How To Apply Stretch Release Battery Adhesive

Written By: Carsten Frauenheim
  • Comments: 3
How To Apply Stretch Release Battery Adhesive

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

13

Time Required

5 - 20 minutes

Introduction

This guide shows how to cut and apply new stretch release adhesive strips when you’re replacing a battery.

Note: This guide depicts several different phones and batteries during the procedure. Your adhesive application may vary slightly from the photos depicted in this guide, but the method remains the same.

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    • Keep track of the approximate location of the old battery adhesive. It may be helpful to take a quick photo to reference later.

    • Begin by removing all of the old adhesive and residue from the adhesion surfaces in the battery well.

    • You can pull the adhesive off with tweezers or your fingers, roll it up on the tip of a spudger with a roll-and-pull motion, or scrape it off with the flat end of a spudger.

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    • Finish cleaning the surface using a lint-free cloth (or coffee filter) and some high-concentration isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher).

    • Wait at least a minute to let the alcohol evaporate after cleaning.

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    • The following steps show a general use case for the stretch release adhesive strips—locations will vary between phone models. Evaluate what will work for your specific repair before you install the adhesive.

    • With the device powered off, inspect the battery well on your device:

    • Avoid applying adhesive over ribbon cables or delicate surfaces like NFC or wireless charging coils.

    • Avoid applying adhesive too close to sensitive components.

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    • The stretch release adhesive strips will be applied to the rear of the replacement battery, and may need to be cut to length.

    • If you don't need to cut the adhesive strips to length, skip the next two steps.

    • Lay the stretch release adhesive strips next to your replacement battery, aligning the pull tabs slightly above the top edge of the battery.

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    • Using a pen, mark a line on the stretch release adhesive just slightly above the bottom edge of the battery.

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    • Use a pair of sharp scissors or a razor blade to cut the stretch release adhesive tabs at the marked line.

    • If your scissors are dull, they may gum up the adhesive—you might have to start over with fresh strips.

    • Remove the excess section of adhesive.

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    • Remove the small sections of blue film covering the flat ends of the adhesive strips. Don't remove the entire blue liner, just the small parts covering the pull tabs.

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    • Carefully align the exposed portion of the adhesive strips along the edge of the front of the battery, and press them gently into place.

    • Some devices need to have the battery pull tabs located near the top of the device, and some have them located near the bottom. Evaluate what will work for your repair.

    • Take care to line up the strips correctly the first time. Once they adhere to the battery, they can't be removed and realigned.

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    • Place the battery face down on a flat surface.

    • Starting at the cut end of the adhesive strips, peel off the large blue film covering the strips.

    • Use a pair of tweezers to loosen the blue layer if you have trouble starting near the cut section of adhesive.

    • The blue film sometimes has a defect that prevents it from peeling off, and the strips have to be discarded and replaced.

    • If this happens to you and you got your strips from iFixit, contact us and we'll send you a replacement on the double.

    • In the meantime, you can temporarily reassemble your phone with a bit of double-sided tape to hold the battery.

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    • Using your fingertip, gently roll the adhesive strips over the bottom edge of the battery, toward the back.

    • Don't pull or stretch the strips as you apply them.

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    • Lay the strips down flat on the back of the battery.

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    • Use your fingers or a cloth to press the strips firmly into place along the back of the battery.

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    • Carefully peel away the remaining piece of film, fully exposing the adhesive strips.

    • Set the battery lightly in place in the device.

    • Plug in the battery connector temporarily to ensure that the cable reaches the socket. Disconnect the battery before resuming reassembly.

    • Press the battery into place, and continue with your repair.

Conclusion

For optimal performance, calibrate your newly installed battery after completing this guide.

Author

Carsten Frauenheim

Member since: 10/03/20

124524 Reputation

3 comments

The strips I have (from another supplier) have pink film on one side and clear on the other. How do I tell, apart from the colour, which side goes on the back of the battery?

Philip Le Riche -

I've worked it out. Comparing the first two photos of Step 5 you can see that the pull tabs have a black stripe on one side but are fully black on the other. The stripe side sticks to the battery as it's all sticky except just for the stripe. The black on the other side is then exposed. Not being sticky, it prevents it from sticking to anything it shouldn't.

Philip Le Riche -

July 4 2024. Received iFixit battery replacement kit for an iPhone 12 Mini. The adhesive strips were already in place on the back of the battery.. California

J Hill -