I had to notch out the glass adhesive just slightly where bottom right corner of the home button bracket sits against it. It is curved and needed to be squared off to match the bracket. I held the ribbon cable, button and bracket in place with tape before I glued the bracket. I also used a flashlight behind the bracket and button gap to see that the bump on the bracket was lined up with the button’s switch.

Notice the sharp crease in the ribbon cable near the home button? I thought I bent it at some point but it was already there.

The front camera has a black bezel cover but it is attached to the broken glass digitizer. Peel it off and save it. I plan to tack glue it to the camera instead of gluing it back to the new digitizer glass. It has two alignment bumps so maybe it doesn’t need gluing to either side but I found it on the ground when it came off of the the broken digitizer. I almost tossed it as part of the broken glass.

I vote for the hair dryer. The other methods work too but if you aren’t having any luck, switch to the hair dryer. While holding the iPad in my hand, I found that I am aiming the dryer at my finger at the same time and it gauges how hot it is. I stop when my finger can’t take it - maybe five seconds up close. Repeat as needed like I did.

I lifted the metal shield from the outside edge so not to tear the ribbon cable. I think I even used the razor blade (the tool of last resort).

I thought this shouldn’t be too hard - I only had some cracks in the glass, but then at every spot I worked on, the glass turned into nothing but tons of tiny shards. I had to use the points of the tweezers plowing along only the outer edge all the way around, sometimes with a razor blade and often using a hair dryer up close (briefly, over and over). After I got every bit of glass out, I used ordinary rubbing alcohol and Q-tips but I had to rub hard and quickly 100 times on each area to slowly dissolve the glue. I only scratched the LCD once slightly with a tweezer slip. The large chucks of display held together by the packing tape needs something under it to protect the LCD while you are working.

One YouTube video said to dig all that glue out. I didn’t and it seems to not hurt to leave it there but you do have to break free from it.

I bumped this darn thing several times, it was twisted and skewed making me freak out but the iPad still works. I am thinking you should pull it out and put the screw back in right after the LCD is removed. Then use it again just before putting the LCD screen back in. The pick is sticking out there waitng to be be bumped.

Now the adhesive ring in on the old glass and rips apart if you pull it off. I think you don’t need the adhesive ring but it keeps the button splash proof. I am going to use tiny amounts of glue but all the more reason to buy a new assy just for that ring.

I wish I didn’t peel this last piece off, I don’t think you need to. It seems to be what keeps the bracket lined up over the button. Now I have to try to glue it back on perfectly so the bracket is centered over the home button.