iPhone 14 Pro Ambient Ljus Sensor Flexkabel replacement

Yes, absolutely you want to remove that liner. Otherwise you'll have the joy of removing your brand new screen again because your proximity sensor doesn't work with that liner in place.

You can always test it by moving the front sensor array to the new screen then plugging it in and powering up the phone to verify its operation, but I'm pretty sure you're going to find the proximity sensor non-functional if you don't take that tape off. But whatever you do, don't glue the screen down until you're sure, okay?

Oh, and make sure there aren't any other liners in the camera, ambient light sensor, IR camera or dot projector openings.

iFixit has a wiki page that deals with the specific kind of kernel panic you're seeing, called "SMC Panic Assertion Failed".

iPhone SMC Panic Assertion Failed - iFixit

Here's what it has to say about your particular error, which according to your panic log is 0x20000.

iPhone Model: iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max

Sensor Array: 0x20000

Likely Issue: Gyroscope (located on the bottom board)

This particular error is related to the gyroscopic sensor that is mounted on the bottom board of the sandwich assembly that makes up the motherboard. The two boards are connected by a series of connectors all around the edges of the two boards that carry the electrical signals between the two boards called the interposer. If the motherboard assembly gets flexed, those connections can get broken and the signals can't pass between the top and bottom boards. That's why the panic analyzer you used uses the term "interposer" as the most likely issue, meaning the processor cannot communicate with the gyroscope and broken connections on the interposer would be the most likely cause.

Unfortunately, this is an error that can't be fixed at home by us normal people; it requires extremely specialized skills and equipment to repair; the two boards must be separated, the damaged board traces repaired, and finally the two boards have to be soldered back together again.

This is one of those issues where you may have to make the call whether it's worth trying to get it repaired or not. If you're getting the three minute boot loop as a result of this error, the phone won't be usable and you'll need to try and find someone who can fix it or just decide to junk it and get another phone. Unfortunately, with Apple's parts pairing policy, motherboard replacement ends up being far more complicated than it used to be, but thanks to the release of the Repair Assistant in iOS 18, it's becoming a bit less of an issue. In theory, you should be able to buy a replacement motherboard, install it and run the Repair Assistant and hopefully everything will work again.

Sorry I don't have better news for you, but that's my analysis of what your panic log is telling you. Good luck, and be sure to let us know how it all turns out.

This is what you should see when you take off that tape.

Yes, there is metal under there, but there should be a viewport for the ambient light sensor to "see" through.