Back cover coming off - Xperia Z5 Compact Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have noticed dust under my camera lens. I thought my phone may not be waterproof anymore and tested pressure sensor. sure enough, pressure would only bump up a second then back to atm even when the back is still pressed.
so i bought rear adhesives for xperia z5 compact(not tape rolls) and opened the back. i was greeted with a dust cloud (i may be exaggerating a bit) near the camera module along the back frame and adhesive.
i noticed that the frame near the camera and the tapes are extremely thin. stock or replacement, all of them are alarmingly narrow. the adhesive of my z1 compact, which i also replaced the back and battery some time ago, is really wide.
so i cleaned the tapes and dust off. made sure no residue is left for proper seal and adhesion. and a few days later..... dust. now this is a new tape. it cant have degraded already. so i went and replaced the back entirely. a few days later..... dust. what the heck. the back keeps popping off around the camera area.
do you have this problem?

I've had to use new adhesive 4 times. It just isn't that well-designed, my Z1 too kept coming off for no reason.

SixFingeredAmish said:
I've had to use new adhesive 4 times. It just isn't that well-designed, my Z1 too kept coming off for no reason.
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is fully sealed now? does is still come off after the fourth seal? my z1c never had this problem and i've opened it a couple of times to replace the battery and back panel.

Yup, it's coming off

SixFingeredAmish said:
Yup, it's coming off
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damn, guess well have to wait for the xz1 compact then.

My completely uneducated guess is that the Z5 line uses the horrible 810 processor which overheats all the time. I'm guessing this overheating wears out the adhesive and over time, it starts coming off. Remember, the adhesive is only meant to be heated once when you apply it, not multiple times.
This however, doesn't explain why this also happens to other Sony phones. Also, Samsung phones do the same thing now, with the adhesive on the glass back, and yet those are much much more reliable.

Related

Rear Glass separating from frame. Warranty repair.

My rear glass is starting to separate from the frame in the top right corner.
Has anyone even heard of this problem on this phone?
Talked to Xperia Care today and it's covered under warranty but it's going to be a 14 working day turn around!
They are based in Texas, but since my phone originated from Hong Kong then it may take longer if parts differ.
It's not noticeable in the picture too bad but it's definitely coming apart because I feel the edge of the glass on my hand. Also it goes back in if I push it in but comes out eventually in a short amount of time...
ZPaul2Fresh8 said:
My rear glass is starting to separate from the frame in the top right corner.
Has anyone even heard of this problem on this phone?
Talked to Xperia Care today and it's covered under warranty but it's going to be a 14 working day turn around!
They are based in Texas, but since my phone originated from Hong Kong then it may take longer if parts differ.
It's not noticeable in the picture too bad but it's definitely coming apart because I feel the edge of the glass on my hand. Also it goes back in if I push it in but comes out eventually in a short amount of time...
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its a known issue, its quite common actualy, i think if you look around some threads you will see alot of posts from unique users
edit- this should be covered by warrenty, Sony Customer Service Japan can conferm for this and same goes with Sony C-Service UK and also USA
I actually have the same problem on my Z2 , i previously owned the Xperia Z where i was experiencing same issue, and yes is covered under warranty....glass becomes unglued and separating from frame because NFC pins pushing the glass out, and phone generating heat during usage and this way the adhesive sticker inside becomes melt and glass starts to go out...this is a known issue even Sony knows about. I was able to hold 5 different Z2s and every one had the same issue, same area, different batch numbers.
The fifth one was yesterday in Orange ( operator) i dont know how to cerrectly call this showpiece? I mean the place where you can grap the phone and play with it... I noticed this problem on this phone....
I was analyzing this problem and i found that first area where it starts to come off is where the big flap is, thats the place where NFC pins are, and it continue to ungluing to the corner exactly like it is on your photo....Come on Sony!! Z1 was proof from this becasue of the middle frame and, this way nothing is pushing the glass out and also adhesive sticker is more wider.... I know what i am talking about i am gsm mechanic i was assembling both devices. But i dont know if you guys understand my English
NetSkill said:
I was analyzing this problem and i found that first area where it starts to come off is where the big flap is, thats the place where NFC pins are, and it continue to ungluing to the corner exactly like it is on your photo....Come on Sony!! Z1 was proof from this becasue of the middle frame and, this way nothing is pushing the glass out and also adhesive sticker is more wider.... I know what i am talking about i am gsm mechanic i was assembling both devices. But i dont know if you guys understand my English
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You are pretty much right about that. My Z2 seems to have this problem in this particular area, I did not return the unit because I assume this eventually happens to all Z2.
Same thing I suffered with my old Z, I still don't understand why Sony does not come up with a better solution than gluing everything together.
I saw xperia z3 leaded pictures and from what seen i can say that z3 got fixed this issue because of different placement of NFC pins they paced them almost in the middle of the motherboard (same as z1) logically its a way better placement in the middle because its more dificult for those pins to lift both sides and top of the glass together at the same time than only right side in z / z2... Btw tomorrow i am going to repair another z2 customer reported this issue...
If you want you can go for warranty repair but if you are heavy gamer like me or doing something that heating up the device expect the same thing to happen in less than month.... The adhesive on the glass is really strong but after you heat up the glass, its not so strong then.... Its better to put locktide power flex(super glue) together with adhesive sticker and glue it this way..yeah then its almost impossible to get the glass off as the locktide is less,almost not sensitive to heat. I repaired mine z2 this way,like i sad i am gamer my phone is hot everyday and everithing is okayy
Edith
NetSkill said:
I saw xperia z3 leaded pictures and from what seen i can say that z3 got fixed this issue because of different placement of NFC pins they paced them almost in the middle of the motherboard (same as z1) logically its a way better placement in the middle because its more dificult for those pins to lift both sides and top of the glass together at the same time than only right side in z / z2... Btw tomorrow i am going to repair another z2 customer reported this issue...
If you want you can go for warranty repair but if you are heavy gamer like me or doing something that heating up the device expect the same thing to happen in less than month.... The adhesive on the glass is really strong but after you heat up the glass, its not so strong then.... Its better to put locktide power flex(super glue) together with adhesive sticker and glue it this way..yeah then its almost impossible to get the glass off as the locktide is less,almost not sensitive to heat. I repaired mine z2 this way,like i sad i am gamer my phone is hot everyday and everithing is okayy
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Well I run 3 or 4 times per week and I use Nike+ so the phone gets pretty hot, and since I really don't have the skills to open my phone and glued again I will just ignore this issue (Hopefully is a minor issue) and I'm going to hope Sony has all this fixed by the time Z4 is released.
ZPaul2Fresh8 said:
My rear glass is starting to separate from the frame in the top right corner.
Has anyone even heard of this problem on this phone?
Talked to Xperia Care today and it's covered under warranty but it's going to be a 14 working day turn around!
They are based in Texas, but since my phone originated from Hong Kong then it may take longer if parts differ.
It's not noticeable in the picture too bad but it's definitely coming apart because I feel the edge of the glass on my hand. Also it goes back in if I push it in but comes out eventually in a short amount of time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had my phone mostly in Sony's charge dock for the last couple of months, using it as a wifi hotspot. When I took it out the other day, I thought the back seemed to bulge a bit. I only had it for ~6 months or so, and I remember thinking that the battery couldn't have gone bad already - since its known that bad batteries start to bulge...
Anyway, took it out of the charger again today to leave the house with it and found that the rear "glass" has separated from the frame by a lot and there's a 3mm gap to the frame on one side.
1) the back seems more flexible than glass would normally be? I think its not actually glass... (I know they build different models for different regions - this was purchased in Hong Kong)
2) if I push the edges of the back to the frame and hold a ruler to the back in either direction, there's a clear bulge forcing the back away from the phone.
3) what besides the battery in a phone can expand to the extent that it will push the rear panel off the phone?
The phone has never been dropped, its in absolutely new condition, aside from this annoying failure to stay together...
Thoughts of going back to Samsung with their swappable batteries are hard to suppress...
UK Warranty Refusing Repair
Hey Guys,
I am having the same issue with my Z2, it's about 8 months old. I sent it off last week and this week I was quoted £350 for a BRAND NEW DEVICE!
I phoned them and asked why and they said that they have deemed it to be accidental damage! They are escalating it currently but I fail to see how it COULD be accidental damage?! I have never dropped the phone or anything...
Can someone on here please confirm that their device was repaired under warranty? If so did you get a receipt/ invoice or anything with it? I would very much appreciate any help with getting Sony to fix my damn phone...
Dan
NJ72 said:
I was quoted £350 for a BRAND NEW DEVICE!
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That's crazy! I paid €299 for mine NEW.
Almost same problem
I just got this Z2 since around 2 months, and just spotted that the rear glass is popping out of the frame. The device international and not under warranty, so will try to get back to Amazon. Any insights?
Pic: facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153081797391243&set=gm.898501176853924&type=1&theater
My friend had also such a problem. He decided to open the device by himself and then it cracked so go for warranty.
Sent from Xperia Z2
Luckily not from an iPhone = Yesterdays technology at tomorrows prices
i have an experia z3 and the backglass and te frond glas got loose dindt get it fixed yet, i think its because the phone gets prity damn hot somtimes and becuase of the heat te glue wil meld and your screen and backcover wil come of and sony still needs to fix this problem

[Q] Any back glass DIY replacement and phone still waterproof?

Dropped z2 yday ;/ it was one of my frenchies who jumped on me, phone fall first on screen, than on back glass and finaly landed in dogs water bowl. took it out right away, screen ok, back glass broken and no visible sign of any water entered.
I want to replace the broken glass deck, but to make it so that phone will still be wateproof.. Anyone have any experiance with that? If so, where did you order back glass and did it come with adhesive coating ..?
Thanks for all answers!
102
aawawa said:
Dropped z2 yday ;/ it was one of my frenchies who jumped on me, phone fall first on screen, than on back glass and finaly landed in dogs water bowl. took it out right away, screen ok, back glass broken and no visible sign of any water entered.
I want to replace the broken glass deck, but to make it so that phone will still be wateproof.. Anyone have any experiance with that? If so, where did you order back glass and did it come with adhesive coating ..?
Thanks for all answers!
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I got mine off of eBay. You need the back glass and new adhesive.
Phone won't be as waterproof anymore, but I've dipped my phone in the sink fora few seconds without harm.
http://iphoneno.com/categories/Sony-Mobile-Part/Xperia-Z2-Parts/
mariosraptor said:
http://iphoneno.com/categories/Sony-Mobile-Part/Xperia-Z2-Parts/
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Does this come with adhesive and would you know how if we can retain nfc? I heard changing the back you lose NFC...
Thanks.
It comes with adhesive. But nfc antenna must be unglued from the old back glass. To do that you have to heat up the glass very well so it won't break or torn off.
Heat up the old glass i mean.
hey guys , did anyone succeeded to buy original back glass , and after that phone is again waterproof ? cos some people told me that doesnt matter what back cover i buy even with adhesive , the phone wont be waterproof , only sony can repair it for waterproof again. is that true ?
No man
There are adhesive on the back of glass dont mention about it
You could either buy the plate AND the adhesive thingy (comes separately). Or go my way (slightly risky).
The stock glass plate keeps breaking so I took the measurements and made an Aluminium plate. Then drilled camera holes into it and painted it. Then came the tricky part. I stuck the plate into place using regular epoxy (waterproof) adhesive. You have to be very careful while doing the last part because of obvious reasons tho.
The problem with the adhesive thingy that you get to buy (And also the one that Sony uses in the device) is that although its water proof, it isn't heat resistant. and as we all know how Sony phones heat, the adhesive comes off.
MindfreakBS said:
You could either buy the plate AND the adhesive thingy (comes separately). Or go my way (slightly risky).
The stock glass plate keeps breaking so I took the measurements and made an Aluminium plate. Then drilled camera holes into it and painted it. Then came the tricky part. I stuck the plate into place using regular epoxy (waterproof) adhesive. You have to be very careful while doing the last part because of obvious reasons tho.
The problem with the adhesive thingy that you get to buy (And also the one that Sony uses in the device) is that although its water proof, it isn't heat resistant. and as we all know how Sony phones heat, the adhesive comes off.
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This is very creative and I sure as hell would like to try my hand at it. How thick was the aluminum?
I bet your phone becomes hot as an iron when gaming haha, which is good for your internals because of better heat dissipation. Any adverse effects on mobile reception? wifi? bluetooth? guess NFC is gone haha
ice_lander said:
hey guys , did anyone succeeded to buy original back glass , and after that phone is again waterproof ? cos some people told me that doesnt matter what back cover i buy even with adhesive , the phone wont be waterproof , only sony can repair it for waterproof again. is that true ?
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Well, I given my z2 to friend to replace battery and few days ago I left my phone in silk for 10 minutes, because it was dirty and no issue here.
@MindfreakBS
What are NFC and Cell reception like since installing the aluminium back plate?
Any deterioration in signal strength / call quality / WiFi / Bluetooth?
Pixelado said:
This is very creative and I sure as hell would like to try my hand at it. How thick was the aluminum?
I bet your phone becomes hot as an iron when gaming haha, which is good for your internals because of better heat dissipation. Any adverse effects on mobile reception? wifi? bluetooth? guess NFC is gone haha
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Aluminium is a millimetre thick. It does get hot, yeah.
Mobile reception is same (Maybe a tad bit lower, idk), wifi bluetooth work fine. NFC still intact. I fixed it onto the plate in position.
@rubiicon59 that should answer your question too
I was planning to post a tutorial. Haven't been able to take out enough time though.
How about a pic...
MindfreakBS said:
Aluminium is a millimetre thick. It does get hot, yeah.
Mobile reception is same (Maybe a tad bit lower, idk), wifi bluetooth work fine. NFC still intact. I fixed it onto the plate in position.
@rubiicon59 that should answer your question too
I was planning to post a tutorial. Haven't been able to take out enough time though.
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I've asked about the pic for a long time:crying::silly:
MindfreakBS said:
Aluminium is a millimetre thick. It does get hot, yeah.
Mobile reception is same (Maybe a tad bit lower, idk), wifi bluetooth work fine. NFC still intact. I fixed it onto the plate in position.
@rubiicon59 that should answer your question too
I was planning to post a tutorial. Haven't been able to take out enough time though.
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What if I want to use a 2-mm thick acrylic as my black plate? Is it possible? Because I am afraid that it will exceed the metal frame of the phone and it will ended up looking terrible:crying:
I agree, I think 1.0mm would be more suitable.
At 2mm, you might get an M4 Aqua kind of look hahaha
aawawa said:
Dropped z2 yday ;/ it was one of my frenchies who jumped on me, phone fall first on screen, than on back glass and finaly landed in dogs water bowl. took it out right away, screen ok, back glass broken and no visible sign of any water entered.
I want to replace the broken glass deck, but to make it so that phone will still be wateproof.. Anyone have any experiance with that? If so, where did you order back glass and did it come with adhesive coating ..?
Thanks for all answers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that if the broken glass was the only issue, and you use a original replacement part, or decent adhesive tape to glue them back together, you'll have no problem. I've had the same issue few weeks ago, replaced the screen and the phone didn't experienced any problem when submerged.
Do anyone now where can I get an official or a good quality back glass for my xperia z2, I broke the original one but i don't want to replace with one without any quality.
buy a nice "glue" to fix that..

Taking off screen protector

I've decided not to use screen protectors anymore. I just got my Nexus 6 less than a month ago, and I have been putting these things on for years from plastic to the new glass. The new tempered glass screen protectors fall short of the edges and look like a little island sitting on top of my screen with halo effect. The plastic ones eventually become pitted on the surface due to being plastic and discolored. I used to have one on my Galaxy S4 a long time ago and removed it and just used no screen protector which has Gorilla Glass 3. It has no physical damage other than general oil which can be wiped off.
I take care of my phone and the front glass is the same as my S4 which I had no problems with for several years. After trying to put one on my brother's phone (LG) yesterday and there being an issue with his, it just seems like it's more of a hassle and out of instinct than anything else.
So is this a question? Just carefully use a razor blade or even usually a fingernail will do it?
scryan said:
So is this a question? Just carefully use a razor blade or even usually a fingernail will do it?
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It was just an observation. I did have an order for a tempered glass one, but for the price I just got a case instead.
If one plans on selling their phone at some point, it's a good idea to put a protector on it. Even though it may look perfect without one, there are always minor scratches and pits if one looks hard enough. If you plan on keeping it until it dies, then no biggie.
mikeprius said:
It was just an observation. I did have an order for a tempered glass one, but for the price I just got a case instead.
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K.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Thinking of taking mine off too but I got 2 toddlers at home who sometimes like to treat my phone as a skateboard.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
bushako said:
Thinking of taking mine off too but I got 2 toddlers at home who sometimes like to treat my phone as a skateboard.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
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Lol. Might make sense to keep it on then. This Nexus 6 is a really good phone so I don't plan on selling it even if I get a new one later on. The screen size is generous, plus I LOVE the fact that it is water resistant. All phones should be made stock water resistant.
Between the fact that it's a Nexus, big size, water PROOF, last micro USB 2.0 phone (I don't want to have to replace all my cords), etc.............Mine will not be sold or given away.
Only screen is 'water resistant' (rain, water droplets...), not entire phone.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
nemanja066 said:
Only screen is 'water resistant' (rain, water droplets...), not entire phone.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
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https://youtu.be/LO_aTg1VU6k
https://youtu.be/S8BfTyXWpfk
Youtube videos have tested submerging the phone in water.
mikeprius said:
https://youtu.be/LO_aTg1VU6k
https://youtu.be/S8BfTyXWpfk
Youtube videos have tested submerging the phone in water.
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Just curious have you submerged it in water? Ive read about it being water proof to a certain extent but still skeptical considering it hasnt got any rubber flaps to seal the ports. Ive got a moto x 2013 on the side and although it isnt rated as officially water resistant they did mention that the internals are supposedly coated with some substance that makes it resistant.
bushako said:
Just curious have you submerged it in water? Ive read about it being water proof to a certain extent but still skeptical considering it hasnt got any rubber flaps to seal the ports. Ive got a moto x 2013 on the side and although it isnt rated as officially water resistant they did mention that the internals are supposedly coated with some substance that makes it resistant.
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I have turned off the phone, taken out the SIM card as a precaution, then soaked it in lukewarm water (still kept off) for a few minutes, taken it out and let dry overnight (still kept off), then in the morning put back in the SIM card, and power on.
The videos show it being left on and put in water. The only thing is the SIM card issue, hence why I take it out and just turn off the phone as a precaution prior to being soaked and taken out and dried. The water proofing isn't like the Samsung where it uses rubber gaskets/seals to keep out water, the Motorola phone's components are specially coated.
I'm not sure about you, but lint has a tendency to accumulate around the face of the phone and speakers from being in the pocket so this helps me keep it clean anyways.
http://www.androidheadlines.com/201...-water-resistance-tested-immersion-water.html
mikeprius said:
I have turned off the phone, taken out the SIM card as a precaution, then soaked it in lukewarm water (still kept off) for a few minutes, taken it out and let dry overnight (still kept off), then in the morning put back in the SIM card, and power on.
The videos show it being left on and put in water. The only thing is the SIM card issue, hence why I take it out and just turn off the phone as a precaution prior to being soaked and taken out and dried. The water proofing isn't like the Samsung where it uses rubber gaskets/seals to keep out water, the Motorola phone's components are specially coated.
I'm not sure about you, but lint has a tendency to accumulate around the face of the phone and speakers from being in the pocket so this helps me keep it clean anyways.
http://www.androidheadlines.com/201...-water-resistance-tested-immersion-water.html
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Although those pocket lints along the front panel does annoy the hell out of me its just not enough for me to run it under the tap. At least not yet I just had it since a month ago. Maybe a few more months when I get bored of it [emoji14] thanks for the info though.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I personally used to be worried about the screen breaking. Recently my tempered glass one cracked to the point where I had to take it off. On new years and yesterday, the phone fell 20ft off a Railcar I was on working, into rocks. I watched it fall on the screen side, and my heart stopped beating for a second each time. To my surprise, no scratches or breaks on the screen. I do have a beetle unicorn case. The screen is more resilient than I thought!
I suppose it depends on what you want to do long-term. For me, I will not sell my Nexus 6. It's a good phone and will be a back up assuming it is in good condition. I do use a case that has a lip on it, but other than that I do not personally feel the need to have a screen protector. I take care of my phone and don't rub the screen against sand despite living California. My old Galaxy S4 I took off and the glass is still fine.
Screen protector are a hassle and visually an eye sore to me. I'd rather enjoy my phone while I have it until the next one.

Back cover curved??

Hi guys,
I have my z2 for a while now (2 years I think), and he has tried to beat down the floor sometimes and until now, hasn't been victorious.
So the thing is, after the last try, he has the back cover a little openned in the middle (I can see a little of the glue and can stick something between the cover and the phone), and also, has a little opening in the screen, just like the cover. After this, the buttons got a little strage too, need to press power and up too hard to work, down is ok.
I would like to now, if anyone has experienced that, and know what could it be, I haven't openned it yet as it need the adhesive to put the cover back and I don't have access to it in my city, have to order it online.
Thanks!!!
And sorry for the bad english.
It could be the battery swelling as its on it's last legs.
If it was mine I would remove the back cover to inspect the battery, before things got (possibly) much worse.
My Z2 is over two years old and the back cover started to lift adjacent to the charging port. The cause was the pcb spring contacts for the NFC antenna pushing against the cover,which I've subsequently remedied. The physical appearance and size of the battery is all good so I have no safety worries although it will need replacing simply due to its age and noticeable decrease in capacity.
The back cover was only raised about a millimetre but it was noticeable enough and annoying. There is no problem with screen separation.
If my problems were similar to yours I would immediately take off the back cover, remove the battery and fully inspect it for signs of swelling. A new rear gasket / seal is easier to remedy than a complete phone wrecked by a screwed battery.
Good luck :good:
I see, can I use it without the back cover?
Cause it would take something like 2 weeks to get the seal from internet.
Your problem is kind of like mine, but mine isn't in the nfc point, but in the battery point, just above her, I thought about it at first too, I'll see about it then! Tnks!
Google "Xperia Z2 teardown" and you will see that the battery occupies more-or-less the mid-to-lower part of the phone. If your screen and rear cover are bulging from the centre outwards then it *probably* is the battery swelling.
I removed my rear cover about 6 weeks ago and the gasket was mostly intact so after sorting the NFC contacts I just reattached it as-is. It's stayed in place so far, but I also have a CASE-MATE transparent polycarbonate rear cover that adds further protection.
Once I find a genuine Sony battery and replacement gasket at reasonable prices I will get them ordered. So far things are fine.
If you manage to keep the gasket intact like I did it should be fine to reattach the cover until you get a new one.
And even if your battery hasn't swelled it may also be worth replacing that too, considering it's 2 years old.
I see, I also use a case-mate to protect more, cant handle it without it, I guess I'll try to do it then, seriously? I thought that battery would last longer, I'll see into that, now it makes sense, the battery started to die faster a while ago, nice to know.
Thanks!
Just oppened it, It was the battery as discussed above. Thanks!
Now you know what the problem is its easy to sort it out.
Would be good if you post a pic of the battery.
Here it go:
http://imgur.com/a/5Z48h
Got pic from the the battery and the back curved.
Yeah it's obvious from the pics. I think you've caught it just in time.
A new gasket and battery and your Z2 will live maybe another 2 years :good:

Batteries and rear glass adhesive driving me NUTS

Okay, story time. Some time ago, the battery in my Z5c swelled up and pushed the battery cover off the back of the phone. I replace the battery myself, & also order new (supposedly OEM) adhesive for the back glass. It does NOT stick on well, popping off one side or the other every few minutes. After fighting it for a while (ordering additional replacement adhesive and trying to re-clean and re-apply it a couple more times), it seems to finally stay in place.
Fast-forward a few months. I see the back glass coming off again. Oh, great, here we go again. I peel it off, and find that the replacement battery is a *little* inflated. Not by much, and not nearly as much as the original battery, but even though it seems to barely be a problem, it's also clear that the battery cover is not skin-tight as it was when it went in. Perhaps it was "enough" that given the tolerances inside, it still managed to push the back glass off. Okay, fine: I bought 2 replacement batteries at the time, so I'll put the other one in.
Fast-forward another few months to a couple of weeks ago. SAME BLASTED THING. Battery barely inflated, back cover coming off, but not really 100% clear whether the battery *really* is the culprit, or whether this adhesive I keep buying is just crap, or if I'm not applying it correctly.
Well, this time I'm running into the same problem trying to re-apply it that I did the first time around: it simply Will. Not. Stay. Put. I've tried the usual tricks I have read about: namely, making sure everything is squeaky-clean, and warming up the adhesive before pressing the back glass onto the phone, and then giving it a little time to cure with something heavy on top of the phone (if I had some clamps, I might try to use those instead). It helps for a couple of hours, but then the back cover just comes RIGHT off again.
Here is my hypothesis: either my phone's chassis is was not quite up to manufacturing standards, or I keep re-assembling it wrong, or something along those lines, because the battery sticks up slightly above the surrounding black frame. And what I can see when the back first starts coming off is that it is slightly "bowing" a bit...the top and bottom are sunk slightly below the plastic frame, but the middle bows out to the point where it rises slightly ABOVE the plastic frame. It's as if either the battery is sitting too high inside the phone, or the frame around the battery is sitting too low.
I have tried taking it all apart again and putting it all back together, but no dice.
Has anybody ever experienced anything like this? It's super frustrating. It seems clearly like a design defect. I just wish I could understand how things are different right now vs. when it was originally assembled at the factory.
Right now I'm sitting here seriously thinking that maybe the answer to this is to layer TWO back adhesive stickers on top of each other, in order to raise the edges of the glass back up enough above the battery that the back won't bow out anymore...
Argh!
...oh, also: and are genuine Sony batteries REALLY this crap in terms of quality?? If so, they should be ashamed and should have recalled many of these phones. I have yet to run into a genuine Sony Z5c battery that doesn't have at least a small build-up of gases within the battery pack after a few short months of use. I have been shying away from third-party batteries by no-name companies, but at this point I'm thinking that those could only be worse if they managed to spontaneously burst into flames.
In case anybody else who is struggling with the same thing ever ends up stumbling across this in the future, I seem to have finally managed to successfully tackle this problem. I finally got more pre-cut adhesive in, and yes: at least in my case, stacking two of them on top of each other has done the trick. (It's not easy lining them up in order to apply them to each other, either...I can tell you that much.)
I don't know if maybe all the adhesive that is out on the market is not "genuine" Sony and so not built to the same spec (maybe the genuine article is much thicker?), or if my particular phone's manufacturing tolerances are just outside the norm (either the battery is sticking up farther than it should, or the edges of the frame are sunk in further than they should be), or what. But using 2 stacked on top of each other instead of 1 seems to be the perfect thickness, allowing for the back glass to remain flush with the plastic frame's edges while also remaining perfectly flat.
I can tell you that at least on my phone, this is still not enough to ensure a tight water seal (pressure sensor doesn't change with increasing outside pressure). But it's hard to know if that's due to the way the back is applied, or some other issue elsewhere that's entirely unrelated.
ARGH. Nope. It lasted a lot longer than previous attempts, but now the upper-left corner, where the camera lens is, is already starting to lift off again.
This is *such* a stupid design.
Try using B7000 industrial glue from Aliexpress or other vendors, it can still be unglued by heat if repairs are needed, but should stay glued better and longer then these precut adhesives which are low in quality...
Thanks for your thread. I can feel your frustration! I'm having problems with the flash LED making weird green shadows in photos (like here https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/camera-flash-bleed.3368004/) I was thinking about opening the back cover to try and fix this and maybe install a new battery and a new camera lens while I'm at it. But now I'm afraid to open it up. I am pretty sure that a this point all "original" replacement parts that are available are fake. Should I ever find the courage: Is the back cover and camera lens made from one piece or must they be replaced separately?
Try to get the OEM adhesive strips and battery.
3m makes all sorts of industrial double sided strips. Get the right thickness if you go that route.

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