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Apple Makes $29 Battery Replacements Available Immediately for iPhone 6 and Newer

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple today announced it is making its reduced $29 battery replacements available immediately for iPhone 6 and all newer models.

slow-iphone.jpg

Apple previously said it would offer the cheaper battery replacements in late January, but it has removed that timeframe from its letter to customers, and has confirmed immediate availability in a statement to TechCrunch.
We expected to need more time to be ready, but we are happy to offer our customers the lower pricing right away. Initial supplies of some replacement batteries may be limited.
Click to expand...
Apple normally charges $79 for out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacements, but it reduced the price by $50 following a wave of controversy over its process of dynamically managing the peak performance of some older iPhone models with degraded batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

Given a lack of nuance in some mainstream coverage, many headlines have fueled speculation that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models, but the actual issue was Apple's lack of transparency about the power management changes it made starting in iOS 10.2.1.

When it released iOS 10.2.1 in February, Apple only vaguely said it made "improvements" to reduce occurrences of unexpected shutdowns. It only chose to explain that the changes it made may result in temporary slowdowns on some older iPhone models with degraded batteries after controversy recently reignited.

The issue came into the spotlight in early December after a Reddit user claimed that his iPhone's performance significantly increased after replacing the device's battery. Soon after, analysis of iPhone 6s benchmarks visualized an apparent link between lower performance and degraded battery health.

Apple responded by noting the power management process is a "feature" rolled out to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone SE, but since it didn't fully communicate this change, some iPhone users may not have realized all they needed was a new battery.

Apple said it will release an iOS update in early 2018 with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance. It's unclear if Apple will ever let customers opt out of the power management process.

Apple said the cheaper iPhone battery replacements will be available worldwide through December 2018. The $29 fee applies to the United States, with prices varying in other countries based on exchange rates.

To initiate the battery replacement process, we recommend contacting Apple Support by phone, online chat, email, or Twitter, or scheduling a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store with the Apple Support app. You can also inquire about a battery replacement with select Apple Authorized Service Providers.

Article Link: Apple Makes $29 Battery Replacements Available Immediately for iPhone 6 and Newer
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/30/apple-29-usd-iphone-battery-replacements-now-avail/
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Nor10

Nor10

macrumors member
Sep 7, 2016
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MacRumors said:



Apple today announced it is making its reduced $29 battery replacements available immediately for iPhone 6 and later.

slow-iphone.jpg

Apple previously said it would offer the cheaper battery replacements in late January, but it has removed that timeframe from its letter to customers, and has confirmed immediate availability in a statement to TechCrunch.Apple normally charges $79 for out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacements, but it reduced the price by $50 following a wave of controversy over its process of dynamically managing the peak performance of some older iPhone models with degraded batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

Given a lack of nuance in some mainstream coverage, some headlines have fueled speculation that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models, but the actual issue was Apple's lack of transparency about the power management changes it made starting in iOS 10.2.1.

Apple said it will release an iOS update in early 2018 with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance. It's unclear if Apple will ever let customers opt out of the power management process.

Apple said the cheaper iPhone battery replacements will be available worldwide through December 2018, and it will share more details soon.

Article Link: Apple Makes $29 Battery Replacements Available Immediately for iPhone 6 and Later
Click to expand...

The real questions still needs to be investigated; what other devices has Apple purposely throttled and not disclosed? MacBooks, Airbooks, iPad, etc. This needs to be investigated by the Apple Consumer Community!

Also how are iPhone users going to be compensated for the resell value lost because of this? Resell of iPhones has been a good market for users to sell their phones. This will certainly impact resell value...
 
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SgtPepper23

macrumors regular
Oct 13, 2010
167
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Los Angeles, California
Boatboy24 said:
"iPhone 6 or later". Does "Later" = "Older", or does that mean 6 series through X? Originally read that it was 6 and 'older', but the language here isn't as clear. Battery life on my 7 was worse than my 2 year old 6, even on day 1. For $29, I'll replace it without thinking twice.
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i think i saw that it was devices from iPhone 6 onward. i still got my 6s running as a secondary/in-office iPod, so i might take advantage of this.
 
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larry00

macrumors newbie
Sep 11, 2014
14
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Boatboy24 said:
"iPhone 6 or later". Does "Later" = "Older", or does that mean 6 series through X? Originally read that it was 6 and 'older', but the language here isn't as clear. Battery life on my 7 was worse than my 2 year old 6, even on day 1. For $29, I'll replace it without thinking twice.
Click to expand...

You may not be able to unless Apple determines that your battery “needs” to be replaced.
 
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hetrigger

hetrigger

macrumors regular
Jul 20, 2011
195
145
Texas
We all knew they were doing this with past phones...just glad they are at least admitting they were and doing something about it. Now my kids get my 6+. now becomes the question: who do we take it to?
 
dampfnudel

dampfnudel

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2010
4,544
2,589
Brooklyn, NY
SgtPepper23 said:
i think i saw that it was devices from iPhone 6 onward. i still got my 6s running as a secondary/in-office iPod, so i might take advantage of this.
Click to expand...
I’m getting close to buying an X and I plan to keep my 6s as a backup device. I may replace the battery in a few months to extend the life of it.
 
vegetassj4

vegetassj4

macrumors 68000
Oct 16, 2014
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“Given a lack of nuance in some mainstream coverage, some headlines have fueled speculation that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models, but the actual issue was Apple's lack of transparency about the power management changes it made starting in iOS 10.2.1.”

So either they were using shady business practices or inept about the fallout that would result from intentionally and surreptitiously slowing performance (even if it did save battery life/prevent shutdowns)..
 
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DotCom2

macrumors 603
Feb 22, 2009
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Is there a list somewhere that states which iPhones are eligible for the discount battery replacement program?
I have a slow 6 Plus. Is that on the list?
 
C

Chones cajones

macrumors newbie
Oct 14, 2015
28
151
No, no, no, Apple. You profited massively from the sales of new phones by conveniently failing to tell your customers that you were slowing their current phones, thereby making them falsely believe they needed to upgrade. Yet you think we should go out of our way and take time from our day to travel to your stores, and *still* pay you more money to fix it? Had you been upfront and given customers the option to decide how their phones perform from within the OS, a replacement battery fee would be perfectly acceptable. I got a kit from Amazon that included tools and replaced my own for $24.95.
 
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