If you've broken your iPhone screen, there are really only two questions: how long, and how much. The honest answers are 24 hours and somewhere between the low hundreds and the high hundreds depending on which iPhone you've got. We've done over 1,180 of these — every model from the 6 through the 17 Pro Max — and most days there are two or three on the bench. Drop yours off at our Erina workshop or post it to us from anywhere in Australia. You'll have it back the next day.
What actually breaks when you crack an iPhone screen
The screen on a modern iPhone is three layers bonded together: front glass on the outside, a touch digitiser in the middle, and the LCD or OLED display underneath. An impact strong enough to flex the phone propagates through all three. Sometimes only the glass cracks and the display still works fine — that's the lucky version. Sometimes the glass stays intact but the panel underneath shatters and you get a black screen, weird lines, or a pink or green tint. Sometimes everything looks fine but the touch ignores you, or worse, the phone starts tapping and typing on its own.
From our side it's the same job either way: replace the whole screen assembly. The price doesn't change based on whether the glass cracked or the panel underneath did — the assembly is one bonded unit. What changes the price is the model.
Before you bring it in — two quick checks
Two things worth checking that occasionally save people a trip. First, plug the phone into a charger and leave it for ten minutes. Once in a while a "dead screen" is actually a dead battery, and the phone just needs charge before it'll show anything. Second, press the side button — if you can hear and feel the haptics kick in, the phone is alive and you're almost certainly looking at a screen problem, not a write-off. If you can pair a Bluetooth speaker or hear the ringtone when someone calls you, even better. That's confirmation the logic board is fine.
One urgent exception worth flagging: if your phone is ghost-typing or swiping on its own, power it off and bring it in straight away. We've had cases where ghost-tapping locked a customer out of their Apple ID because the random taps entered the wrong passcode too many times. It's the same screen repair, but it's the kind that should be a same-day priority.
Why we'd really rather you didn't try this yourself
There are a thousand YouTube tutorials on iPhone screen replacement and the parts are on eBay for $30. We see two or three DIY attempts come into the workshop every month that have ended up worse than the original break. The bit that catches people out is the Face ID flex cable on the back of the original screen. If you tear it on the way out — and it tears easily if you lift the screen at the wrong angle — Face ID is gone forever. Not "hard to fix"; permanently gone. Apple pairs the Face ID hardware to your device's serial number, and only your original components transferred to the new screen will keep it working. There's no workaround at any repair shop, including ours, and including Apple's. If you bring us a Face-ID iPhone with the flex still intact, we'll preserve it. If you've already opened the phone and torn it, we'll be honest with you about what we can and can't do.
How we actually do it
The work itself is straightforward but the margins for error are tight, which is most of why DIY goes sideways. We open the phone, transfer your original Face ID hardware and front camera assembly onto the new screen, fit the replacement panel, reseal with new adhesive, and run it through a full functional test — touch across the entire surface, brightness, Face ID enrolment and unlock, True Tone where the model supports re-pairing. Bench time is 30 to 60 minutes. The rest of the 24-hour turnaround is diagnosis on arrival, parts handling, and the QA pass after the repair before we hand it back to you.
iPhone work on the iFix bench.
Why repair shops quote such different prices
One thing worth knowing before you compare prices anywhere: not all replacement screens are the same. There are three real tiers. Apple-genuine OEM screens are only available through Apple's authorised service network — they're genuine and they're expensive. OEM-quality refurbished screens use a real Apple OLED or LCD panel salvaged from a donor iPhone with new front glass laminated on; they're visually and electrically identical to a new genuine screen, and they're what we fit by default. Aftermarket screens are third-party from start to finish — they fit and they work, but the oleophobic coating wears off faster, the colour accuracy is a step down, and touch can feel slightly laggy.
That's most of the price difference between repair shops. If you see "iPhone screen $99" advertised for a current Pro model, they're fitting the cheap aftermarket panel — a proper OEM-grade refurbished OLED for one of those models costs the workshop more than $99 on its own. It looks fine on the day. A few months later the coating starts peeling, the colour shifts warm under household lighting, and you've spent your money. We'll fit an aftermarket panel if you specifically ask and your phone is near the end of its useful life, but it's never our default.
Models, turnaround, warranty
We replace screens on every iPhone from the 6 through the 17 Pro Max. 24-hour standard turnaround on every model — drop off today, pick up tomorrow. Every job comes with a 12-month workshop warranty against defects in the part or our workmanship. If something fails during normal use within that period — dead pixels, touch dropping out, backlight problems — we'll re-repair it at no cost. The warranty doesn't cover a new drop or fresh water damage, which is fair, but anything related to the work we did is on us.
Pricing varies a lot by model and we won't publish flat rates because models cost dramatically different amounts to source. Call us on (02) 4311 6146 with your specific iPhone and we'll give you the exact current price on the spot. We don't charge for the assessment, and if we find anything extra after opening the phone — board-level damage, liquid corrosion, an old DIY attempt — we'll call you before doing anything beyond what was quoted.
Not on the Central Coast? Post it to us
If you're outside the Central Coast we receive iPhones by post for screen repair regularly. Call or message us first so we can confirm your model and quote, ship the phone tracked and insured for its full replacement value (Australia Post Express with signature on delivery is fine), we complete the repair within 24 hours of arrival at the workshop and ship it back tracked the same day. Round-trip is typically 4-5 business days from when you post it to having it back. We do this routinely for Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, regional NSW, and interstate.
When you pack it: original box if you've got it, otherwise wrapped in bubble wrap with at least 5cm of padding around all sides inside a sturdy box. Pull the SIM card and keep it. Include a note with your name, phone number, and a quick description of what's wrong.
Get a quote on your specific model
Call our Erina workshop or book online — we'll give you the exact price for your iPhone, no surprises on the day. Standard 24-hour turnaround on every model. Postal customers welcome from anywhere in Australia.
Call (02) 4311 6146 Book OnlineCommon questions
Will Face ID still work after the repair?
Yes, as long as the Face ID flex on your original screen hasn't been torn. The Face ID hardware is paired to your phone's serial number, so we transfer the original components from your old screen to the new one. If a previous repair attempt or the impact itself tore the flex, Face ID is permanently lost on that phone — no shop, including Apple, can restore it.
Will I lose my photos, messages, or apps?
No. The screen is a physical component on the front of the phone — replacing it doesn't touch the internal storage, your Apple ID, your apps, or anything else. Everything stays exactly as it was.
Is your repair cheaper than Apple's?
For most customers, yes — usually significantly. We use OEM-quality refurbished panels which are visually and electrically identical to a new genuine screen. If you're still on AppleCare+ with damage incidents remaining, Apple is sometimes the better option financially. If you're out of AppleCare or never had it, we're typically a third to half the price for an equivalent result.
My screen is cracked but still works fine. Should I bother fixing it?
Two reasons we'd say yes. The cracks weaken the glass and a second small bump can shatter the panel underneath — turning a cheap repair into a more expensive one. And cracked glass cuts hands and pockets up over time. That said, if you're upgrading in a few months you can absolutely leave it. We won't push you either way.
How do I stop this happening again?
A decent case and a tempered-glass screen protector together prevent the majority of screen replacements we see. The case absorbs the impact energy by deforming on the corners; the screen protector sacrifices itself in lower-energy hits. Neither costs much and the two together drastically reduce how often you'll need us. We stock both at the workshop.