iPhone repair
Screen, battery, camera, charging port, liquid damage and back glass.
iPhone · 2017
Repairing an iPhone 8 in Barcelona: back glass and Touch ID
It was the first iPhone with a glass back, and that changed two things at once: it charges without a cable, and now it also breaks from behind.
4,6 out of 5 · 138 reviews on GoogleRepair quirk
The glass back arrived with wireless charging
Apple swapped aluminium for glass so the phone could charge without a cable: the charging coil sits right under the back panel. The side effect is the one you already know if you have dropped it: the number of breakable surfaces went from one to two.
The panel does not come off like a case. It is bonded with very stubborn adhesive, with the coil and several flex cables running underneath, which is why iFixit called it one of the hardest replacements on this model. It can be done, but it is controlled-heat and microscope work, and it is quoted separately from a screen replacement.
The home button is the other quirk. It is paired to its logic board at the factory, so a replacement button still works as a button but stops reading fingerprints, even a genuine one taken from another iPhone 8. That is why a screen replacement always moves the original button across to the new display.
Where all this comes from
What we see most on this model
Broken back glass
The phone works but the back is shattered. It is replaced with the wireless charging coil kept intact; if the impact reached the coil, the diagnosis shows it and we tell you first.
A battery that does not last the afternoon
Settings, Battery, Battery Health shows the maximum capacity. Below 80 %, sudden shutdowns in the cold or with the camera open are exactly what you would expect.
Touch ID that stopped reading your fingerprint
Before writing the sensor off, the flex cable and its connector need checking: a knock or a forced earlier reassembly knocks them out of line, and that is fixable.
Before you bring it in
Bring the original button even if it is broken
It is the one part of the phone that cannot be swapped without losing a feature. With the original in front of us there is always more room to keep Touch ID working.
The 2020 and 2022 iPhone SE share this body
They share the case, the display and the home button with the iPhone 8, so almost everything on this page applies to them too. The board changed; the mechanics did not.
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
Can just the back glass be replaced?
Yes, it is a repair in its own right. It is delicate, because the bonded glass has to come off without damaging the wireless charging coil underneath, so we look at it first and tell you what it means for your particular unit.
Will I lose Touch ID if the screen is replaced?
No. On the iPhone 8 the fingerprint reader lives in the home button, not in the display. The original button simply has to be moved onto the new screen, and that is part of the job.
Is an iPhone 8 still worth repairing?
It depends on what is wrong and what you use it for. A battery or a screen usually pays off; if the board needs work as well, we say so plainly at diagnosis and you decide with the facts in front of you.
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