Ipod Touch - 6th Gen Battery Replacement

Il Mio Problema

My friend chose to leave his otherwise functional iPod Touch in a hot car for many months. The battery had swollen to twice the normal size, and was in danger of catastrophic failure.

La Mia Riparazione

The person who wrote the unfinished guide wasn't joking. This repair isn't for the faint of heart. Apple chose to solder the battery connection directly to the board. To remove the battery, you need to desolder the old connection, and re-solder the new battery in its place. The problem is that desoldering is made especially tricky, because the connection points seem to be covered. Ultimately, I ripped the old connection off while applying a large amount of heat, and then spent a bunch of time cleaning up the mess that left behind so I had clean pads to re-tin and the solder to.

If I was charging people for this service, I'd want at least two hours worth of my time, but it can be done.

Il Mio Consiglio

Use a magnifying glass and a tiny soldering tip that gets very hot. Be patient, and don't expect the old battery to come off cleanly. Spend extra time cleaning off the old solder points and preparing the area for the new connection.