iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners in need of a battery replacement face a lengthy wait for Apple service.
A shortage of batteries in the United States and other regions means many will have to wait months to take advantage of the $29 replacement program.
Apple earlier this month reduced the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements from $79 in an effort to appease iPhone owners who are unhappy with its performance throttling practices. The company warned, however, that supplies of some batteries may be limited initially.
Now it looks like iPhone 6 Plus owners will be facing the longest wait.
Many will be waiting until April
An internal document distributed to Apple Stores and Authorized Service Providers, obtained by MacRumors, reveals that iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6s Plus batteries are currently in short supply.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus owners can expect a wait of approximately two weeks for their replacement, but battery replacements for iPhone 6 Plus won’t be available until late March to early April.
“MacRumors has already received a few emails from readers with an iPhone 6 Plus who were quoted a late March to early April timeframe for the replacement service to be completed at Apple Stores in New York and North Carolina, in line with the information outlined in Apple’s document,” the site reports.
Those who own an iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, or iPhone SE can still expect to get their batteries replaced without delay in most countries.
Apple’s program will run all year
The good news is that Apple’s battery replacement program runs until December 2018, so there’s still plenty of time to take advantage of it. Unless you really need a replacement now, it might be a good idea to wait until later in the year when supplies aren’t so limited.
