Apple received complaints after their customers discovered that their iPhones were slow to respond, or the phone’s speed was being throttled. In early January, Apple announced that it was indeed using iOS to throttle some legacy devices which were susceptible to battery over-heating, and that the slowdown was done to prevent premature battery failure. To remedy this issue, Apple offered its customers a one-time battery replacement for just $29.Since we here at iFixedQuick also offer customers an iPhone battery replacement service for $25, we wanted to see what was involved in getting this done through Apple.

We heard from our customers that their local Apple stores were out of stock on iPhone batteries. Rather than wait for Apple to restock their inventories, they wanted iFixedQuick to perform the battery replacement on their iPhones. To separate the facts from fiction, we figured, why not take the customer’s iPhones to the local Apple stores here in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and see what happens.

The Process

We started by visiting Apple’s iPhone Battery& Power warranty replacement page. From this page we chose the Bring in for repair option and made two appointments. One appointment with the Apple store in Durham, NC at the Streets of Southpoint, for an iPhone SE, and another appointment at the Apple store in Raleigh, NC at Crabtree Mall for an iPhone 6s Plus. Here’s what we learned.

The Experience

Once we arrived at the Apple store in Durham NC, we were paired with a tech at the Genius bar. The Tech looked up the serial # on our iPhone SE and confirmed that it was eligible for the free battery replacement. The tech was able to replace the battery on our iPhone in about 45minutes, and we were out of the store in about an hour.

The experience was not so great at the Apple store in Raleigh NC at Crabtree mall. To their credit, this is probably one of the busiest Apple stores in the entire state of North Carolina. This store attracts a lot of customers because of its size and its strategic location.

Once arriving at the store for our appointment, we were told that the battery for the iPhone 6s Plus was not in stock. The expected availability for this battery was about 3 weeks. The tech who examined our phone also noticed that the phone had a non-OEM screen. Although they were willing to replace the battery on our iPhone, they had us sign a waiver that Apple would not be responsible if the non-OEM screen broke during the repair process. And if the screen did break during the removal process, we would have to pay $199 to cover the cost of a new OEM screen before Apple would carry out the battery replacement.

The Take Away

I applaud Apple for taking the initiate to make their customers whole. A few things consumers should consider before undergoing this battery replacement program.

• Don’t procrastinate! The battery replacement program expires on 12/31/2018 so you only have a few months left to take advantage of this program.
• You have the option to send in the device to Apple-Care if you don’t have access to an Apple store in town. Remember, if the phone has other damage, Apple will charge you $6.95 to ship the device back.
• If you have a Non-OEM Screen, Apple may deny your claim, or charge you for a new OEM screen before they replace the battery.
• This replacement only covers the battery and nothing else.
• iPhone 6s, 7, 8, and x will likely lose their IP67 water/dust resistance rating once they are opened. Apple claims the phones are water resistant, not water-proof!

Here at iFixedQuick, we carry batteries for most iPhones, iPods, and iPads in stock and can generally replace the batteries in about 30 minutes. Our battery replacement service for iPhones start at $25.Like our Glass and LCD replacement services, the battery replacement services also come with a full 1 year parts and labor warranty.