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.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
4 responses to “Apple’s $29 iPhone battery replacement just got easier”
“some iPhone customers reported that the genius bar refused to swap their battery if it wasn’t under 80% capacity.”
80% capacity, or 80% health?
There is a difference, BST3R.
If you look at Apple’s Support Site for batteries, they say “retains 80% of original capacity”.
The inherent problems with Lithium Ion batteries is when they start aging, they get less and less able to supply stable voltage, and 80% is generally where they really can’t do it well, so that’s where Apple’s setting the replacement threshold, but I think there’s that period just before it reaches 80% of original capacity where it’s also happening. So, maybe Apple should raise that threshold a little to warn people they should replace the battery. Maybe 81% or 82%, just to be safe and there should be a notification when it reaches that level instructing the user to replace the battery and warn people before it has to throttle or have shut downs. That’s my opinion on what they should do.
I went to my local Apple Store here in Canada yesterday (Jan 2) to get the battery in my 3+ year-old iPhone 6+ replaced. My iPhone 6+ is definitely running slower than it was previously.
The “genius” spent several minutes trying to “tech-talk” me out of the $35 Can upgrade telling me that the iOS handled older batteries by manipulating the CPU and an upgrade wasn’t necessary. Used lots of tech jargon.
Only after I repeated many times that I knew about the iOS now slowing down the CPU and that was the very thing I wanted corrected by a replacement battery, did he reluctantly agree I could have the $35 replacement battery.
He took my contact information and said he’d let me know when the had the battery in stock, probably in about a week.
I was NOT impressed with the way Apple handled this, and am left wondering if they will get back to me for the battery replacement.
Wouldn’t it be best to wait the Apple upgrade to software to check/show the battery levels first?