Many phones and tablets these days are designed with sleekness and a premium build in mind. This approach comes with an unfortunate side effect: The device may not be as easy to tear down and repair as you’d prefer. Laptops are a little better in this regard, particularly PCs, but there are still some headaches to contend with.
Repairability has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years, with tech reviewers lauding manufacturers focused on offering repairability as a key feature to consumers. Apple, in particular, has made several steps forward in improving the repairability of its iPhones. After all, doing so extends the life span of expensive devices, keeping them in your hands — and out of landfills — for far longer. But before you open up that iFixIt (recently responsible for posting a popular teardown video on the iPhone Air) kit and start poking around, there’s one huge mistake you should avoid — leaving the device to be repaired connected to a power source. In the case of laptops or phones, ensure its battery is not connected.
Read more: 5 Ways To Use Your Laptop’s USB-C Port To Level Up Your Device
Why disconnecting the battery first is so important
A phone sitting on a table, plugged in, with a warning logo on the screen – Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock
While unplugging a power cord from an electronic device sounds like a logical first step when considering a self repair, cutting the power may be a less obvious thought when you’re working with a device that can draw charge from an internal battery. Disconnecting this power source is important, both for your safety and the safety of the components in your device.
First, the point on human safety. By unplugging the battery from its connectors, you’re essentially cutting off the electric charge to any exposed components in your phone or laptop. In cases wherein a battery connector cable is present, disconnect this rather than removing the whole battery — unless battery replacement is the aim of the repair, and in this scenario the cable should be disconnected first regardless. In other instances, be very sure not to use a metal spudger, or to excessively pry at or puncture the battery — doing so can pose a significant risk of injury. Also an important disclaimer: We don’t recommend fixing electronic devices unless you know what you’re doing.
Then there’s the safety of the device itself. A battery in a phone or laptop is the power source connecting an intricate array of components, all getting their charge from the battery. So, if you leave a battery connected but disconnect another component, a short circuit could result.
How to disconnect the battery in a phone or laptop
A laptop sitting on a table, opened up, showing a pair of hands set to begin a repair. – brizmaker/Shutterstock
One important note: With thousands of different phones and laptops out there, we can’t possibly promise that this is an exhaustive explanation or guide. It’s best to search reputable repair sites for your specific device, getting a rundown on where the battery is and how to disconnect it.
In general, for phones, a battery is usually one (or sometimes two) flat black rectangles packed horizontally into the device. Sometimes they’ll be behind some components, other times they can be seen as you open the device. Once the battery is located, there will typically be a cable running from it that is feeding power to the device (often a very skinny ribbon cable). Disconnecting this using a plastic spudger tool or small plastic tweezers will power down the system and allow you to continue working.
Laptops can be a little easier to tear down, but it’s still important to consider your planned process carefully. Opening the device is typically simpler than with phones, often only requiring the removal of a few screws. The use of an anti-static wristband to ground yourself is strongly recommended while working on laptop computers. Once inside, batteries are often visible (they often look like larger versions of phone batteries), but in some devices, such as MacBooks, these can be hidden behind other components. Locate the battery, engage the battery release slider (where present), disconnect the battery connector cable (where present), remove the battery if no connector cable is present, and then carry on.
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