Apple Says iPhones With Third-Party Batteries Now Eligible for Repairs

[MacRumors]

iPhones with aftermarket batteries installed by third-party repair shops are now eligible for service at Genius Bars and Apple Authorized Service Providers, according to an internal Apple document obtained by MacRumors from three reliable sources. The change was first reported by French blog iGeneration.

iPhone X battery with pull tabs via iFixit​

This is significant news for iPhone repairs, as the Genius Bar and AASPs were previously instructed to deny service of any kind for an iPhone with a third-party battery, regardless of the circumstances.

If the repair is unrelated to the battery, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now instructed to ignore the third-party battery and proceed with service as normal, according to Apple's internal document. This could include repairs to the display, logic board, microphones, and so forth, with normal fees applying.

If the repair is related to the battery itself, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now permitted to replace the third-party battery with an official Apple battery for the standard fee. Before starting the repair, the Genius Bar must drain the third-party battery to less than 60 percent of a charge.

In the event Apple cannot safely remove a third-party battery due to broken or missing battery tabs or excessive adhesive, the customer is entitled to an iPhone replacement at the standard whole-unit out-of-warranty price.

The updated guidelines went into effect Thursday and should apply worldwide. Apple will still decline service for iPhones with third-party logic boards, enclosures, microphones, Lightning connectors, headphone jacks, volume and sleep/wake buttons, TrueDepth sensor arrays, and certain other components.

iFixit's director of communications Kay-Kay Clapp:

This decision proves that now, more than ever, the third-party repair ecosystem is an integral part of maintaining Apple's high-quality customer experience. If Apple is getting enough third-party repaired phones for a policy change, they clearly don't have the reach or capacity to maintain all the iPhones that they've sold. All of us, including Apple, benefit from the service provided by the repair community.

Apple similarly loosened its repair policy for iPhones with third-party displays back in February 2017.

Updated on March 7 with minor correction about whole-unit replacement fee.

Article Link: Apple Says iPhones With Third-Party Batteries Now Eligible for Repairs

 

[cmaier]

Good. About time

 

[alexandr]

great and third-party screens too)

 

[PieTunes]

Good on Apple. This is welcome news for those who find themselves in a relevant situation.

 

[Baymowe335]

This is why Apple service is the best.

 

[Unity451]

This is why Apple service is the best.

Ok.. let's not get ahead of ourselves...

 

[avanpelt]

By not servicing those devices, they were missing out on more revenue on out-of-warranty devices. Every dollar counts.

 

[BigBoy2018]

Hopefully another sign they're moving back in the direction of (somewhat) user repairable devices. Please give me the next iMac/Macbook Pro generation with a replaceable SSD again!

 

[cmaier]

Ok.. let's not get ahead of ourselves...

I agree with him. I’ve never been disappointed. Many’s the time where they’ve just handed me a new iPhone or iPad and sent me on my way. I’ve found if you know what you’re talking about (“here’s exactly what’s wrong, here’s how I know that this is the issue because here’s everything I’ve tried”) and polite, they treat you very well.

 

[TimCrooked]

This should have always been the case, smh... Imagine if a dealership denied working on a car because you got a better aftermarket battery installed...

 

[Nikiaf]

About f***ing time! I was once refused a repair to the logic board because I had previously replaced the battery with a non-Apple OEM one (and this was entirely unrelated to the problem). Not only could I not try and make a warranty claim on this, they wouldn't even let me pay for the repair; I was told that the phone had no place being serviced at an Apple store and my only option was to pay full price for a brand new phone.

 

[JPack]

Makes sense now that the $29 program is over.

 

[canesalato]

This is why Apple service is the best.

How about until yesterday?

 

[Stella]

This is why Apple service is the best.

Apple shouldn't have denied repairs in the first place. That would have been good service.

I'm wondering if Apple's hand has been forced due to changes of law / threatened law suits in one or more countries?

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I just upgraded my 6S to the XR using the trade-in program. Apple was offering $200 for it, and I was a little worried that they wouldn’t offer me the full amount because I had replaced the battery myself with a third-party battery, and also that the screen had a couple small bright spots on it. The phone still worked, but it was pretty worn. I ended up getting the full $200 back. I know it’s not exactly on-topic, but I was impressed that they stuck with the offer and the trade-in partner didn’t try to alter the deal.

 

[morganperry]

Third-party batteries can be considered a safety risk for technicians, as well as during the transportation process. Companies need to be aware of what they are shipping, especially by air, hence the previous policy.

But nice to see them doing this – opens up options for consumers.

 

[citysnaps]

Ok.. let's not get ahead of ourselves...

I've yet to find any other tech products vendor with better service.

Do you have personal experience with a few that are better?

 

[Unity451]

I agree with him. I’ve never been disappointed. Many’s the time where they’ve just handed me a new iPhone or iPad and sent me on my way. I’ve found if you know what you’re talking about (“here’s exactly what’s wrong, here’s how I know that this is the issue because here’s everything I’ve tried”) and polite, they treat you very well.

My experience is that if your repair situation fits neatly into their repair policy, it's very easy. (I too have gotten replacement for damaged/defective phones). But if you have something outside the corporate determined policy, (i.e. one day past warranty, any of the ___gates, etc.), they are not very accommodating, even to the point of telling you that you have to buy a new device for a simple, but uncovered, fix. (This has also happened to me.) They still try to be as nice about it as they can, which for me just adds to the frustration.

I think as good as they are at times, some of their repair policies are still archaic and asinine. Perfect example... the fact that it costs significantly more to replace the glass back of a phone versus the front glass+screen+digitizer.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

This is why Apple service is the best.

Read on Right to Repair, because choice is a wonderful thing.
https://ifixit.org/blog/12523/right-to-repair-2018/

Under this initiative, manufacturers (of all kinds, not just electronics) must make schematics and parts available to third-party repair businesses. And, you, as a consumer can decide where to take your consumer electronics to be fixed.

Of course, you can always select awesome repairs done on crowded back rooms by lowly-paid "Geniuses" (under stress). Or. you can repair it yourself using published methods and parts by outfits like iFixIt or, even better, roll-your-own repairs guided with documents and YouTube videos.

The choice is yours. And choice is good, right?
[This new corporate position is just the consequence of "Right to Repair", and nothing to do with a "wonderful thing".]

 

[Baymowe335]

Ok.. let's not get ahead of ourselves...

We aren’t...who is better in tech?

 

[Unity451]

I've yet to find any other tech products vendor with better service.

Do you have personal experience with a few that are better?

Sadly, no. If your repair falls under one of their covered issues, they are still the best. If it doesn't or your device is out of warranty, I've found that buying the part from iFixit.com and doing it myself is the best and cheapest way to do it.

 

[Morgenland]

Nice step...

 

[Aston441]

Apple shouldn't have denied repairs in the first place. That would have been good service.

I'm wondering if Apple's hand has been forced due to changes of law / threatened law suits in one or more countries?

I'd nearly guarantee it's related to one or more of the suits. When battery scandal began with iOS 11, Apple refused to replace my original battery at the genius bar, saying it was over 80% capacity. Yet it lasted about 3-4 hours tops. This was intentional on Apple's part, to try to force upgrades with iOS 11. I'm sure many people in the same situation were forced to third party batteries, especially if they couldn't afford to buy a new phone. Hopefully they are being destroyed in some courtroom this very moment for their criminal actions.

 

[JetTester]

About time!

 

[macdisciple]

About f***ing time! I was once refused a repair to the logic board because I had previously replaced the battery with a non-Apple OEM one...

I was told that the phone had no place being serviced at an Apple store and my only option was to pay full price for a brand new phone.

This was news to you?