Cracked iPad screen: is new glass enough, or does the whole screen need replacing?

The front of every iPad is made of several layers. On top sits the cover glass with the touch layer that detects your fingers, and underneath it sits the screen that creates the image.

On the current iPad Air and iPad mini models these layers are bonded firmly together, and the same goes for the iPad Pro. Apple calls this “fully laminated” in the tech specs. The image seems to sit right under the surface because there is no longer any air between the glass and the screen.

The standard iPad, the one without an extra word in its name, does not have this. There the glass with the touch layer sits separately above the screen, with a narrow gap in between. That also applies to the newer generations with USB-C.

The quickest way is through the settings. Under “General” and then “About” you will find the model name, and for the standard iPad the generation follows it.

If the iPad no longer responds, or the glass is so shattered that you cannot read anything, look at the back. There you will find a small printed model number starting with an A. On its support page for identifying iPad models, Apple lists which number belongs to which generation.

Send us that number straight away with your request. Then the build type is clear before you bring the iPad in.

On the standard iPad with separate layers, a crack in the glass is often really just a crack in the glass. If the image underneath is clean and touch responds everywhere, the screen is fine, and technically only the glass with the touch layer needs replacing.

Laminated iPads do not have this separation. Even if the image under the crack looks perfect, the glass cannot be cleanly removed from the screen, so the complete screen is replaced. On the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, a crack is unfortunately never “just the glass”.

With older generations of the iPad Air and iPad mini it depends on the year, because the early models still had separate glass. The pages for the individual models tell you how your device is built. Which repair your iPad needs is something we will tell you after the diagnosis.

A crack in the glass can damage the touch layer underneath. You will notice it in spots where the iPad no longer reacts to your finger, or in inputs it triggers all by itself.

On the standard iPad the touch layer belongs to the glass. If touch acts up there after a drop while the image stays fine, that fits damage to the glass, and the screen underneath can still be intact.

It is a different story when bright spots, lines or black areas appear in the image. Then the screen itself has been hit, and that is true for every build type. Until the repair, a strip of clear tape over the crack holds loose splinters in place so you do not cut your fingers when swiping.

Replacing the glass or the screen does not directly affect the iPad’s storage. Still, a current backup belongs before every repair, because something unexpected can always happen once a device is open.

As long as touch still works, iCloud is the easiest way. In the settings, tap your name at the top, then “iCloud” and then “iCloud Backup”. The other options are explained in the article on backing up your data before a repair.

The diagnosis is free, even if you decide against the repair afterwards. After the diagnosis you get a quote. We only repair once you agree.