iPod 4th Generation or Photo Battery Replacement

Written By: iRobot
  • Comments: 138
iPod 4th Generation or Photo Battery Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

8

Time Required

15 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Battery not lasting long? Swap it out.

  1. mmIJOyYlvjSvCBrH

    • Before opening your iPod, ensure that the hold switch is in the locked position. The orange bar should be visible, indicating hold is active.

    How necessary is it to have the HOLD switch in the locked position? On my iPod the switch is stuck in the unlocked position and I can't force it into locked.

    Is locking the iPod for a mechanical reason or an electrical/software reason?

    gabeshaikh -

    Quote from gabeshaikh:

    How necessary is it to have the HOLD switch in the locked position? On my iPod the switch is stuck in the unlocked position and I can't force it into locked.

    Is locking the iPod for a mechanical reason or an electrical/software reason?

    It is for an electrical reason. If the iPod hold switch is kept on, the device will not turn on, thus ensuring the device stays powered off while performing service.

    trusty -

    I have a 60 GB iPod photo that needs a new Logic Board. I bought a 30 GB used iPod on eBay and replaced the Logic Board. Now the iPod thinks the hard drive is only 30 GB, when it is really 60 GB. It works, but the hard drive is not recognized for its full size. Sites like this offer a 20 GB and 40 GB logic board...I apparently need 60 GB. Can I bypass this somehow, or do I really need a logic board that is specifically made for 60 GB???

    Mark -

    My 30gig drive shows up as a 16.4gig. I can not for the life of me, figure out why this is doing this. Can anyone help? Thanks!

    Stephan -

    Hello,

    First thank you for this tuto and help.

    I did follow your instructions and every step was ok but when I closed my i'Pod, it kept staying on the lock position even with moving the lock button.

    Now it has charged but I could not make it run.

    So I did a complete reboot by connecting it to my Mac with i'Tunes to restore.

    It's still locked.

    What can I do?

    Than You for your answer

    Thomas

    Voisin -

    Much quicker and far easier opening from the right side instead of from the top using the blue plastic spudger. Opened in under 10sec. Do not know why this guide asks you to start from the top and work it to the left corner. Perhaps it was meant as a challenge.

    Edwin Seah -

    Well, I did it! I am pretty mechanically inclined, but I don't work well with small stuff. Anyway, as others mentioned, this step was the hardest for me, the included tools, worthless (to start to separate the case) As another person mentioned, I used a razor blade on the side on the upper left corner pushing down toward the metal clips, 'pop' once the first came off, then I used the blue tools to release the remaining clips. I didn't want to remove the connector in step 8, but had literally no room to work, the connector is a square push in type that is attached to the ribbon cable, I pryed with the blue tool carefully at the connector base, it popped right off! (getting is back on was more challenging, but managed with a small pair of needle nose pliers.) Had to pry the old battery out carefully - it was really in there. Got it all back together, works like a champ! Thanks ifixit!

    mikesnyder -

    Promptly broke both blue plastic tools. I used a putty knife to pop the case. Opening was the only hard part. I didn't disconnect the headphone cable. No problems and the battery has enough charge that I listening to Bare Naked Ladies now. Last week I installed a new hard drive in my Mac mini. IFixit is the greatest!

    heldon -

    If you are lucky, your battery may swell up like mind did, short of blowing up it opened the case for me. That being done really made it easy and encouraged me to do the repair myself. I still needed the proper screw driver (T6 Torx Screwdriver) to remove the two black torx screws that are found at step 10 of this repair guide. I purchased the iFixit 64bit driver kit, simply because I intend to work on several other iPods and phones, the kit is of good quality, well worth the purchase. If you have some mechanical ability, and follow the instructions, I was done in about 20 minutes, placed it back on my Bose player. I couldn't wait for it to charge, just wanted it to start playing, and after a minute or so my iPod 4th gen 20 gb was playing the music which I hadn't heard in about 3 to 4 years, as a result of a enlarged battery. As I write these comments down, I'm listening to my sweet tunes with a big smile on my mug, the sign of a satisfied customer. Thanks to iFIXIT.!!!

    Alex DeLeon -

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    • Insert an opening pick as far as possible into the seam between the plastic front and the metal rear panel, on the right edge of the iPod.

    • You may need to rock the pick back and forth to slide it in farther.

    • Use the opening pick to pry up against the plastic front panel and release five retaining tabs (seen in the third photo).

    • Slide the pick along the edge of the iPod and continue prying to release the rest of the retaining tabs.

    • After all five tabs along the right side are free, the case should easily open.

    This being the first time I opened my iPod, it was super tight. Nothing plastic I had was strong enough; even my thumbnail just barely could get a sliver of separation, not big enough to wedge anything else in there. The sandwiched halves of the case chewed up my spudger pretty good, and so I actually resorted (slap on wrist) to a Liquitex acrylic-painting knife, kind of a superthin metal spatula, which worked perfectly. Just had to slide it in carefully. Unit is way out of warranty, though, so I wasn’t too concerned about some superficial damage to the edge of the plastic case front, which did in fact occur. Probably be easier next time around.

    gginex -

    This step is incorrect and should be changed. There is no way to slide anything into that space except a straight edge razor blade or something just as sharp and sturdy. Once the blade is firmly in place, you can then slip in an opening pick and remove the blade. From there, everything else is accurate.

    Kelly -

    I second the suggestion of using a putty knife. Worked way better! A bit nerve-racking at first as I was afraid of doing serious damage, but I succeeded. I’m definitely a novice at this, but these comments helped at every turn.

    Lori Farthing -

    I also had trouble opening the case at first but, having looked at some other instructions from other guides, I found it easiest to start the opening from the top, After that everything was straitforward. Installing the new battery and reconnecting the couple of connectors took less than two minutes. New battery charging now, but iPod working perfectly at the moment. Many thanks.

    Clive Richards -

    No way you're getting a pick in there. I tried and it's too tight. Start with iPod opening tool to make your gap. Hold it open and wiggle in a pick. Then wiggle and slide the pick up and down the side and it pops right open.

    SEAN Tanton -

    This was by far the most difficult step of the repair process. Did eventually get it open using jewelers tiny flat blade screwdriver and then the pick, Scratched up the case a little on the corner but got the job done,

    tom -

    I had a lot of trouble with this. This video made it super easy though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYZqTvlT... Pressing firmly on the back in the center and using the case opener tool made it super easy. Recommend!

    Sam Soffes -

    I found that starting at the top was much easier than the side. I also found the pick too soft. The plastic spudger included in kit worked great.

    James Monahan -

    Spent an hour trying I had no tools but my long nails it worked with no damage to the ipod rip my nails though

    James middleton -

    Just to make this idiot proof [e.g.: folks like me]. The right edge of the iPod means this: place the iPod face up, with the screen at the top and the wheel at the bottom. Then right is your right [note that it is your right, not the iPod's].

    Nebur -

    Done. Used two Credit Cards as I am not a guitar-guy and didn't have a plectrum :D
    Got in through the top side though and worked my way around.

    Mind the left for the cable to the headphone jack.

    Riesling -

  3. AkQWHgZJ65T2LQlF

    • The iPod case is now open, but don't separate the two halves just yet. There is still an orange ribbon cable connecting the headphone jack to the logic board.

    • Open the case like a book with the dock connector edge at the top, and lay the rear panel next to the front half of the iPod.

    This is the most fragile piece to work with in the whole process. Make sure you have some glasses or something and actually watch the individual pins while you reconnect the cable. I can't see so close, and didn't see what I was doing clearly. Consequently I broke the pins.

    Adam Logan -

    In my case the cable of of Headphone Jack was to short. so i Cent oben it like a book. instead i lifted the backside up until it gets hold by the cable. Then slowly move the backside to the right ( if the Headphone Jack is facing you). perhaps u have to tilt it a little so ist gets over the corner of the hdd. Now is the Plug in reach of a spudge from three sides. It make its also easier to reconnect the plug to the socket.

    Gyro -

    *Spelling fixes*

    In my case the cable of of Headphone Jack was to short. so i cant open it like a book. Instead i lifted the backside up until it gets hold by the cable. Then slowly move the backside to the right ( if the Hedphone Jack is facing you). perhaps u have to tilt it a little so it gets over the corner of the hdd. Now is the Plug in reach of a spudge from three sides. It make its also easier to reconnect the plug to the socket.

    Gyro -

    In meinen Fall war das Kabel leider zu kurz. stattdessen habe ich die Rückseite parallel angehoben, soweit das Kabel reichte. Dann die Rückseite vorsichtig nach rechts bewegen ( die Anschlüsse zeigen dabei zu einen hin). Unter Umständen muss man durch etwas Kippen der Rückseite über die Ecke der Festplatte bugsieren. der Stecker ist jetzt von drei Seiten aus erreichbar ( Spudge oder ähnliches). auch beim wieder einstöpseln kann man den Stecker besser /grader aufsetzen.

    Gyro -

  4. EyAcjoxd4hluPpXo

    • Use a plastic tool or your fingernails to carefully disconnect the orange headphone jack cable. Be sure to pull straight up on the connector, not the cable itself.

    • This ribbon cable is very fragile. If you are replacing the battery, you can choose to skip this step and keep the headphone jack connected to the motherboard. Prop and tape the rear case against a box to keep it in place. Be very careful not to strain the fragile headphone jack cable as you work.

    Be very careful disconnecting. In fact may want to leave connected. I "removed" the entire piece pins and all from the board and had to replace the logic board to fix. A $15 fix turned into $65. Happy to say got it fixed with a new board but this was a crucial step that cost me big time! Again leave headphone jack connected if at all possible!!

    tigers27408 -

    DO NOT remove the ribbon cable unless absolutely necessary. I also removed the black female plug from the logic board by mistake. However, in my case I was able to plug it back in and it still works (phew!). Lucky. I might have destroyed some soldering, I don't know ... but it works.

    Paul -

    At this point I damaged the motherboard irreversibly!!

    This guide should be modified. You should not attempt this step. Either you replace the battery without disconnecting the ribbon. Or if you really want more room, you unscrew the other little board from the the metal half of the case.

    Now I have to buy another ipod :-(

    Guillaume Barreau -

    It is worth noting that the connector for the iPod 4th gen and the iPod photo/color are NOT compatible. The 4th gen has only 10 pins, whereas the photo/color have 12 pins.

    Miles Raymond -

    I successfully installed the new battery without removing the ribbon cable.

    Michael Caputi -

    &&^&. Just ripped the circuit. Destroyed my iPod. Thanks for nothing. Other fixes do not have this step. Horribly disappointed. This needs to be deleted!

    Adam -

    Any idea if it can be resoldered?

    Adam -

    I followed the advice in the comments and skipped this step entirely. I did not remove this connecter. It made the remaining steps more difficult because I couldn’t lay the parts open flat, but I managed to do it by myself without removal.

    Lori Farthing -

    Mine had plenty of slack to lay open like a book without disconnecting. Check this first and don't mess with it if you don't need to. It's not necessary for changing a battery.

    SEAN Tanton -

    It is perfectly easy to remove the cable if you are careful and observe what you are attempting to disengage. The plug on the ribbon cable goes into the small black socket on the motherboard. Look sideways at the assembly and slide a thin spudger between the top of the socket and the small board that forms the end of the cable. Lever gently upwards to disengage the cable plug. That way you cannot exert force between the socket and the motherboard and you won’t damage the board.

    Pete Mackenzie -

    It's like a Lego I just popped it off sorry for those who broke it

    If u can leave it plugged

    James middleton -

    I snapped the cable. The comments scared me about disconnecting it so I left it connected, and then damaged it wrestling with the battery. Disconnecting it was easy and I should have done so in the first place.

    Ben -

    I also broke the ribbon cable like others before me. I was a fool to disconnect the ribbon cable. MY HUBRIS!!!!!

    Logan Powell -

  5. slAvuXoO3hCGTplw

    • Carefully disconnect the white battery connector from the logic board. Be sure to pull only on the connector itself and not on the cables.

    If you are replacing the battery (and not reusing it) feel free to cut the red, white and black wires. If you leave .5 inch of cable, you can use the cables to assist the removal of the connector from the logic board. The connector has a small "bump" on the back side that will resist your efforts to remove it from the logic board. If you are aware of this, realize that it may take a degree of finesse to remove the connector. IT CAN BE STUBBORN!

    noscw -

    I used the spudger to try to remove the battery connector. That was a mistake. A small part of the left edge of the connector broke off. The new battery's connector still connects, but it may cause problems later. Use a hemostat or small needlenose pliers and pull straight up carefully.

    mihalik -

    I second that recommendation regarding small needle nose pliers. Much easier to apply sufficient torque as the battery connector sits in there quite tight.

    Michael Caputi -

    This was tricky, but I used a small pair of needle nose pliers from a jewelry set that I had on hand. This was much easier to do.

    Lori Farthing -

    Is the white connector a JST?

    Roy Baty -

    It was very hard to remove the cable but after a tonnnn of gentle lifting (afraid of breaking motherboard leads) it came off

    James middleton -

    Removing this connector was darn hard, specially since I did not want to damage the logic board. Eventually I used a bit of WD-40 to loosen it up, and it came out easy. Hope I did not ruin something with it.

    Nebur -

  6. RcChCxaAxYWAPJeA

    • Remove the 2 black T6 Torx screws from the left side of the logic board.

    These screws are unbelievably tiny. I highly recommend having a small saucer or ashtray to catch them so they won't get lost. If they go on the floor, it's all over but the crying.

    Human -

    Was the pun included?

    TirelessSpice -

    I would actually recommend unplugging the battery cable before removing the Torx screws. The screws will give additional leverage and stability, and help keep the thin daughterboard-like portion of the logic board from flexing too much.

    E West -

    Is it really necessary to remove the Torx screws?

    Donald Fournier -

    I don't see a need for this. I just removed my battery without touching these.

    SEAN Tanton -

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    • Use one hand to lift the hard drive up in order to access the battery beneath.

    • Carefully thread the battery cable around the end of the logic board. Be careful not to pull up on the logic board too much while freeing the battery cable.

  8. FJM4EFJNCVhTQIlu

    • Lift the battery out of the front case by pulling it up by the battery leads.

    • If necessary, grab the battery to pull it off the adhesive securing it to the front case.

    • It may be helpful to use a spudger to pry the battery up off its adhesive.

    • Lift the battery up and out of the front case.

    This battery is stuck. The battery leads feel like they're going to snap... yup, one just did... before the battery comes free of the adhesive backing. No way to grab the battery.

    gkehret -

    Quote from gkehret:

    This battery is stuck. The battery leads feel like they're going to snap... yup, one just did... before the battery comes free of the adhesive backing. No way to grab the battery.

    This battery is definitely hard to remove. We're usually don't recommend removing anything by pulling on the leads. This battery is an exception, since it's going straight to the recycle bin once it's removed. There's very little space on the side to insert a spudger, and doing so might result in damaging the case.

    Miroslav Djuric -

    My leads snapped off as well. I wound up removing the hard drive and logic board in order to grip the battery firmly and pull it off. iFixit instructions for removing the logic board led me through the process no problem, but it could be worth adding a note to step 12.

    seth9 -

    It is hard to remove the battery. I could only remove it by using the small plastic tool provided in my "ipod replacement battery pack". The good thing is that I did not have to remove the hard drive or the logic board. Now I have my iPod back!

    kbusto -

    Is there a recommended adhesive to use when replacing the battery or forgo adhesive completely?

    Quote from miro:

    This battery is definitely hard to remove. We're usually don't recommend removing anything by pulling on the leads. This battery is an exception, since it's going straight to the recycle bin once it's removed. There's very little space on the side to insert a spudger, and doing so might result in damaging the case.

    KFH -

    The battery replacement was very easy using these instructions. My only problem was separating the battery clip from the socket on the board.

    dcorson -

    balta 1

    Instructions up to step 12 very helpful, clear but for battery socket/connector. There is a small tab on the inside of the connector facing the battery. By gently pressing this tab with a 1.4 mm. flat s/driver blade - thru' cut-out in socket - the batt. connector will just ease out, no fuss. The battery of course requires some coaxing before it gives way. Overall, a great help as usual from the team @ iFixit *University*

    balta -

    I got a surprise when I connected the battery and the iPod immediately went into the white screen of death (yes, I had activated the "hold" switch as directed in step one). I could think of nothing else to do other than finish putting it back together. Right now I'm letting the battery run down and am crossing my fingers that it will come up afterwards.

    neilweinstock -

    Unit turned itself off after battery ran down, about 10-15 minutes total. Got very toasty during that time; I opened it up to give it some air. After it shut down, I plugged it back in and was thrilled to get the "charging" graphic. Some 15 minutes later (or so), the unit came alive and now seems fine. Success!

    neilweinstock -

    Lifting up the battery required a fair amount of force, enough so that I was afraid that I snapped the control board.

    Stefan Lasiewski -

    The replacement went great, up and running again. The hardest part was reconnecting the headphone cable jack. I used tweezers to push the connector in, worked like a charm!!

    daveojeda -

    Forgot to mention I bought the battery from iFixit direct fast shipping and worked perfectly!

    daveojeda -

    The leads snapped off, but there was some space to use the spudger - it is hard to get it out.

    jonas -

    hi, i just ordered battery replacement for ipod photo, on the 1st week my ipod doing fine, until i forget to charge, i can't turn it on, i had my ipod plug on the AC adapter for 8 hours but it still can't turn on, did you have any idea about this?

    adityahaferush -

    Followed the steps and have charged the phone with the new power pack for 8 hours. Am getting a bad battery screen now.

    starrfiddler -

    Where can I get a battery!?

    Mikey Lee -

    I get all my batteries on ebay.

    Donald Fournier -

    My battery was quite swollen and there is definitely some adhesive under it. A friend lent a second pair of hands at this point and it really helped. Success!

    Michael Caputi -

    All of the extra comments were super helpful. Dull knife or metal bladed prying tool from ifixit tool kit to pry open. The battery should come out before torx screws, and go ahead and pull the wires on the battery if you are replacing it. I was all set to replace the battery and the click wheel or whole front cover, but sure enough my battery is good and swollen. The center button on the click wheel works great now.

    Chad Roemer -

    I had trouble opening the case, but then I saw a tip on youtube. If you squeeze the center of the rear of the case, it becomes very easy to wedge the spudger edge between the metal shell and the white plastic cover. My battery was also stuck, but I used some thin tweezers to lift it up on the side opposite the wire connection. There was less adhesive on that side, and once I had one side elevated, it was easy to release it from connector side that had a load of adhesive. Good luck.

    Kate Richardson -

    I’ve never removed a battery from an iPod 4 without having the plug disintegrate when I try to separate it from the socket. The battery is done, anyway so use the cables to pull it up and preserve the socket.

    Donald Fournier -

    I actually ended up just taking the whole logic board & display out (had to remove a few extra T6 screws), so then I could use a spudger to just lever the battery out of place.

    gginex -

    It might sound silly, but I would have liked to see the install steps, even if its just this in reverse. It would have been better to see photos at least.

    Lori Farthing -

    Removing the battery was a nightmare. Clearly Apple did not intend the iPod to be repairable, and WENT OUT OF ITS WAY to make repair very hard. In my case by having the battery glued with two tons of glue. Eventually I found the following solution [but be very careful].

    I inserted a small flat screwdriver from the top, going under the piece logic board [to the right in Figure 6], and very carefully inserted it under the battery and twisted it so that the flat blade lifted the battery. Do not stick the screwdriver far in the middle because there there are connectors to the wheel, but on the sides it is OK [and there is where the glue is more likely found].

    This is absurd. One small drop of glue would have done the job of keeping the battery in place. But Apple added glue everywhere they could. They would have welded the battery to the case if they could.

    Idea for Apple: place scorpions inside your devices, so when the user tries to open them they bite. You know, like in the mommy movies.

    Nebur -

    iPod Photo 60Gb- Tried 2 new replacement batteries, but either getting a battery icon 1/4 full with a zigzag or the battery is constantly charging. Removing the charging cable 12 hours later displays main menu with ‘locked’ icon above and an empty battery icon… Frustrating!

    Ken Lowe -

    I followed the instructions as show and, despite some clumsiness of myself, it succeeded well and the iPod Photo shows no 'battery failure and loading errors anymore. It looks like I've got my almost 20 year old iPod back :-). Andries 6 juli 2023

    Andries -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

iRobot

Member since: 25/09/09

0 Reputation

63 comments

Biggest trouble I had was step one. I actually broke the edge off the large tool. A note somewhere else on this site recommended using a razor which work far more easily then the large blue tool. Common sense, your using a sharp razor, be careful!

As previously noted the screws are TINY, very easy to lose of you drop one.

I jockeyed the battery to get just a crack of space and then used the spluger tool to pry the battery free from the adhesive, very strong.

My IPOD is currently recharging for the first time in years. :o)

msdaly59 -

I have a 4thG original ipod. This was a simple process and it was successfully completed. The ipod was able to be synced after 6 months of sitting in a drawer. The only issue so far is that the entire ipod gets warm to the touch while it's charging. Hopefully that will lessen after subsequent charges. The only bit of confusion in the instructions is the beginning step of inserting the ipod tool at the top. I thought I was trying to unlatch a tab there but there is none on top. Otherwise everything else was clear and exactly as described and pictured.

Nando -

Broke the cute blue soft plastic tools that came with it. Used a credit card to open it up - worked miraculously well!!! Started up great!! Ooops - forgot the torque screws - opened it again.....closed it again. My iPod works again after years of hibernation!

Art Ikobo -

piece of cake, good to have the old girl running again...even though I rarely use it anymore. Like motorcycles...nice to have the old ones running.

firus -

Ifixit, you're awesome !!! Took me about 10 minutes and now I have my 18,000 tunes library back. Marley, LedZep and Pink Floyd are alive again. If a 60 year old can do it, anyone can. Iriemon. 10/17/2013

pcbeachbroker -

My click wheel was acting up. Basically every button pushed behaved as if it was the center button. After reading a few of these guides, I guessed that maybe my battery was starting to swell and was putting pressure on the back of the wheel, causing it to malfunction. Bingo! New battery did the trick!

danaronen -

Step one is the hardest for sure. Took me 30 minutes to get it to open the iPod because I was determined not to damage the plastic of my U2 limited edition(still in immaculate condition thanks to the hard case I've kept it in for the past 8 years).

Here's a tip - when you're opening the casing of the iPod you're actually prying the metal base away from the plastic faceplate. Once you get the first tab free it's all gravy. Thank you iFixit!

jamesmcortez -

Great Tutorial. iPod 4th Gen working perfectly after +5 years working just as a paperweight.

Just a thing: it was easier for me to open it at first starting from one of the sides instead from the top, and then kept opening the whole case around.

Anyway, great tutorial and really easy to follow as it was actually detailed. Thanks

tomfratar -

I have the 4th Gen U2 RED wheel 20gb iPod. Suffered from dead bulging battery. ordered the iFixit 4th gen battery replacement kit and 30 mins after receiving the kit I have a fully function iPod again. Ever single Apple product I have is still working perfectly with minimal effort. I could not be happier.

bberburb -

It worked exactly as described. At first I had trouble finding a spot to insert the spudger tool but once I did I inserted used a small flat head screw driver to pop the tabs free. I started opening from the side because the case is more flexible there than the top as shown. I magnetized the torx screwdriver tip before I started so I wouldn't drop the screws. My old battery was swollen and I can see why my click wheel was not functioning properly. Over all this took me no more than 15 minutes to complete.

Bob A. October 14

rayers -

Just finished installing new battery for my 4G iPod. It works great. However, I suggest that you redesign the plastic tools. They both broke as I was attempting to separate the case halves. One post here said that a credit card worked well. The extra buck for the tool kit could have been better applied to the S&H charges on my credit card. Thanks for the photo-enhanced instructions.

snowshoe2009 -

blue tools broke so I used the little odd shaped tool in the nail clippers worked great. I had trouble getting the old battery cable off seemed like it was there too long.

cathymckitrick -

I have a problem, everything seems to be okay with the battery, it's better and everything but, it won't charge with any charger, and whenever i connect it to my computer it shows it is charging but then it disappears, and it won't show up on iTunes. And also, it won't let me turn it off. this happened after i connected to my computer, everything was working fine before that.

Is there anything i could do ?

aldolara05 -

Hi aldolara05,

Were you able to get the new battery charged? Because I am having the same problem...

Thx

Jack Wang -

Might be wrong cable. Only my OEM cable or a speaker stand charger from that era works, OR a smart adapting power brick (new). Might have to do w voltage ? No other (newer) apple cables work.

ktmchock -

hi! I need a bit of help with my ipod classic 4th generation, as the ribbon-cable socket that connects the hard drive to the ipod is not there. I have a socket that is like the old one, but came from a dvd writer. two questions: will it work with that? is it just a case of simple soldering to the logic board or is it much more complex than that? thanks,

Caden, age 12

cadeneast -

Great article - battery was difficult to get out because of the adhesive on the rear but avoiding the edge of the Ipod/circuit board I used a small screwdriver to get an edge in to the battery and force it out. My 30gb Ipod is now back up and running after lying dead in my drawer for a couple of years. many thanks

Ray Fitz -

My backlight is not working after replacing the battery. Everything else Is working fine. Any ideas?

napuli -

Success! New battery is in and the iPod works and looks as good as new (minus the bulge from the old swollen battery). My iPod is a 20 GB 4th Gen. Thanks for the detailed guide! Two thumbs up (although one is slightly scratched and both are tired from prying open the iPod). I agree with others that getting the case open is the toughest part of this process (30 minutes trying to get it open - 5 minutes to swap battery and get case back on). I used a plastic credit card - Qdoba rewards card :) - to slide down and open the tabs once I was able to wedge it into the side.

Mike -

All went quite easily, once got the case open. I only had two large iPod opening tools, and found the trick was to insert one quite quite forcefully (near the earphone jack as described) with the curved tip down towards the metal case and then it would stay in place - as it had inserted past the thickest part to the tip. Then I could easily slide around to the corner and insert the second opening tool on the long side. The adhesive holding the battery in place is very strong, but again using the opening tool I could insert from the side and underneath the battery and use it to lever the battery free.

The old battery was really swollen (twice as thick as the new replacement) which explained why the center button had become almost impossible to click, and of course, why the iPod had stopped working - it was unable to charge the battery.

As soon as I plugged the iPod into the charger it came to life, and now I have access to music that I have not listened to for 2 years.

paterson24 -

I have an A1099, bought the battery replacement kit. Everything went OK. However after I closed back-cover. For whatever reasons the battery will not be charged. I have tried the direct connection to the power adapter, docking station, and cable connect to PC via USB. Nothing worked. Can someone give me some suggestions on what to do next?

Thx.

Jack Wang -

I've read of some people having trouble after a battery replacement, because the new battery doesn't have a full charge coming from the factory and that model iPod shipped, or was 'born' with a firewire charger. And these people who were having trouble with their ipods had been using a usb charger or used the computer with its usb connection to charge.

It turns out that they should have been using a firewire charger, at least for that 1st full charge of the new battery, properly resetting every thing with whatever differs between usb and firewire output. A little hotter voltage or mAmp what ever the little difference was. One guy said his ipod had been problematic for years. Until he got his original firewire charger he had useed for years, his pod acted like it was brand new after he started charging with firewire again. He looked into why, and all he could find was others with the same situation.They had very picky ipods that didn't operate normally without a firewire charge! Mine was the same!

Mike McIntosh -

I've had my iPod since 2005 and I have music on it that I thought I'd lost for good. So thank you so much. So far so good.

Michael Fenton -

My battery was swollen so badly that it was easier to start at the bottom when I removed the case. I used the blue plastic iPod opening tool that I purchased as part of the battery repair kit. Started where the case was already separating near the cable connection then carefully worked my way around the entire case. The hardest part for me was removing the battery cable cause my fingers are kind of "stubby". All in all an easy and quick fix for a very reasonable price - Thank you ifixit!

Doug Winterbauer -

Just done, nice informations , clear , easy.

paologiudici -

Brilliant, apart from cutting my finger when the spudger tool slipped - my fault, it all works great now. I was a numpty and forgot to replace the retention screws but once you've opened it once it's easy the 2nd time. My 9 year old iPod photo is now working fine again.

The battery had gotten so weak that it wouldn't even boot plugged in to power.

John Maxfield -

The only problem for me was the ribbon connector for the battery, it was hard to tell if I plugged it back in correctly. Evidently I did because it is charging. The instructions were spotted on, made it quite simple.

Robert Forrest -

I am 54 years old with (still) perfect eyesight more or less and an Ipod from 2004. This was a little trickier than I thought but I am

one stubborn man and am now in possession of all my lovely music which I've missed so much. The old battery was so swollen and bulbous it looked quite dangerous.

David May -

Thanks! It worked quite smoothly.

Michael Caputi -

Perfect! I thought my iPod was NG. After I found your website I thought I would give the battery replacement a try.. Great instructions . Got my music back.

Joseph Simanski -

So, my new battery has a life of an hour to an hour and a half. Why is that? I can barely get through one album before it dies.

Brian Ashton -

Could be a poor quality battery. The first one I bought of eBay was shocking, then I bought one from the ifixit store and it's been so much better.

jackacon -

great tips! my old ipod is new now. Thank’s.

renatofpmello -

This was a much easier repair than I imagined. As others have mentioned the hardest part was opening the case, after that it was fairly straight forward. The old battery had swollen which in turn was impeding the operation of the track wheel. Now with the new battery in place everything is back to how is should be. So worth it to do this repair.

paul ross -

Surprisingely i was able to detach the Backcover by just using a simple creditcard. I sharpened the long side of the card with a knife to slide in better. I bend the backcover firmly by pressing it away from the front by using my thumbs - press away the plastic cover to receive a small slot (both hands needed). I inserted the creditcard into this small gap, moved it along a few times and the complete side was detachable at a glance. —>> The creditcard is long enough to press down all 5 plastic-hinges. Perfect sollution to me, try it. No scratches, no bending - easy peazy. Step 2-6 arent necessary with this solution. Sorry for my plain english. Greetings, Sören from Germany

Sören -

Nice step by step instructions and got new battery installed no problem. Went to charge it and lit up like it had never been away. However when I started scrolling on the click wheel while charging it started whirring and rebooted. So I left it to charge bit now just showing the Apple logo and flashing while getting warm. Any ideas guys?

Richard Walker -

This was actually a lot easier than I was expecting. I did require an extra set of hands to get the thing open and had to remove the logic board to free the battery. But overall everything was straightforward and actually rather fun thanks to the guides here. Now that my iPod’s rocking a fresh battery, I just have to wait for my iFlash and SD card to arrive so I can finish the upgrade!

Aaron -

get a plastic pop bottle and using scissors, cut strips to act as picks… use yout thumbnail to bake the first penetration and slide the first pick behind your nail and into the gap… insert subsequent picks behind the first and slide along… use as many as required to make opening a breeze.

be wary of holding the base at the bottom, so that the contents don’t drop out and strain/break the cable

martensj -

Replacement went well, with 2 exceptions: 1st, I would recommend to keep the headphone jack cable in place, and rather unscrew the connector from the metal backside, as the connector got damaged (fragile piece vs. lot of force). 2nd, after replacment the clickwheel is not working any more. I suppose it got damaged by ripping out the old battery, that is glued to the backside of the wheel. I could “reproduce” it with a second ipod, which i ordered for the replacement parts. So now i have two ipods not reacting to the clickwheel, one with new battery. Well - take care of the clickwheel and be carfule when removing the old battery!

Christoph Juergens -

Update: Its not the clickwheel that’s broken, its the lock-switch - regardless of its position, the iPod considers himself in the “locked”-state. Replacing the headphone-connector and the ribbon cable did not fix it - so still two defect ipods here.

Christoph Juergens -

Worked great without any trouble. Waiting for replacement battery to install.

Andreas Muenchow -

We just had a 4th Gen iPod come in from a staff member who had given it as a gift 13 years ago, and the battery was bad on it. This guide helped a lot. an issue I did have was Step 5: my cables were tight underneath the board at the bottom, so the plug couldn’t fully unseat and it wasn’t readily apparent without a lot of wondering what I was doing wrong.

Great guide though, helps make it real simple.

dmetcalfe -

Perfect! Worked like a champ. I have my old IPod back! thank you!

tboyd528 -

Instal went smoothly on my 4th gen color iPod. I plugged it in and it recharged for the 1st time in years, problem though. It is stuck on a screen that says do not disconnect with no way to eject it. No way to reset it. Does anyone remember how to force a reboot?

Bruce Stockdale -

Press and hold the middle and menu buttons together till it resets. But I'm guessing the battery might have run out by now!

jackacon -

Thanks a lot iFixit for the guide! Just in case someone has problems with the click wheel after replacing the battery. It took me nearly a day to find out that the old battery had pulled out a connector when pulling it out. That’s the black little square in the middle of the flat cable. After pushing it gently down the click wheel worked again. I don’t know if anyone else has still an iPod Photo in 2020 and runs into the same problem, but just in case I thought I could mention it in the comments.

Massi -

Step 4 is unnecessary! In these old devices the tiny 12-pin connector could well have been corroded and in any case is too easy to damage to risk disconnecting it. I lost a perfectly good iPod because I followed your instructions. Your procedure is wrong and should be revised, many of your customers have already warned you about this.

David -

Hi David,

Thanks for bringing this issue up. I’m sorry we didn’t catch this earlier! I’ve revised the step with your suggestion.

Arthur Shi -

I installed a new battery into the Photo Ipod 60 gb. The ipod is working now but all the buttons are in the locked mode.

The Hold slide bar moves freely but it won’t unlock the controls.

I did forget to put the Hold slider in the lock position before replacing the battery. Not sure if that caused the issue.

Anybody know how to unlock the controls ?

Phil LeDonne

Philip LeDonne -

My advice is to not go cheap on the battery, I did and had to replace the “new” battery much faster than I had replaced the old one, and this after I had also replaced the hard drive with a SD card.

Cal C -

Thanks for the clear, concise instructions and pictures. The battery replacement was easy thanks to your guide. The original battery was swollen and finally gave up the ghost. My iPod has come back to life!

John Otters -

Straight forward fix. As mentioned above, using spudger on top worked best. Rest was straight forward. iPod working just like new.

James Monahan -

I found it better to remove the hard drive before the battery removal, check the hard drive guild on how to unplug it is easy

James middleton -

Yes, it’s 2021 and I’m refurbishing an iPod from 2004. Thanks to iFixit and these instructions I was done in 10 minutes.

davekerr -

Great to hear that you fixed it!

Ethan Sligar -

Thank you for the clear and precise instructions. I replaced in both my iPod Photo the battery, one had a blocked click wheel due the swelling of the battery, the other just an aged battery. Now both iPods are back working perfectly well. It took me not even 10 minutes to replace the batteries. ifixit is really a great help, cudos to all the people created this site, the toolsets, the repair kits and the instructions.

Eike -

Thanks! This was so useful – I now have a working iPod again. I bought the new battery and tools from you and all worked well. I did find the first step tricky and ended up starting it with a scalpel and pen knife – being VERY careful. But once I got the case opened all was plain sailing.

Richard Wise -

Idea for Apple: place scorpions inside your devices, so when the user tries to open them they bite. You know, like in the mommy movies.

Nebur -

Hi, I did like described, and first it worked fine, and I was happy!

I followed the instruction and charged the new batterie to 100% and left it on the charger for at least two more hours.

After, I used the iPod (Photo) until it switched itself off due to an empty battery. Then I put it on the cable to charge it to 100% like recommented, but it does not charge!?

It keeps turning on and off, the display alternates between the Apple logo and saying the iPod is empty and should be charged!? What have I done wrong?

Ole Jan -

Resurrecting my old iPod thats been sitting in my closet for 13yrs. I have my entire CD collection on it, worked plugged in, but obviously the battery was completely dead. Instead of a plastic pick, a dull jackknife worked fine to separate, and left no marks. I already had a torx-6, and the whole process took 10 minutes. Good job author iRobot.

RobertB -

And here it is 2023, and these instructions still work. So happy to have found this site. The newer tool kits have a metal piece to pry into the case better. So happy to have this old girl up and running again. I lost my newer-gen iPod years ago and I wanted to recreate a few play lists. Now I have them again!!!!

EBees -

Worked great Thanks!

Ethan Sligar -

Opening the case was the most difficult thing about this fix, after that the directions are clear and simple - Thanks to the author!!

ken hughes -