You may recall the big controversy when Apple admitted to slowing older iPhones via software updates. At the time, the company publicly apologized and started offering a few schemes to placate users, including a low-cost iPhone battery replacement program for even out-of-warranty devices.
Everything you need to know about the iPhone battery replacement program
Apple’s iPhone battery replacement program allows users to replace the battery in their older iPhones for just $29. The program has been running for about a year now, and it is set to expire on Dec. 31. After Apple’s battery replacement program ends, the price to replace the battery in the iPhone 6 and newer models (except for the iPhone X) will return to $49. For the iPhone X, replacing the battery will cost $69.
If you have an older iPhone and are not satisfied with its battery performance, then you have just a few days to left to take advantage of this offer. The offer is valid on the iPhone SE, 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, or X.
Getting your battery replaced is an easy process. All you need to do is take your phone to a Genius Bar. You can also ship it to Apple, but that could take a few days.
To sign up for Apple’s battery replacement program, visit Apple’s online support page and select the iPhone box. Next, tap “Battery & Charging” and then “Battery Replacement.” Now you will have to choose between the options “Bring in for Repair” or “Send in for Repair.”
After the throttling scandal, Apple has also made it easier to check the performance and health of the battery. To do this, tap “Settings” and scroll down to “Battery.” Next, select “Battery Health.” You will now see the battery capacity listed as a percentage. If the battery needs to be replaced, the phone should indicate that there.
Even if the phone does not recommend replacing the battery, you can still get your battery replaced. Many users posted on social forums that they were able to get the battery replaced even when it was listed at 95% capacity.
Why Apple offered the replacement program
Apple’s iPhone battery replacement program was the result of the controversy sparked after it was discovered that Apple intentionally slowed the iPhone 6 and even some newer models. At the time, many accused Apple of throttling older iPhone to force users to upgrade to newer models. However, Apple argued that it did so to keep older iPhones from shutting down unexpectedly.
“It should go without saying that we think sudden, unexpected shutdowns are unacceptable. We don’t want any of our users to lose a call, miss taking a picture or have any other part of their iPhone experience interrupted if we can avoid it,” Apple said at the time in an open letter to customers.
In addition to the battery replacement program, Apple also said it improved power management “during peak workloads” to address unexpected shutdowns.
These apps could kill your phone’s battery
The battery life of a phone depends mostly on how you handle your phone and your app usage. Two types of apps are primarily considered to be bad for battery life.
The first type includes social media apps. Many are already aware that the Facebook app is not the best friend of their phone’s battery. Apps like Snapchat and Instagram aren’t friendly either. What you can do is uninstall these apps and use Safari to access the sites instead. To make this more convenient, you can add any site to the Home Screen using the Share Sheet in Safari.
For Snapchat, you can use Travel Mode, which saves the phone’s battery. To access this mode, go to the Ghost/Bitmoji icon > Gear icon > Manage. For other social media apps, tweaking the setting to “while using” should also help save the phone’s battery. Disabling “Background App Refresh” is also good for battery life.
Some music apps are also bad for battery life, especially third-party music streaming platforms like Spotify. Some of these apps are working to address battery issues, so it is advisable to use the latest version of them. You should also use such services on Wi-Fi because they will use less data and power. Downloading songs for offline playback is also a good idea to save battery life.
