How To Apply A Tempered Glass Screen Protector iPhone

How To Apply A Tempered Glass Screen Protector iPhone – Step By Step

A tempered glass protector for your iPhone will protect the phone’s screen from cracks and drops.

It can be costly to repair a cracked or smashed screen on iPhones.

You can buy a screen protector kit that has everything in it that you need to apply a screen protector to your phone.

Make sure you clean the screen well first and then follow the instructions with the kit so you can get a nice, evenly lined-up screen protector.

You might think you don’t need a screen protector, but once you have one on your phone, you will be glad the next time you drop your phone.

How To Apply A Tempered Glass Screen Protector iPhone?

First, you need to clean the screen of your iPhone, then remove the protective layer on the tempered screen protector and align it up carefully with the home button and the speaker. Once you have it aligned, lay it down on the phone and press it down. Use the cloth provided to wipe off any marks and to push out any air bubbles that may be seen.

Do I Really Need To Have A Screen Protector?

The glass on iPhones might seem very strong and scratch-resistant, but when the phones are actually dropped without a screen protector, they can shatter, and sometimes your phone cannot be used.  

Sometimes you might have small scratches that don’t affect the use of your iPhone; however, these can grow and become bigger scratches that can turn into cracks over time.

Scratches can come from tiny particles in your pocket or handbag even.

If you have particles on the screen of your phone, then slide it into your tight jeans pocket; the force is going to drag that particle all the way down the screen of your iPhone.

Truth is anything that is harder than your screen is going to scratch and damage it, which is practically everything you come in contact with on a day-to-day basis.

What Exactly Is A Tempered Glass Screen Protector?

Good question! Tempered glass screen protectors are made from glass.

The glass goes through a tempering process where it is heated up to form a sheet, and then it gets cooled down again rapidly.

This will result in glass that is more durable and breaks into safer pieces than regular glass.

The best way to tell if you have tempered glass is to see if the glass is holding its shape well, and it will be very stiff, which makes the process of applying it to a screen much easier when you have to align it over buttons and speakers.

Tempered glass is more expensive to fix, but in the point of screen protectors, you can buy new ones for around $12 compared to the price of a smashed iPhone screen which can be upwards of $300, and most places will need your phone for a day or two making it inconvenient for you especially if you need the phone for work.

Quite often, the screen protector will need to be ordered in, which means you are going to have to wait even longer by the time it is ordered, then arrives, and is put on your phone.

Just How Do We Apply A Tempered Glass Screen To An iPhone?

Let’s find out the easy way to do this.

First of all, you want to work in mess and dust-free areas like a desk or table.

You want to do this inside due to the particles floating around outside that stick to the glass.

If you have your phone in a case, you will need to remove it from this first, and then using the special cloth that came with the protector; you can clean the tempered glass screen to get rid of dirt, fingerprints, and smudges. 

Smudges can be hard to remove with a dry cloth, so if this is the case, you can apply a few drops of water to the cloth and wipe over the screen.

Never apply water directly to the phone or use any more than a few drops of moisture.

Most screen protectors will come with a cleaning and drying cloth, but if they happen not to, you can buy microfiber cleaning cloths for iPhones that do the same thing.

You don’t want to use tissues or cotton balls as these can leave behind fluff particles.

Removing The Screen Protector From The Packet

This part is pretty straightforward, but you want to ensure that you open the packaging gently as you can snap or bend the screen protector if you use too much force.

Make sure that you don’t remove the protective film that is on top of the sticky side until further on in the process.

Now you want to hold the tempered glass on the left side, which is the way you will start to install the protector.

You then want to take two pieces of sticky tape and place them right along the right side of your protector.

It is best to have half of the protector on and the other half just sticking off the edge.

You might be lucky and get some stickers that you can use for this purpose, but if not then sticky scotch tape will work fine.

Try not to use other sticky tapes, as these can leave behind sticky residues that can be hard to remove.

Adjusting Your Screen Protector

When you have the screen protector with the protective film still sitting there, you can place the screen protector onto your iPhone so you can line it up perfectly.

This way, it will slide easier, so you are able to get the perfect alignment.

If your protector has stickers, you can use these to help with your alignment and to make sure it is completely on the screen, so you achieve a perfect seal right over the entire edge when you have finished installing it.

Once you have your desired position, you can then hold it securely in place so you can wrap the sticky tape around to secure the protector in the right spot.

Make sure the tape is around tightly so the screen protector cannot move places.

Now For The Secondary Device Cleaning

Once you have the screen protector in place, you can then turn it over so you can have access to the screen of your iPhone.

Use the cleaning cloth to clean the screen again to ensure no dust particles have made their way onto the screen.

Now take a piece of tape and lift up the particles that might have accumulated again just the same way a lint roller does it.

You just need to hold the tape at one end and then apply it to the screen then, you can remove it several times over the screen of the device.

The stickiness that is on the sticky tape will pull everything from the screen, so nothing is left behind.

Particles that are left on the screen will only become trapped under the tempered glass, and then it cannot stick to the screen of your phone properly and can also cause bubbles to appear over time.

Applying Your Screen Protector

Your device needs to be completely clean when it is time to apply the protector.

You want the screen protector still turned over and held in place by the tape, which will allow you to remove the protective film.

Do this carefully and ensure the tape stays where it should then quickly flip it over straight onto your phone but keep the tension on the tape. 

The tape will help the screen protector to fall into the right spot.

Now you can remove all the tape but do this gently as you don’t want to lift any of the screen protectors back off.

After that you can go ahead and peel the protective cover off your screen protector.

Removing Bubbles

Sometimes no matter how well you put the screen protector on, you will end up with bubbles underneath.

If there is no dust or dirt underneath the bubble, it will be very easy to get out.

You can use a small plastic squeegee or a bank card and try to work the bubble to the edge of the screen.

You might need to apply more force or try another method if the bubbles don’t come out easily.

Some screen protectors can have a fault, so if you cannot get the bubbles out, opt to get a new screen protector from a different store.

How To Get Air Bubbles Out Of Screen Protectors Using Humidity

Screen protectors work well to protect your phone, but sometimes they can form air bubbles if the screen is not level or the screen protector was applied incorrectly.

Did you know if you have air bubbles right near the edge, these can be removed just by sitting the screen protector in a bathroom or other humid room to help reduce the bubbles?

Getting Air Bubbles Out With Oil

Yes, that is right, you can remove air bubbles out of your tempered glass screen if they are on the edge with cooking oil.

First of all, you need to get a cotton swab and wet the end of it with cooking oil.

You can use either vegetable oil or cooking oil, whichever you prefer.

Coat your cotton swab in the oil, but just lightly; you don’t want it dripping wet.

Rub the swab over the edges that contain the air bubbles.  

The oil will actually just get underneath the screen protector and smooth out any remaining air bubbles, and then it will be able to create the perfect seal.

Push the screen protector down again and remove any oil still there.

Once the screen doesn’t have bubbles, you need to squeeze the edges so they can adhere firmly.

Use a tissue or soft cloth to wipe around the edges to get rid of any oil that might come out of the edges when squeezed.

Is Tempered Better Than Plastic Screen Protectors?   

There are usually two types of screen protectors, which are tempered glass and plastic.

The plastic film protectors have been around for a long time, and these are just a sheet of plastic that fit over your electronic devices such as iPhones.

These screen protectors can be difficult to use as they can roll up easily.

They are cheap and not too sturdy at all.

These work quite well for scratches but don’t offer much in the way of protection when it comes to dropping the phone.

Tempered glass offers far more protection and is more resilient than plastic.

Tempered glass protects against scratches, and if the phone has been dropped, the protector will sacrifice itself instead of the iPhone screen.


Your tempered glass screen protector doesn’t protect the edges and the back of the phone nor the corners, which is why you need a hard case along with a screen protector for the ultimate protection for your iPhone.

These phones don’t come cheap so do your best to ensure it is kept safe and secure from the common accidents like dropping your phone on the ground.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Apply A Tempered Glass Screen Protector iPhone

Do I Need To Cut The Screen Protector To Size?

You can buy screen protectors that suit your model of phone, so there shouldn’t need to be any re-sizing or cutting done. Ensure you double-check the measurements and model of the phone before ordering your cover.

Will All Screen Protectors Get Bubbles?

Sometimes the screens are not exactly flat, which can cause bubbles, or you may have installed it wrong. There can even be a fault with the screen protector, and it will cause bubbles. Follow the tips above to get rid of bubbles in your screen protector.

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