Apple surprised customers this past weekend when it announced that it’s discounted iPhone battery replacement program had launched well ahead of schedule. Of course, it’s difficult to applaud the company for kicking off the program early when the entire reason it exists is due to the fact that Apple was discovered to have been secretly throttling older iPhone models for years. Just in case this is somehow news to you, let’s rewind for a moment.
Late last year it was discovered that Apple has been secretly slowing down older iPhone models. That’s right, it turns out that all the crazy conspiracy theorists who said Apple intentionally slows down iPhones as they age in an effort to force upgrades were correct. Well, they were half correct, at least; the supposed logic here is that Apple throttled performance on older iPhones in order to extend battery life as batteries start to age. That’s what Apple claimed when it finally fessed up to the intentional iPhone slowdowns last month.
As part of the company’s effort to make things right with customers, Apple said that it would slash the price of iPhone battery replacements on older iPhone models from $79 to just $29, a $50 discount. The new lower price was supposed to take effect sometime in January, but Apple’s new battery replacement program ended up starting early this past Saturday. Want to take advantage and get your iPhone battery swapped for $29? You’ll find everything you need to know in this post.
First things first: there are already more than a dozen lawsuits looming over this issue. Lawyers saw a huge opportunity the moment the news broke, and class actions are piling up. Having your iPhone battery swapped by Apple will not exclude you from collecting your teeny tiny piece of the pie once these lawsuits get combined and settled, so don’t worry about that. Your main concern right now should be restoring your iPhone to its former glory, and it’s quite easy to make that happen.
There is no way to toggle Apple’s hidden throttling on or off within the company’s iOS software. Instead, the only way to disable an iPhone slowdown is to install a new battery in your phone. That process is somewhat complex, so doing it yourself is ill-advised. Plus, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with a third-party knockoff battery if you try to buy one online and swap out your old battery yourself. On top of that, you’ll pay more than $29 if you order a battery online, so why bother?
All you have to do is head over to this page on Apple’s website to get started. There, you’ll be able to schedule a Genius Bar appointment at your local Apple store, or schedule an appointment with an authorized Apple service provider. If there are no Apple stores or authorized service centers near you, you can use the same page to send your iPhone in for repair through the mail, though that means being without your iPhone for at least a week. If you’d like more information or you have concerns, you can schedule a call with Apple customer service on that page, or just call Apple directly at (800) MY–APPLE.
Of note, Apple has said that a future iOS update to be released sometime in 2018 will include “new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.” Even then, however, the only way to disable iPhone performance throttling will be to replace the device’s battery.
The new battery replacement program is available for users with an iPhone 6 or later, and it will run through at least the end of 2018.
