How to Replace an IPhone 5 Battery

If your iPhone 5 suddenly dies when it claims to have battery life left, it's probably time to replace the battery. It's not hard to do, and new batteries can be found on Amazon for not that much. You'll need a few tools, but you can buy the tools with the battery. This was the first time I did this, and it didn't take long at all.

I learned how to do this by watching this YouTube video, so all due credit to JerryRigEverything. I recommend watching it first, it's only a couple of minutes. Oh yeah, it's pretty easy, but go slowly. If you screw it up, don't come crying to me!

** UPDATE ** Hey, check this page to see if Apple will replace your battery for free: https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-battery/ . They'll do mine, so I'm putting the old battery back in and getting a new one and keeping this one as a spare!

Here's what you'll need to do this 'ible:

1. New battery
2. Suction cup
3. Tiny phillips head screwdriver
4. Tiny pentalobe screwdriver
5. Plastic pry thing
6. Metal pry thing (not pictured)
7. Powered-down iPhone 5

Seriously, turn off your iPhone. Don't make me tell you again.

This is what I ordered off of Amazon, which included all the tools I used plus extras.

Use your pentalobe screwdriver to unfasten those two screws on the bottom. Put them somewhere safe. I have that handy magnetic bowl, but you can use a fridge magnet or a small cup or something. They're a pain to find if you drop them!

Attach your suction cup near the bottom, just above the button. While pulling on it, use your plastic prybar to get under the lip and pry it up. Once you get it started, work your way around the edge of the bottom and the right and left sides.

Only pivot the glass up to about 90° so you don't mess up the ribbon cable.

Using your Phillips screwdriver, remove the bottom two screws (marked in the top picture) and remove the little bracket. Again, don't lose those screws!

Pry up this little battery connector, then grab the plastic tab that says that you shouldn't be doing this :P

You may be able to just lift up on that tab and have it come out. I wasn't so lucky. I had to use another prybar on the other side of the battery to detach it from the adhesive. This kind of messed up the tab and adhesive, so I tried to put them back where they were.

Put the new battery in its spot, then get the connector to connect. This took me about a minute to figure out, but just press down gently while moving it a little left to right until it makes a good connection.

Put that bracket back in and screw it in place using the Phillips head screws.

Take a minute and look for lint or hair/fur that got it there, and remove it. I don't have a cat, and yet I found cat fur in mine, so it's worth a minute to check.

Carefully close the glass back down until it's seated.

Screw in those pentalobe screws at the bottom.

Turn it on. Did it come up? It did? Great job! One last thing:

Recycle that old battery!