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Apple to Replace iPhone 6 or Later Batteries Regardless of Diagnostic Tests [Confirmed]
Apple originally stated it would launch its iPhone 6 or later battery replacement program in January 2018, but the program launched earlier than expected.
Now, it appears Apple has decided to replace batteries in iPhones regardless of whether their device passed a Genius Bar or remote diagnostic test, as confirmed to MacRumors:
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.
In Apple’s original letter published to customers on its website, it stated they would replace out-of-warranty batteries for $35 for those “whose battery needs to be replaced”, suggesting requirements would need to be met. Now, it appears Apple has decided to take the “L” and just replace all customer batteries, regardless of passing a diagnostic test or not.
The controversy for Apple started when users discovered iOS was slowing down some older iPhone models, in what was an effort by the company to prevent phones from unexpected shutdowns and slowdowns for devices with aging batteries. The problem? Apple did not tell users about the software ‘feature’, but only communicated what was going on after third parties confirmed the practice was indeed happening.
Earlier, iGen.fr reported Apple was ready to replace iPhone batteries for customers whose devices passed diagnostic tests, according to a new internal company memo.
iPhone in Canada can independently confirm this new Apple Support policy is in effect.
Yesterday, we chatted with Apple Support (via the iOS app) regarding our older iPhone 6s Plus battery situation. The Apple Support specialist followed proper procedure but in the end, our battery passed the diagnostic test and we were told to go format our device in iTunes as new and contact them again, before we could even talk about a battery swap.
This morning, after initiating a chat with Apple Support (via the iOS app), and asking for a battery replacement, the agent did not put up any barriers and immediately proceeded to start the return process. They’ll ask if your phone has physical or water damage, ask you to disable Find my iPhone, and also to verify your IMEI number.
Mail in shipping charges will cost $10.77 and after taxes in BC, the total cost comes to $51.26 CAD for an out of warranty battery replacement ($35 CAD). Apple will send me a box, which I will then mail my iPhone 6s Plus away for the battery swap.
So there you have it. If you have an iPhone 6 or later (includes iPhone SE), and you’re dealing with battery issues, contact Apple and get your $35 out-of-warranty battery replacement.
Let us know if you’re going to go through this battery replacement process in the comments!
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So they mail you a battery where you have to take it somewhere to have it installed or is the price for them mailing you a replacement phone and you mail the old one back?
Price to mail it back to them and receive it back if you don’t have an Apple Store nearby which makes the whole process that much quicker. It can be done in an hour or two.
Shipping charges are cheaper than taking a ferry to the mainland to hit up an Apple Store, plus time involved.
… And there you go. I’ve never not have an Apple Store nearby. Makes sense.
$35 for the battery swap
$10.77 for shipping charges
Apple will mail me a box, and I will mail my phone to them for the swap. Then they will send the phone back to me.
I probably can take it to a local Apple auth service location to drop phone off to get it repaired..probably get same day turn around.
Apple just release the dam software update right now that’s how you can make everyone happy
If they change the software they way you’re asking, then when you try to do a heavy operation (eg. take a picture) and your phone doesn’t have enough juice… the phone will shut off. The whole point of the software fix WAS to keep everyone happy, and now everyone is asking for something they don’t really want. I’m with Apple on this one.
Yet it’s not a “fix” by slowing it down to a crawl. It’s a mere temp band-aid solution, that only masks the real problem.
Good point, but my original point stands that a “dam software update” isn’t going to make anyone happy.
So their failure here was not the slow down (which did help), but the lack of transparency which redirected from the true fix (replacing the battery) to just getting a new phone. I would still expect slow down from installing newer OS versions, but I concede that more transparency here would’ve saved them this mess.
Do you have a reference?
I have an iPhone 6 plus and was quick as could be on IOS 9.3.3. Never updated to IOS 10 because of all the slowdown issues but stupidly decided to upgrade to IOS 11.1.2 before Christmas. Just like everybody else, lag, decreasing battery life (dies in 2 hours of normal use), etc. Tested with battery life and gives me a 38% wear right now and moves as low as 52% on normal use when testing over the last week. Geek bench scores around 840 on single core and 1327 on multi core, almost less than half of what a “new” battery would be. Coconut battery shows my battery at 1655/2915mAh, almost half capacity of a brand new battery.
Took it to the apple store this morning at Metrotown and their tests took less than 10 minutes and showed my phone battery is good at 85%. WTF???
Anyhow, she offered to replace the battery at their new reduced price of $35 with her tests of me having a good battery. Unfortunately they are out of stock and will email me in 3-5 days. We will see how the new battery performs once they give me a shout to replace it.
I was one of the unlucky ones to have an iPhone 6S with a defective battery when purchased. They tried to replace the battery but ended up giving me a new phone. Recently I was having short battery life and slowdowns but when the Apple store checked it they said it should be good for several months yet. I finally got tired of the slowdowns and battery life and had it replaced at a local non-Apple shop. Anyone know if there is any recourse after having the battery replaced elsewhere? BTW the replacement battery tests as 1900 mAh rather than the original 1715 mAh so I am super satisfied with the battery life now.
What is the cost if still under warranty/Apple Care?
$99 CAD
That is odd, it is $35 if out of warranty and $99 if in warranty. Are you sure about that? It seems if your warranty is soon to expire you just wait and save some $$$
Whoops, I read your comment incorrectly! If you’re still under warranty it should be free if you’re having issues with battery.
Anyone’s had their battery replaced before this posted (paying the full $99). Were you able to get a partial refund?
Definitely does not hurt to ask Apple!
Called Apple to ask, it seems like they have no protocol as of yet. But have also denied it for previous replacements.
Try the Apple support iOS app and chat with support there.
Is there any indication on how long it takes in-store vs. mail-in?
in store it’s mere minutes.
To replace the battery?
Of course.
Read the comments. People are reporting a 2 hour wait.
it’s not ethical where the Apple stores are pushing back and refusing to replace the batteries. one shouldn’t have to be forced to pay an additional $11 to ship the phone back to Apple when it should be done in store.
This is another misstep with Apple and refusing to acknowledge other issues with iOS 11 including the Search within Settings randomly disappearing…bad Apple.
I took my iPhone 6S to the Oakridge Apple Store yesterday (Jan. 1) without appointment, an hour later, the Genius ran the diagnostic, said it was down a bit but the battery is still good range. Then Genius said it’s up to me if I prefer to swap for new battery. I told her yes, in two hours later, I picked up my 6S with the new battery. Piece of cake.
nice!
Hey Gary, find out from people who have had battery changed to see if phone is now fast again. I think this is important feedback to get. I don’t want to waste my time otherwise.
I had the battery changed on my 6S (local independent store) and it made a huge difference to performance. Previously there were big lags in loading apps or processing and now it is like new.
Thanks for the feedback. Great that it runs like new again!
Was your phone “faster” with the new battery? If the Diagnostic tests shows good battery that means apple is not truthful about the reason for the slow downs and likely they are in fact slowing phones down to try and get people to get newer phones VS it being a battery problem.
My 6S was two years old. I used for one year when it was new. Then I passed on to my wife for the second year. I don’t know if our iPhone was slowing down as my wife didn’t mention any oddities to me when she was using it. I decided to get the battery replacement because it is entering into the third year, and the life of the battery is going to deteriorate more.
Anyone with an iPhone 6 changed their battery? Are you still experiencing battery drain + lag on iOS 11? I wonder if it’ll magically make the iPhone 6 alive again.
Contact Apple and request a battery swap, fresh restore as a new device and see how it fares.
I’m still on iOS 10.3.3, I had upgraded but reverted back while I still could. Experience was horrible. My phone is only a year old though (was replaced via AppleCare+).
I had Apple run the diagnostic today, battery is at 95%. I want to update to iOS 11, but I know I might just regret it.
Gary, just wondering why an Apple authorized service provider can’t do the same service locally?? instead of shipping the phone and being without one for several days. Or is this only for Apple to do?
Well I’m currently using an iPhone X, so the iPhone 6s Plus is more of test device around these parts, so I’m okay with doing the shipping game, instead of wasting time driving around to get it down locally.
Jump+ locations are honouring the same service/price. They’re considered a “Premium Reseller”… they only sell Apple products and related accessories, just like an Apple Store.
If it was a Samsung, they would just ship you a new battery.
If it was Samsung they’d deny the replacement policy existed or argue your phone is damaged in some way exempting you from the replacement.
If it was a Samsung, you could buy a replacement from amazon for less than $5 and get a new one every 6 months for less than the apple battery
Anyone try bringing in a 5S and give puppy dog eyes? Would be nice if they had some discretion in offering the $35 price to other fairly recent phones. The 5S was offered up until a year and a bit ago
Just for grins I decided to contact apple via the support chat app to see if I could get a rebate on the full price I paid on Nov 9 for a replacement battery on my iPhone 6. Turns out I can’t, BUT if you paid full price on or after December 14, you are eligible for one. No idea how much. Hope this helps some folk.
Mac
Took my iPhone 6 Plus (originally purchased on launch day in 2014) to the Apple Store in Metrotown on Jan 2. (I made an appointment beforehand). The genius ran the diagnostic and as expected the battery was completely consumed, well over 950 cycles. I was told the wait time for a new battery would be 3-5 business days but I received an email an hour after my appointment that a battery was available. I’m not sure why they didn’t check if they had any 6 Plus batteries in stock during my appointment. Fast forward to today (Jan. 3), went again to Apple Store Metrotown and they replaced the battery within 2.5 hours.
Now the answer to the main question everyone’s been asking: the phone is considerably faster with the new battery as I was expecting. It definitely opens up apps and switches between apps much snappier than with its original 3 year old battery, almost to the same level of performance as when the phone was first purchased. Also to note, my phone was running on the latest version of iOS (11.2.1) before and after the battery repair.
It’s nice to pay $39.20 to breathe new life into a 3 year old phone. My only gripe is the entire appointment process. There should just be a way to make an appointment only when battery stock is available which would allow for only one visit to the Apple Store. Instead of having one visit to inspect the phone and another visit to actually change the battery depending on whether or not they have stock.
So if anyone’s on the fence, yes I would recommend making your appointment now or walking in and getting your battery replaced.
Nice…i went in yesterday as well and no email as of yet. How does the new battery feel when it’s down to say 20%. Still feel the same? Does it benchmark high if you have geek bench, battery life or coconut battery?
Haven’t ran down the battery to that last 20% yet, but I’m sure it’ll be just as good as when the phone was brand new. I rarely would use the 6 Plus to 20% in practical use anyway, the battery life was always more than adequate. Also I don’t use any analytical apps, so can’t give you the before/after numbers. It’s definitely improved though just based on empirical observation. Hopefully you get that email soon, the performance improvement will be well worth it.
I had my iPhone 6S’s battery replaced today at a Jump+ location (closest thing to an Apple Store here in NL) and they replaced it for free. I guess mine was considered under warranty? I don’t have AppleCare, though. Not gonna complain!
i got my iphone 6 battery replaced 6 months ago with a non-apple one because of the unexpected shutdown issue. Just wonder if anyone in the same situation can get the discounted battery swap with Apple?
No, I had replaced my iPhone 6 battery by a non Apple one and the Reston, VA Apple store refused to change it by giving me a very lame excuse. I left the phone with them at 2 PM and told the Genius bar guy that I had a non Apple battery. He told me that they would replace it. However they never informed me till I went to the store at 9 Pm to pick up the phone. No replacement battery was put it!! Spent an hour for no reason!
Went to Apple Yorkdale to replace an old iPhone 6 Plus battery and they don’t have stock anywhere in the GTA
they said I will receive an email when there is more stock to come again and replace it
None of the people’s here’s who still have
an iPhone 6 and got their battery change is able to tell if it changes something under iOS 11.2.1 ??? ?
I took my iPhone 6 in to Oakridge Vancouver last week (Jan 17th), they ran the diagnostic tests, said the phone was fine and refused to replace the battery. I believe the story with respect to what is supposed to be happening, it it doesn’t seem to have got to the store level.
So how long is that process? I need my phone on a daily basis. Not having my phone for 2-3 weeks it just not an option.
Geek told me battery passed, would have to order the battery. Then told me that it would cost $29 if I wanted to go ahead and replace the battery. The surprise and bewilderment came when I was told it would take 30 minutes. Was my battery replaced? It still has about a 4 to 5 hour lifespan after the “so called” unobserved change. So, I’m out -$33 and still have a shit lifespan battery.
Best Buy in Vestal, NY will magically have a battery after telling you it will take up to 8 weeks to order one. Gee! What magical guys. Too bad the battery still has a crap lifespan.
Buyer BEWARE
wow you cant just bring this into a store? i remember on my 6plus i bought a battery online and replaced it myself. This is like a ten minute process.
I took my 6plus into the Apple Store in Edmonton at Southgate Centre last week. We did a diagnostic test and system restore because the battery was apparently okay. I am still having issues with it holding a charge. I have made an appointment again for this Saturday to have a new battery installed.