Tablet · Apple · iPad 3
Apple iPad 3 Home Button Repair
Home Button Repair guide for the Apple iPad 3
Before you begin
Tools
- Heat gun or hair dryer
- Suction cup
- Guitar picks for prying
- Plastic spudger
- Phillips #00 precision screwdriver
- Precision tweezers
Parts / materials
- Replacement iPad 3 home button flex cable assembly
- Pre-cut display adhesive strips
- Isopropyl alcohol (99%)
Safety
- Wear protective eye glasses to guard against accidental glass shards.
- Keep heat source in constant motion to avoid overheating internal battery cells.
- Ensure the iPad is fully powered off before removing internal connector ribbons.
Overview
Step-by-step
- 1
Power Off iPad
1 minPress and hold the top power button, then slide the screen toggle to power down the device completely.
- 2
Heat Front Glass Edges
3 minApply a heat gun or hair dryer around the perimeter of the glass for two minutes to soften the adhesive.
- 3
Attach Suction Cup
2 minPlace a suction cup on the lower portion of the glass near the home button and pull upward firmly to create a seam.
- 4
Insert Guitar Pick
2 minSlide a plastic opening pick into the gap created by the suction cup on the lower bezel.
- 5
Slice Right Edge Adhesive
4 minSlide the pick up the right side of the frame to break the adhesive bond, keeping the pick shallow.
- 6
Slice Top Edge Adhesive
3 minCarefully move the pick along the top edge, taking care not to damage the front camera assembly.
- 7
Slice Left Edge Adhesive
3 minSlide the pick down the left side, keeping depth under 3 millimeters to avoid severing the digitizer cable at the bottom left.
- 8
Open Digitizer Assembly
2 minGently swing the front glass open from right to left like a book cover.
- 9
Unscrew LCD Corner Fasteners
3 minRemove the four Phillips #00 screws located at each corner of the LCD panel frame.
- 10
Lift LCD Panel
2 minInsert a spudger under the top edge of the LCD panel and lift it toward the home button side.
- 11
Disconnect Display Cable
2 minUse a spudger to flip open the ZIF lock flap on the LCD connector and slide the cable out.
- 12
Disconnect Digitizer Cable
2 minFlip up the retention levers on the two digitizer ZIF sockets and pull the ribbon cable free.
- 13
Remove Home Button Bracket
2 minRemove the two Phillips screws securing the metal home button bracket to the inner surface of the front glass.
- 14
Peel Ribbon Contacts
3 minUse flat tweezers to gently pry the thin ribbon cable contacts off the glass housing.
- 15
Install Replacement Home Button
3 minSet the new home button and rubber gasket into the glass cutout, aligning the flex cable contacts.
- 16
Reattach Bracket and Secure
2 minPlace the metal bracket back over the button structure and tighten the two retaining screws.
After your Apple iPad 3 home button repair
Power the iPad 3 back on and test the home button repair function before you put every screw away. Check touch/display response, charging, cameras, buttons, and wireless as relevant to this repair. If something fails after closing the device, reopen carefully and reseat the connectors for this Apple iPad 3 job before assuming the part is defective. Keep leftover adhesive and screws labeled in case you need a second pass.
Keep learning
Explore more Apple iPad 3 repair context in the encyclopedia, or open related DIY guides.
