New Apple support documentation leaked from one of its retail stores that the company’s new $29 battery replacement program is a lot less strict than some customers originally feared.
Earlier in the week, some iPhone customers reported that the genius bar refused to swap their battery if it wasn’t under 80% capacity. According to a new documentation though, employees have now been instructed to replace batteries no matter what.
Apple revealed last week that it would start offering some iPhone customers a $29 battery replacement. The move comes as an apology to customers after it was discovered that the company throttles CPU performance on iPhones with an older battery.
According to iGeneration, Apple will replace the battery on the iPhone 6, 6s, SE or 7 for $29 even if the internal tool shows the battery is in good health.
Customers who paid $79 for an iPhone battery replacement before the December 30 announcement may be eligible for a refund upon request.
Apple confirmed last week that it lowers CPU performance. But the company says it does so because as batteries age they can’t meet peak CPU draw demands sometimes, especially when the battery is low. When this happens it causes the device to restart, so Apple added an algorithm that curves CPU demands as batteries age.
Devices affected by the throttling include the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE.
