iPad repair, by model

Models we see

The standard iPad: digitiser over display

On the numbered iPad, the glass you touch and the digitiser under it are one part, sitting over a separate LCD. A crack in the glass with a perfect picture underneath is a digitiser replacement: the broken glass comes off in pieces with heat, the frame is cleaned, the home button or the top button with the fingerprint sensor is transferred, and the new digitiser is bonded around the edge and held under pressure while it sets. It is the cheaper of the two iPad screen repairs and the one we do most. If the LCD underneath shows lines or a dark patch, that panel is replaced too.

Air, mini and Pro: laminated

On the Air, the mini and every Pro, the glass, digitiser and display are laminated into one assembly, which gives the sharp, close-to-the-glass look and means a crack is a full assembly replacement whatever the picture is doing underneath. The parts cost more, and on the Pro models the assembly is the largest single part of the iPad's value, so we quote it against the iPad and tell you honestly when a repair is not the right spend.

Batteries

Every iPad battery is reached by removing the screen, and the cell is glued along its length, so a battery replacement is a bigger job than on a phone and is a leave-it-with-us repair. The symptoms are the usual: dying early and warmth on the charger. A swollen iPad battery pushes the screen up along one edge; stop charging it and bring it in. An iPad with a cracked screen and a tired battery is best done in one visit, because the screen is coming off anyway.

Charging ports

Older iPads use Lightning and the recent ones use USB-C. Lint first, free cleaning. On the iPad the port is soldered to the board on several models, which makes a worn port a micro-soldering job rather than a flex swap, and we quote it after diagnosis.

Buttons, cameras and speakers

Home buttons with the fingerprint sensor on the older iPads, the top button with the sensor on the newer Air and mini, power and volume buttons, cameras and speakers are all bench repairs. The fingerprint sensor is paired to the iPad's board, and a replacement sensor will not unlock the iPad; that is why the original sensor is transferred to a new screen rather than replaced.

School and kids' iPads

We see a lot of school-issued iPads and a lot of iPads that live in a rubber case with a handle. Tell us if the school needs a receipt in a particular form. On the older numbered iPads the digitiser repair is a good-value job; on a heavily damaged one we will tell you if the repair is more than the iPad is worth.

Turnaround

iPads are usually a leave-it-with-us repair. Digitisers need the adhesive to set under pressure, laminated assemblies are large, and batteries mean the screen comes off first. Plan on a few hours to next day. Common models are on the shelf; the Pro and the newer Air often need the part ordered.