Skip to content

Iphone Back Glass

Iphone Back Glass Replacement Prices

TechBrotherz, a walk-in repair store at 3317 17 Ave SE in Calgary, Alberta, replaces cracked Iphone back glass. Since the Iphone 8, the rear panel is glass rather than aluminium, and on models before the Iphone 12 it is bonded to the frame hard enough that replacement is a slow job rather than a quick one.

Iphone back glass replacement at TechBrotherz in Calgary is quoted per model, free of charge, before any work starts. On Iphone 8 through Iphone 11 the rear glass is bonded to the frame with strong adhesive and has to be removed in pieces, which makes it a longer repair than a screen. From Iphone 12 onwards the panel is designed to come off more cleanly.

Key facts

  • Quote: Free at the Store, part and labour included
  • Typical time: About 60 minutes
  • Included: The part, the labour and the testing
  • Warranty: 60 days on the part and the work
  • Appointment: Not needed, walk in during opening hours

Last updated

Every Model

How Much Does This Repair Cost on Each Model?

Quoted per model at the Store, as one figure with the part and the labour included. Newest models first, and each name links to that handset's full repair list.

TechBrotherz prices this repair per model, because the part differs across the range. Call (403) 273-8324 with your exact model and you will have the figure before you travel, free of charge, and nothing starts at the Store until you have agreed it.

Symptoms

Which Symptoms Point at This Repair?

If your device is doing one of these, this is usually the repair it needs.

  • Cracked or shattered glass on the back of the phone, with the front undamaged.
  • Glass fragments lifting away from the frame, sharp enough to catch on a pocket.
  • Wireless charging that has stopped working since the back was cracked.
  • A back panel bulging outward, which means the battery underneath has swollen.
  • Cracks spreading from around the camera bump after a drop onto a corner.

The Repair

What Does This Repair Actually Involve?

Written out so you know what you are paying for, not to make it sound complicated.

  1. Step 1

    The Extent of the Damage Is Assessed

    Back glass that is cracked but flat is a different job from glass that has shattered into loose fragments across the camera bump.

  2. Step 2

    The Phone Is Opened From the Front and Stripped

    Everything has to come out of the frame before the back can be worked on, because the process that removes the old glass would destroy anything left inside.

  3. Step 3

    The Old Glass Is Removed From the Frame

    On Iphone 8 through 11 the panel is bonded hard and comes away in pieces, which is the slow part of this repair. On Iphone 12 and later it releases more cleanly.

  4. Step 4

    The Frame Is Cleaned and the New Panel Bonded

    Every trace of old glass and adhesive has to come off, because a new panel will not sit flat on a frame with fragments still stuck to it.

  5. Step 5

    The Phone Is Rebuilt and Tested

    Everything goes back in, and wireless charging, the cameras and the flash are all checked, because all three sit behind or beside the panel that was replaced.

Why Is Iphone Back Glass Replacement More Work Than a Screen?

A screen is designed to be removed. It is held by two screws and a set of connectors, because Apple's own service process replaces displays. The back glass on an Iphone 8 through Iphone 11 was never designed to come off at all, and it is bonded to the frame with adhesive strong enough that it does not release intact.

In practice that means the old panel is removed in fragments rather than lifted off, and every piece of glass and every trace of adhesive has to be cleared from the frame before a new panel can bond flat. That clearing is where the time goes, and it is why this repair takes around an hour rather than half of one.

It also means the phone has to be completely stripped first. The board, the battery, the cameras and the taptic engine all come out of the frame before the back is worked on, and go back in afterwards.

What Changed With the Iphone 12?

From the Iphone 12 onwards, Apple changed the internal design so the rear glass can be removed more cleanly, which makes the repair meaningfully less laborious than it is on the Iphone 8 through 11 generation. It is one of the few cases where a newer phone is easier to repair than an older one.

This shows up in the pricing. On the models where the glass has to be taken off in pieces, the labour is the dominant cost rather than the part, which is why an older Iphone can cost as much for back glass as a newer one despite the part being cheaper.

If you are weighing up whether to have back glass done, the model matters more here than on almost any other repair, and the quote reflects that rather than smoothing every model into one figure.

Does Cracked Back Glass Actually Need Fixing?

Not always, and it is worth being honest about that. A back panel with a single crack that is not lifting, on a phone that lives in a case, affects nothing about how the phone works. Wireless charging usually keeps working, and if you cannot see it, it is not doing you harm.

Three things change that. Loose fragments are sharp and will catch on hands and pockets, and glass that has started lifting will keep coming away. A crack that lets moisture and dust in past the seal is a slow problem rather than an immediate one. And if you plan to sell or trade the phone in, cracked back glass reduces the value by more than the repair costs on most models.

The one case that is not optional is a back panel bulging outward. That is a swollen battery pushing from the inside, and it needs dealing with promptly rather than watching.

Will Wireless Charging Still Work Afterwards?

Yes. The wireless charging coil sits inside the phone, mounted against the inside of the rear panel, and it is not part of the glass that gets replaced. It comes out with the rest of the internals during the strip-down and goes back in afterwards.

If wireless charging stopped working when the back cracked, the impact that broke the glass most likely damaged the coil or its connector underneath, and that is a separate part. We will test it during the repair and tell you if that is what we find.

The cameras and flash also sit behind the rear panel, and all of them get tested after the glass is replaced, because a hard enough drop to shatter the back is a hard enough drop to disturb what is behind it.

By Model

Where This Repair Differs by Model

Iphone 8 through Iphone 11

The rear glass is bonded hard to the frame and comes away in pieces. This is the labour-heavy generation for this repair.

Iphone 12 and later

Apple changed the internal design so the rear panel releases more cleanly, which makes the repair less laborious than on the previous generation.

Iphone 7 and earlier

These have aluminium backs rather than glass, so this repair does not apply. Dents and scuffs on those models are housing work.

Honest Limits

When This Repair Is Not Worth It

  • When a single crack is stable, not lifting, and the phone lives in a case.
  • When the phone is old enough that the labour-heavy repair costs a large share of its used value.
  • When the front screen also needs replacing, because doing both is worth pricing together before deciding.

Every price on this page includes the part and the labour, and every repair carries a 60-day warranty on the part and the workmanship. Prices for every device TechBrotherz repairs are on how quoting works.

Popular Models

The Models People Ask About Most

Each page below lists every repair TechBrotherz does on that handset, with typical times.

Questions

Questions About Iphone Back Glass Replacement

Answered across the whole site

Walk in and we will price it at the Store

TechBrotherz is at 3317 17 Ave SE in Calgary. No appointment needed, and nothing starts until you have agreed the price.

Call (403) 273-8324Cell Phone Repair