Bad news, iPhone users: Apple is running out of replacement batteries. The company came under fire recently when it was revealed that the company throttles older iPhone models. After years of staying quiet while people accused the company of deliberately slowing down old iPhones, Apple was finally forced to come clean. The company does indeed intentionally slow older handsets once their battery capacity is depleted to a certain point. The reason, according to Apple, is to extend battery life and prevent unexpected shutdowns, but users are still furious and more than 30 different lawsuits have now been filed.
Apple dropped the price of its battery replacement program for some iPhone models to $29 from $79 as something of an apology. The deal only applies to the iPhone 6 and newer models, however — and as we mentioned, Apple is beginning to run out of batteries so some repairs are being delayed. Luckily Apple isn’t the only game in town.
Office Depot and OfficeMax have announced a limited-time discount for iPhones. The stores have offered $50 same-day smartphone battery replacements for some time, but they saw an opportunity now that so many people are looking to restore their older iPhone models back to peak performance. Because Apple’s iOS software is responsible for automatically slowing iPhones with old batteries, the only way to restore performance is to install a new battery.
From now until February 4th, select Office Depot and OfficeMax locations are offering their same-day battery replacement service to iPhone owners for just $27.99. Apart from undercutting Apple, the nationwide office supply chains are also offering much faster turnaround. Beyond that, the Office Depot and OfficeMax offer applies to nine different iPhone models, rather than just the iPhone 6 and newer models, like Apple’s offer.
Here are the iPhone models that qualify for $27.99 battery replacements from Office Depot and OfficeMax:
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 5c
- iPhone 5s
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
All Office Depot and OfficeMax stores offer a 1 year warranty on battery replacements. Head to this page on the Office Depot website for more information or to find a nearby store.
Article updated to clarify that this offer is only available at select store locations.