Touch ID problem after screen replacement

[MacUse-R]

So i just replaced a broken original iPhone 6 Plus screen against a cheap third party screen and that involved removing the long cable that runs along the shield plate among other steps. I´m talking about the cable to where the home button connector attaches.

I used the original home button but i still get the Touch ID error and can´t use touch ID anymore.

The only thing i can think of is if that long flex cable got a micro tear, since the actual connector on the end of that flex cable was glued very hard onto the front panel and i had to work carefully for like 30 minutes to get the cable/connector loose from the front panel.
When i got it loose the cable had tiny bend/mark near the connector, but i could not see any tears and all pins looked okay when i looked with a magnifying glass.

The home button seems to work as it should except the touch id error. I have opened it again and reseated the home button connector.
I did remove the battery connector before i did the screen replacement by the way.

I don´t want to try and restore the phone through itunes since i currently have ios 10.1 on the phone and would like to keep it that way, and i´m not too sure that would help anyway.

So could it be the long flex cable that causes only the touch ID not function even though the home button works fine in all other aspects?

And is that flex cable also paired with the specific motherboard, or is it only the actual home button?

And is the error 53 an issue anymore when restoring through itunes?

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Home button is paired to the board.. Isn’t the cable part of the home button?

 

[MacUse-R]

Home button is paired to the board.. Isn’t the cable part of the home button?

Well i don´t talk about the short "cable" with a little chip that is attached to/part of the actual home button, but the long flex cable that is running along the shield plate and which connects to the home button. Its not a physical part of the home button, but it transfers the signal from the home button to the motherboard.

So nobody on a mac/iphone forum don´t know anything about this problem?? I would be grateful if somebody cared to answer in case you know anything about this touch ID after screen replacement problem?

 

[JPack]

Well i don´t talk about the short "cable" with a little chip that is attached to/part of the actual home button, but the long flex cable that is running along the shield plate and which connects to the home button. Its not a physical part of the home button, but it transfers the signal from the home button to the motherboard.

So nobody on a mac/iphone forum don´t know anything about this problem?? I would be grateful if somebody cared to answer in case you know anything about this touch ID after screen replacement problem?

The flex cables are extremely fragile. If your home button works but Touch ID doesn’t, you probabaly damaged the rear flex cable.

 

[AxlTJ]

It's most likely damaged but I've seen cases where it was just a software bug. Try to delete the stored fingerprints and create a new fingerprint record. It might resolve it. "might"

 

[MacUse-R]

The flex cables are extremely fragile. If your home button works but Touch ID doesn’t, you probabaly damaged the rear flex cable.

Which is the "rear flex cable"?? Do you mean the cable thats on the actual home button (which he is working on in your video), or the long flex cable running along the shield plate?
I really hope its not the home button flex cable, but instead the long flex cable which is at fault because as far as i have understood that one can be replaced and doesn´t need to be the original one, as opposed to the actual home button.

And i didn´t had any problems removing the home button and its attached cable, but i had problems removing the long flex cable at the connector point because it was glued hard onto the front panel, and i even got a bend / kink in that long cable around the connector, so i´m hoping its that one.

The fix on your video obviously can´t be done by any normal human being, its too small things to work on and too many things that can go wrong.

If the actual home button is broken or it´s flex cable is that then usually visible when inspecting the home button and it´s flex cable with high enough magnification?
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It's most likely damaged but I've seen cases where it was just a software bug. Try to delete the stored fingerprints and create a new fingerprint record. It might resolve it. "might"

I don´t think i had any fingerprints stored, at least it does not have any option to remove fingerprints, only one option to add fingerprints, but that option is greyed out.

Ive read some people having success restoring the phone, but others had no success in restoring. I don´t want to try a restore unless i´m pretty confident there is a good chance it will help fixing the touch ID problem.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

The flex cables are extremely fragile. If your home button works but Touch ID doesn’t, you probabaly damaged the rear flex cable.

I love watching repair videos from Rewa..

 

[crawfish963]

I used to do iPhone repairs until the OLEDs made it insane. The cable attaching the home button to the board is incredibly fragile and if you were anything other than super cautious, it's likely that you did tear something. Unfortunately, short of buying a new board and accompanying home button, you're out of luck.

 

[MacUse-R]

I used to do iPhone repairs until the OLEDs made it insane. The cable attaching the home button to the board is incredibly fragile and if you were anything other than super cautious, it's likely that you did tear something. Unfortunately, short of buying a new board and accompanying home button, you're out of luck.

Well buying a new Home button does not solve the problem since it needs to be the original home button in order to Touch ID to work.

EDIT: I saw now that you meant buying both a new motherboard and a paired home button. Yeah of course thats not an option.

And also my home button is working properly except the touch ID function, so don´t know if something is actually broken on the home button or its attached cable/ chip?

But the long flex cable to runs beneath the heat shield got roughed up when i tried to remove it, the lower connector got a little bend, and i was forced to work hard for a long time on it since it was glued hard to the front panel, and also apply much heat many times on it.

I can also mention that restoring the iphone (or actually updating the iphone from iOS 10.1 to iOS 12.1.1 beta 3) did not fix the problem unfortunately.

I guess the only thing i can try at this point is exchanging the heat shield with its long flex cable, and if that does not work then i guess there is nothing more i can do to fix the Touch ID, then i will unfortunately have to be without Touch ID functionality. And i have a feeling installing a new long flex cable will not fix the problem?

Is there at least some way i can disable the message that says that it could not activate touch ID, which is showing up every time i start the iphone?
I don´t need to be reminded of my Touch ID not working.

 

[PetrosMac]

Well buying a new Home button does not solve the problem since it needs to be the original home button in order to Touch ID to work.

EDIT: I saw now that you meant buying both a new motherboard and a paired home button. Yeah of course thats not an option.

And also my home button is working properly except the touch ID function, so don´t know if something is actually broken on the home button or its attached cable/ chip?

But the long flex cable to runs beneath the heat shield got roughed up when i tried to remove it, the lower connector got a little bend, and i was forced to work hard for a long time on it since it was glued hard to the front panel, and also apply much heat many times on it.

I can also mention that restoring the iphone (or actually updating the iphone from iOS 10.1 to iOS 12.1.1 beta 3) did not fix the problem unfortunately.

I guess the only thing i can try at this point is exchanging the heat shield with its long flex cable, and if that does not work then i guess there is nothing more i can do to fix the Touch ID, then i will unfortunately have to be without Touch ID functionality. And i have a feeling installing a new long flex cable will not fix the problem?

Is there at least some way i can disable the message that says that it could not activate touch ID, which is showing up every time i start the iphone?
I don´t need to be reminded of my Touch ID not working.

Good morning, I’m working at a 3rd party repair shop in Italy, soooo..... the first thing to try is to change the flat running all along the shield on the back of the screen, remember to put the small silver base underneath the end of the connector (where you attach the home button) cause sometimes this causes problems with the Touch ID, if everything works then we solved the problem otherwise it could be a problem with the home button but in that case there is nothing you can do to restore the Touch ID functionality cause it’s paired to the motherboard.

Have a nice day!

 

[MacUse-R]

Good morning, I’m working at a 3rd party repair shop in Italy, soooo..... the first thing to try is to change the flat running all along the shield on the back of the screen, remember to put the small silver base underneath the end of the connector (where you attach the home button) cause sometimes this causes problems with the Touch ID, if everything works then we solved the problem otherwise it could be a problem with the home button but in that case there is nothing you can do to restore the Touch ID functionality cause it’s paired to the motherboard.

Have a nice day!

Thanks, yes exactly, that long flex cables lower connector which has the silver base was the one that was hard to remove and which i could have broke because it got a visible bend near the lower connector, i got the silver on right now since i transfered that part also.

 

[crawfish963]

I know it's too little, too late, but I always use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen up the adhesive holding the cable down. Good luck, I truly hope you are able to fix it. Don't suppose you know how to micro-solder?

 

[MacUse-R]

I know it's too little, too late, but I always use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen up the adhesive holding the cable down. Good luck, I truly hope you are able to fix it. Don't suppose you know how to micro-solder?

Thank you. I used a hair dryer to heat the connector and i had to heat it many times for longer and longer periods, but it was stuck to the front panel anyway.

Unfortunately i cracked my new screen yesterday after about a week with the new screen, so 40$ down the drain, i guess i have to start over and order a new screen and this time i will also order a new heat shield with the attached flex cable.

No unfortunately i don´t master micro soldering, i really wish i did though.

So if the actual home button flex is broken is that always recognisable with magnification, or can it be broken without it showing (touch ID broken)?

 

[AxlTJ]

So if the actual home button flex is broken is that always recognisable with magnification, or can it be broken without it showing (touch ID broken)?

Yes, the damage is inside and it's not always visible upfront.

I used a hair dryer to heat the connector and i had to heat it many times for longer and longer periods, but it was stuck to the front panel anyway.

Did you heat the flex directly? This might just be the reason why one function is down.

 

[MacUse-R]

Yes, the damage is inside and it's not always visible upfront.



Did you heat the flex directly? This might just be the reason why one function is down.

Yes i heated the lower connector thats glued to the front panel, the one on the long heat shield flex cable, that connector connects to the actual home button. But i had of course already removed the home button before i used heat.

Okay so you think the heat itself could have destroyed that connector?

 

[AxlTJ]

Okay so you think the heat itself could have destroyed that connector?

I strongly suspect it. If heated substantially, microdamage will definitely occur. I had experienced this many times before during my time as a tech. This usually happens during battery replacement as heating the back side of the phone will soften and loosen the adhesive of the battery.

When heat is directed inadvertently to areas where flex is located like, volume flex, and heated enough, the volume flex gets damaged and the buttons no longer work.

Quite a sensitive piece of tech, really.

 

[MacUse-R]

I strongly suspect it. If heated substantially, microdamage will definitely occur. I had experienced this many times before during my time as a tech. This usually happens during battery replacement as heating the back side of the phone will soften and loosen the adhesive of the battery.

When heat is directed inadvertently to areas where flex is located like, volume flex, and heated enough, the volume flex gets damaged and the buttons no longer work.

Quite a sensitive piece of tech, really.

Well the button works fine, except the touch ID function.

Also i heated the phone on 2 different occasions, i also heated it when i replaced the battery a week before the screen replacement. So the phone has received very much heating all together.