How to Install a Glass Screen Protector on iPad

If you’re worried about scratching your new iPad’s display, then getting a screen protector is a great way to prevent that. Here’s how to apply a glass screen protector to your iPad.

Screen protectors come in all different styles, but most of them are usually made out of a thin and flexible plastic sheet that sticks onto your device’s screen using some kind of adhesive or just static electricity.

More expensive screen protectors are made out of tempered glass, which are essentially just really thin sheets of glass that you stick on top of your iPad’s display. This makes it so that you’ll still get that natural glass feel to the device, but it does add a bit of thickness, since glass screen protectors are a bit thicker than regular plastic ones. This is the kind that I’m going to be demonstrating in this how-to.

There are also more rugged screen protectors from companies like Zagg who specialize in military-grade screen protection. These screen protectors are made out of an incredible material that’s insanely scratch proof. They’re overkill most of the time and are fairly expensive, but they can be good for users who work in construction that would have an iPad exposed to extreme conditions most of the time.

However, glass screen protectors are ideal for most users, and while they’re slightly expensive, it’s completely worth it to retain that natural glass feel while still protecting the display from scratches. Here’s how to apply a tempered glass screen protector to your iPad.

Before You Begin

Before you apply any screen protector to your iPad, it’s crucial that you do a couple of things first to prepare.

The first thing you’ll want to do is wash your hands to get rid of any excess oils and dirt on your fingers. You don’t want fingerprints all over your device while you’re trying to apply a screen protector, so washing your hands can eliminate most annoying fingerprint situations.

Secondly, you want to apply your screen protector in a room where there isn’t a lot of dust. A good place to do this is in a bathroom right after a hot shower, since the steam and humidity chokes down any dust and provides a great environment to put a screen protector on your iPad.

Thirdly, besides your own two hands, you’ll want a credit card, a microfiber cloth, and a cleaning wipe, which is essentially a type of wet wipe meant for displays. All of these items will usually come with the screen protector, especially if you pay extra money for a tempered glass screen protector.

Now, let’s start applying your glass screen protector.

How to Install a Glass Screen Protector on iPad

Before you bust out the screen protector to apply it, take your cleaning wipe and clean the iPad’s display so that it looks brand new with no fingerprints or dust particles. Then take your microfiber cloth and finish the process by drying the screen and getting rid of any stubborn dust particles that the cleaning wipe didn’t get.

Next, if your glass screen protector came with suction cups, you can attach them to the upward-facing side of the screen protector. Suction cups make it a little easier to apply a glass screen protector, especially since you can bend it and apply it like a plastic screen protector.

Now, slowly peel off the protective film on the underside of the screen protector and simply line up the screen protector on the iPad. From there, gently lay it down on top of the screen and press down on the screen protector in various places to work out the bigger bubbles. Use a credit card or the squeegee card that came in the box to work out smaller stubborn bubbles.

And that’s all there is to it! If you screw up the installation, most companies will send you a replacement for free, so don’t get too upset if you don’t get it right, especially if it’s your first time.