iPhone 16 Plus 5G mmWave Antenna Replacement

Written By: Nick Schultz

Comments: 0

iPhone 16 Plus 5G mmWave Antenna Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the 5G mmWave antenna in your iPhone 16 Plus. This antenna is only in USA iPhone 16 Plus models (A3082).

You may need to replace the 5G mmWave antenna if your phone is having cellular connectivity issues but works normally on Wi-Fi.

You'll need replacement back glass and 5G mmWave antenna adhesive to complete this repair. For the antenna, you can use thin, double-sided tape as a substitute for specialty-cut adhesive.

Tools

Parts

Tesa 61395 Tape

Step 1

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.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

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

Step 5

The next five steps demonstrate the Anti-Clamp, a tool we designed to make the opening procedure easier. If you aren't using the Anti-Clamp, skip down four steps for an alternate method.
For complete instructions on how to use the Anti-Clamp, check out this guide.
The Anti-Clamp applies suction to both the screen and the back glass. To open only the back glass, you need to secure the screen with tape.
Cut two strips of tape, apply them along the long edges of the phone, and fold them over the screen to secure it.
Make sure the tape is only securing the screen, and not the back glass.

Step 6

Pull the Anti-Clamp's blue handle backward to unlock the arms.
With the back glass facing up, slide the arms over the right edge of your phone, with one suction cup on the back glass and the other on the screen. Center the suction cups near the bottom edge.
Support your phone so it rests level while between the Anti-Clamp's arms—a small box works well.
Squeeze the cups together to create suction.
If you find that the surface of your phone is too slippery for the Anti-Clamp to hold onto, use tape to create a grippier surface.

Step 7

Pull the blue handle forward to lock the arms.
Turn the handle one full turn (360 degrees) or until the cups start to stretch.
As the cups stretch, make sure they stay vertically aligned with each other. If they keep slipping, remove the Anti-Clamp and apply tape for the cups to stick to.
If you don't have tape, you may warm up the suction cups to help them stick.

Step 8

Heat your iOpener and apply it to the bottom edge of the back glass for two minutes.
Alternatively, you can 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.
Wait up to a minute for the adhesive to separate and a gap to form between the back glass and the frame.
If a gap doesn't appear after one minute, apply more heat and rotate the handle a quarter turn. Let the Anti-Clamp do the work for you, repeating this process as necessary.

Step 9

Insert the tip of an opening pick into the gap.
Remove the Anti-Clamp using the pull tabs on the suction cups.
Skip the next two steps.

Step 10

Apply a heated iOpener to the bottom edge of the back glass for two minutes.
Alternatively, you can 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.

Step 11

Apply a suction handle to the bottom edge of the back glass, above the USB-C port.
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.

Step 12

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 up 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.

Step 13

Don't insert your pick deeper than 5 mm on the bottom edge to avoid damaging the spring contacts.
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 resealing.

Step 14

Apply a heated iOpener to the right edge of the back glass for two minutes.
When using a hair dryer or heat gun, heat the back glass until it's hot to the touch.

Step 15

Don't insert your pick deeper than 5 mm along the right edge to avoid damaging the spring contacts and ribbon cable.
Slide your pick around the bottom right corner and slide it halfway up the right edge, or until you feel a hard stop at a clip securing the back glass.
Don't slice near the volume buttons to avoid damaging the wireless charging/flash cable.
Leave this pick inserted to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Step 16

Apply a heated iOpener to the left edge of the back glass for two minutes.
When using a hair dryer or heat gun, heat until it's hot to the touch.

Step 17

Don't insert your pick deeper than 5 mm along the left edge to avoid damaging the spring contact.
Insert a second opening pick at the bottom edge.
Slide the second pick around the bottom left corner and along the left edge of the screen to separate the adhesive and release the metal clips.
You'll hear and feel the metal clips release as you pass them.
Leave this pick inserted at the top left corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Step 18

Apply a heated iOpener to the top edge of the back glass, angled to include the volume buttons, for two minutes.
When using a hair dryer or heat gun, heat until it's hot to the touch.

Step 19

Don't insert your pick deeper than 3 mm along the top edge to avoid damaging the spring contacts.
Slide your opening pick across the top edge and around the top right corner to the volume up button to separate the adhesive.
You should hear and feel clicks as the top two clips release.

Step 20

Don't try to fully remove the back glass just yet—it's still attached with a delicate ribbon cable. Follow the next few steps to remove it safely.
If the back glass doesn't swing open easily, don't force it—go back around the perimeter with your pick to check for missed sections of adhesive or stuck clips.
You may need to lift the back glass up slightly before swinging it open to fully disengage the clips.
Gently swing open the back glass towards the volume buttons.
Support the back glass with a clean, sturdy object like a small box to avoid straining the cable.
Remove the opening picks.

Step 21

Use a tri-point Y000 driver to remove the two 1.3 mm-long screws securing the middle connector cover.

Step 22

Be careful not to dent or puncture the battery during this step.
Use blunt-nose tweezers or your fingers to slide the cover towards the left edge of the phone and release its hook from its slot on the logic board.
Remove the cover.
During reassembly, align the hooks over their slots on the logic board. Then, press the cover down and slide it towards the right edge to re-engage the hooks.

Step 23

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery press connector.
During reassembly, align the connector carefully over its socket and press down with your fingertip or the flat end of a spudger—first on one side, then the other—until it clicks into place. Don't try to force the connector into place. If you're having trouble, reposition it and try again.

Step 24

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the wireless charging coil press connector.

Step 25

Lift the back glass off the frame and remove it.
During reassembly:
This is a good point to test your repair before sealing up your phone. Temporarily reconnect the battery and back glass (before replacing the adhesive), power on your phone, and make sure it works as expected. Power it back down, disconnect the battery, and continue reassembly.
Use this guide to reapply adhesive and install your back glass.

Step 26

Remove the four screws securing the upper connector cover:
Two 1.4 mm-long Phillips screws
One 3.5 mm-long Phillips screw
One 1.0 mm-long tri-point Y000 screw

Step 27

Use tweezers or your fingers to remove the upper connector cover.

Step 28

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the 5G mmWave antenna press connector.

Step 29

Use your tweezers to grab the strech-release adhesive pull-tab, located on the right edge of the 5G mmWave antenna.
Use your tweezers to pull the stretch‑release adhesive strip out slowly and steadily at a low angle. Give it plenty of time to stretch and un-stick from under the antenna.
For additional grip, you can twist the adhesive around the tip of the tweezers while you pull.
If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it with your tweezers and continue pulling.

Step 30

Lift the 5G mmWave antenna off the earpiece speaker and remove it.

Step 31

During reassembly:
Use tweezers or your fingers to remove the old adhesive from the top of the earpiece speaker and back of the antenna.
If your replacement part doesn't include new adhesive, use a 4 mm x 16 mm strip of thin, double-sided tape to secure the antenna to the earpiece speaker.
Slide the new antenna underneath the front camera cables and make sure its cable routes in the channel above the logic board.
Connect the antenna press connector, and press the antenna onto the earpiece speaker to adhere it.