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Iphone Power Software The Almighty Buck Apple Hardware Technology

Apple Will Replace Old iPhone Batteries Regardless of Diagnostic Test Results (macrumors.com) 191

After apologizing to customers for slowing older iPhones down as the batteries degrade, Apple has started offering battery swaps for $29. This has led to some confusion as Apple did not clarify how it qualified batteries as eligible for the discounted replacement, as the Apple Genius Bar uses a diagnostic test to check whether a battery can retain 80 percent of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles. According to Mac Rumors, Apple has confirmed that they will replace the battery if your iPhone 6 or later even if it passes a Genius Bar diagnostic test. From the report: Apple has since independently confirmed to MacRumors that it will agree to replace an eligible battery for a $29 fee, regardless of whether an official diagnostic test shows that it is still able to retain less than 80 percent of its original capacity. The concession appears to have been made to mollify the anger of customers stoked by headlines suggesting that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models. Anecdotal reports also suggest that customers who paid $79 to have their battery replaced before the new pricing came into effect on Saturday, December 30, will receive a refund from Apple upon request.
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Apple Will Replace Old iPhone Batteries Regardless of Diagnostic Test Results

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  • by Anonymous Coward

    Apple really is the master of profit, you have to give it to them! The reports say it costs them $10 for the battery replacement, so they will charge you $29 and make a few quick million from the whole debacle...

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      The reports say it costs them $10 for the battery replacement

      Repairs cost more than the parts? Stop the presses.

  • seriously only the dumb will buy apple after this incident, which exposed even to the dumbest in very blatant fashion, what everyone with above average intelligence already knew, apple's total disrespect for its customer base.

    apple buyers after this , and all who buy products that prevent repairs and battery changes, are born idiot losers by definition.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      seriously only the dumb will buy apple after this incident, which exposed even to the dumbest in very blatant fashion, what everyone with above average intelligence already knew, apple's total disrespect for its customer base.

      apple buyers after this , and all who buy products that prevent repairs and battery changes, are born idiot losers by definition.

      Do you even understand what the slowing down does? if you have a bad battery, you have a choice between no phone, or a slow phone.. guess which one is more useful? I think it's actually a smart feature but they handled it quite poorly.

      You assume it is smart to buy products that are cheaper; money is not necessarily the main factor when people decide what fits better.
      Some of people change phones regularly; I don't care if the battery last for years, nor if I can change it myself. It's totally irrelevant when

    • Apple takes steps to ensure my privacy (even from them.) Safari is pretty good out of the box, there's a single checkbox for "don't send stuff to Apple" in the settings, and they let me give apps whatever permissions I want, not whatever they ask for when they install. Android would require learning a new distro, installing it, finding an alternative to GApps (which is supposed to be fairly hard.) All in all, an Android phone is a project. Which would be fine, except I use my phone as a way to get thin

  • Good show on apples behalf...

    • by msauve ( 701917 )
      My wife has an iPhone 5s, you insensitive clod.
      • I have an old iPhone 4S and a friend of mine just bought 6month ago an iPhone 4Sx (don't know the x ... a brand new iPhone 4).
        Actually from the form factor they are my favourites.

    • Well, Apple behavior is conditioned by the number of class action lawsuits that have been filed.
    • lets not tell everyone that the cost of a battery is likely $5 or less.

      yeah, apple's really doing you a FAVOR, right?

      (sigh).

      soldered down things, glued together shells, FUCK THEM for being so anti-repair. no reason for this other than $$$

      • Well,
        if you like to buy a $5 battery and spend an hour fiddeling with opening your old iPhone, getting the battery out, put the new in and closing it again, and even have fun with it ...
        THEN: you should simply buy such a battery on eBay or Amazon, can't be so hard.

        I for my part rather drop it at an Apple store and go into the cinema while they fix it, or sit in the sun with a beer and take a nice meal.

  • "Anger" (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 02, 2018 @09:11PM (#55852589)

    ...the anger of customers stoked by headlines...

    Anger stoked by headlines and not facts seems to be key here.

    I'd say the low IQ twitter crowd en masse has done it again.

  • by Andrew Lindh ( 137790 ) on Tuesday January 02, 2018 @09:12PM (#55852595)

    I had my old iPhone 6 battery replaced today for $29+tax. The free "Battery Life" app said the raw data on the battery was about 39% of capacity (700mAh of 1810mAh) while the in-store Apple diag said it was 91% good.. The Apple Genius only asked if I was sure I wanted it replaced. I said, "yes please". Then they gave me the speech about everything is void if they find 3rd party parts in the phone and would NOT replace a non-apple battery at all. It took them 2 hours. After the replacement the free battery app says 100% good (1810mAh of 1810mAh). All I know is the old battery only lasted 15 minutes playing Jedi Challenges... I have not had time to try the new battery yet.

    • just curious. There's a lot of talk about lawsuits going on and the $29 battery sounds a bit too good to be true.
      • by Andrew Lindh ( 137790 ) on Tuesday January 02, 2018 @09:36PM (#55852687)

        Yes... I signed for the work order and pickup. It was mostly a push about Apple will not cover 3rd party parts or be responsible for any data loss and they may use new or "equivalent" parts. There's a lot of usual service language about warranty and claims and not being responsible for other stuff. I would guess there would be something enforceable about me paying and accepting a discounted battery as the resolution for any performance complaints. I'll take the $30 battery including the labor to install it. I spent more on a new battery for my Android phone and I had to take it apart myself to install it. I think Apple should have been more up front about reducing the CPU speed on old batteries to ensure phone stability and usability. Maybe they would have sold more replacements at full price if they were honest about the battery health vs. performance. My ThinkPad has a battery health tester so I know what's going on and it does not slow my CPU, it just runs for less time until I buy a new battery. Batteries are consumable but companies should not be doing sneaky things to hide the issues.

        • by Mal-2 ( 675116 )

          Laptops don't go through the same degree of power variance that phones do, and also they are generally configured to run slower on battery anyhow. That's how they can advertise -- and actually deliver -- eight or nine hour run times.

          I don't let my hacked Chromebook do any of that shit. No dimming the display, no throttling the CPU, no switching off the WiFi (because it doesn't always switch back on). It still runs three to three and a half hours with a Minecraft server running in the background. That's long

    • I had my old iPhone 6 battery replaced today for $29+tax. The free "Battery Life" app said the raw data on the battery was about 39% of capacity (700mAh of 1810mAh) while the in-store Apple diag said it was 91% good.. The Apple Genius only asked if I was sure I wanted it replaced. I said, "yes please". Then they gave me the speech about everything is void if they find 3rd party parts in the phone and would NOT replace a non-apple battery at all. It took them 2 hours. After the replacement the free battery app says 100% good (1810mAh of 1810mAh). All I know is the old battery only lasted 15 minutes playing Jedi Challenges... I have not had time to try the new battery yet.

      I'm going to have an 8 year old iPad battery replaced tomorrow. We'll see what their battery tester says with that. Paying full price for it though. $100.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I can see I'm going to have an argument about third party batteries with them then.

      My girlfriend had this problem with her original battery, and I told her to get a genuine one but she decided to get a third party replacement for 1/3rd the cost. Now Apple have admitted to this flaw I expect them to install a new, genuine battery. By rights they should do it for free.

    • Interesting. I've got an iPhone 6s that's a year and a half old, if not 2 years- I just tried the Battery Life app from "Utilities" (not sure if this is the same battery life app you've mentioned) and my original battery reads, "Perfect" at 99% capacity.
      I've read that it's bad for the battery to leave your phone on the charger overnight, which I did with older phones. Reportedly this can overheat the battery and shorten their lifespan. With this phone, I generally only charge it first thing in the morni

  • by Anonymous Coward

    to not do it. They denied all seven company 6S pluses I tried today. For most, they claimed the glass wasnâ(TM)t perfect so they wouldnâ(TM)t replace the battery at any price. Another one is missing the volume button so they refused to replace the battery unless we also paid to fix it. Apple wants you to buy a new phone.

  • What about my iPhone 4, Apple? No free battery replacement for me?

    What about my iPhone 3GS?

    • What about my iPhone 4, Apple? No free battery replacement for me?

      No, because Apple was only using the new battery management system with the iPhone 6 and above, and then only running iOS 11.

      Your older iPhones continue to enjoy the same battery aging issues as every other Android phone maker on the planet, so because Apple did not help you out on older phones you have to replace the batteries yourself when you feel it is time.

      Maybe some disgruntled and ill-informed internet mob will target your models of ph

      • As I already responded to the OP's comment...iPhone 5/5c users, like myself, have had the same issues after switching to iOS10 and all the subsequent updates. These issues were brought up in Apple's own forums and we were never given a reason or solution to why it was happening. Yet now the iPhone 6's owners get compensation but we don't? Especially with months worth of traceable comments and complaints.

        • As I already responded to the OP's comment...iPhone 5/5c users, like myself, have had the same issues after switching to iOS10 and all the subsequent updates.

          No. You really have not, because as I JUST EXPLAINED, Apple is using this new power management feature ONLY IN IOS11..

          What you are experiencing is simply a battery getting older, as all batteries do, the same thing every Android owner on earth has to deal with also. Batteries get old, that is a simple fact of life, you have to deal with it either by

          • Yes, but we are stating that something was ALSO added to iOS10 that gave us battery issues. Which we questioned long before iOS11 was even released. Which was continually ignored and no comment from Apple was ever given to why the problem occurred. Again, well documented on several support forums including Apple Support.

            Which makes us wonder whether we weren't the actual beta testers for this iOS11 code. And they just didn't remove it since the 5's were going to be orphaned anyway.

    • I wondered the same thing about my 5c. I documented in another Slashdot article the battery degradation which occurred over several months after updating from 8.3.4 to 10.x. In a nutshell, from 90+% down to 60+%.

      Others on Apple's Support Forum mentioned the same thing. And over the entire history of the 10.x OS updates.

    • by Demena ( 966987 )

      My iPhone 3s is still running and it still gets a full days use as anything (and everything) but a phone (no sim). Never had its battery replaced. Only reason it is on the shelf is that it no longer runs current software.

      I do not know if Apple would put a new battery in it . But in the case of 3,4, and 5 lines, they have never had this software in them as the cpus did not drink so much. No reason they should be free or discounted.

    • It seems I needed to put a /sarcasm at the end of my comment after all.

  • I have a refurbished 6S, which I'm now planning on getting a new battery for in December.

  • "Apple has confirmed that they will replace the battery if your iPhone 6 or later even if it passes a Genius Bar diagnostic test."

    There are too many IF's in that sentence.
  • by Camembert ( 2891457 ) on Tuesday January 02, 2018 @10:50PM (#55853069)
    I do think it is not a bad idea to manage the old batteries the way they did it. My worn out iPhone 6 Plus (could keep 1/3 of the original charge) didn t suddenly shut down but yes it slowed down, and after battery replacement 2 weeks ago it works well again. Replacement took 2 hours, a reasonable small inconvenience after 4 years, really I prefer a slim phone with better water resistance over a battery lid.
    The one thing where they messed up was communications, they should have been transparent about it from the beginning and most people would turn have found it reasonable.
  • by stazeii ( 1148459 ) on Tuesday January 02, 2018 @10:52PM (#55853079) Homepage
    Had my battery replaced on 12/17/2017. They announced this later than that, so I contacted Apple about a refund for the $50. Turns out they have a refund program if you had your battery replaced on or after the 14th of December. So, give them a call and they'll get your refund processed.
  • by m_number4 ( 902127 ) on Tuesday January 02, 2018 @11:15PM (#55853167)
    Today I took the iPhone 6s Plus in for a battery replacement. They must have damaged something so they gave me a brand new phone. They performed the test and asked some questions, had no problems (in Canada) $35 + tax
    • by antdude ( 79039 )

      Wait, a new phone? What about your data and all that?

  • I have an iPhone 6, and the battery performance was noticeably lower after a year. Why is it that electric vehicle manufacturers claim their lithium ion batteries retain something like 90% charge after 10 years? Serious question, why do Apple batteries suck so much? Do they use cheap batteries? It is usage patterns (in which case it doesn't sound good for using batteries for commercial driving purposes)?
    • I'd imagine there are two factors. The first is good old exageration on the EV manufactruer's part. The second is that because they are working at a significantly different scale, the batteries last longer. IIRC, there's a specific part of the battery that corrodes/wears out, not the chemistry of the battery. An EV manufacturer could afford to stick several redundant parts in and activate them as needed, keeping the original charge. It would add too much to the mass of the phone, however.

    • by JayAEU ( 33022 )

      The problem is that with Apple, function follows form. So in order to build super thin phones, Apple deliberately goes with low capacity batteries to begin with (they also went with too thin anodes, but that would be nitpicking). Since the laws of physics also apple to Apple, these batteries have to be operated at peak most of the time, leading to premature loss of capacity. In contrast, most Android phones come with 3xxx mAh of capacity, leaving lots more room for underutilizing them for longevity. This is

      • by Demena ( 966987 )

        The problem is that with Apple, function follows form. So in order to build super thin phones, Apple deliberately goes with low capacity batteries to begin with (they also went with too thin anodes, but that would be nitpicking). Since the laws of physics also apple to Apple, these batteries have to be operated at peak most of the time, leading to premature loss of capacity. In contrast, most Android phones come with 3xxx mAh of capacity, leaving lots more room for underutilizing them for longevity.

        You have a bit to say there. I have heard of damning with faint praise but you are damning with faint lies.

        IPhone 6+ Original battery 2915 mAh at manufacture. As you say not over 3000 but close enough, within 3%. After 3-4 years it is at 2500, 86%. I've not checked other phones so all I can quote is mine. Checking my iPad it is "over 9000", over 10k in fact. You are making a big deal out of very little. I think faint lie describes it well.

        When all is said and done, this incident made it clear that Apple's sole focus is on selling their users an iphone per year, no matter what. And slowing down people's phones without telling them what's going on will certainly go a long way to nudge people into buying a new iphone, just to get rid of all the lag on their old phone. This is planned obsolescence at its best, I must say.

        I hope to god you never serve on a jury. Where is your eviden

        • by flink ( 18449 )

          You have a bit to say there. I have heard of damning with faint praise but you are damning with faint lies.

          IPhone 6+ Original battery 2915 mAh at manufacture. As you say not over 3000 but close enough, within 3%. After 3-4 years it is at 2500, 86%. I've not checked other phones so all I can quote is mine.

          I can tell you my 6s (not +), was 1715mAh new in July, and is sitting at 1600mAh max capacity now. Assuming the battery supplies a nominal 3.5V, it does seem to be a little skimpy to provide only the capacity of roughly 2 AA cells.

        • by Geekbot ( 641878 )

          Evidence of planned obsolescence? Are you asking how he knows that Apple knew that their hardware would fail after a year? What evidence that they knew it would have a diminished life or are you asking for what evidence that they covered it up?

          I think it's very clear from all the news coverage that Apple was very well aware that their phones would only last a year and made a choice between the processor and the battery. The processor made it look like they need a newer phone, the battery would have

          • by Demena ( 966987 )

            I think it's very clear from all the news coverage that Apple was very well aware that their phones would only last a year and made a choice between the processor and the battery.

            And that is the issue. You are not honest. It is clear that that is counter to the truth. You are not honest or you are stupid beyond all belief. If that you claim were the truth then how can this 3+ year old iPhone 6 on its original battery that is sitting in front of me exist. You have no evidence for malfeasance and plenty to suggest otherwise.

            Fool or liar. Pick one. Only choices you have left yourself.

  • This is good for me as the nearest Apple Store is over 200 miles away. Now, how do I test my phones battery, it has been about a once a day (but not quite) charge since I bought it two years ago. So it is probably getting close to the 500 charge mark.
  • What about their tablets? Sure those are affected by the same problem?

  • Best Buy, MicroCenter, etc.? If they will do the same, then how good are they compared to Apple's fixers?

    Thank you in advance. :)

  • https://ifixit.org/blog/9491/a... [ifixit.org] is also doing $29 for those who want to do it on their own or have someone else do it.

  • Not sure if this is double posting, /. ate the first two posts. "Apple has since independently confirmed to MacRumors that it will agree to replace an eligible battery for a $29 fee, regardless of whether an official diagnostic test shows that it is still able to retain less than 80 percent of its original capacity. " Does not parse unless s/less/more/. All fucking batteries can retain 80% or less. Fucking morons. Fuck these people who can't fucking write and then take a job where it's their job to write.
  • I don't know how that is going in the USA, but I' surprised that you seem not to have the 'cheap chinese repair shops'.
    On the other hand we don't have those in Germany either,

    I do repairs for electronic equipment usually in Paris. Depending on are you have half a dozen or more phone shops that also offer repairs in the streets, e.g. iPad screen replacement about $40, never checked for Batteries.

    I'm in Bangkok right now and replaced my iPad 2 screen for about $60 (2000 TB), a bit expensive ... I guess they

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