now stuck to the liner and won’t come off. I now need to use my own double sided tape.
Thanks for the feedback! I added a link in the last step with some adhesive instructions.
I had this problem too. Specific instructions on using the ifixit tape that ships with the battery are needed. The link is to a generic Tesa tape guide and not relevant to this special stretchy stuff.
Note that the iFixit’s pre-cut adhesive needs to be placed on the back cover and then the cover placed onto the phone. I highly suggest only peeling a little bit of the white liner off a corner, lining up the entire pre-cut sheet on to the back of the phone, sticking the corner down, and then peeling away the rest of the liner. Then plug in the fingerprint scanner, removing the blue plastic liner from the adhesive(you’ll have to cut it because the fingerprint scanner cable is in the way, and finally put the back cover onto the phone.
And why do we even need to re-add battery adhesive? Everything seems pretty tight in the phone when it’s closed up. I totally ruined my adhesive strips during the repair and just said screw it and didn’t use any at all. No problems with my phone so far.
Good question!
For safety reasons, you need to re-attach the battery with adhesive. Lithium-ion batteries are fragile and can be volatile when they’re charged. If the battery is loose in the battery well, there’s a good chance that an edge or corner will eventually be damaged from daily use, resulting in catastrophic battery failure.
I wish there were explicit reassembly instructions for the parts that were not in the disassembly. I did not notice the tabs that were supposed to go underneath the battery until I was finished reassembling everything. Additionally, I had trouble with the sticky backing for reattaching the back of the phone.
Overall, other than some reassembly mishaps, I had the most trouble getting my back off (I had to use a knife as the plastic tools kept bending) and the old battery out. For the latter, it is important to notice that the glue, at least for my phone, was only on the top of the battery. So, prying the battery out from the bottom was easiest.
Wow. Amazing
I completely botched the adhesive and tried to install it with both backings removed. Don't attempt this - or you will be cursing like a drunken sailor. I ended up getting a new one instead of the double sided tape which doesn't hold as well IMHO. Cut the whole thing down down to a size (with both backings on) of where it will be placed and trim off the backing at the pull tabs so it will flex into place when the lower (phone) backing is removed. Also make sure you side the battery all the way down to the bottom to give the power cable enough length to reach the socket. If its at the top, the cable wont reach and will perhaps put too much stress on the connector. Also don't forget the little rubber spacer block. My new battery didn't come with a new one and had to use the one from the old battery.
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Para un rendimiento óptimo, calibra la batería recién instalada: Cárgalo al 100% y manténlo cargado durante al menos 2 horas más. A continuación, utiliza el dispositivo hasta que se apague debido a que la batería está baja. Por último, cárgalo ininterrumpidamente al 100%.
Para volver a ensamblar el dispositivo, sigue estas instrucciones en orden inverso.
Lleva tus desechos electrónicos a un centro de reciclaje certificado.
¿La reparación no salió según lo planeado? Consulta nuestra comunidad de respuestas de Google Pixel 3 para obtener ayuda para la resolución de problemas.
Para un rendimiento óptimo, calibra la batería recién instalada: Cárgalo al 100% y manténlo cargado durante al menos 2 horas más. A continuación, utiliza el dispositivo hasta que se apague debido a que la batería está baja. Por último, cárgalo ininterrumpidamente al 100%.
Para volver a ensamblar el dispositivo, sigue estas instrucciones en orden inverso.
Lleva tus desechos electrónicos a un centro de reciclaje certificado.
¿La reparación no salió según lo planeado? Consulta nuestra comunidad de respuestas de Google Pixel 3 para obtener ayuda para la resolución de problemas.
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52 comentarios
Removing the adhesive from the rear glass can be a tedious process. I got my best results by taking fine point tweezers and pulling the adhesive back slowly, trying to get it to come up altogether as much as possible before using IPA to remove any residue.
How do you put the adhesive back (or put new adhesive on) when putting the phone back together?
@bfferraro, it depends on the type of adhesive.
If you are using a pre-cut adhesive sheet, follow this guide.
If you have a custom-cut adhesive, follow this guide.
What thickness(es) of tape is/are required to complete the battery replacement process?
Hi mpc,
The tape does not need to be thick at all. You can use standard double-sided tape, or the fancier stretch-release adhesive.
I actually used command strips (the thin kind, that are clear, not the foam type ones) so that maybe it'll help the process if I ever have to remove the battery again. Hoping they keep working well, so far so good!!
What adhesive is used to reapply the back to the phone when this is done?
Hi David,
Double-sided adhesive such as Tesa tape works well.
It looks like the 2mm width would be ideal for this, for future reference.
I just finished the Pixel 3 battery replacement. This guide covers all the steps well. For re-attaching the back to the case I used the 1 mm width tape available from this size. The precut card was not available at the time I was ordering parts. I guessed on 1 mm but after using it, it seemed to work well. I cut long, straight lengths for the sides and top & bottom, and then filled each corner with a short piece placed diagonally. Seemed to hold ok.
Thank you for the excellent guide.
mpc -
Thanks! Straightforward repair with this guide.
The warning about breaking the fingerprint sensor cable is important. I didn’t break mine… :-)
I had one small issue with putting all of it together. If you want to test the wireless charging you need to put a little space between the coil and the charger. I suspect their is a minimum distance between the coils to get them to couple properly and without this the charger talks to the phone but does not start charging.
Unfortunately my phone won’t boot correctly after replacing the battery. Fastboot Mode with Device-State: error! I must’ve damaged something while trying this process. Be careful, folks!
After this procedure, my phone started and worked, then began continuously rebooting when I pressed the power button to try the camera. Like the power button was stuck pressed, but it wasn't pressed and the procedure doesn't touch the switch and I couldn't see the issue even under a microscope. But I removed the battery and reinserted it against the edge opposite the power switch as far from the power switch as I could. Seems to be working now, I conclude the battery was pressing against and bending the back wall of the power switch. Insert the new battery positioning it against the compartment-edge opposite the power switch!
I’m having to replace the back glass as it cracked and i’m thinking of replacing the battery as well since I think it has swelling.
Do i need to be as careful removing the back since I’ll be replacing that anyway, or is there still a difference between the back glass and the battery door?
Hi Cabroncito!
The battery door/back glass are the same. You don’t have to worry about cracking it, since it’s already cracked. Be careful not to damage the fingerprint sensor cable shown in step 1! Replacing the battery at this point is a great idea! Good luck with your repairs!
Process went pretty smoothly. Only real issues I had were putting the new battery adhesive on (I got it all tangled before I set it in place). Removing the old adhesive was a bit annoying as well but after all that, it went together well and works. Thanks for the great guide!
Great guide, I had to check a youtube video too (extra caution). However, the main reference was this guide, thanks for the help. The rubbing alcohol (+90%) is a must, I can stress enough how complicated/slow was to remove the adhesive from the phone.
I feel that some instruction advising how to apply the adhesive for the battery would be helpful. I took mine off the protective film thinking that it would hold its shape and it immediately folded on itself. I was able to salvage a piece to hold the battery, but I consider that step a failure for me. Plus, showing how to clean the old adhesive from the back panel and applying the new adhesive would be helpful too.
Overall a really helpful guide that helped me to get the job done. Thanks!
Half an hour ago I had a bulgy battery and some raging fear. Now I have a working phone and I can’t thank you enough for this guide. I feel like a tech wizard! (with a menacing fat old battery that I need to find a place to recycle….)
Seconding/thirding the commentary on the included adhesive strips for the battery being difficult - mine also immediately curled into themselves. I used a small bit of mounting tape instead and that worked just fine. A classic case of problems between the keyboard and chair. The new back panel adhesive was easier to deal with (remove protective film on one side, align and press, then remove the other film), though removing the old stuff was a chore and a half even with 91% alcohol; it had been on there for several years.
Oh, I guess I only commented on the battery step, not the whole article. Well, here it is again:
Welp. I followed this tutorial to a T, but now my phone’s display is completely broken and there is a hissing a popping sound towards the bottom of the phone, accompanied by a very hot spot on the display area where that hissing is coming from. This was after it booted fine, but with about 1/3 of the total area the screen covered in vertical lines from left to right.
I have a feeling this may have been due to the isopropyl alcohol step (which was basically the only way to actually remove the adhesive from the battery).
I am just not sure what to say. I followed the steps as closely as possible, and I made sure to dry the isopropyl alcohol beforehand.
I do not think I will ever work on a phone again. Probably safer to just hope you still have a warranty, or buy a new one.
Really dumb that I can’t edit my comments after 5 minutes.
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Update: I let it sit overnight, put it back together again, and it was able to mostly work, less a green line or two in the OLED screen. I’m wondering if there was a mix of isopropyl alcohol and me pressing the back closed caused the OLED to go nuts. This is fine for now and I can use the phone again, but I still don’t plan to try to fix any phones again.
I will add: IFixIt’s guides are pretty awful. There’s no reason that the guide should have ended at removing the battery. There were crucial steps like, how to fix the adhesive for the battery and phone, recommended way to seal the phone back up (to ensure you don’t break the OLED screen). I even looked at the OLED replacement tutorial and the farthest it got was removing the screen. I guess it expects you to guess how to put it back together by walking back through the tutorial, which mostly doesn’t work.
Thanks for the great instructions!
After replacing the battery, the screen on my phone would not come on. I was worried I might had disconnected the display connector, so I opened the phone up again. Turns out all you have to do is to reset the phone. To do this, press and hold the power button for about 10-15 seconds. The screen will turn back on with the Google logo showing.
Cheers!
Hi, I have spent hours trying to get my pixel 3’s back cover opened following this guide and also with the hair dryer to the point where the phone’s back cover around the bottom edge is very very hot (could only place my finger on it for a second or so). Also tried other suction cups and the cover just didn’t budge at all and my fingers and hands gave up.
Anyone maybe have other ideas to share? I am using the ifixit repair kit that included the Pixel 3 battery and the phone is about 2.5 years old and has never been taken apart/repaired.
Thank you!
Hi Thomas,
The Pixel’s adhesive is pretty tough! Slightly too hot to the touch (where you can place your finger on for a second) is the right temperature. You may need to do multiple heat/suction cycles to loosen the adhesive enough to create a gap. You can also try the top edge, where the adhesive is slightly thinner, or the left edge, where the longer adhesive may loosen faster. Good luck with your repairs!
I replaced the charging circuit and battery at once- now I plugged in the phone while still open to confirm charging, but I’m not seeing any indication on screen. Should I be able to verify things without putting everything back together?
Make sure the ribbon cables have firm connections. I had gotten the phone mostly reassembled before realizing that the charging assembly ribbon cable wasn’t seated properly. Re-assemble the charging assembly, replace the speaker and screw it down before plugging in the charger (or be VERY careful). The battery should also be plugged in, and you should see a battery indicator on the screen w/the current battery level. If the battery is too dead, give it a couple minutes to charge.
Arthur Shi, you made this replacement exceptionally easy! I loved the color coding of the screw sizes. iFixit, your battery replacement kit had almost everything I needed. I did supplement the small alcohol pad you supplied with some 91% isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs to clean all the prolific glue left on the back cover and chassis. The only difficult part I had was trying to remove the glue strips under the battery. I managed to get a cotton swab with alcohol underneath it to dissolve the persistent hold. Thanks so much! New battery and new charging assembly installed! Now to find a safe place to dispose of this swelling battery!
Hey Chad! Thanks for sharing your success story and feedback! I’m always glad to hear a repair go well :)
I’m just about done with this repair. I’m at the point of using the supplied adhesive cut out to re-install the back. Though the instructions are good for disassembly, the reassembly instructions that just say repeat the steps in reverse order is insufficient for a such a kit. As many have said above, there are some tricky steps to re-assembly that are completely missing. The IFIXIT is not DONE until the re-assembly is complete. So, these instructions are about 65% sufficient to complete the job. Please “finish” the instructions with clear descriptions and photos of RE-ASSEMBLY. E.g. the battery tape, the back cover tape and how to deal with the fingerprint sensor cable, etc.
P.S. the most difficult part is removing the back glass cover. I ended up using a hair dryer on high heat / low fan and a rectangular utility razor blade. Start at the bottom, heat and cut the adhesive a little at a time, as the cover comes off insert the blue plastic separators that come with the kit. Patience is key.
Did anyone’s Pixel 3 get into battery meter issue after battery replacement? I replaced the battery, but the battery meter icon on the notification bar with issue. It cannot detect the battery percentage. I tried to soft and hard reboot. The issue still there.
Thank you for the guide. I used it since my Pixel 3 battery pushed the backplate cover and created a gap along side the power and volume rockers.
The only part that I messed up was applying the adhesive to the battery (I pulled off the three strips by hand which made them curl up instantly and ruining then). Also user error, I some how messed up the lower volume rocker and it does not work anymore after I sealed it up.
One criticism is to include a guide on how to reassemble, specifically regarding adding the adhesives (to the battery AND to the back case cover).
Just attempted on my Pixel 3 (to replace a battery / device never previously opened) that I bought shortly after it came out. BEWARE adhesive seems to become more permanent after a significant amount of time. Heat gun like above would be appropriate, probably, as I couldn't get the back off with just the hot pack. I ended up breaking the back. Easy, just tedious, especially on older, unopened devices.
Excellent guide. However, the heat and suction cup just wasn't doing it for me. I ended up using the iFixit Jimmy rather than the pick to get between the back cover and the rest of the phone. Once that was in, I was able to switch back to picks.
My screen is showing bright green and is seemingly unresponsive to anything. Hoping too much isopropyl alcohol removing the glue but worrysome that some damage happened. Anyone have any ideas?
now stuck in fastboot with a corrupted image
Hey I just got mine in the mail and have been trying to replace the battery but the cord connecting the phone back to the battery wont connect back to the plug. I have the exact same model as was originally in my phone however the connectors slightly differ. Anyhow I can not for the life of me get the new battery to connect.
Hi Phoenix!
If your original battery still connects to the phone, then the replacement battery's connector may be damaged. If you bought the battery from iFixit, please contact our customer support and we will get the issue resolved!
Info here was very helpful. LOTS of warming, and then a steel blade to get a small crack going that you can slide a plastic tool into. Main challenge was figuring out how to replace the adhesive at the very end. Everything went smoothly until that part and while was able to recover, i did mess it up. So pls add one more instruction "page" to "close" the deal!
After reading this guide, the comments, and watching a few videos online, I felt prepared to attempt this repair. I spent, no joke, probably 5 or 6 total hours trying to carefully open up this phone using the toolkit and some dental floss. I finally got a pick carefully inserted into the rear and the back glass shattered all the way up the rear of the phone. Hot glass shards in my hand.
By far the most difficult repair I've ever attempted. Surprised it is rated as "Moderate" difficulty.
It's ridiculous that Google manufactured a phone that is so difficult to repair (making a phone body out of glass????) and a bit disingenuous of the iFixit staff to make this seem like a repair that can be completed with just the tools provided in this kit.
I wish I hadn't wasted my time and money.
Agreed. The devil is in the details behind this painful procedure. Some of the videos were very unrealistic.
My phone lost connection from charging cord to the battery. Wish I had a solution to this problem. I lost all my contact info. Got a new iPhone, wishing now I’d have gotten the pixel 6.
In addition, I replaced the battery, couldn’t get it to charge. What a POS. Great phone while working but crazy to repair it. Yeah, glass case is nonsense. Sure wish I could get it to charge so I could retrieve my contacts etc.
Something that drove me crazy was the dust/residue/stains on the inside of the camera protective lens. After all, this is my main picture phone! Here is what I ended up doing in the end:
0. Wait until you are ready to sandwich the back glass to the frame
1. Drop some alcohol into the protective lens box
2. Wipe down the lens with a lens wipe, pushing it in with a spudger
3. Drop alcohol AGAIN
4. Blow it out with a blow dryer
5. Quickly sandwich the back on
Crystal clear, no dust, no residue, no water stains!
Man that was a pain in the a$$. This is not an easy process - was a horrible design - clearly tis phone is not designed for serviceability. BE PATIENT, especially with the back glass. It will shatter if you force/rush things. Use a thin plastic (clamshell material) to cut and easy on the pulling with the suction cup. Use the picks to prop open the edges you've already opened.
Also test the phone before you press the back glass back on. Make sure the finger print sensor works before you do that too. The last thing you want to do is take the back glass off again.
But I ended up being successful in the end....
Part 1/3
The adhesive replacements are no joke! Both the battery adhesive and the back panel adhesive are super unintuitive.
For theBATTERY ADHESIVE, I followed the guide in the link for that section. First pull off the section that adheres to the battery, line up the black tabs to where they are supposed to go, then with the backing to the phone side still in place, roll and press the adhesive to the battery.
STOP here, do not remove the phone side adhesive cover yet!
First, place the battery in the battery well and connect it.
Next, reconnect the power button.
Next, plug in the phone (the battery has no charge from the factory). Wait a few seconds to see the battery charging symbol come up on the screen. Turn on the phone and let it boot. Then with 2% battery available, unplug the phone.
If it stays on, you did it right! Now turn off the phone, Keep the battery plugged into the motherboard, remove the phone side battery adhesive cover, and stick it in place with the battery still connected. Done.
Part 2/3
NEXT, the back panel adhesive that comes with the I-Fixit kit. There may be instructions on the website somewhere, but I couldn't find them.
The kit adhesive is super awesome! It takes 3 steps to install. There are 3 layers of plastic adhesive covering: Layer 1: Clear (top half and bottom half). Layer 2: Blue. Layer 3: Red.
First, make sure that the back cover and phone are completely clean of all leftover adhesive residue.
Next, find the correct orientation for the adhesive: Blue facing you with the notch pattern for the power button in the top left.
Then, pull off the top half of the clear layer and carefully line it up with the surface of the phone (use the screw holes as a guide). Don't press down yet. Lay the whole assembly down to check for proper alignment.
Once you have the correct alignment, starting from the top, slowly lay the top half down about halfway, like reverse peeling.
Then remove the bottom clear layer and continue.
Part 3/3
Now the adhesive should be firmly stuck to the phone side; it is now safe to remove the blue layer - this will not expose any adhesive, the blue layer is just for support.
Next, (DO NOT REMOVE THE RED LAYER YET) it's time to plug in the fingerprint sensor and reattach the little black bracket that holds it in place.
Then, double-check the phone for functionality. Plug it in, turn it on, test the fingerprint sensor, the power and volume buttons, and check out the camera - make sure you didn't smudge the camera lens or get dust/adhesive on it.
If that all works, remove the RED LAYER and carefully place the backing onto the phone. Done!
I used the I-Opener heater on the phone for a few minutes to help the adhesive bond, then placed the phone flat on my desk with some hardback books on it overnight. I also plugged it in.
This was a 2nd time I replaced battery for Pixel 3. I had replaced another Pixel 3 battery 1 year ago. Almost no problem, getting the back off. This 2nd time, it was 3 hours of frustration to get the back off. The comments were excellent. I 1st used the heating pad provided by Fixit, then a hair dryer. Then a heating gun. Still no gap to insert the "guitar pick". Per comments I tried a metal blade, a small screwdriver, various dental floss. Still no go. I finally got an opening with a steel blade in the bottom corner. But, the glass back broke. After carefully removing pieces of the glass bottom, I performed a "post mortem" on why so difficult to remove the back. Answer: the adhesive used to hold the back in place was 5x as thick near the bottom where the USB charger connector was compared the the 2 vertical edge 1/2 the distance from the top/ bottom. In hindsight, it would be easier to start the gap at the vertical edges of the back where there was significantly less adhesive.
It took significantly longer than what the guide suggests (40 minutes to an hour) - for me end-to-end was around 3 hours. The hardest part was removing the back, because just with the suction cup and the included plastic pry tools I couldn't get started. Then I resorted to a thin and sharp utility knife that managed to cut through the glue, from then on it was a walk in the park. Also make sure to have some isopropyl alcohol at home before starting to clean up the nasty glue residue. Lastly, take your time, because after finishing I cannot tell from the outside that it was opened. I'm really impressed! Thanks a lot for the kit and for putting this guide together!
Older devices may require 2 or more minutes with a very hot iOpener. Also note, the photo shows the opener on the FRONT of the phone. The heat needs to be applied to the back of the device!
Rick Johnson - Contestar
I just realized that I was trying to pry apart the front of my Pixel 3… and have separated the class from the display. ??♂️ Even though the rest of the directions show the back, it would be nice for the first picture to also show the back, just to be safe.
JR Raith -
Agreed, I’ve done exactly the same and completely broken my display. I probably should’ve paid more attention to the initial steps before diving in but the step could do with a new picture for sure.
Daniel Fryer -
Thanks for the comments! I’ll add a note in the step warning people to make sure to pry the back cover, not the screen.
Arthur Shi -
I prefer my favorite opening method with something like this. Dental floss. So thin it can slide in the gap. A little sawing to get it far enough past the edge to lift and get the first pick in.
John Hoffstetter - Contestar
I found another wonderful tool. I used something like medicine packaging which is aluminum foil with plastic. It’s thin and strong enough!
Christie Lin - Contestar
I also went for the hairdryer, dental floss, and then the provided picks and this worked. Not easy to get that initial seal broken but once that's done the rest is pretty easy.
James - Contestar
I needed 20 nerve wracking minutes with a hairdryer
Amy schneider - Contestar
My battery had bulged and opened the case for me!
Warmed it up a bit with hairdryer
Floss helped also.
David Lincer - Contestar
I found I wasn't able to get the edges hot enough. I ended up using my heat gun (for shrink tubing) instead.
Kurt Nowak - Contestar