How to Apply Your Snap Skins
About ten minutes, at home
Every Snap Skins order comes with what you need to fit it yourself. Read the steps for your skin once, then take your time.
In your pack
- Your skin, cut for your phone model
- A clear practice skin, same cut and same steps
- Alcohol wipe and microfibre cloth
- Soft squeegee
- Guide card with a QR code for the full walkthrough
Good to have
- A heat source: a hair dryer works, a heating pen gives more control. Needed for 3M Premium, and for curved edges on other skins
- A clean, dust-free table and good light
- Clean, dry hands, and any old skin or protector removed
Which skin do you have?
3D Textured
Position it dry with the backing on, then fit one half at a time. The easiest skin to fit.
3M Premium
Bottom cutouts first, squeegee upward, and heat the edges and corners as you go. Takes a little more patience.
Patterned
Bottom cutouts first and squeegee upward, the same as 3M Premium, but heat only if your phone's edges curve.
Split backing: fit one half at a time
Clean
Wipe the back and sides with the alcohol wipe, then dry with the microfibre cloth. Check under a light for any dust left behind.
Position it dry
Lay the skin on the back with both backing pieces still on and line up the camera cutout. Nothing is stuck yet, so straighten it as often as you like.
Peel one half
Holding your alignment, pull away the first backing piece and squeegee that half down from the middle outward.
Slide the second out
Draw the remaining piece out from underneath and squeegee the rest the same way. Because you only ever work across half the skin, air is pushed out of the edge instead of being trapped in the middle.
Heat curved edges, if any
If the back curves into the frame, warm each corner for a few seconds and press it down. Flat-edged phone? Skip this step.
Press and let it set
Run a finger around every edge and cutout, then give it an hour before heavy use.
Single backing: bottom first, then work upward
Clean
Wipe the back and sides with the alcohol wipe, then dry with the microfibre cloth. Check under a light for any dust left behind.
Align the bottom
Peel the backing and set the bottom cutouts down first, lined up with the ports and edges.
Squeegee upward
Work from the bottom to the top, pushing the air out ahead of the squeegee.
Heat the edges and corners
3M Premium: always. Warm the corners and sides a few seconds at a time, keep the heat moving, and press the material down as it softens. Patterned: only if your phone's edges curve.
Press and let it set
Run a finger around every edge and cutout, then give it an hour before heavy use.
Warm the material, don't cook it
What to use
A hair dryer on its hot setting works. A heating pen gives you far more control at the corners, and a heat gun is quicker if you fit skins often.
How to apply it
A few seconds at a time, always moving, until the material goes soft. Then press it down with your thumb or the squeegee.
When you need it
3M Premium: every time. 3D Textured and Patterned: only where the edges curve.
Screen protectors
No heat at all. UV hydrogels use the included UV lamp instead, and only on curved screens.
Fixing the common problems
Bubbles
Push them toward the nearest edge with the squeegee. Pinhead bubbles disappear on their own within 24-48 hours. For a stubborn one, warm the spot and press it out.
Corners lifting
Warm the corner until the material softens, then hold it down for 10-15 seconds. On 3M Premium, heat isn't optional.
Wrinkles on a curve
Warm the area until it's soft, then smooth it down while it's still warm.
It won't stick
The surface was oily or dusty. Lift that section, clean it again with the alcohol wipe, let it dry fully, and lay it back down.
It went on crooked
Lift it gently within the first few minutes and lay it again. You can reposition a couple of times, but the adhesive weakens each time.
A cutout doesn't line up
Check before you peel. If it's more than 3mm off, send a photo with a ruler on WhatsApp within 7 days of delivery and we'll replace it free.
Protectors are even quicker
Hydrogel and privacy hydrogel
- Clean the screen with the wipe, then dry it with the cloth
- Position it dry with both backing pieces on and match the cutouts
- Peel one half and smooth it from the middle outward
- Slide the second piece out and smooth the rest
- Lift off the top protective layer
UV hydrogel
- Fit it exactly like hydrogel, easing it into the curved edges
- Lift off the top layer before curing, not after
- Curved screen: pass the included UV lamp over the film to set it hard
- Flat screen: skip the lamp, it cures by itself within a few days
Tempered glass, about two minutes
- Clean with the wipe and cloth, and check the light for dust
- Hold it above the screen and match the earpiece cutout
- Lower the middle and let go: it spreads out by itself
- Push any small bubbles to the edge with the cloth
Removing a skin
Our skins peel away cleanly in nearly all cases.
Warm it
A hair dryer on low or medium softens the adhesive.
Start at a corner
Lift the edge and peel slowly at about 45 degrees, warming as you go so it doesn't tear.
Wipe away any residue
If any adhesive is left, isopropyl alcohol takes it off.
Send us a photo and we'll talk you through it
WhatsApp is fastest: we're on every day from 12:30 PM to 11:30 PM, and from 5 PM on Fridays. Application tutorials are on our Instagram too.