iPhone repair
Screen, battery, camera, charging port, liquid damage and back glass.
iPhone · 2021
Replacing an iPhone 13 screen in Barcelona without losing Face ID
For a few months in 2021, replacing this phone’s screen left face recognition useless. It was fixed, but it is worth knowing how and why.
4,6 out of 5 · 138 reviews on GoogleDocumented design fault
A microcontroller ties the display to the phone
The iPhone 13 pairs its display to the logic board through a small microcontroller. On iOS 15 and 15.1, fitting any other panel — even a genuine Apple one taken from another iPhone 13 — left Face ID completely disabled. Workshops that knew how would hand-transfer the soldered chip from the original panel to the replacement.
Apple corrected it in iOS 15.2, released in December 2021, without mentioning it in the release notes. Since then Face ID keeps working after a screen replacement, and that is why this repair is routine again today.
One practical detail still affects your phone: if your iPhone 13 is still on iOS 15.0 or 15.1, updating it before the repair removes the problem at the root. It is a one-minute check in Settings that we always run before opening anything.
Where all this comes from
What we see most on this model
Screen split after a drop
The model’s signature failure. We check the iOS version and test Face ID in front of you at handover, which is the only serious way to close the job.
Green patches or lines on the panel
The OLED is damaged even though the glass held. It is still a display replacement, and it is better not to wait for the patch to spread.
Battery worn out early
With fast charging every day, four years is enough to drop below 80 % capacity. It is replaced without touching the display or Face ID.
Before you bring it in
Update iOS before you bring it in
If the phone got stuck on iOS 15.0 or 15.1, bringing it up to date before opening it avoids the one scenario where this screen swap caused trouble.
Something similar happened to the iPhone 12
It had its own Face ID episode after a screen swap, resolved by Apple in iOS 14.4. If you have a 12, the advice is the same: update it first.
The service this belongs to
This page digs into one specific model. If you want the full picture of what we do with this family of devices, start here:
Similar models with their own page
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose Face ID when the screen is replaced?
On iOS 15.2 or later, no. Apple corrected that behaviour in December 2021. We check the version before starting and test face recognition with you present when we hand the phone back.
What if my iPhone 13 is on an old version?
We update it before touching anything, or you update it yourself from Settings, General, Software Update. It is the simplest way to keep the repair from dragging along a problem that is already solved.
Will a non-genuine display alert appear?
Yes, the same as on other recent models: the phone records in Settings that the display is not the factory one, and True Tone is lost. Nothing else is blocked, and we tell you before we repair.
Shall we take a look?
Tell us what’s wrong and we’ll tell you what it is, what it costs and how long it takes. No obligation, and the initial diagnosis is free.
4,6 out of 5 · 138 reviews on GoogleCarrer de Fontanella, 14, bajos · 08010 Barcelona — or drop by Fontanella 14, next to Plaça Catalunya