This fix fascinated me. A shop had repaired a smashed screen, only for the phone owner to report that the battery had began to swell and it had lifted the new screen up.
I was asked to step in to fix this after the relationship with the shop that had originally fixed the phone broke down. The battery was huge! I had never seen one swell that badly in years. I was so concerned I actually asked the owner to let me store the phone safely until the new battery arrived for fear it would explode.
I purposefully kept the iPhone switched on to drain the battery. I didn’t want any power left in it knowing I would have to remove the battery and risk it catching fire.
After a few days the new genuine replacement battery arrived, and I woke up bright and early to fix it. I took the screen off, removed the relevant protectors, disconnected some really small ribbons, unscrewed some even smaller screws, removed some parts inside to make space for the battery, and then gently peeled off the sticky tape to take it out.
I dislike the tape used to hold in the batteries in iPhones. You have to be super gently to remove it, and even the slightest twitch can snap it. If you are unfortunate to snap it you need to gently use some plastic tools to get underneath the battery, without bending it too much, to get it out.
I held my breath as I unpeeled each piece of tape, both from the bottom and top. 10 minutes of careful pulling finally released the battery.
I took a large satisfying gulp of water after removing it. For 7.30am in the morning that was hard work!
Reassembly was awkward due to the size and positioning of all the components. I of course started with the new non-swollen battery (with new adhesive) and positioned it by attaching it to the logic board using the connector, leaving a gap on the outside edge of the phone for the screen to slot into later.
The screws, connectors and parts didn’t want to go back together smoothly. It took lots of steady hands, breathing and positive thinking to carefully put it all back together. After an hour of working with the smallest non-magnetic screws in the world it finally all came together.
I popped the screen back on, put the last two screws in, plugged the phone in to power, and it sprung to life first time.
I left the iPhone on charge all day to fully charge the battery, and returned it to its owner on the evening. That was one gruelling but satisfying restoration.
