iPad Repair in Chicago

An iPad usually breaks in the same place: it slides off a couch, hits a corner and the glass spiders from there. What matters is whether the picture underneath survived. That one detail can cut the price of an iPad repair in half on many models, so we check it first at our shop on Chicago Ave in West Town. Every iPad repair ends with a test of the screen, charging and buttons before you leave.

Most repairs are finished the same day, and screen repairs start at $69.99. You get the price before we start. If your iPad has AppleCare, check Apple's iPad repair page first, because a covered repair will likely cost less than ours.

Do you need glass, LCD or both?

Picture two layers: the glass you touch, and the LCD that makes the image. Base model iPads keep those two layers apart, so you only pay for what broke.

• Screen. Replaces the cracked glass when the picture still looks right.
• LCD. Replaces the display when you see lines, dark patches or no picture, and the glass is intact.
• Screen and LCD. Replaces both when the drop reached them.

Here is what that means on a common model. An iPad 9 is $99.99 for the screen and $199.99 for screen and LCD together, so it's worth knowing which you need.

Press lightly on the damaged area while the iPad is on. If the image ripples or goes dark under your finger, the LCD is hurt too.

Why bonded iPads cost more

iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and every iPad Pro bond the glass straight to the display. That makes them thinner and sharper, but it also means one crack replaces the whole assembly. There's no cheap glass-only route, and the part itself is the expensive bit, which explains why a 12.9-inch Pro costs several times what an older base iPad does. Most of those models list a single screen price.

The job takes longer as well. An iPad is held together with adhesive around a large, thin panel, and you can't rush removing that without cracking something else. It's why an iPad takes longer than an iPhone screen.

Touch ID and the home button

If your iPad has a home button, it's paired to the board. During iPad screen repair we move your original button across to the new screen, and it keeps working as before. A broken home button is a different story, because Touch ID can't be restored with a replacement button. The button will click, but fingerprint unlock won't come back. If the button already took a hit, tell us.

Find your model

The tables on this page show our screen, battery and charging port prices for each iPad we list, and you can see them with every other device on the pricing page. Not sure which iPad you have? Look in Settings, then General, then About. If the screen is too broken to read, the model number is in tiny print on the back, and it starts with A.

Newer models not in the table, such as recent Air, mini and Pro versions, can usually still be repaired. Call (773) 741-6682 and we will confirm the part and price.

Batteries and charging ports

iPad battery replacement starts at $79.99. iPad batteries are big, glued in and slow to wear, so a replacement makes sense once it drains overnight or shuts off well before zero. If the screen starts to bulge or lift, that is swelling. Stop charging it and bring it in.

iPad charging port repair starts at $69.99. Check for lint first if the cable feels loose. A wooden toothpick works, gently, with the iPad off. Try a different cable and a wall charger too, because iPads need more power than a weak USB port can give, and they sometimes show Not Charging on a computer when nothing's wrong.

We also list headphone jack, side button, home button, camera and speaker repairs on many models. Call and tell us the model and we will quote it.

Other tablets

For tablet repair beyond Apple, call us with the make and model. We take Samsung Galaxy Tabs and other tablets case by case, depending on whether we can get a good part.

When a new iPad makes more sense

If the iPad still runs what you need, repair usually wins. The sums turn the other way when a repair costs close to a current base iPad, or when the tablet no longer gets iPadOS updates and your apps have started to drop support. An older iPad used as a recipe screen, a kid's tablet or a video player doesn't need the latest software, so a cheap glass repair is often the right move there.

If you do replace it, your photos are probably worth moving first. A dead iPad's storage isn't gone just because the screen is. See data recovery.

Can't make it to West Town? Mail-in repair works for iPads too. For iPad repair in Chicago, walk in during open hours. Parts carry our 90-day warranty, and labor may apply.