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Apple Initiates iPhone 5 Battery Replacement Program

Mine is eligible, but they had to order a new battery and I have to go back when it comes in...
 
I went to the NY Soho location on Prince st because it is on my street but I dislike that store lol Anyway When I got there I was waiting for them to call me I waited an hour because the guy never checked me in and once he did they told me they ran out of batteries NYC wide lol and i have to go back for another. Anyway funny thing I was at 100% when I got there and at 1% when I left. 1 hour! lol
 
rnizlek said:
Had my battery replaced on my 5 in March. I used the website, which said I was not eligible, but it also stated that if I already had my battery replaced to call support to check if I could get a refund. Sure enough, I can. They're mailing a check which should arrive sometime next week. Not a bad deal.

In retrospect, I thought it was a little strange that this was the only iPhone I ever had to replace the battery on. I chalked it up to the fact that when I came to work everyday, I immediately put it on a charger and left it plugged in all day (which I figured was reducing battery wear, particularly with the weak signal in my office). Nice to know it was the battery after all.
Click to expand...


Hey man, how did u do this? it's quiet interesting, because on the website it was also written that my phone was not eligible, but i have poor battery life and also sometimes i don't have even signal. DOn't ask me why, i have never had this before... But i would like to know how u did it with apple, because i rather deal with them then my operator for this kind of things.

thank you very much in advance. kind regards

----------
T-Will said:
Just paid out of pocket to have my battery replaced a week and a half ago, so when I entered my serial number it said:

The serial number you entered is not eligible under this program because either:
- It's not one of the serial numbers in the affected range
- Our records show that your battery has already been replaced. If you paid for a battery replacement service, check with Apple to see if you are eligible for a refund.

I called support, and a few minutes later the refund is on the way.
Click to expand...

Hey man, how did u do this? it's quiet interesting, because on the website it was also written that my phone was not eligible, but i have poor battery life and also sometimes i don't have even signal. DOn't ask me why, i have never had this before... But i would like to know how u did it with apple, because i rather deal with them then my operator for this kind of things.

thank you very much in advance. kind regards
 
finbred said:
This is great for my eligible fiver. I bought it as a company phone 12/2012 which means the EU 2 year consumer warranty wouldn't cover it. However, I haven't read any posts that relate the battery issue with temperature which is obvious with mine. The colder it is the faster it dies. 5 minutes at freezing temps kills it even when freshly charged but after warming it up again I can restart and the battery is up to 95 %. Just last night I went out to take a video of a hummingbird hawk-moth - a rare visitor around here, never seen one before - and after 5 minutes I had 17 %. It was 15° C. Five minutes back inside > back to 51 %. So to me this seems a sensory problem. I hope the sensor is in the battery...
Click to expand...


This is what happens to me so I'm waiting until Winter to get my battery replaced. iBackupBot currently reports my battery heath at 88% but when it was turning off in the winter months, it drops down to 60-70% health. I'll take it in at that point
 
Bigsargewaymo7 said:
I have an iPhone 5 and i had that issue. I replaced my battery but in doing so i must've done something to the display cause it is a little dim with some light bleed at the top. After trouble shooting found out that the display was permanently harmed so now i have a great battery life and not so great display so i just ordered a new display and now they are starting this **** with the replacement battery! Dammit a week earlier and i wouldn't have this problem.
Click to expand...

How long ago did you replace your battery. When I replaced mine, the same thing happened to me.
Essentially, something happened that only allowed the light array in the back to fire half of the leds. This is why it seems dim, but also the light bleed on top. The light isn't actually bleeding, only half of the LEDs are on so there are "dark spots" up top. Noticeable primarily when you have a white screen up (when messaging).

Anyways, I opened it up again and jiggled the cables around, no change. However, over the course of the next month, I'd notice that from time to time all LEDs would be on and no problem existed. I figured something was loose and periodically reconnecting. Fast forward to now, several months later and the diminished lighting is completely gone. It has gone away on its own and hasn't come back. If you recently replaced the battery, I'd hang in there, it may resolve on its own.
 
saudor said:
This is what happens to me so I'm waiting until Winter to get my battery replaced. iBackupBot currently reports my battery heath at 88% but when it was turning off in the winter months, it drops down to 60-70% health. I'll take it in at that point
Click to expand...

You should take it in anyway. They have ways of testing it. That was happening to mine in Wisconsin. It would drop 30% and shut off immediately. Once it warmed back up, it would start. My battery was deemed bad.

Remember when they test it at apple, it's indoors so no matter what time of year, they will get the same reading.
 
charks said:
Exact same for me. Apple Store replaced the battery in my wife's 5 last December...nearly 3 months out of warranty. Called support and it took about 10 minutes. Checks in the mail.
Click to expand...

ey man, how did u do this? it's quiet interesting, because on the website it was also written that my phone was not eligible, but i have poor battery life and also sometimes i don't have even signal. DOn't ask me why, i have never had this before... But i would like to know how u did it with apple, because i rather deal with them then my operator for this kind of things.

thank you very much in advance. kind regards
 
iPhone not qualified

I have been fighting this battery issue for quite some time. Yesterday my phone shut down completely. When I tried master reset, my phone was locked in recovery mode for over 3 hours because it wouldn't connect to iTunes. I Called Apple Support...wouldn't you know...I got the same "not eligible or records indicate the battery has already been changed" response, neither of which is true, but all issues relating to battery replacement exist. The battery clearly is not secured in my phone!! You can hear/feel it rattle if you lightly shake the phone. I was told I have to travel to an Apple store(closest store is 84 miles away) and pay to have the battery replaced, not to mention what I will spend in gas. If they adjust serial numbers later, I may possibly be reimbursed...maybe I should save my gas receipts also!! I think they should just replace them all, especially knowing they are faulty. Not a happy person right now.
 
I think I'm going to bookmark this thread and story for those people who seem to insist that because they and everyone they know haven't experienced an issue - clearly it doesn't exist.

Technology isn't infallible. And everyone that states something against the status quo isn't wrong just because it's not the majority.
 
ChazSch said:
You should take it in anyway. They have ways of testing it. That was happening to mine in Wisconsin. It would drop 30% and shut off immediately. Once it warmed back up, it would start. My battery was deemed bad.

Remember when they test it at apple, it's indoors so no matter what time of year, they will get the same reading.
Click to expand...


I'm just worried that if their tester reports it good, I won't be eligible anymore. Figured it'd be best to take it in while it's messing up. As for the indoor issue, I can always run a few laps outside the apple store before going in hahaha

Plus I set up as new and just transferred my SMS and battery is behaving. (2% drain overnight) currently 13% and I charged it 3 days ago
 
Ah they have finally recalled it! I got my iPhone 5 replaced the other day because of this problem (shutting off at 20-50% battery and not turning back on until plugged into charger). My phone also qualified for the power button replacement so they just replaced the whole phone in the end!
 
ChazSch said:
You should take it in anyway. They have ways of testing it. That was happening to mine in Wisconsin. It would drop 30% and shut off immediately. Once it warmed back up, it would start. My battery was deemed bad.

Remember when they test it at apple, it's indoors so no matter what time of year, they will get the same reading.
Click to expand...

When I took in my wife's phone to the 'geniuses', they pulled up some BS meter on an iPad that apparently has all the phone health stats and declared the phone in great condition.

Her phone leaks battery and even with one of those battery cases, lasts until noon and often shuts down at about 30% randomly (usually when using the camera).
 
ctone said:
What kind of test / diagnostics do they run on the phones, or do they just go ahead and replace the battery if it has the required serial number and is in good shape?

Weird that I have two iPhone 5's that were both purchased on the launch day, and one is eligible and one isn't. They are different models, but one would think that they would have batteries from same batch. Apparently not.
Click to expand...

Here's my experience...

Last night, I scheduled a Genius appointment for today. They first checked the phone's serial number and said it was (initially) eligible. Next, using my iPhone and his iPad, he ran a check/test of the battery. From those results, he confirmed that the battery was bad and could be replaced under the program.

It didn't appear to me that you can run the check/test with just your iPhone. He ran something on the iPad that produced a number. He plugged that number into the iPhone and the results of the check/test were displayed on his iPad.

He did say that they would check the phone to make sure there is no damage. Since they didn't have any batteries in stock, he said I would have to return later in the week. I didn't want to come back just to have them say that there was some damage that I wasn't aware of, so I asked him if he could check for damage. Initially, he pulled out the sim card and looked into the iPhone. Then, he took it into the back to have it pulled apart. He returned to advise that there wasn't any.

I was a bit disappointed to hear that they didn't have any batteries in stock. Apparently they ran out over the weekend. It's kind of weak that they announce a battery replacement program and have locations with less then 3 days of stock on hand.
 
Mine is eligible but there aren't any Apple Stores or Authorized Service Centers anywhere close to where we live. Guess I'm stuck with a failing battery as I cannot be without my phone for a week or more while they replace it.
 
Dangerous Theory said:
Ah they have finally recalled it! I got my iPhone 5 replaced the other day because of this problem (shutting off at 20-50% battery and not turning back on until plugged into charger). My phone also qualified for the power button replacement so they just replaced the whole phone in the end!
Click to expand...

Interesting! I'm eligible for both too but I wasn't wanting to have to use a loaner phone while they fix my power button. I made an appointment for a battery replacement this evening, maybe if I mention that I'm having trouble w/ my power button they'll just replace mine too lol..

I'm planning on getting the 6 and giving this 5 to my mom but I'd like it to be "like new" if possible, not shutting off @ 20-30% consistently..

Fingers crossed.
 
My sister in law has been charging her phone several times a day. I sent her the link to this. She checked and hers was eligible. She took it to an apple store somewhere near LA and she told me they replaced the phone.
 
And my experience

Hitch08 said:
Here's my experience...

Last night, I scheduled a Genius appointment for today. They first checked the phone's serial number and said it was (initially) eligible. Next, using my iPhone and his iPad, he ran a check/test of the battery. From those results, he confirmed that the battery was bad and could be replaced under the program.

It didn't appear to me that you can run the check/test with just your iPhone. He ran something on the iPad that produced a number. He plugged that number into the iPhone and the results of the check/test were displayed on his iPad.

He did say that they would check the phone to make sure there is no damage. Since they didn't have any batteries in stock, he said I would have to return later in the week. I didn't want to come back just to have them say that there was some damage that I wasn't aware of, so I asked him if he could check for damage. Initially, he pulled out the sim card and looked into the iPhone. Then, he took it into the back to have it pulled apart. He returned to advise that there wasn't any.

I was a bit disappointed to hear that they didn't have any batteries in stock. Apparently they ran out over the weekend. It's kind of weak that they announce a battery replacement program and have locations with less then 3 days of stock on hand.
Click to expand...

I made an appointment, explicitly mentioning that an iPhone 5 battery replacement was needed. Showed up, they checked the serial number, and ran their diagnostics from an iPad. My battery showed up as "meh" (genius rocks his flattened hand back and forth). Then two problems

1. No batteries in stock - I'll have to return later in the week. Great - another $5 in gas and an hour time.
2. Oh - they don't replace "meh" batteries. I'll just have to wait until it fails catastrophically. I'm so glad apple is about UX.
 
I've got a power hog 5. Heavy user with email, phone, etc... Was getting 3-5 hours until needing charge. Battery eligible and replaced free on Saturday. Left for work @ 7:30 this morning and is still at 72%! That is better than new.
 
My serial number qualified for both the wake/sleep and the battery.
I'd gone in before for the wake/sleep even though I had no symptoms and without symptoms the Genius didn't even want to look at it.
Went in today for the battery, and was told that they didn't have any stock but they would order one. I again also mentioned the wake/sleep even though I still didn't have any symptoms.
They saw that I had AppleCare so they decided to just swap the phone.
I asked if that would count as one of my two available swaps and they said no, I'd still have my two AppleCare swaps still available for future use
 
No support

I just told by customer care that even though my iphone5 is part of the effected iphone 5's they will not issue me a refund for my Ifixit battery I bought 2 months ago. She also said I voided the warranty. The warranty ended on 9/13 and is the reason I didn't drive 120 miles and pay apple 80 dollars. It's sad because the battery issue was quite frustrating for over 6 months. I tried everything and finally bought a anker battery to help me make it thru the day. The Ifixit battery has been better than the original. Now if I can get my iphone to stop burning 60 meg of data and 15 percent battery and an hour of usage time every morning while it's in my pocket not being used I'd be a happy camper.
 
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