Apple Comments on Aftermarket Battery ‘Lock’ Issue, Says It Protects Customers

Last week, iFixit reported Apple had implemented a new software ‘lock’ which was seen at discouraging third party battery replacements.

When an unauthorized repair shop installs a third-party battery or genuine Apple battery, within iPhone Settings under Battery Health, the status shows as ‘Service’, essentially noting iOS was unable to verify your Apple battery as genuine, and therefore unable to provide health information.

People saw this move as Apple battling against independent repair shops and only wanting customers to get their iPhone batteries replaced at Apple Stores and authorized dealers.

Now, Apple has released a statement to iMore today on the issue, noting this software feature is there to protect customers:

“We take the safety of our customers very seriously and want to make sure any battery replacement is done properly. There are now over 1,800 Apple authorized service providers across the US so our customers have even more convenient access to quality repairs. Last year we introduced a new feature to notify customers if we were unable to verify that a new, genuine battery was installed by a certified technician following Apple repair processes. This information is there to help protect our customers from damaged, poor quality, or used batteries which can lead to safety or performance issues. This notification does not impact the customer’s ability to use the phone after an unauthorized repair.”

Here’s a video from TheArtofRepair on YouTube detailing the issue:

What do you think about Apple’s statement on this battery software ‘lock’ issue?