Google Pixel 3 XL Back Cover Adhesive Installation

Written By: Chayton Ritter
  • Comments: 6
Google Pixel 3 XL Back Cover Adhesive Installation

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

8

Time Required

30 - 45 minutes

Introduction

This repair guide was authored by the iFixit staff and hasn’t been endorsed by Google. Learn more about our repair guides here.

Follow this guide to correctly apply replacement back cover adhesive to your Pixel 3 XL after a repair.

Before you begin, you should have already removed your Pixel’s back cover and set it aside. Detailed instructions for this can be found here.

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    • Pick and scrape away the old adhesive from the frame.

    • Use a spudger to scrape away any lingering adhesive.

    • Don't use metal tools to scrape away adhesive as this will damage the frame.

    • For best results, clean the area underneath the removed adhesive with 90% or greater isopropyl alcohol to prep the surface for the new adhesive.

    I cleaned off bulging sections and thicker parts but did not get the frame clean as in this picture. I didn't use isopropyl at all. Not saying you should do as I did but if you're thinking about it my phones holding together just fine so far.

    Frank -

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    • Repeat the previous step for the back cover adhesive.

    • Don't use metal tools to scrape away adhesive as this will damage the back cover coating.

    • Don't use isopropyl alcohol near the rear camera bracket as it will damage its adhesive and foam.

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    • Peel away the plastic lining to expose the frame side of the replacement adhesive.

    In this picture, the adhesive is being held upside down. What's on the top in this picture goes on the bottom of the phone.

    Frank -

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    • Be very careful during this step! The adhesive is very sticky and can't be repositioned once it sticks. Misaligned adhesive can lead to an improper seal.

    • Lower the adhesive onto the frame.

    • Use the holes in the frame to properly align the adhesive.

    Think about putting the bottom section on first because there are more holes to line up and guide you. Phone on the table with the bottom up I put on the top left corner first (bottom left of the phone when held normally), then lined up across it to the right side, then worked it down.

    Frank -

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger or your fingernail to press down on the adhesive.

    • Slide along the perimeter to secure the adhesive to the frame.

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    • Use tweezers to guide the fingerprint sensor cable into its socket.

    • Press down on the latch to secure it.

    Note that some of the gold section sticks out even when the cable is fully inserted. I held the back panel perpendicular to the phone and found that gave me the best access to the cable. Had the phone laying horizontal on the table with the top on the phone to the right. Used the tweezers to hold the cable in, rested the back of the phone on my tweezer hand, Used my left had to close the clasp. I found that if I didn't hold the cable in with the tweezers that it would slide itself out as I tried to close the clasp.

    Frank -

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    • Peel away the plastic lining to expose the back cover side of the adhesive.

    Wouldn't it be advisable to test the reader before pulling off the film from the adhesive?

    Peter Ford -

    Be gentle when pulling this film off. At first it was pulling up my adhesive. I repeated step 5 then picked up the film from a different section. If it started to pull the adhesive up I moved to a different spot on the film and pulled it there.

    Frank -

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    • Lower the back cover onto the frame.

    • Press down on all edges of the back cover to secure it to the frame.

    • To help the adhesive bond more securely, heat the perimeter of the back cover and then place the phone face-down under a heavy stack of books for 30 minutes.

Conclusion

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Pixel 3 XL Answers community for help.

Author

Chayton Ritter

Member since: 21/08/20

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