Quarantine DIY: Transform Your Old iPhone into an Entirely New Model
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Got some time to kill while you’re quarantining at home, and also have some old iPhones sitting around? Then we have a challenging DIY project that’ll breathe new life into your castaway phones.
This mod takes the guts of your old iPhone and plops it down into the casing that looks like a newer one. Your iPhone 5/6 could be transformed to look like an iPhone 7, iPhone 8, or even an iPhone X. If glowing Apple logos are your thing, you can add that too!
Gather Your Materials
The first thing you will need is a back cover for your older iPhone, which you can find at parts suppliers like AliExpress or dhGate. You can choose a cover that looks like an iPhone 7, an iPhone 8 or an iPhone X.
The back cover will fit your old phone but will be a replica of the iPhone 7/8/X complete with the same camera module cutout and the side bezel. The detailing can be impeccable with even the same FCC ID and font for the lettering.
If you want to mod the Apple logo on the phone, then you will need to purchase another kit that lets you add a backlight. You can choose a backlight that is always on or this one that you can tap to turn on. And you don’t have to stick with a boring backlight. You can choose between a monochrome backlight, a colored backlight that changes between 16 colors, or one that changes color to the beat of a song.
Teardown the iPhone
Replacing your back cover is no easy task. You’ll have to remove every piece on the old rear housing and transfer it to the new housing. You can use video tutorials on YouTube like this one from EverythingApplePro or one of the guides on iFixit to step you through the process. When you replace the casing, you may lose the headphone jack. Some of the back covers try to create such a realistic case that they actually omit the hole for the headphone jack.
Add the Glowing Logo
The glowing logo mod is relatively easy compared to moving all the internal components from one casing to another. While the phone is still disassembled, you can remove the existing logo cover and replace it with the new one from the kit. Here is one tutorial from TheUnlockr which sells lighting kits and one from EverythingApplePro.
Enjoy the Final Product
If you don’t break the phone in the process, the final product can be impressive. Check out this matte black mod from Reddit or this jet black one on YouTube.
