Amateur iPad screen replacement

First time replacing an iPad screen.
Lots of things to learn and mistakes, but ultimately successful.
If you want to replace a screen, watch this one plus one by a pro, so you will know what to do, and what not to do! The pros just make it look too easy.

[@mindkiller76]

9:23 Haven't heard Matthias being this happy in 10 years or so that I'm watching him.

[@ccllvn]

same here lmao

[@bagofmostlywater]

I came here to say this. His happiness was infused with a bit of surprise, and Matthias is probably more certain about things of his own making, within his control.

[@GabrielWB]

That fused combination of excitement and relief while shouting "It still works!" is so darn relatable.

[@rasmis]

I was on the edge of my seat. I imagine this is how sportsfans feel, when they see people play sportsball.

[@TRFrench]

I have never heard a Canadian that excited :-)

[@charlesenfield2192]

I encourage everybody to take one of these repairs on. If you're like me, you'll botch the first one, but you'll learn in the process and be good to go after that. I started with one 5-year-old phone that wasn't working, and when I was done it still wasn't working, but I've successfully repaired three newer phones since then. One of the joys of family is a steady supply of damaged phones to repair.

[@ramosel]

I did that same repair for my daughter... Two weeks later Apple made her model EOL and stopped doing updates of the iOS. I got the parts at a local repair shop. He was doing a repair on a similar iPad. I guess they all start with removing the screen. He used a heating pad like you'd use for a sore back and laid the iPad face down on it for 20 minutes or so then flipped it over and everything just peeled apart.

[@PlatypusVomit]

A heating pad is a great idea. Probably more akin to the pad style oil pan/battery heaters for a car/truck, as a back pad wouldn't go hot enough. But if I ever have to do a screen replacement I hope I remember that tip.

[@BladeScraper]

@@PlatypusVomit Look up "CPB Heating Pad". That's what I use for iPads and newer iPhones. The ones that go up to 100C are better, the hotter you can get it the easier the glass is to remove. But 60 or 70C will suffice if the one you get won't get up to 100C.

[@bullzebub]

if you have a 3d printer ... the bed should work

[@SianaGearz]

@@bullzebub Yep i've done it on my printer heatbed.

[@TheKirch09]

@@bullzebub Brilliant, I never would have thought of that. Just have to remember this for next time.

[@rschelp1]

When you say "It's WORKING .. it's WORKING" in a surprised voice ... that right there was worth the price of admission. Great video!

[@V8PropaneBurner]

Your excitement on finding that it worked - superb!

[@topkek_]

I convinced my father once to do a repair like this, he got it done and was similarly happy and proud as you were! Good memory:)

[@JoeNevermind]

After all this years, watching you mastering woodworking.. sitting there in awe about your abilities... finally I'm watching you doing something I'd done better ;) Still - good job! I love repaired electronics! Love your channels!

[@_Dwarkin]

It means that his hands.sys driver works good 😂

[@FixitFrank]

Agreed! Keeping e-waste out of the landfills as long as possible benefits everyone.

[@markm0000]

He used to work on the old BlackBerry’s.

[@omegaflameZ]

How you were doing it around 2:15 was what I found easiest to remove glass from glued together devices. I would up using a mix of playing cards (nice and stiff with sharp edges) and guitar picks to slowly work things open.

[@gorak9000]

I think I've seen it suggested to use packing tape on the front side of the broken glass to keep it all together when it comes out. Who cares if there's tape glue on the glass after, it's the busted one you're throwing out anyway

[@solanuskc4303]

I’ve worked on laptops and desktops, always avoided tablets and smart phones though. After watching your video, I might try it out next time I break a screen. Thank you

[@sumnerhayes3411]

It's totally doable. I had zero experience with anything remotely related the first time I replaced a phone digitizer; KZbin videos are a godsend. I've done it twice now, both successfully, and have replaced "non-replaceable" batteries in a couple of different phones as well.

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

the cheap prepaid android phones are the easiest to take apart. Just screws and plastic clips.

[@danjeln]

I’ve never heard you so excited before 9:30. :). Thanks Mattias, you are awesome as always. I actually did the exact same operation a few years ago and was blown away to when it still worked. I had problem getting the new tape to stick properly. Regards /D

[@ChuckClaunch]

I have watched your channels for many years now and I think when you saw that the screen still worked was the most excited I've ever seen you! Ha!

[@HyperionLight]

As someone who repairs these every day for my job I can say, not a bad job at all! The plastic in the screen on the corner is probably the protective film they put on the inside glass and thats probably the pull tab you can see. If you need to do one of there again just pull it off before closing it up. :)

[@lauriehorton756]

Just got mine in the mail today. kzbin.infoUgkxhcEDB3r-OJ3_X5hQzr7k1ZofTQy1ao_U The corners of the box was a little smashed but I think that’s more of the shipping’s fault. iPad was in perfect condition though. I ordered the yellow one thinking it was going to be a bright vibrant color. Instead I looks like more of a Gold color. I personally prefer the gold look. Definitely not disappointed but just a heads up to the ones expecting a brighter cream of yellow.

[@stevenmusante4681]

I have watched your videos for years and this has to be the most excited I’ve ever seen you.

[@mightygrom]

I've replaced 2 tablet screens (samsung), a phone screen, and a power jack inside a laptop using the small ifixit toolkit... it made this kind of repair so much easier. I am sure there are other great kits, but I can speak to the quality of the ifixit ones. I don't regret the $30

[@fergusontea]

I am a fan of attempting to repair things around the house, from toasters to washing machines to devices. Great video!

[@frollard]

I was screaming at the screen (figuratively) 'swap the touchID sensor!!!'. That'll be a really annoying error for anyone used to using it on the pre-fix. That said, great job! Tip: When working with broken glass, apply a layer of strong tape like quality packing tape or tuck tape. It causes the fragments to come up in one sheet, especially if you use a suction cup.

[@feinschmegga]

Apple nonsense #righttorepair

[@Jeffferguson1911]

In 10 years of watching your videos, I don't believe I've ever heard you as excited as with "it works!".

[@bknesheim]

The experience with how to take things apart is the reason for whenever I get equipment in hand that do not work any more I dismantle it completely. Often the result is that there is no way it could be put back together again, but that is not a problem. Have made it much easier to later really fix similar devices. Anyway just the knowledge of how thing are put together can often be very helpful even if you never try to fix devices and/or tools.

[@tjlusk]

Loved hearing the genuine reaction when it still worked after turning it on!

[@bramsoff-grid]

Repaired lots of iPads years ago.. same technique. Hot air around 100°C is enough. Just keep keep it moving around the edge your working on. And for the bende edges in the frame I did the same. Little bit of hamering, and shape it with a Dremel tool.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, Matthias! 😃 Louis Rossmann would be proud! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@JarnoKai]

Hugely important notice for anyone looking at this repair and wanting to generalize it as a general touch device glass replacement: Note that on a large majority of devices, the screen is directly glued to the glass! Don't be fooled by dozens of eBay listings only selling the glass part, as during removal you will notice the glass and screen are glued together over the entire surface of the screen. This adhesive is extremely difficult (next to impossible) to remove and has an immense chance of breaking the screen while doing so. Practically it is fair to say removing the glass and adhesive from the screen is not possible. It's tempting for a budget fix (the glass bits usually go for only 7 dollars or so) but if getting the device working is actually important, you will higly likely be disappointed. Much better to just dish out for the whole screen + digitizer assembly in the first place - also results in less work. If the device is "useless" and you just want to try replacing it out of interest, that's a fair chance to learn something though. Go ahead.

[@tonyz5336]

Magnifying glasses/goggles are a must for these repairs. Cheap specialized tool kits are are also a big help, and contain the right sized screwdrivers.

[@andrewgalbreath2101]

Very fun to see you out of your comfort zone, and to see you so giddy when it works the first time

[@rjsprojects]

I've used the hot bed on my 3d printer to warm up phones for screen replacement though i'm not sure if the bed is large enough to be effective on an ipad.

[@Kat_Pines]

I do the same

[@kelvinnnnnnnnnn]

Good idea!

[@StarlightStream]

The excitement when you managed to fix something like that is the best feeling there is even with all the road blocks and the things apple does to prevent 3rd party repair aka you repairing it.

[@RichardGreco]

Thanks for doing this. I need to do it myself. My wife's iPad screen is also broken and the battery is swelling. Of course she wants a new one. I'll show her!

[@Lizlodude]

Now you know how I feel doing woodworking projects 😅 Those little bitty screws are still annoying, even with the right bits lol. I had to get the screen off an old iPod touch and I'd imagine the iPad would be way more annoying without the big heating pad the repair shops use. Also for future reference, you can still power off the device by just holding the power button for a bit. (or power and vol up on newer ones) ;)

[@jdrs4214]

Sir, you have to undo the tiny screw at the special Apple proprietary battery connector, and slip an Ace or a Joker card between that connector and batteries, to keep the device powered off. As your trying to connect the digitizer, you could inadvertently pass current into the other bus traces on the ribbon cable, and destroy the touch screen and home button driver chip on logic board, or the new digitizer itself, it’s happened to me before, and the boss had to foot the bill over my rookie mistake, and wasn’t very happy with me.

[@esepecesito]

The dremel vise-grips and hammer, were just great! Thanks for sharing!

[@1pcfred]

I'm surprised Matthias didn't make a custom wooden corking tool for reshaping the corner. That'd have been right up his alley. Maybe even an outside form too? You just shape a piece of wood in the shape you want. Then thwack it with a hammer. That's what a corking tool is.

[@AbdicateDotNet]

Great job sir!!! I love that you keep your videos real!

[@davidandrews8566]

That was gutsy Mathias you deserved the success👏. All the best from the UK.

[@theofficialczex1708]

Your excitement is akin to a kid's on Christmas morning!

[@Impractical_Engineer]

I sure do hope the right to repair is supported in the future. It's the best feeling fixing something yourself.

[@CrimeVid]

Well done ! the trouble I had with those screws was giant fingers ! I also found a cocktail stick required to line up little tiny holes.

[@talyrath]

I've done a few similar jobs in the past, and i learned the hard way that getting a job specific tool kit makes a world of difference. You spend enough time fighting with the device and the glue, fighting with scrounged/field expedient tools at the same time makes it 5 times worse.

[@senorjp21]

I have 3 teenagers. I have replaced a couple dozen screens, etc. You can almost always find a sub-assembly that is much easier to replace e.g. screen+digitizer+camera. And you can typically find the right colour, too ;)

[@NormReitzel]

Boy, you have CAJONES!! I'm Impressed. I'm vividly reminded of taking a Hapsac GC/Mass Sprec apart to replace the Quads. Had to buy specialized tools. No operational mill, or I would have Made Them. You be an Engineer, fo; sure!

[@TheBoshy]

Alternative Title: Jobs frustrates Blackberry engineer one last time.

[@Godzilla32]

Epic! So glad this video popped up. I was in the middle of changing my daughter screen and the original screen ended up exactly like yours.

[@AlbertFilice]

Fun to watch, I've done the same repair once before, and managed to cut one of the cables for the screen. Glad you were more successful :)

[@hugoboyce9648]

I have rarely seen Mathias so excited about something :P It must have felt very nice!

[@decomputerleraarable]

Man, man, man. Even if you don't understand it, you can teach me something. Super! Rob

[@netmagi]

Grab a cheap hot air rework. I have the "YIHUA 959D". You can set the temp and airflow, and it's amazing for this type of work. I've used mine for re-work ONCE and used it for "other stuff" 50+ times lol.

[@kraz904]

The homebutton that came with the ipad is programmed to the ipad motherboard. The one that came with the digitizer isn't. I don't know what videos you watched but transfering the original home button is a must...

[@dr_regularlove]

Good job. I've seen the same repair done on an iPhone and, at least for that model, it required disassembling basically the entire device from the back.

[@georgegoodwin9722]

Congrfatulations Matthias! Your efforts paid off. I have to admit that I was nervous watching you do this. I did a battery replacement on my iPhone a while back, feeling ok about voiding the warranty since at the time, the Apple replacement cost $100.00 US. Turned out the battery I put in was used, and did not hold a charge! I had to put the old battery back in and hold my breath while taking in to Apple to have them do the replacement. All good in the end, but lots of angst in the process!

[@Yonatan24]

How did your accidentally use a used battery?

[@georgegoodwin9722]

@@Yonatan24 I ordered a new battery from KZbin. The merchant sent me a used battery.

[@georgegoodwin9722]

I ordered the battery from Amazon.

[@mikebennett2015]

Well done. I damaged the LCD on my iPad mini when I tried this. At that point it was not worth repairing.

[@AndrewMoizer]

This is a very useful and encouraging video. I have an iPhone 7 that needs this doing to. My biggest challenge right now is figuring which amazon supplier to use for the kit. It seems that all of them seem to have mixed reviews.

[@keithpetrino]

And the marriage is saved! Seriously, it was like playing operation but with higher stakes. Looking forward to more suspenseful videos like this in the future.

[@carolmurray5794]

Dude I never remove the front screen protector…. unless I had another screen protector to put on it. Great job on the video!

[@fangthewarrior]

Best way to learn is to try!

[@grindfi]

i am an expert on this, but this is a great video. dont be scared of technology, its basically ready built things using simple components. even up until the newest iphones or computers. the things just get smaller lol.

[@keithgoldston2859]

Finally a tutorial video I can relate with lol I have had to do this several tablets and only 1 iPad for family and friends and it hardly ever goes as smooth a the videos I watch glad it's works good still

[@regibson23]

I did one of these a few months ago. Put it into a thick case and put a screen protector on and brought it into the shop. It fell off the work bench 2 hours later and it cracked again. It's staying cracked now.

[@thomashverring9484]

This was a great video! Glad I came across it since I apparently missed it when it was new.

[@jjjacer]

for those small screws if phillips type the best driver to use would be a JIS precision driver as they fit those a lot better. otherwise good job on the repair

[@JustinDrentlaw]

I did this same replacement once on an iPad mini. Really wasn't too difficult, had about the same level of difficulties that you had. Glad to see your repair went well! It's lucky they don't fuse the digitizer to the screen like they do in phones.

[@Wordsnwood]

stressful for sure, but you made it. I sliced the ribbon cable on mine when I tried to replace a samsung tablet screen a number of years ago, which killed it's display.

[@timothynitz8118]

Thank you! Usually I am rather intimidated by your work but now I get to see you fumble as bad as I do!

[@magnoliaweathershield443]

Matthias outside his comfort zone! More of this, please!

[@enterusername2084]

You should do more small electronics repair, this was entertaining

[@JW77]

Curved surgical clamping pliers is really helpful for this kind of repair.

[@coreydolan]

I love the shameless Dreo plug!

[@bclarkca9113]

I loved your delight when it all came together. :)

[@joshuaewalker]

Excellent video to show someone to back up your argument why not to buy Apple products.

[@Traderjoe]

I have zero confidence in myself for things of this nature. There are a few buried iPads that I had problems with and relegation to the ground seemed the most secure way of disposing of them

[@joethompson11]

My partner used to work repairing phones. She says it's 180-200°c needed to release that glue. Also she recommends canned air for clearing the dust from the screen. She also says you did really well for a first one!

[@matthiasrandomstuff2221]

thanks

[@vampirwrr]

@@matthiasrandomstuff2221 This digitizers are sold with protectiv film on the inside part and it is wha you see on that corner when you glued the screen

[@JHA854]

Although I’m sure it doesn’t really matter to you, at 1:24 you can see the Touch ID sensor on the original, which is why you got that error message after. But I’m assuming you weren’t using Touch ID and it’s not so important on an iPad anyway!

[@j.lietka9406]

The top screen is the digitizer, & the lower one is the LCD screen. Best thing to do is to watch several videos, as one may show something, or the person may say something that the others didn't! Details, details, details!! And watch those tiny glass shards!

[@TheMrWoodsman]

That’s a job well done indeed, we do live in a throw away your world so it’s nice to see something not going to the trash.

[@NicoSmets]

I hope the default glue on the replacement screen holds. That has always (2 replacement jobs under my belt) been a problem for me. I buy third party glue strips right away now with a replacement screen.

[@matthiasrandomstuff2221]

I'm not sure. The case on my iPad actually extends over the edges of the glass, I might have to get a case like that for her's too.

[@GaryGrumble]

I think that I would start with IFixit rather than a cheap part from Amazon. They have very good fix-it instructions.

[@edwardchester1]

Sounds like you might want to invest in an ifixit toolkit. They're genuinely really good with a high quality precision screwdriver set that actually fits these things along with plastic and metal prying tools and suckers for removing glass. They're not cheap but they do work really well. Saved me many a headache since purchasing.

[@1pcfred]

I think there's better tool choices out there. It's a toss up between Wera and Wiha when it comes to precision screwdrivers. Many say Wera is better though. They're going to be more expensive than ifixit is though.

[@edwardchester1]

@@1pcfred I mean, you said it yourself, there are better individual tools but they're more expensive. The ifixit kits are nicely balanced in terms of tools included, the quality of them and the price. Sometimes it's about the right thing, not the best thing.

[@1pcfred]

@@edwardchester1 Sometimes it's nice to have the best though. Ifixit is overpriced for what it is. It's not much cheaper than the best is. Maybe 33%? If you're going to spend that much then you might as well just go the distance. Buy once and cry once.

[@ww321]

I've done some android phones but not an ipad. Thanks for the video

[@ahbushnell1]

paper ignition temperature is the ~250C which will melt solder.

[@wasdaletimelapse7658]

That has got to be the least confident I have ever seen you, normally you are so across everything that you do. It’s good to see that you are human. Great video as ever, thanks for sharing.

[@matthiasrandomstuff2221]

Still using the fixed iPad. The glue for the screen didn't stick all that well, so we just rely on the ipad case to hold the screen in.

[@yourface8698]

I love it when a plan comes together

[@mpikas]

Would you do it again... not on the same one. I've done it 3x on the same iPhone for a friend that kept smashing their screen and the problem is that all those little connectors ar not designed for multiple connects/disconnects, and the more times you open it the less they grip when you reassemble. Very quickly you get to the point where the connectors won't stay together for long enough for you to get it put back together again.

[@Engineer9736]

I have the same iPad which i dropped on new years eve 2020, on the side of the camera there is no glass left and cracks running through the screen. Been using it like that for 2.5 years now 😅 It's annoying and dangerous because sometimes a splinter of glass ends up sticking in your finger. But over one month Apple will probably release a new iPad which comes with wireless charging, I'll just get that one and sell my current one for a junk price. Nice job on fixing it!

[@patrickmorrissey2271]

Great job... That elation, when it works, is an unbelievable feeling, isn't it???? It is... I repaired a Sony Camera a year ago.... omg, that was tough... But when it worked.... I was beside myself with joy, let me tell you..... You are clearly younger than me... I had to do the whole job looking through one of those lighted magnifying glass things... Or later I bought these super-zoom close up vision glasses things I found on Amazon.... That stuff is just too small... You can buy small tools & all that, and do it, but, if you can't see what you're doing, it's really hopeless..... Yeah, pretty sure I never saw vise grips & a hammer used in an IPad repair.... heh heh heh!!!

[@extremecaliber2662]

definitely with apple stuff, you're gonna have to replace the home button or anything else because of the backwards pairing to board shenanigans. But hey you live and learn, definitely came out better than my first screen repair on my device!

[@joruss]

If you ever again will have to deal with adhesives use some isopropanol. It's highly effective to weaken the glue and help clean the old adhesive. And is completely harmless to electronic parts. Props for putting a hammer into iDevice. 😆

[@1pcfred]

With the device powered up I'm not sure an ionizing fluid would be so safe. And yes it's always powered up. It may look off but there's still power on the device. We're well beyond the days of legitimate power switches now.

[@joruss]

@@1pcfred I'm not saying to dunk it in a bucket of IPA, just use it where adhesive sits without worrying if it accidentally splashes on the circuit. And even with soft power on it's relatively small section of board that is powered when "off" - switch + initial stage of power circuit controlled by PMU - also with relatively low voltage.

[@GustavJensen30]

Do you have a link for a place to buy the ipad glass?

[@stridervanmeter8409]

I always assumed that you were pretty handy with computers being that you used to work for blackberry. A magnetic screwdriver set with all the right bits makes repairs like this way easier. you could have turned off the ipad by holding the power button until the screen went black, thats how it is on almost everything, even the newest devices. Working on it while it was still on was ballsy and I'm surprised it worked. also, seeing you bend that corner back into place with a hammer right next to your new glass panel gave me a whole aneurysm

[@lebeyes]

The final repair step would be fitting a glass screen protector and protective case to prevent future damage 🙂

[@brianmurdock9076]

The iPad does have Touch ID but if your wife didn’t use it then no big deal. Save the original button in case you have to do this again.

[@Vykori]

Yeah I was wondering why he said it doesn't have touch ID... any apple home button that appears blank on the front is a fingerprint sensor

[@CygnusTM]

Exactly. It wouldn't have shown that error at all if it didn't have Touch ID.

[@MattTester]

I did this kind of thing several times in my early IT career. Never again. Just... never. I like the Wera advent calendars for getting a handful of good screwdrivers without spending a fortune.

[@1pcfred]

Matthias definitely needs a precision screwdriver upgrade. He managed with what he had though.

[@magiclarry7688]

Glad you got it working and saved some money.

[@christianflinkerbusch7612]

Well done Matthias 👍

[@Dingle.Donger]

Those tiny screws can be a nightmare. I replaced a cracked screen on an older iphone once and stripped one of those little screws. I ended up needing to use a dremel to cut it off.

[@MarionMakarewicz]

Great. I'll have to try to fix my cracked screen now. Thanks.

[@farooqquraishy2188]

brother the original touch button will enable touch u can carefully reuse the same original button

[@favioquiros]

Very brave, good job, Congratulations

[@Pembolog]

That tool thing at the start is called 'spudger'.

[@patatje1434]

jack of all trades. you keep amazing me. nice repair Matthias 👍

[@Farm_fab]

Mathias, that prying tool is called a spudger.

[@trevorebbert9711]

I'm sure that is an Apple "you don't have original Apple parts installed so let's disable something" error. I ended up with the same error when I replaced the battery in my I Phone 7 that does have touch sensor home button.

[@acoustic61]

Not sure if it's for sercuity or whatever, but the home button is permanently mated to the device. If you change it , you lose touch ID.