iPhone XR display replacement

Ask the owner to back up the phone first. Switch the phone off completely. If the battery is more than about 25% charged, let it run down a little before you start: a fully charged lithium battery is more dangerous if it gets damaged. Remove the SIM tray.

Remove the two pentalobe screws on either side of the charging port at the bottom edge. Put them in a labelled spot. Use a pentalobe driver that fits snugly: a worn or loose bit strips these tiny screws.

Warm the bottom edge of the screen with a heat pad for about a minute, until the glass is warm to the touch. This softens the waterproof seal so you do not have to force the glass. If you use a heat gun, keep it moving and well away from the screen: hot spots damage the display and the battery.

Press a suction cup onto the lower half of the screen. If the glass is cracked, cover it with clear packing tape first so the cup grips and splinters stay put. Pull up steadily to make a small gap, then slide an opening pick in at the bottom edge by only a few millimetres. The display cables sit close to the edge on one side, and a deep pick can cut them.

Slide the pick along the bottom edge and then up each long side to cut the adhesive seal. Leave a pick in each section so the seal cannot stick back down. Be extra careful near the top of the phone, where the front camera and sensor cables sit close to the edge. Never push a pick in deeper than a few millimetres.

Lift the screen from the bottom and swing it open like a book cover, using the edge where the display cables attach as the hinge. Do not open it past about 90 degrees. Prop it against something stable (a small box works well) so it cannot fall back and tear a cable.

Before anything else, disconnect the battery. Remove the screws from the metal bracket that covers the battery connector (the screws differ in length, so keep a screw map), lift the bracket off, then lift the battery connector straight up with a plastic spudger. Do not pry sideways. Fold a small piece of tape over the socket so the connector cannot spring back and touch it.

Remove the screws from the bracket or brackets that cover the display connectors, and photograph where each screw came from. Lift each display connector straight up with a spudger. There are separate connectors for the display, the touch sensor and the front sensor assembly. They are different sizes, so never force one into the wrong socket.

Lay the old and new screens side by side. Check the size, the position of every cable and which small parts are already fitted to the new one. Your product page tells you what comes with the screen.

Some replacement screens come without the earpiece speaker, the front sensor assembly or the metal plate. If you need to move them, warm the area gently, lift slowly with tweezers and place each part on the new screen in exactly the same position.

This model has an LCD screen. Besides the earpiece and sensor assembly, the screen has a thin metal plate or shield behind it that protects the display cables. If the new screen does not already have one, move the old one across.

The front sensor assembly (earpiece, proximity sensor and Face ID parts) is the most delicate part of this repair. Do not crease its flex cable and do not touch the Face ID parts with metal tools. Never swap them with another phone: if the Face ID flood illuminator or its cable is damaged, Face ID stops working.

Hold the new screen next to the phone and connect the display, touch and sensor cables to their sockets. Press each connector down gently with a spudger until it clicks. Refit the bracket or brackets with each screw in its original place. Do not close the screen yet.

Connect the battery, hold the screen in place and power the phone on. Check: touch by dragging an icon to all four corners and across the middle, brightness and colours, dead pixels, Face ID (if the owner uses it), the earpiece during a call, the proximity sensor (the screen should go off near your ear), the front camera, True Tone and screen rotation. If anything fails, power off, disconnect the battery and re-check the cables.

Power the phone off. Remove the old adhesive from the frame edge with a plastic tool and isopropyl alcohol, then fit the replacement adhesive gasket as the kit instructs. Keep dust and fingerprints out of the seal.

Clip the top edge of the screen into place first, then lower the bottom and press gently along all four edges until it sits flush. Do not slam it shut. If it will not sit flat, open it again and look for a trapped cable.

Refit the two pentalobe screws at the bottom. Press along the edges, or hold the screen under light pressure for a few minutes, so the adhesive bonds.

An aftermarket screen may look slightly different in brightness and colour from the original. True Tone may not work on every replacement. iOS can show an "Important Display Message" for non-original screens. Water resistance cannot be guaranteed after any repair.