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CR125Honda

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 27, 2012
5
0
KY
Found a donor iPhone X I could purchase to repair my X with cracked front and back glass. Have learned it's not as simple as swapping / plugging in the new parts. Face ID, TrueTone, Taptic may not function without purchasing / using a screen programmer. Guess my options are to take it to someone who has the tool or purchase a programmer and do it myself. Have changed many other screens but none requiring programming to retain a fully functional phone. Could really use some advise, links, etc., to save myself from searching for hours on the best way to get this done. Tks!
 

DevinNj

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2016
1,722
1,740
New Jersey
Just to give you an idea of what you're looking at, Apple does not repair these phones when the back cracks. It's not economically viable to repair, so they replace. It's not impossible to do, just not practical.
 

bobmans

macrumors 6502a
Feb 7, 2020
596
1,750
It's relatively simple.
Since your back is also cracked and the back glass of the phone isn't really possible to replace you'll have to use the "donor" housing, put all your original components in there and attach the "donor" screen.
The only thing you will lose is TrueTone which isn't possible to get back afaik unless you're bringing in your phone to an Apple Approved Repair Shop in which case you'll pay $549 for the "other damages" repair and will receive a refurb phone.

Considering you found a "donor" iPhone X that you're willing to purchase with a non-cracked back/front, why not just use that one instead of going to the trouble of replacing parts?
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
12,669
23,573
Just to give you an idea of what you're looking at, Apple does not repair these phones when the back cracks. It's not economically viable to repair, so they replace. It's not impossible to do, just not practical.
The guys in the Genius Bar are trained using webinars. Anything beyond replacing the battery or display, they can’t do. It’s not because of economics, it’s due to lack of skill.
 

CR125Honda

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 27, 2012
5
0
KY
Haven't purchased the donor phone yet. All I know is that it doesn't power on and the glass is all intact. Price is right which may make it worth the effort. Trying to figure out if it's a gamble worth taking. Have read about a chip programming tool that transfers screen data, allowing TrueTone.
 

bobmans

macrumors 6502a
Feb 7, 2020
596
1,750
Haven't purchased the donor phone yet. All I know is that it doesn't power on and the glass is all intact. Price is right which may make it worth the effort. Trying to figure out if it's a gamble worth taking. Have read about a chip programming tool that transfers screen data, allowing TrueTone.
I’d skip the donor phone entirely then. A phone not turning on usually points to water damage, the screen might not even work.
 
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DevinNj

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2016
1,722
1,740
New Jersey
The guys in the Genius Bar are trained using webinars. Anything beyond replacing the battery or display, they can’t do. It’s not because of economics, it’s due to lack of skill.
Sorry but I beg to differ. The reason Apple doesn't repair a broken back panel absolutely comes down to economic reasons. It is considered to be B-E-R, Beyond Economic Repair, meaning it's cheaper to replace than to repair the unit. Do you really think Apple wouldn't want to take the cheapest route that nets them the most money in these situations, especially when you're talking potentially tens of thousands of broken/faulty/defective units world-wide? Again, I never mentioned the Genius Bar, that is or should I say has been allocated as a "quick stop" type of repair in order to get customers in/out as quickly as possible.
 

menist

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2010
609
479
California
I believe you can do a housing swap without any problems, but battery, taptic, face ID, and screen have to be the original. Not worth it imo, having to invest for the tools just for one project.
 
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