Opening the plastic flap in lower case of HTC One S

[Esmond Ivers]

I recently purchased HTC One S. I have been using it for two days. While I was exploring its content and looks I noticed that there is a flap on the back side of the lower case of it. There is one similar flap on the upper part of the body near the button used for powering the phone on and off. But it is used for insertion of SIM card. Another similar flap is located near bottom part, where there is a beats audio logo. The notch for opening it is very small and doesn’t easily open with finger nail. I tried using a flat headed screwdriver to open it but even it failed to open. Also I found a small hole pointing downwards near the flap. I couldn’t understand what it is, is it a plug for earphone or hole for some other reason. I am thinking that it must be some tiny button for master reset of phone which can be pushed in by tiny needle. Does anyone know the purpose of the hole and the flap on the lower body of HTC One S?

[Bala Murugan S]

The hole on the lower body of the phone which you are referring to is the microphone used to capture your voice. I know how difficult it is to recognize it as I too was confused about it on iPhone. It too had a similar setup and I was boasting of my iPhone having two speakers. It was after my friend told me that one of them is a microphone, I realized my mistake. Do not put any needle or any such pointed object as it might damage the microphone badly and render your phone useless. Also if any damage occurs by inserting the needle in micro phone, then the warranty will not be considered.

[Mahalingam]

My job requires me to open up phones and re assemble them. I have recently opened a HTC Desire Z and it too had a small flap behind its body as similar to your description. This flap opens but not with fingernail or ordinary screwdriver. A special tool and technique is required. Also behind it, there is another cover attached with tiny screws. Behind this second cover are an antenna and other parts of the phone. It is not recommended to open it with ordinary devices as too much pressure or force can break it or maybe push the internal cover more inside to damage internal parts. Every company releases assemble and disassemble manual. You can search it on HTC website which will provide the guide. If you are so curious about finding what is behind the flap, then refer to this guide. You won’t even need to open the phone. The flap you want to open is designed such that it can be opened by special tools available with service centre of your product. Opening it yourself will lead to end of warranty of your phone.