Apple Launches Free Fix for Broken iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Buttons

Apple today has launched a free replacement program for users with broken iPhone 5 sleep/wake buttons, currently affecting a small number of users, reports The Loop:

“Apple today launched a program to replace the sleep/wake button on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models where the button may stop working or work intermittently,” Apple said in a statement provided to The Loop. “Apple will offer the service free of charge to iPhone 5 customers with models that exhibit this issue and have a qualifying serial number.”

IPhone5 sleepwakebutton

The program starts today for users in Canada and the USA, and will debut in other countries on May 2, 2014. 

Apple explains there are two ways to get your sleep/wake button fixed: bring it into to an Apple Store or authorized service provider or mail it in for free:

Replacement of the sleep/wake button mechanism is done at an Apple Repair Center. There are two ways to send your iPhone to the repair center—carry-in or mail-in. See below for details. The replacement process takes approximately 4-6 days from the time your iPhone is received at the repair center until it is returned to you. Your iPhone will be examined prior to any service to verify that it is eligible for this program and is otherwise in working order. Before sending your iPhone to Apple for service, you will need to back up all your data and erase all your content and settings.

Apple says if you’re running iOS 6, your phone will “need to be upgraded to iOS 7” after the sleep/wake button is replaced. 

You can enter in your serial number here to see if your iPhone 5 is eligible. 

It’s nice to see Apple replacing sleep/wake buttons on the older iPhone 5. Now if only there was a Home button replacement program for the iPhone 4…

 

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