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Featured Guide

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

12

Time Required

                          30 minutes

Sections

1

  • Broken Back Cover
  • 12 steps

Flags

2

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              The Phone.
  • The cover we are going to replace.

The cover we are going to replace.

1024

Step 2

              Heating.
  • Start by using a blow-dryer on the hottest setting. Heat the entire backside of the phone, and focus on the edges for a minute or two.

Start by using a blow-dryer on the hottest setting. Heat the entire backside of the phone, and focus on the edges for a minute or two.

Step 3

              Loosening the cover.
  • Use a suction-cup to pull up the back-cover about 1mm. Insert a pick and use a second one to make the opening larger.

Use a suction-cup to pull up the back-cover about 1mm. Insert a pick and use a second one to make the opening larger.

Step 4

              Removing the cover.
  • Use the picks to get the cover off as far as possible. After this, wear gloves and try to pull off the glass. It will break in this step, so be careful for any pieces of sharp glass!

Use the picks to get the cover off as far as possible. After this, wear gloves and try to pull off the glass. It will break in this step, so be careful for any pieces of sharp glass!

Step 5

              Removing glass.
  • Continue removing the looser pieces. Use plastic tools, so you don’t damage the electronics inside.

Continue removing the looser pieces. Use plastic tools, so you don’t damage the electronics inside.

Step 6

              Removing the main piece
  • Use the black tabs to pull the white double-sided tape. Remember not to pull these up, but stretch them to the sides. Pull carefully to avoid snapping.

Use the black tabs to pull the white double-sided tape. Remember not to pull these up, but stretch them to the sides. Pull carefully to avoid snapping.

Step 7

              More glass.
  • You can now take off the glass that was attached to the battery.
  • Carefully remove all the glass and tape that’s left.
  • Clean out all the glass with a small soft brush. I used the tip of an soft toothbrush.

You can now take off the glass that was attached to the battery.

Carefully remove all the glass and tape that’s left.

Clean out all the glass with a small soft brush. I used the tip of an soft toothbrush.

Step 8

              NFC sticker.
  • Be sure to clean all the glass! Use tape to carefully pick up the small pieces.
  • We still need to remove the NFC sticker to place in the new cover.
  • Carefully peel it off the old cover.

Be sure to clean all the glass! Use tape to carefully pick up the small pieces.

We still need to remove the NFC sticker to place in the new cover.

Carefully peel it off the old cover.

Step 9

              Placing the NFC sticker.
  • Place the NFC sticker in the free space in the tape on the inside of the new cover.
  • Press it down.
  • The contact sensitive area on the sticker will line up with the connectors on the motherboard.

Place the NFC sticker in the free space in the tape on the inside of the new cover.

Press it down.

The contact sensitive area on the sticker will line up with the connectors on the motherboard.

Step 10

              The new cover.
  • This is our new cover. Why not a new color? Not too expensive on eBay. This is an aftermarket version.
  • Peel off the protective plastic.

This is our new cover. Why not a new color? Not too expensive on eBay. This is an aftermarket version.

Peel off the protective plastic.

Step 11

              Placing the new cover.
  • Line the cover up with one of the corners and align it along the long edge.
  • Before you drop it in, you can make small adjustment to line it up with the opposite corner.
  • Gently press it down along all edges and about two thirds down, where the cover sticks to the battery.

Line the cover up with one of the corners and align it along the long edge.

Before you drop it in, you can make small adjustment to line it up with the opposite corner.

Gently press it down along all edges and about two thirds down, where the cover sticks to the battery.

Step 12

              Finishing touches.
  • Wipe all smudges off the back with a microfiber cloth.
  • Give it one last press along the edges while wiping.
  • And we’re done. A nice new gold back cover for an Xperia Z3.
  • If you want you can protect the glass with a tempered screen-protector. Keep in mind that this may influence your case choice.

Wipe all smudges off the back with a microfiber cloth.

Give it one last press along the edges while wiping.

And we’re done. A nice new gold back cover for an Xperia Z3.

If you want you can protect the glass with a tempered screen-protector. Keep in mind that this may influence your case choice.

The phone is normally waterproof, and should still be, after this repair. However, I have not tested it, so I can not give a conclusive answer on how water-proof the device stays after repair.

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                                                                                      48 other people completed this guide.

Author

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                    larsjj

Member since: 09/11/2015

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Max A - Dec 29, 2015

Reply

My european Sony Xperia Z3 had much more glue attached to the battery, making it much harder to remove all of the glas.

Max A - Dec 29, 2015

Worked anyhow :-) Looks awesome again!

Thanks for the guide!

Ben Clayton - Jul 31, 2016

Reply

My new back just won’t stay stuck down. Can ib use super glue on it? I think half the battle is the phone heating up and loosening the glue.

larsjj - Aug 23, 2016

I’d be careful using superglue. Some sticky kit might be better. Maybe heating up the new one and holding it down with clamps or a book should make it stick better too.

Nezha - Nov 27, 2016

Reply

Hi, I replace The back cover this morning and everything work well but when I attached the new back cover power button stopped working :(.. Do you have any suggestion what I should do? If I plug it into the USB it started charging and screen work but I cannot get it to power on..