How To Get the Most From Your iPhone’s Warranty
11:59 pm, June 4th, 2009, Jonathan Zschau
13. Battery problems. Apple’s 1-year warranty does cover defective batteries. What precisely constitutes a defective battery is difficult to establish. Should your iPhone be showing signs of battery trouble, you would best be served by arguing that the battery was defective, and not that it simply wore out. If your iPhone is exhibiting any other atypical behavior such as excessive heating while charging or inconsistent power monitoring, your argument will be much stronger. Apple estimates that an iPhone battery should last approximately 400 charges. If you are consulting an Apple Genius then you may want to mention approximately how often you charge your iPhone. As long as your iPhone is still under the warranty, poor battery life may be an avenue to demand a new iPhone.
14. Accelerometer problems. Many iPhone owners have reported problems with the built-in accelerometer. Anyone who uses their iPhone for gaming or frequently flips their iPhone on its side to view in landscape mode will know whether their iPhone’s accelerometer is functioning correctly. Be sure you are holding your iPhone vertically when rotating it; the accelerometer may not function correctly otherwise. Remember, it is based on gravity, so extraneous movement (i.e. walking, jogging, tilting, etc.) may confuse the accelerometer. However, if you genuinely believe your accelerometer may not be functioning correctly you should take your phone in to be replaced.
15. Ambient light sensor problems. The iPhone’s ambient light sensors are located near the top of the iPhone. To test whether the ambient light sensors are functioning get a bright flashlight and go to Settings àBrightness and turn the brightness down as far as it will go. Make sure auto-brightness is turned on. Press the sleep button at the top of the iPhone. Cover the ambient light sensors with your hand. Once the iPhone is asleep press the wake button and unlock the iPhone. Note the brightness of the screen. Then uncover the sensors and shine the flashlight at them. The screen should get a little bit brighter. If your iPhone is unresponsive you should consider taking it in for a replacement.
You can see the ambient light sensors underneath the iPhone's face.
16. Proximity sensor problems. The proximity sensor makes sure that your iPhone turns its screen off when the phone is placed near your ear. If the proximity sensor is functioning properly, your iPhone should shut its screen off during phone calls when it is placed near your ear. The screen should turn back on when you move the phone away from your ear. Some owners have reported iPhones with defective proximity sensors. A defective sensor may fail to turn the screen on when it is removed from the phone call position, which results in an inability to use the touch screen while making a phone call. It also may not properly turn the screen off, which results in owners inadvertently hitting touch screen buttons while speaking on the iPhone. If you believe that your proximity sensor is not functioning correctly, you should bring your iPhone in for a replacement.
17. Dead or stuck pixels. If your iPhone’s screen has multiple dead or stuck pixels you should consider bringing your iPhone in for a replacement. At one point in time, Apple had a zero tolerance policy regarding the iPhone screens. That meant that even one dead or stuck pixel was grounds for replacement. However, more recently Geniuses have been reported to deny this policy. Whether it is technically legal for them to do so is a question that goes beyond the scope of this article because it depends on many factors specific to the iPhone owner (i.e. did an Apple representative tell you about this policy). If your iPhone has dead or stuck pixels you may still be able to have your iPhone replaced on these grounds. The Genius may refuse to replace your iPhone, but if you are persistent you may succeed. This is a grey area but it is certainly worth a try – especially if your iPhone has numerous dead or stuck pixels.
Example of a dead pixel.
18. Mechanical buttons and switches. Although most physical problems are normally attributable to intentional or negligent acts by the iPhone’s owner, the switches on the iPhone may break or wear out. If they do wear out during the 1-year warranty period then it is probably due to some defect. However, be careful because an Apple Genius may be reluctant to replace your iPhone if shows evidence of other external physical damage. (See also AppleiPhoneApps.com)
An example of a broken ringer switch.
Going to your Local Apple Store’s Genius Bar.
So, you believe you have a legitimate warranty claim and you want to replace your iPhone. Now what do you do? First: be prepared to make several trips. Consider yourself especially lucky if you live near an Apple Store, as it will make this process much easier. You should also be prepared to argue your case: those Geniuses can be stubborn.
Next: How to prepare for your visit.
Posted by Jonathan Zschau in Customer Services, Hardware, News, Retail Stores, Top stories, iPhone, iPhone 3G | Comment on this article
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Some interesting stuff there, although it’s probably worth noting that your mileage my vary depending on the consumer rights available in each particular country. In my experience, although the UK has very strong consumer rights that enable customers to make claims up to seven years after purchase, Apple fights desperately against such things. In the US, despite the country having weaker general consumer protection laws, it seems Apple Stores are often more likely to offer replacements for faulty hardware rather than argue the toss about whether a defect was there at the point of manufacture.
Craig Grannell, on June 5th, 2009 at 8:12 am
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The Coolest Gadgets we missed this week - 5th June 2009 | Technology - Cyooh.com, on June 6th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I believe that I am just not lucky when buying anything and I am constantly fighting with apple about my iphone (I purchased it from an apple store). I have to say, that although it is usually a time consuming and frustrating effort, they have come through.
I as well, have an issue with my time line for warranty on all items as apparently I am very disorganized. I recently fount this website that is awsome, at least for a persone like me. http://www.warrantyelephant.com Hope this helps others
Ben wilson, on June 10th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Very cool site. If I would have known about this 3 months ago, I probably would have saved some money. Easy to sign up, easy to use. Great Idea.
John, on June 14th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
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hi Jonathan,
I was recently scammed by a guy who sold me an (dead pixels, cracking plastic, discolored screen) iphone 16gb for $290. Today I followed everything you said and walked into an Apple store with an appointment and walked out with a NEW iphone 3g 16gb!! I did my homework well on those three flaws and it paid off!
Thanks a LOT
Sj Ray, on June 17th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
This guide helped alot!
Thank you so much
I worked my way into the guys brain
I told him that I had Been saving up
and that I wanted to work at the store when I’m older
he replaced my phone even though I had water damage
which usually isn’t covered
thanks a million really helpful!
Jarar, on August 17th, 2009 at 10:02 pm