One of contemporary society’s hidden shames is a broken iPhone screen. Although it isn’t exactly hidden, everyone in your immediate vicinity can see it. Because recent iPhone models feature glass backs as well as displays, the potential for embarrassment has multiplied. You do not, however, have to put up with it. Let’s look at how to replace the glass back of your iPhone if it’s cracked or damaged.
In 2007, the original iPhone was released with aluminium and plastic back. The iPhone 3G and 3GS, the following two upgrades, both have a complete plastic back.
The first iPhone with a glass back was the iPhone 4. In the iPhone 4S, Apple kept the same design, before switching to aluminium on the iPhone 5.
A year later, the iPhone 5C returned to a plastic back, but after that, all subsequent models up to the iPhone 7 used aluminium for the rear shell.
When the iPhone 8 was introduced, Apple returned to a glass-back design. The iPhone X, which was launched a few weeks later in the same year and featured a glass back, was released several weeks later. Since then, glass has been utilized in every new model.
Each of the materials chosen by Apple in the iPhone designs has its own set of drawbacks. Plastic is easily scratched, aluminium may scrape as well as bend, and glass can shatter. Glass is one of the finest materials available.
The decision to glass in the iPhone 8 and X models was mostly motivated by the desire to allow wireless charging, often known as Qi charging. This is an inductive charging system that must be able to pass through the phone’s rear cover. Because aluminium interferes with the inductive signal, Apple had to make the switch.
Plastic would have enabled wireless charging as well, but it isn’t as durable as the glass used on iPhones and doesn’t have the same luxury appearance.
Most Apple users care about the phone’s build quality and how it looks and feels when they use it. For many individuals, an iPhone is a status symbol, and Apple wants it to be a work of art. Since the iPhone 8, they’ve employed glass case designs that look and feel far better than plastic cases.
A glass back also means less cellular antenna interference. It requires more inventiveness to fit the antennas into the cover as the iPhone grows thinner and the edge-to-edge screens take up more of the useable area in the phone. Apple has more freedom with a glass back than it would with metal.
The toughened glass used by Apple in the iPhone cover design is produced by Corning. They’ve put money into Corning to help produce tougher glass, but it’s still glass at the end of the day. It will crack if you strike it hard enough.
iPhones accompany us everywhere we go and are frequently dropped or banged around. For this reason, you’ve undoubtedly seen a number of folks with broken displays. The addition of a glass back implies that if the phone is dropped, both sides of the phone may be damaged.
The sole practical drawback of a glass back is its fragility, but it has an indirect influence on something else: replacement. The glass back of newer iPhone models is significantly more difficult to repair than the aluminium backs and plastic backs of earlier models.
Apple is well-known for focusing on making its products as small and sleek as possible. Modern iPhones are no exception, and they may perhaps be the finest example.
The iPhone 8, X, XR, and 11 series have glass backs that are bonded to the phone’s internal components. To attach the circuit board and other components to the rear, Apple utilizes epoxy glue and tiny welds. This makes replacing the rear glass difficult. In reality, replacing the phone’s back is more difficult than replacing the screen.
You’ll see a lot of iPhones with broken displays and backs if you pay attention to the folks around you. Some will appear to be entirely broken. It’s difficult to fathom how some individuals are able to read what’s on the screen through the web of fractures.
In certain situations, the fractures do not impact the phone’s functionality. You can still tap and swipe on the screen, and the iPhone is still capable of connecting to Wi-Fi signals.
However, this does not imply that using it in this manner is acceptable. The main concern with shattered glass isn’t one of technology; it’s one of safety. That shattered or cracked glass may be really painful, especially if it’s on anything you’re holding in your hand, pressing on your cheek and handle dozens of times a day isn’t very safe.
You could get cuts on your hands or face as a result of those sharp edges. Furthermore, if the glass is severely cracked, portions of the glass may break free, leaving the phone with even more hazardous edges and maybe glass fragments in your pocket or handbag.
There may be technological issues as a result of shattered glass. Since the iPhone 8, all models have been certified for water resistance. If your iPhone’s glass case fractures, water might leak into the phone’s inside. Even if the case is intact, Apple’s warranty does not cover water damage, and it surely does not cover it if the case is shattered.
If you drop your iPhone or break the back glass in any other way, you have various alternatives for dealing with it, including:
The first alternative is to use a case for your iPhone. A case will cover the phone’s back, hiding the damage while also helping to keep it together so it doesn’t grow worse.
Putting your phone in a case may have prevented the damage in the first place, but if you didn’t have one, there was certainly a reason for it. Many iPhone users prefer the appearance and feel of the naked phone, as designed by Apple.
A case increases the phone’s bulk and makes it less pleasant to handle. Having to put a damaged phone in a case to safeguard it from further harm has the same drawbacks. Because of the decrease in water resistance, a case will not protect your phone from water damage. When you remove the case, you’ll face the same problems
The second alternative, purchasing a new iPhone, will undoubtedly solve the problem, but it will be rather costly. If your broken phone also requires battery repair or is many years old, this might not be such a horrible idea, but if your iPhone has a glass back, it’s probably not that old.
The iPhone 4 and 4S are so ancient that just a few people still use them, so you’re presumably using an iPhone 8 or X or anything newer. Those models are modern enough that you’re unlikely to want to spend more than $1,000 on a replacement.
Even if you get a new phone that is the same model as your old one, you will still have to spend hundreds of dollars on it. iPhone holds its value much better than most technology products do so a two- or three-year-old phone is still expensive.
Attempting to replace the iPhone rear glass yourself is the next option. Even if you’re accustomed to working with sensitive electronics, this is definitely the worst of your alternatives.
Removing the rear glass of a contemporary iPhone is a difficult task due to the way they are built. You’ll need to discover a technique to breach the seals between the phone’s back and the fused inside components. There are no screws keeping it together, and there are no gaps to pull it apart with.
You’ll destroy the circuit board or other internal pieces if you try to pull the rear off the phone without the necessary preparation. You’ll have no choice but to buy a new phone if this happens. A damaged circuit board or processor chip cannot be repaired.
Let’s assume you’ve managed to detach all of the phone’s internal components from the rear. Let’s assume you also manage to separate the camera component from the glass back, so it doesn’t break when the back is removed. Assume you were able to separate the rear from the front screen component so you could remove it from the phone without causing any damage.
How are you going to connect all of those parts to the new back with the same level of precision and accuracy that Apple did? What are the possibilities that you’ll be able to correctly reconnect everything on the first try?
It’s not worth it to try to fix this on your own. Don’t do this at home unless you’re wondering how all the components of your iPhone will appear when they’re sitting on the table since your phone is beyond repair.
If your iPhone broken back glass is making your life harder, you can always stop by EK Wireless to get it replaced. Give us a call for a quote today!
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