How to replace a broken screen on an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus

The iPhone 7 Plus's screen is beautiful, to be sure — but that glass beauty can break if dropped, smashed, or otherwise chipped against similarly-hard surfaces. Some breaks are worse than others — I've gotten by with a slightly-chipped 7 Plus screen for a month — but if you completely smash your screen, you're probably in need of a screen repair. When you crack your screen, it also destroys your iPhone's water resistance; if you're used to keeping it near water, you'll definitely want to fix your device.
There are several ways to repair or replace a broken iPhone screen, depending on your monetary situation and free time. Here are a couple, in order of easiest (and cheapest) to most complicated.
Repair it yourself
In past years, I would have recommended this option above making an appointment with Apple, but as the iPhone screen has gotten more complicated — and expensive, a home-brew repair can often hinder your device from full operability. (You won't be able to re-calibrate your screen for water resistance, for instance.) It's also now pricier than either the AppleCare+ repair or out of warranty repair, with a screen replacement and toolset (opens in new tab) averaging around $230.
As the iPhone 7 ages and screen prices go down, this may change, but for now, I find it hard to recommend users go this route. If you're really curious about repairing an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, however, you can watch JerryRigEverything's how-to explainer below.
Questions?
Have any questions about repairing your iPhone's screen? Have a better option? Let us know below.
○ Fix a broken iPhone 7 or 7 Plus
○ Fix a broken iPhone 6s or 6s Plus
○ Fix a broken iPhone SE
○ Fix a broken iPhone 6 or 6 Plus
○ Fix a broken iPhone 5c
○ Fix a broken iPhone 5s
○ Fix a broken iPhone 5
○ Fix a broken iPhone 4s
○ Fix a broken iPhone 4 (GSM)
○ Fix a broken iPhone 4 (CDMA)
○ Fix a broken iPhone 3GS or 3G
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Serenity was formerly the Managing Editor at iMore, and now works for Apple. She's been talking, writing about, and tinkering with Apple products since she was old enough to double-click. In her spare time, she sketches, sings, and in her secret superhero life, plays roller derby. Follow her on Twitter @settern.
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Oy... The photo of the cracked screen of that iPhone 7 in this article makes me sad.
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Ice cream... Neapolitan ;) Nice repair job. Glad to see the iPhone 7 wasn't all that tough to repair.
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