Chosen Solution
My iPhone 4 has a new kind of screw. What type are they and what tools do I need to remove them? I included photos here: http://yfrog.com/0rx9qjx
Hey Kashar, I tried looking at your pictures, but it’s still very difficult to see the screws. Could you light up the bottom of the phone with some good lights (bring the bottom of the phone close to a desk lamp, etc.) and take a photo with the “macro” mode of your camera? That will give us a much better idea of what kind of screw type we’re dealing with. Original iPhone 4 images on Apple’s site had star-shaped screws on it – are these the screws found on your phone? If so, they’re a variant of the tamper resistant Torx Plus patented screws. They are basically star-shaped instead of six-sided, with no post in the middle of the screw head. If so, you can (very carefully!) use a small flathead screwdriver to turn the screws. We haven’t done it ourselves with such a small star-shaped screw, since all our iPhone 4s had normal Phillips screws, but it should be possible. Update 1/20/11 We published a blog post today that explains in detail what these “Pentalobe” screws are, and why Apple is using them in their devices. You can use our iPhone 4 screw replacement guide and Liberation Kit to replace these diabolical screws with standard #00 Phillips units!
There’s a trick I’ve learned that has come in quite handy when I’ve come across screw’s with strange tip’s like on old gaming system’s. I take an old bic pen and pull the ink out. Then I use a lighter to carefully melt the end of the bic pen just enough to be mold-able (Not too much or you could risk melting the plastic housing of whatever you are taking screws out of) and then while it is hot I press the heated end of the plastic down onto the screw making sure it is as straight as possible and holding it there for 2-3 minutes, until it’s cooled back to room temperature, with enough pressure that it allows the plastic to mold to the tip of the screw. If done properly you now have a home made screw driver lol. I figure a bic pen would be too big for the screws on the iphone, but maybe you could find something else, like a cocktail spear or something. I recommend trying this out on something inexpensive first before trying on the iphone though. I used this tons on like nintendo 64’s and gamecube’s and stuff and worked great. but sometimes the plastic casing on the system would melt slightly if I heated the pen too much. A little practice though and I haven’t done that in a long time. So if you try this you have been forwarned lol. really works good for me though. good luck
I received my screwdriver set that I bought on eBay and one of the two screwdrivers that was included in the set matches the new iPhone screws like it was made for the new screws (and it very likely was specially made for these screws). It doesn’t strip the screws and there is no sign of screwdriver usage even after removing screws a couple of times. I bought mine from here.
Here are all the guides we have for the iPhone 4 Repair.
yes i have seen the screws i live in japan and my iphone 4 has the crazy small 5 star screw. its smaller than a torx T1. i had to get a really small flat head and get a file and file it down a little bit at a time then use a magnifying glass and try it until i got it right. it was a pain but it did work i went on ebay and ordered some normal Phillips and put them in instead.
any news on those screwdrivers? do those macbook air ones fit the iphone 4 as well? isn’t it bigger?
These new tamper-resistant screws are pretty annoying! Here at the iFixit office we had to open an iPhone 4 with those screws and after a couple attempts at different things, we settled on the “superglue method”. Usually used for striped screws, the method basically involves supergluing a screwdriver to the screw, waiting for it to set, then unscrewing. The screw should easily break off from the drive once removed. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
I just ordered the screwdriver from here. This place is a USA seller so shipping should be much faster. The kit appears to be the same as those coming in from Asia. He probably bought a big batch wholesale from Asia.
We should think about setting up a pool for all these special tools Apple gadgets want. They do not want you in your machnes, period! It goes as far that you bring your iPhone with Phillips screws to the geieus bar for repair and get it back with 3 or 5 wing “tamper proof” screws. Let’s tamper with it ;-)
looks like tamper-resistant torx in the 5 lobed variety. These are and have been commonly used on many of the European cars in various applications such as motor, brakes, lights and interior trim. These should be about the right dimension and can give you an idea which size you might be looking for. The screws that Apple installed on the iPhone 4 is T1 Size Inch point to point [in] Metric point to point [mm] T1 .031 .81 T2 .036 .93 T10 .107 2.74 T15 .128 3.27 T20 .151 3.86 Looks like very limited availability :) http://www.traderscity.com/board/product… and http://www.8starshop.com/en/12-in-1-comp… Good luck and do not forget to change the screws to something a little more manageable….
These screws are pentalobe screws, to open it and to put in standard phillips ones, get iFixit’s iPhone 4 Liberation Kit.
You need a Pentalobe Screwdriver they have them here on iFixit, a 5-point Pentalobe screw the iPhone 4 and 4S uses. Apple are trying to ‘screw’ us over man!
This should help: iPhone 4S Liberation Kit
