(New) iPhone 15 Battery Removal

ID: 191629

Description:

Allow your phone's battery to drain below 25%, as a charged lithium-ion battery is a potential safety hazard.
Unplug any cables from your phone.
Hold the power and either volume buttons and slide to power off your phone.

If your screen or back glass is badly cracked, lay overlapping strips of packing tape over the glass to protect yourself and make disassembly easier.
Make sure there's a smooth area near the bottom edge that's big enough for a suction cup to stick to.

If inserted too far, an opening pick can damage your device. Follow this step to mark your pick and prevent damage.
Measure 3 mm from the tip and mark the opening pick with a permanent marker.
You can also mark the other corners of the pick with different measurements.
Alternatively, tape a coin to a pick 3 mm from the tip.
Apple sells an Adhesive Cutter tool for cutting the display adhesive safely in their Self Repair Store.

Use a P2 pentalobe driver to remove the two 7.7 mm-long screws on either side of the charging port.

Use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the bottom edge of the back glass until it's hot to the touch.
Be careful not to heat the phone hotter than this—the battery is susceptible to heat damage.

Apply a suction handle to the bottom edge of the back glass.
Pull up on the handle with a strong, steady force to create a gap between the back glass and the frame.
Insert the tip of an opening pick into the gap.

As you slice the adhesive securing the back glass in the next steps, be careful of the following areas:
There's a delicate cable connecting the back glass to the phone, right next to the volume down button. Don't insert your pick here to avoid slicing the cable.
There are multiple spring contacts around the perimeter of the phone. Be extra careful not to insert your pick deeper than suggested in each step to avoid bending these contacts.

Don't insert your opening pick deeper than 5 mm along the bottom edge.
Slide your pick back and forth along the bottom edge to separate the adhesive.
Leave your pick inserted in the bottom right corner to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.

Don't insert your pick deeper than 7 mm along the right edge.
Rotate your pick around the bottom right corner and slide it to the volume down button or until you feel a hard stop at a large clip securing the back glass.
Don't slice past the volume buttons to avoid damaging the wireless charging cable.
Leave this pick inserted to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Don't insert your pick deeper than 3 mm along the top edge.
Rotate your second opening pick around the top left corner and slide it to the top right corner to separate the adhesive.
You might hear and feel clicks as the top two clips release.
Leave this pick in place to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Don't insert your pick deeper than 4 mm along the right edge.
Rotate the second opening pick around the top right corner and slide it to the volume up button to separate the adhesive.

Gently lift and swing open the back glass to the right of the phone.
If the back glass feels stuck, go back around the perimeter to check for missed sections of adhesive or stuck clips.
Rest the back glass against a raised surface so it doesn't strain the cable.

Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.
Use a tri-point Y000 driver to remove the two 1.3 mm-long screws securing the lower connector cover.

Use tweezers to slide the cover toward the top of the phone to unlatch it from the logic board.
Remove the cover.

Hold the back glass upright with one hand and rotate it just enough to reveal the battery press connector just below the volume buttons.
A plus and minus sign is printed on the head of this connector.
Use the tip of an opening pick to pry up and disconnect the battery press connector from the logic board.

Use your tri-point Y000 driver to remove the 0.9 mm-long screw securing the middle connector cover.

Use the flat end of a spudger or your finger to push the cover toward the bottom of the phone and unclip its top edge.
Remove the cover.

Use an opening pick to pry up and disconnect the wireless charging coil and NFC connector.

Light adhesive secures the battery cable to the logic board.
Slide an opening pick under the battery cable to separate it from the logic board.
Be careful not to crease the cable or dent the battery with your tool.

Your iPhone's battery is secured with two stretch release adhesive strips. The next four steps show how to remove them and free your battery.
Be careful not to dent or puncture the battery, and avoid using sharp tools near it.
Use the tip of an opening pick to scrape up an edge of each stretch release pull tab from the top of the battery until you can grip the tab with blunt nose tweezers.

The stretch release adhesive wraps around the top edge of the battery, and must be separated before you remove the strips.
Hold one of the pull tabs away from the battery with tweezers.
Use an opening pick to slice the adhesive securing the strip to the top edge of the battery.
Repeat this for the other pull tab.

Grab an adhesive strip's pull tab and slowly pull it at as low of an angle as possible out from under the battery.
Give the strip plenty of time to stretch and re-grip it as necessary. Avoid dragging it over the components or cables above the battery. Consider wrapping the strip around a tool for better leverage.
Repeat this for the other strip.
If a strip breaks off, try to retrieve it from under the battery. If you can't retrieve it, don't worry—move on to the next step for an alternate method.

If you removed both stretch release adhesive strips, congratulations—you can now remove the battery! If not, follow the next three steps to remove it with isopropyl alcohol and a plastic card.
Prop up the right edge of the phone (the side with the volume buttons).
Use a pipette or syringe to apply a few drops of highly-concentrated isopropyl alcohol (over 90%) to the inside edge of the battery.
Prop up the top edge of the phone and repeat this for the upper edge of the battery.
Wait one minute for the isopropyl alcohol to flow under the battery and soften the adhesive.

Don't bend or crease your battery. If it feels stubborn, apply a few more drops of isopropyl alcohol and try again.
Insert the short edge of a plastic card between the left edge of the battery and the frame.
Hold the phone steady and pry the battery up.
Depending on how strong your adhesive is, this may take some time. Allow up to a minute of constant pressure for the adhesive to loosen.

Once you can slide the plastic card deeper under the battery, slide it side-to-side to slice any remaining adhesive.
Lift the battery until you can grab it with your fingers.

Back