Apple is cutting battery replacement costs after admitting it throttled older iPhones to prevent crashes tied to battery degradation. (Reuters)
Tech guidance seldom comes this clear-cut: if you purchased an iPhone in 2016 or earlier, schedule a Genius Bar visit right away. Apple has just rolled out a program that can breathe new life into aging iPhones — for a mere $29.
An Apple retail location or repair center will crack open your iPhone 6, 6s, SE, or 7 and install a fresh battery. Much like an old car following a quick oil change, a three-year-old iPhone sporting a new battery won't just last longer on a charge — there's a good chance it'll perform quicker too.
Move quickly though. When I showed up with a reservation at my nearest Apple store on January 3, the place was packed with folks seeking battery swaps, and I landed on a waiting list stretching several weeks. Your neighborhood shop may have better availability, but fighting crowds for a fix (instead of the latest shiny gadget) is a rare sight at an Apple store.
Why all the fuss? Apple trimmed $50 off its usual battery fee in an unusual — though temporary — push to win us back. The company was caught in December throttling iPhones with degraded batteries — a practice it claims prevents the devices from abruptly powering off. If you always sensed your older iPhone was losing pep, you weren't imagining it.
Now there's a remedy. While most of us were still in holiday mode last week, Apple issued an apology and committed to making iPhone battery swaps more affordable through the end of 2018. The company said the move was designed "to address our customers' concerns, to recognize their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple's intentions." On December 30, Apple announced the $29 price would kick in right away.
[Could Apple's battery program encourage people to upgrade less often?]
This will end up costing Apple far more than extra hours at the Genius Bar. Once your handset gets a new battery and the processor ramps back up to full speed, there's a real chance you won't feel compelled to upgrade your iPhone anytime soon. Analyst Mark Moskowitz of Barclays anticipates the battery deal could translate to 16 million fewer new iPhone sales for Apple. (And you should never buy a phone you don't actually need; here's my take on whether to jump to this year's iPhone 8 and X.)
Still, affordable battery replacement is the correct call for Apple. A solid reputation remains its strongest selling point in an age when smartphone capabilities are becoming nearly identical. Battery life tops most users' list of frustrations with their phones, and upkeep is a long-neglected element of smartphone ownership. When Apple makes fixing phones as simple as purchasing new ones, we save money and the planet benefits too.
Steps for swapping your iPhone battery
Wondering whether you'd gain from a new battery? Apple has pledged a software patch soon that will reveal more about battery condition. For now, if your device is truly struggling, you may spot an alert buried in the settings menu. Or use this simple rule of thumb: if your iPhone can't survive from your morning coffee through evening cocktails on one charge, it's overdue.
Any owner of an iPhone 6 or later qualifies for the $29 swap, no matter what Apple's diagnostic results show. (If you carry AppleCare+ coverage, it might even cost you nothing.) Keep in mind, this isn't solely about extending battery endurance; some benchmarks have demonstrated that a fresh battery can yield speed gains exceeding 100 percent.
To arrange a battery swap, visit Apple's support website, choose iPhone, then Battery, then Battery replacement. If you're close to an Apple store or an authorized service center like Best Buy, pick a location and book a slot. (Phone independent shops ahead of time to confirm they'll honor the $29 deal.)
Expect a wait. Most locations near me are jammed for days. And having a reservation doesn't guarantee same-day service. I visited Apple's San Francisco flagship five days after the announcement, and the Genius helping me said he was already out of iPhone 6 batteries — with thousands of other patrons queued ahead of me. They'll notify me once batteries arrive, after which I need to return to the store.
Apple could streamline this experience. As my Genius explained, you can't enter the queue for a battery replacement until a technician has approved your order — meaning two trips are unavoidable. There's also no straightforward way to check inventory; when I rang another location, I couldn't get a clear response. If Apple can't satisfy the appetite for replacements, it should at least help us know what to expect.
A couple of alternatives exist. If you're miles from a store and have a spare phone available, you can ship your iPhone to Apple for the battery swap through the same support site. (Expect a $7 shipping charge.)
You might go the DIY-adjacent route. A company called iCracked will dispatch a technician to your door for a battery swap costing $20 to $50. Smaller neighborhood repair shops sometimes handle iPhone battery swaps for under $30.
Or embrace the do-it-yourself method: grab a battery replacement kit, such as the $25 option from iFixit. This route isn't suited for the butterfingered or the timid, but there's a unique thrill in cracking open a device to see what makes it hum … then yanking out the old part and slotting in a new one.
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