How to Remove the Tempered Sticker

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Tempered film is a layer of glass that is resistant to impact and is often used to protect fragile surfaces such as phone screens. If the tempered sticker is broken, you can remove the protective layer from the undamaged surface underneath. Tempered glass is usually glued with an adhesive that you need to preheat to make it easier to peel off. After that, you can slowly peel off the thin glass to apply a new piece.

Table of Contents

Peel off the sticker by hand

Heat the patch with a hair dryer on low heat for 15 seconds. The heat will soften the glue behind the glass and make it easier for you to peel it off. However, you should only quickly dry the tempered glass with a low temperature to avoid damaging the components inside the phone. Dry until the glass is warm but not too hot. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you don’t have a hair dryer, you can use another heat source. Place the phone near a hot stove, open flame, fireplace, or take a hot shower to soften the adhesive.

Use your fingernail to pry at the corner of the screen until part of the toughened sticker is lifted. You will be able to peel a corner of the glass up from the surface below. However, we need to take it slow. Carefully lift the corner of the glass, but don’t rush to peel the rest off right away. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Continue with the remaining corners. Usually, you should be able to peel a corner of the glass off the surface. If the remaining corners have not come off, continue to heat the sticker a second time to soften the glue.
If the tempered glass is cracked near one of the corners, you should choose another corner to pry it off to prevent the glass from breaking into many small pieces.

Move your finger underneath the glass. Once you have peeled off the sticker, the glass will separate from the surface below. The edges of the glass panels will be lifted first. Slide your finger under these edges to prevent the glass from shattering. Even if the sticker is already broken, it’s a good idea to do this when peeling off small pieces so that the glass doesn’t shatter further. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Tempered stickers are very thin so they are extremely fragile. The broken glass will break into many pieces and you have to peel each shard by hand. The only way to avoid this is to be very careful.

Peel off the tempered glass slowly and evenly over the entire flat surface. Try to peel off the glass as evenly as possible. Slide your fingers around the exposed edges of the glass so you don’t lift one side higher than the other. Continue this until the entire patch (or a piece of it) has been removed, then repeat the process with the rest. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Any small pieces of tempered glass can be peeled off in the same way. Although it takes a bit of time, the debris will be easier to remove than the large piece.

Use plastic cards

Heat the tempered patch for 15 seconds on low heat. Use a device such as a hair dryer (if you have one). Heat the glass until the entire surface is warm but not too hot. That way, the glue that holds the glass in place will soften. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Although you can warm the tempered laminated film by bringing it near a match or lighter, there is a chance that the entire glass layer will not reach the right temperature, and even the internal components of the device may be damaged. damaged. You can try warming a corner of the glass to make it easier to pry up.

Use the sharp end of the toothpick to pry off one corner of the toughened sticker. It is important that you hold the toothpick in the correct direction so that the sharp tip does not scratch the surface underneath the glass. Select an angle and place the tip of the toothpick across the glass. Slide the tip of the toothpick under the piece of glass, then pry it up until you can insert your finger into the gap. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Do not point the toothpick tip downwards. If you are removing the tempered glass from your phone, the tip of the toothpick can scratch the screen underneath.
If toothpicks are not available, you can use something sharp like a fork or fingernail.

Lift the edge of the glass up with your fingers. You must be very careful, especially if the tempered sticker has broken. Tempered glass is quite thin and breaks easily into many small pieces. To peel off the tempered film, slide your finger around the outer edge of the glass. Lift the glass just enough to insert the edge of the credit card/ATM underneath. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

This method works whether the glass is broken or intact, but you should not peel off the sticker too much from one direction. Lift each piece in a balanced proportion so that the glass does not crack or break into pieces.

Slide the ATM card underneath the glass to peel off the glass. Insert the card underneath the corner of the glass that you pry. Slowly push the card inward to separate the tempered sticker from the surface underneath. Lift the piece of glass evenly until you can peel it off, then repeat with the remaining shards (if any). ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You must use a hard plastic card, such as an ATM/credit card, library card, or identification card.
Normally, we can use plastic card to separate the whole piece of glass. If the sticker is larger than the length of the card, such as an iPad screen, use your fingers to combine to support the glass in a balanced proportion.

Remove the glass with adhesive tape

Heat the tempered tape for 15 seconds until the adhesive softens. A hair dryer on low or something similar will be a safe and appropriate source of heat. Remember that you need to make the tempered glass warm, not too hot. The temperature should be just enough for you to feel warm to the touch, not hot enough to burn you. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Wrap a piece of tape around two fingers. Adhesive tape has many different uses, so it’s not surprising that we can use it to peel off stubborn stickers. Start by wrapping the tape tightly around your finger with the adhesive side facing out. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Doing this with the index and middle fingers is most convenient, but you can also use another finger if it feels more comfortable.

Press the tape to the corner of the glass panel. Choose a corner of the glass to start with. Any angle will do, as long as there are no cracks nearby. For shards of broken glass, choose an edge where duct tape can reach. Continue pressing down until the tempered tape adheres to the tape. ^{[11] X Research Source}

If you can’t stick one corner, try another. Sometimes the glass corner is quite stubborn because the adhesive underneath is not soft enough.
If you cannot lift the corner of the sticker, reheat the glass. You should choose a certain angle and focus the heat source to ensure that the glue underneath is soft enough to pry.

Roll the tape slowly towards the other end of the tempered tape. Lift your finger and move it to the other side of the patch. The shard of glass will come off with your finger. Take care and do so that the tempered glass separates from the underlying surface evenly. After removing a piece of glass, use tape and continue with the rest. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Sometimes the glass will break into pieces because one side has split while the other is still attached. This will leave some small shards of glass that you can then peel off with your hands or tape.

Advice

Consider replacing the tempered glass with another one after removing the old one. You can buy a new tempered glass screen protector that protects your screen from scratches and other invisible damage.
Always preheat the glass if possible. The curing adhesive underneath the tempered laminated sticker is very strong and will make it difficult to peel off the glass without preheating it.
Tempered stickers are very fragile when removed from the surface. Although broken glass is not a big deal, removing many small pieces can be quite tedious. Try to lift the glass in the most balanced ratio possible to prevent cracking.
After you peel off the toughened sticker, you need to check the surface underneath to make sure nothing is missed. Wipe the surface with a microfiber cloth moistened with warm water and prepare to reattach the new tempered glass.

Things you need

Peel off the sticker by hand

Hair dryer or alternative heat source

Use plastic cards

Hair dryer or alternative heat source
Toothpick
Plastic cards (ATM/credit cards, ID cards, etc.)

Remove the glass with adhesive tape

Hair dryer or alternative heat source
Tape

Steps

Peel off the sticker by hand

Use plastic cards

Remove the glass with adhesive tape

Advice

Things you need

Peel off the sticker by hand

Use plastic cards

Remove the glass with adhesive tape

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