Be Excellent To Each Other

How do I go about this, then? Anyone else done it? Easy to do at home? Where did you buy the screen? What sort of stupid little screwdrivers will I need?

It's a doddle compared to the 3. Google it. You will need a tiny cross head screwdriver though.

Is it just the two screws at the bottom I need to unscrew?

Yarp.

Not quite. The two screws at the bottom are either cross-head or pentalobe, depending on the model revision of the phone. Most likely pentalobe.

Most screen replacement kits come with a pentalobe driver so these aren't a problem.

What ARE a problem though, are the 20-odd other screws that you need to remove to get all of the components out so that you can replace the screen. The two on the bottom only let you remove the back cover, you've then got to work your way through the components to the front.

It's simple enough, literally all it is is removing screws and bits, and then putting them back in the right order.

Where it gets complicated is that the screws are all different sizes, so I found a screw chart online (which I cannot find anymore, regrettably) which had a diagram of the phone internals with all of the screws numbered, and then a print-off piece of paper with a grid of numbered squares that you could put the screws into to keep track of which one was which. It's really important that you do this, as otherwise it won't go back together properly.

As kalmar said though, compared to the 3, replacing the screen is a doddle. No glue needs to be heated to get it to come off or anything, you just lift the old screen off and stick a new one in, being careful not to trap the ribbon cables

//edit: Guide here, and they have a handy colour coded PDF screw chart that you can print off too.

I've read a guide and it does seem very simple. My issue is the non-Apple screens people sell. I didn't realise it was the whole LCD screen that needs replacing, rather than the glass. Hmm.

£500 phones and people are dropping them on the floor?

I remember when such things were sacred, and were treated as such.

Ah fuck yourself.

That's not very Christmassy.

Here, cheer up.

I threw mine at a colleague.

Once they get past a couple of years old I just don't really care that much about them.

I remember I once played baseball with an old Nokia because I wanted a replacement phone from work.

Bloody thing didn't break.

Accidents happen. I've dropped my child before, and she's worth more than a phone.

Probably.

This is an indication that your iPhone 4 is now deeply unfashionable. Place it in the bin (taking care to use rubber gloves and a pair of tongues) and proceed immediately to your nearest Temple of Steve to obtain an iPhone 5.

Yes master!

That joke is in very poor taste, bud.

I lik where this thread is going.

Eh?

That was a typo presumably, what's it got to do with whatever Taxalot has imagined?

Ah, tongues/taste. I'll leave all this here so people can be amused at my idiocy.

Taste, bud.

This thread has turned a bit sour.

Don't be bitter.

Umami is bitter.

I thought it was a pretty sweet gag

Come ON. This was genius.

Yes. Yes it was. Possibly the most highbrow your mum joke ever.

Thank you.

God, I'm wasted here.

Truly you have a silver tong.

Hope this helped, wtb!

Before 10am too! Blimey!

She's typing surprisingly coherently.

After three weeks of intense negotiation, I've finally convinced O2 to give me a brand new replacement iPhone free of charge.

First they wanted £400 for a new phone or £392 to buy myself out of the contract.

Then they offered a new iPhone for £108 (based on the accumulated monthly premiums of a phone insurance policy back to when my contract commenced).

Today they offered me one for free. No new contract or anything. Just a free iPhone.

I lawyered them on their recent 3.2% price increase.

Go you!

Do you want to sell the broken one?

Colleague got dibs! For free!

Order confirmed - a 4S! Bahahhahaah!

I dropped my phone like a dolt and got a free upgrade. Awesome. I can upgrade for reals in exactly one year, so hopefully in time for the 5S or whatever. Sweet.