Customers who purchased an iPhone battery replacement before the price was lowered to $29 might be in for a rebate from Apple.
In a letter sent today to U.S. Senator John Thune, the iPhone-maker revealed that it is exploring the possibility of offering rebates, but it’s unclear when that will happen.
Apple was caught throttling CPU speeds on iPhones with older batteries after a new feature was added to an iOS 10 update last year. The company apologized for not being transparant about the feature and said it implemented it as a way to prevent unwanted random reboots from occurring when the CPU drew more power than the old battery could support. To make up for it, Apple is now offering $29 battery replacements to boost iPhone performance.
Sen. John Thune — who leads the Commerce Committe — sent Apple a letter last month asking about the new battery replacement program. He specifically wanted to know whether customers who paid the full price a replacement battery should be allowed to seek a rebate for some of the purchase price.
In a reply to Thune, Cynthia Hogan, Apple’s VP for public policy, replied with the following:
“Yes, we are exploring this and will update you accordingly.”
Apple is facing numerous lawsuits in countries across the globe for throttling CPU speeds. The U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are also reportedly looking into whether Apple violated any laws.
No information has been provided on when we’ll find out about when the rebate program will launch. After receiving word from Apple, Senator Thune says the company has promised the committee some follow-up information.
