Gadgetory

today I'm going to show you how to replace a cracked camera lens on an iPhone 7 and 7 plus the process is the same for both phone models and you don't even have to open up your phone only attempt this project if you're cracked camera lens is keeping you from using your camera several things can go wrong during this repair which I'll explain as I go and you really don't want to risk anything unless you have nothing left to lose now we have that out of the way let's get started I am using a bonafide hardware glass camera lens replacement for this project I will link these down in the video description they are pretty inexpensive and you can find them on amazon bonafide hardware sells two versions of this lens one with the frame that is way harder to install and this glass only version which is what we're going to use today it is incredibly small but it is precision cut for the iPhone 7 now we start one of the hardest parts of this project removing the old cracked glass feet is going to be your best friend during this process if you have hair you can use a blow dryer as for me I'm going to use a heat gun I'll warm up the lens until it's just barely too hot to touch with my finger as you're pulling the glass chunks out from the little circle make sure nothing falls into the camera itself the camera that you see underneath this broken lens is very fragile in more ways than one first it can scratch very very easily which means if any of the glass chunks brush up against the actual camera unit you'll lose your focus ability also there are moving parts inside of the camera that are part of the optical image stabilization and these moving parts can get jammed up by glass dust so you want to keep the inside as free from dust and glass bits as possible I like to use a sturdy sharp razor blade to remove the glass chunks but you can also use a pair of metal tweezers you'll probably want to warm up the lens about every 30 seconds or so since it does cool down pretty fast the adhesive gets tough when it cools down you can hold the phone vertically to help keep the glass and adhesive from falling down inside using gravity to your advantage you do want to clean off that entire inner Ridge if there are any dust or adhesive pressure points left on that little ledge when you install the new lens the new glass will be more prone to breaking you want that surface as flat as possible now we have that inner ledge pretty well cleaned up this looks big on your screen right now but in real life it is incredibly small this is like a repair project for ants you can see how the camera moves around inside of the frame this is part of the mechanical stabilization that I was talking about earlier thumbs up for Apple finally implementing oh is also at this point the camera can still take clear pictures and focus just fine even without the glass in place now to install this lens I'll need some clear silicone this can be purchased at literally any hardware store and is dirt cheap I will link some in the video description along with the lens this clear sealant is made for aquariums sinks tubs and anything that might come in contact with water so technically your iPhone 7 will still keep its water resistance with the new lens installed but I still recommend avoiding water either way this adhesive is also rubbery so it allow the lens to fluctuate with any temperature changes and not crack I'm going to take a wooden toothpick and gently dab some of the rubber sealant all around the inside shelf of the lens frame go slow don't let any stray silicon strands drape like a spiderweb over the camera unit because it'll be a nightmare to clean up inside of that hole go slow and be careful this stuff doesn't dry very fast so you have plenty of time to make sure that the silicone is evenly spread around the edge now the bonafide hardware lens replacement for the iPhone 7 has two sides to it one is glossy and the other side is more of a matte finish you want the glossy side facing outwards the camera will still function if you get the direction wrong it's just more aesthetically pleasing if you get the shiny side facing out I'm going to remove the plastic cover over the masked side and then gently set the lens down into the hole that we cleared and added silicone to I'll press it into place firmly but gently keep in mind that it is still glass as long as there's no glass dust or bits of heart adhesive under that new lens it shouldn't crack under any pressure the bonafide hardware glass is just as thick as the original if your lens does not come with the protective plastic shields just make sure that it's clean on the underside before you install it it takes about 45 minutes for the silicone to get super tacky and a full 24 hours to fully cure or dry so hold it in place with your finger for about a minute or two before wiping off the excess silicone silicone is very easy to cleanup when it is wet it just wipes away unlike super glue which would be a royal mess make sure the lens is flat inside of its little frame and try not to disturb it for at least two hours or better leave overnight my focus ability is still intact after replacing the lens it would be difficult to tell that the lens was ever cracked in the first place it's kind of fun that you can fix the camera lens on your iPhone 7 with just some fish tank sealant a toothpick and some replacement glass speaking of which I have a spare lens just to show that the bonafide lenses are indeed real glass and here is both lenses side by side on the Left we have the original piece of Apple iPhone glass and on the right side is the bonafide hardware glass both of the same thickness and pretty inexpensive it might be smart to buy two lenses just in case something goes wrong with the install hopefully this video was helpful you can always find my behind-the-scenes stuff posted on Twitter and Instagram let's see who's still awake and made it to the end of the video tell me what you had for breakfast in the comments I had a bowl of chocolate Cheerios with a scoop of protein in it which actually now sounds kind of weird when I say it out loud I do read all of the comments even if I can't respond to every single one of them thanks for watching I'll see you around