Introduction
This repair guide was authored by the iFixit staff and hasn’t been endorsed by Google. Learn more about our repair guides here.
This guide shows how to remove and replace a defective rear-facing camera module for a Pixel 3 XL.
To remove this camera, you will need to loosen and partially remove the motherboard.
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Heat an iOpener and apply it to the right edge of the back cover for a minute.
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While you wait, note the following areas on the back cover:
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Strong adhesive—there are large patches of adhesive near the bottom of the phone.
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Fingerprint sensor cable—be careful not to slice through the cable as you pry
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Apply a suction cup to the heated edge of the back cover, as close to the edge as possible.
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Pull up on the suction cup with strong, steady force to create a gap.
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Depending on the age of your phone, this may be difficult. If you are having trouble, apply heat to the edge and try again.
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Insert the point of an opening pick into the gap.
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Slide the opening pick along the right edge to slice through the adhesive.
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The adhesive gums up and becomes hard to slice once it cools. If that happens, re-apply heat to the edge to make slicing easier.
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Once you have sliced through the edge, leave an opening pick in the seam to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.
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Use an opening pick to slice around the bottom right corner and continue along the bottom edge of the phone.
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Leave a pick in the edge to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.
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Continue heating and slicing the remaining edges of the phone.
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Be careful as you slice along the left edge of the phone. If your pick feels like it's stuck near the top, you may have snagged the fingerprint sensor. Retract the pick out of the seam slightly and try again.
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Be sure to cut through the thick portions of adhesive near the bottom and right edge of the phone.
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Gently pry up the right edge of the back cover.
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Use an opening pick to slice through any remaining adhesive along the edges.
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Swing the right edge of the back cover upwards and rest the flipped panel along the left side of the phone.
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Use the point of a spudger to carefully flip up the black lock bar on the fingerprint sensor's ZIF socket.
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Grasp the cable's tab with your fingers or tweezers and gently walk the flex cable out of the socket.
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Remove the following four T3 screws securing the metal cover bracket:
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Three 4 mm long screws
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One 3 mm long screw
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Insert the flat end of a spudger underneath the top right edge of the metal bracket and pry up to loosen it.
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Remove the metal cover bracket.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery connector from its socket.
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Bend the battery cable such that the connector will not accidentally touch the socket.
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Remove the five T3 screws securing the motherboard shield:
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Three 4 mm long screws
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Two 3 mm long screws
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Use the point of a spudger to carefully pry up and disconnect the cameras from their motherboard sockets.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the earpiece connector from its motherboard socket.
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Carefully remove the connector pad surrounding the earpiece socket.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the following:
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Microphone connector
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Button array connector
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Earpiece connector (should already be disconnected)
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the following:
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Charging coil connector
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Left squeeze sensor connector
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Display connector
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Right squeeze sensor connector
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Loudspeaker connector
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USB-C port connector
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Insert the point of a spudger underneath the motherboard, near the rear-facing camera module.
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Pry up gently to loosen the motherboard from its recess.
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If the motherboard is not budging, make sure you have disconnected all the connectors.
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The motherboard has to squeeze past the earpiece speaker cable. If too much pressure is put on the earpiece cable, the earpiece speaker will pop open. You can prevent this by pressing on the earpiece module with a finger while you maneuver the motherboard out.
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While you perform this step, take care to keep slack on the antenna cables attached to the bottom leg of the motherboard.
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Lift the top half of the motherboard slightly to clear the board from its recess.
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Twist the left edge of the board over and out of the phone and rest the board on the right edge of the phone.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the rear-facing camera from its motherboard socket.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.
