Apple extends its iPhone 5 battery replacement program until 2016

Battery life is one of the most discussed aspects of the iPhone, but some handsets have it worse than others.

If you bought an iPhone 5 in the six month window between September 2012 and January 2013, you could be eligible for a free replacement due to a battery fault.

Apple first launched its iPhone 5 Battery Replacement Program back in August 2014, and has now extended it past its original deadline of March 1, 2015 to January next year. That means that if you’re one of the affected customers, and you’ve not yet done anything about it, you’ve still got a bit longer to do so.

“Apple has determined that a very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently,” Apple notes. “The affected iPhone 5 devices were sold between September 2012 and January 2013 and fall within a limited serial number range.”

To find out, you can visit Apple’s website and enter your iPhone’s serial number; discoverable by going to Settings > General > About on your iPhone handset. Apple will then run a check to see whether you bought one of the affected batch of devices. If so, simply take your iPhone 5 to any Apple store, online tech support, or authorized reseller, and they’ll swap out the battery for you free of charge.

Although initially available only in select countries, the program is now available worldwide.

Source: iPhoneInCanada

Luke Dormehl

Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.