How to Change the Faceplate on a Cell Phone
The Purpose, Function and Application of Cell Phone Faceplates
The first thing you have to consider when looking into getting a new faceplate for you cell phone is: What exactly are they, and what do they do? What are the advantages to having one, or the disadvantages, if any?
Cell phone faceplates are quite simple, in essential function: They perform two duties - First, they serve to protect a phone from outside objects, dings, scratches, dust, dirt, and other such debris. Second, they allow the owner to change their appearance, customizing the aesthetics of their phone to make it look like whatever they want it to look like to better fit their personality, style, or both. Many companies make cell phone faceplates in a very wide variety of styles, and some will make ones with custom appearances by special order, so the ways in which you can change the appearance of your phone are nearly limitless.
Adding and Changing Cell Phone Faceplates
The
vast majority of faceplates are designed to attach simply and without any fixing
mechanisms like screws or bolts, or adhesives. Generally, they are made to snap
into place on top of the phone's casing. This is a very important point to make:
Cell phone faceplates are not designed to replace the casing of your phone. They
are intended to be set into place on top of it. Do not try to remove your cell
phone's casing and install the faceplates in its place; that is not what they
are for. There is a different type of process called a Case Modification (or
case mod for short). Case mods do replace the basic casing of a phone with a new
casing, but this is not the same thing as a faceplate. Faceplates go on top of
the casing to provide additional protection to it.
The faceplate adding process:
1. Clean the outside of your phone. One of the uses of the faceplate is to prevent dust and bits of dirt from scratching or damaging your cell phone. If there are already pieces of debris and dust on the phone and they get trapped between the case and the faceplate, it can cause harm to the phone. Before you attach a faceplate to your phone, make sure that it is free of dust and other small bits of stuff that could cause friction and scratching between the case and the faceplate. Don't use excessive cleaners; a few quick swipes with a cloth and a little bit of rubbing alcohol should do the trick.
2. Faceplates are designed to fit perfectly over a cell phone casing, therefore they are made to work with specific phone models. Make sure that you get a faceplate that is designed to be compatible with your specific model of phone. Most places you can buy them make this pretty clear, but be sure before you purchase it that it is designed to fit over your phone.
3. The process to attach the plates themselves should be the simplest part. The vast majority of faceplates are snap-on. They are designed to click into place in segments on top of the phone. Figure out which segments go on top of which areas of the phone - this should be a straightforward process as they will resemble them in shape - and, once you have located the point at which a segment is designed to attach, simply press it onto the phone with gentle but firm pressure and a simple click should indicate that it has been properly attached. Once all of the segments of the plate are snapped into place, you should examine the phone to make sure that they are all secure. Open and close it, if it is a flip phone, to see if they stay in place, and be sure that they don't hinder your ability to press the keys or perform any other physical function.
Removing a faceplate from a phone should be a simple reversal of the adding process. Just pull gently on each segment until it pops off, and examine the phone to see if dust or other debris has slipped inside while the faceplate was in place.
There are many companies that make cell phone faceplates in a wide variety of styles and designs, so you should make sure that the faceplate you're looking at is intended to fit your phone. The package (or catalogue/online product description) should include this information, with the name of the company that makes the phone followed by the specific model number.
Once you have the model information and have looked through to find a style that you like, the attachment process should be simple and straightforward, as described above. Faceplates are a handy and inexpensive way to customize your phone's appearance and give it some added protection against dust, bumps, scrapes, scratches, dings, and the elements in general. They change the appearance of your phone without significantly hindering its operation or changing the way that you use it in everyday carrying. For the most part, they are very simple, lightweight, and convenient to add, remove and change. Treat your phone with some care and delicacy and adding or changing faceplates should be a simple and straightforward endeavor.