Chosen Solution
Per the item description for the replacement screens on this site’s store, there is a note at the bottom that says: “When replacing the screen with a different part, it disables the NFC antenna, used for things like Apple Pay. There appears to be no easy fix for this right now. “ If I am reading this correctly, it means it is impossible to replace the Series 4 screen without loosing the functions of your NFC antenna. In other words, to replace a broken screen yourself you will trade one broken thing for another - which is obviously silly. I suppose there is a chance I am reading this incorrectly though - and my fingers are crossed that this is the case (especially after seeing the price of repair from the Apple Store). Have any of you replaced the screen on a Series 4 and verified whether or not Apple Pay functionality is lost?
Nope. This is like the home button on the iPhones; Apple puts in a hardware lock as a “security measure” (which, conveniently, only Apple can circumvent). If you want the screen replaced AND retain NFC functionality, you must pray at the Altar of Fruit.
Yes, you would need to replace swap the original NFC chip with the new screen. Use the QianLi 3D Opening Pry Tool (thin enough not to damage the cable) to lift up the lcd connector. Do the same with the digitizer connector. Once that is done, use the pry tool to remove the nfc chip (can be done with LCD separator wire ) VERY RISKY REPAIR - can damage the screen extremely easily
