How to Replace Your iPhone 16 Pro Rear Glass Adhesive

Written By: Nick Schultz

Comments: 1

How to Replace Your iPhone 16 Pro Rear Glass Adhesive

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

Use this guide to apply adhesive and seal the rear glass (or back panel) on your iPhone 16 Pro.

Replace your adhesive to maintain your iPhone's water and dust resistance after a repair or after the existing seal has worn out. Note that your iPhone's water resistance depends on how well you apply its adhesive.

Before starting this guide, make sure you've completed your repair and have reassembled your iPhone up until the rear glass. Return to your repair guide and do so if you haven't already.

The photos in this guide are of the Max model iPhone and may contain slight visual discrepancies, but they won't affect the procedure.

Tools

Step 1

Work around the fragile grounding clips as you're cleaning the frame. If you bend one out of place, gently bend it back with your fingers or tweezers.
Use blunt nose tweezers or your fingers to remove large pieces of adhesive from the frame perimeter.
Use a spudger to scrape the adhesive residue off of the frame.
If the adhesive feels stubborn, apply some heat using a hair dryer or heat gun and try again.

Step 2

If you're reusing your back glass, apply a few drops of highly-concentrated isopropyl alcohol (over 90%) to a microfiber or lint-free cloth and wipe around the perimeter to prepare the surface for new adhesive.

Step 3

Wrap a lint-free cloth or a coffee filter over the point of a spudger and apply a few drops of highly-concentrated isopropyl alcohol (over 90%) to it.
Wipe in one direction along the perimeter of the frame to clean the adhesive residue.
Take your time doing this. A clean frame allows replacement adhesive to lay evenly, ensuring a better bond.

Step 4

Lay the adhesive sheet over the frame to determine its proper orientation.
Use features such as the camera cutout and notches along the top and bottom edges to visualize how the adhesive will lay in the frame.

Step 5

Grab the tab in the corner of the adhesive sheet and peel the liner to expose a third of the adhesive.
The exposed adhesive is very sticky. Don't let it touch anything until you're ready to apply it to the frame.
If your adhesive has multiple liners, peel the liner that exposes the side that sticks to the frame.

Step 6

Carefully align the exposed edge of the adhesive strip with the corresponding edge of the iPhone's frame.
Once the adhesive is pressed into place, you can't reposition it—you'll have to remove it and start over with new adhesive.
When it's correctly aligned, gently press the exposed adhesive strip onto the frame.

Step 7

Continue peeling away the liner from the adhesive, gently pressing the adhesive into place.
If you've correctly aligned the adhesive, the edges will fall perfectly into place.
If your adhesive is slightly misaligned, gently pull the long edges into alignment with the frame.
If the adhesive begins to crease or wrinkle, remove it and start over with fresh adhesive.
If you don't have another set of adhesive strips handy, it's okay to temporarily put your iPhone back together and use it normally without any adhesive. Just keep in mind that your iPhone's water resistance will be compromised until you replace the adhesive.

Step 8

Use a spudger to press the adhesive around the entire perimeter of your iPhone.
Work around the fragile grounding clips. If you bend one out of place, gently bend it back with your fingers or tweezers.
Don't press too hard, or you'll stretch and deform the adhesive.

Step 9

Use a spudger or your fingers to lift the pull tab connected to the large front liner. The pull tab is often in a corner of the liner.
Use the pull tab to peel off the large front liner from the adhesive.
At this point, you may still have liner covering the perimeter, which prevents the adhesive from accidentally sticking to anything while you're reassembling your iPhone. Don't remove these small release liners just yet.

Step 10

Prop up the back glass along the right edge of your iPhone.

Step 11

Use your finger or the flat end of a spudger to press and connect the back glass connector onto the logic board.

Step 12

Use your finger or a spudger to press and connect the battery press connector onto the logic board.
This is a good point to test your repair before sealing up your iPhone. Power on your iPhone and make sure it works as expected. Power it back down and continue reassembly.
If your iPhone doesn't turn on, connect it to a power source and try again.
If you've replaced the logic board and the screen fails to turn on, you'll need to follow the screen guide to manually connect the display connector.

Step 13

Align the back glass connector cover by its screw holes and lay it in place.

Step 14

Use a tri-point Y000 driver to install the four screws securing the back glass connector cover:
Two 1.3 mm‑long screws
Two 1.0 mm‑long screws

Step 15

Align the battery connector cover by its screw holes and lay it in place.

Step 16

Use a tri-point Y000 driver to install the three screws securing the battery connector cover:
Two 1.3 mm‑long screws
One 1.0 mm‑long screw

Step 17

Use your fingers or a spudger to peel away all perimeter liners, exposing the adhesive.
As you remove the liners, make sure nothing touches the exposed adhesive.
Check the frame and back glass for any stray liners and remove them. There should be no liners remaining.

Step 18

Lower the back glass onto the frame, beginning with the top edge.
If you feel resistance, a perimeter clip may have bent out of place and is being crushed by the frame. Look at the point of resistance and gently straighten any bent clips.
Press along the edges of the iPhone until the back glass sits flush against the frame.

Step 19

Use a hair dryer, heat gun, or an iOpener to heat the back glass perimeter until it's slightly too hot to touch.
The heat softens the adhesive and helps create a better bond.

Step 20

Use your fingers to firmly squeeze around the perimeter of the iPhone.

Step 21

Place your iPhone screen-side down on a clean, flat work surface.
Lay a strip of tape around the perimeter of the back glass to protect the finish.
Stack coins around the perimeter of the back glass until you create a wall that's as tall as the rear camera protrusions.
Alternatively, you can use vise clamps around the perimeter of your device to set the new adhesive.

Step 22

Place 3-4 heavy books squarely on top of your iPhone.
The coins may leave a slight impression on the bottom book cover, so don't use anything valuable.
Leave the books in place for about 30 minutes.
The pressure will help activate the adhesive.