Apple Will Replace the Battery in Your iPhone 6 or Later Even if It Passes a Genius Bar Diagnostic Test

simonmet said:
This is obviously the right thing to do for aggrieved customers, but it shouldn’t have come to this.

In no way can Apple suggest a battery in which they’ve had to implement CPU throttling in order to prevent random shutdowns is fit for use. Yet it appears from anecdotal evidence their diagnostic tool didn’t consider this, so customers were potentially being told their battery was fine even though they were experiencing a degradation in performance by up to 50%. And that’s if the customer thought to get it checked rather than just assume an iOS update slowed their device. Of even greater concern is the fact Apple deems this throttling necessary for devices as little as 1 year-old. I think I’ve seen this already on my iPhone 7 Plus. Not cool.

This is not just embarrassing but exposes grubby tactics from Apple. Now we can see perhaps why they’ve been so aggressive in trying to control battery replacements on iPhones: by illegally (in my country) suggesting third-party battery replacements preclude warranty coverage or servicing for an unrelated problem; and by aggressively pursuing in the courts restrictions on third-party repairers having access to official Apple parts.

In no way can they pretend they were trying to do the right thing by the user either in this case. They’ve been caught out and exposed. Apple never backs down about anything unless they’re very clearly in the wrong - as is the case here - and even then not always. You could say arrogance is part of their DNA, so this is and should be deeply embarrassing for them.

The outcome should eventually be good for consumers with some benefits already. It’s happened because they had irrefutable evidence to back up their case and force Apple’s hand. It’s a victory for consumer activism and the community in general and I think John Poole from Geekbench deserves special mention and credit for his part in this.
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Good post.
Apple kept it secret to reduce battery warranty replacements and to avoid mass recall, ie implemented for financial gain. Apple knew their own motive for it, knew the public would certainly view this as wrong and deceiving. Apple knew, and hence could not go public with it... until they got caught.
 
gnipgnop said:
Geekbench is programmed differently than a standard app. It doesn't have the typical idle time that a standard app uses AND it loads the CPU to the maximum at the same time. That creates the big peaks/valleys in power draw that iOS is now looking to smooth out in order to prevent an auto shutdown. So if you run Geekbench, all you're establishing is how much throttling Geekbench itself is creating at that particular voltage level. You're not actually measuring whether or not a standard application would be throttled at all, and that's what the concern actually is: people running standard apps that have normal idle time built in and aren't designed to max out the CPU to test it's theoretical limits. Do those apps really experience throttling at nominal voltage? Geekbench can't tell you.
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How about apps like CPU Dasher X for example that shows lower than nominal clock speed of the throttled phone? How does that app works in this case? It seems that You have used only your pure imagination to create this Geekbench idle time theory..
 
TheShadowKnows! said:
Do not underestimate the level of difficulty facing the replacement of today's iPhone batteries while restoring the proper waterproof/liquid/dust protections as found originally (not necessary as found when "new")

Take a sprite walk on the iFixIt site, and note that the battery replacement = a bitch.

Those that praise $29 replacements, done by hurried "geniuses" on the backroom, forget these dudes are attempting to do 10's of phones a day.

The consequence = not pretty.

Demonic glue will get on the way, display-to-case waterproof strips will likely not be replaced, and light gaps more likely than not will be seen on the edge of the case, after the replacement.

These "geniuses" work without a clean-room facility (low trained skills, under bottom pay), and there will be non-existent QC.

Adds up to a major FUBAR, to me (but, just my opinion).
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A fair point that seems to get lost beyond all of this. For a device as compact as this and tightly integrated, I would never have it be torn apart unless absolutely necessary...I would not get a new battery just because...I'd only get one if my device was affected.
 
Thank you for the confirmation. And also putting to rest the debate that apple would replace your battery in the past, even if it passed the test.

This should always been the case, where the customer gets to decide if they want their battery replaced.
 
MacRumors said:



Last week, Apple reduced the price of out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacements from $79 to $29, following a wave of controversy over power management features in older iPhones. In a note to customers, Apple said its new policy applied to "anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced", but failed to specify if this eligibility criteria was dependent on whether a given iPhone failed an official Genius Bar diagnostic test.

slow-iphone.jpg

This morning, French tech blog iGeneration reported that an internal Apple Store memo has been circulated which states that if a customer asks for a battery replacement on an iPhone 6 or later, then the Genius Bar should allow it, even if their phone passes Apple's own diagnostic test.

Apple has since independently confirmed to MacRumors that it will agree to replace an eligible battery for a $29 fee, regardless of whether an official diagnostic test shows that it is still able to retain less than 80 percent of its original capacity. The concession appears to have been made to mollify the anger of customers stoked by headlines suggesting that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models.

Anecdotal reports also suggest that customers who paid $79 to have their battery replaced before the new pricing came into effect on Saturday, December 30, will receive a refund from Apple upon request. Please let us know of your own experiences in the comments below.

Apple last week was forced to apologize over a lack of transparency regarding its process of dynamically managing the peak performance of some older iPhone models with degraded batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns. When iOS 10.2.1 was released in February, Apple vaguely referred to "improvements" it had made to reduce occurrences of unexpected shutdowns. It only chose to explain that the changes it made may result in temporary slowdowns on some older iPhone models with degraded batteries after controversy recently reignited.

Apple can run a diagnostic on your phone's battery remotely - you don't need to visit an Apple Store. To initiate the battery diagnostic/replacement process, contact Apple Support by phone, online chat, email, or Twitter. Alternatively, you can schedule a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store with the Apple Support app. You can also inquire about a battery replacement with select Apple Authorized Service Providers.

Article Link: Apple Will Replace the Battery in Your iPhone 6 or Later Even if It Passes a Genius Bar Diagnostic Test
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If Apple is going to make a run to buy Netflix now that the new 2018 Tax Structure is in place they better make good on this PR disaster. The DOJ is not going to play games anymore.
 
I feel done with them now thanks to all of this. I only bought an iP8 a month ago but I wouldn’t have knowing they’re going to slow it down. I keep my phones for a few years so my once nippy device will one day be artificially slowed down and I’m not happy about that - I want to opt into such features and would gladly suffer ending the day with a lower percentage battery left than it being slowed.

Sorry Apple. You still have a ways to go before I resume buying from you. And I buy it all too rather sillily.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Ha. Good job? At what hiding the truth from consumers for a couple years until as many as possible would just buy a new phone and go away. Apple isn't doing this out of good heartedness. It's doing it because it was found out and it has the makings of a PR disaster for them. They are just doing the minimal required to make it look like they back up their products otherwise they'd reach out to all iP6, 6s, 7 users who got tired of dealing with this issue and were told by Apple a new battery was not a fix.
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It takes time to gather enough information to make an informed decision. If all the batteries were defective in iPhone 6, 6s and iPhone 7, there would be over 700M people complaining. This is still a very small percentage of users.

There was no "hiding the truth for a couple years" because power management has only been around since iOS 10.2.1 and Apple addressed a small amount of complaints of sudden iPhone shutdown.

If you want to be a conspiracy theorist and go against all facts to say what they knew, be my guest. They are fixing a problem that took years to really understand what was going on and get enough information to make an informed decision. We are talking half a billion devices here.
 
I am satisfied with the steps taken and the apology issued by Apple. This is what they need to do to mitigate the issue for now.

However, the real justice will be brought by the outcome of related lawsuits. I'd predict a huge punitive collateral if Apple can't stand its own ground in the court. This could be the fall of Tim Cook.
 
I recently bought a used 6s 11.2.1 64gb space grey I love it to death over my clunky 6+. Battery is hovering around the 80% health mark and seems to hold a charge quite well runs snappy apps so no complaints just yet. I'm going to grab my popcorn and wait this out awhile until it seems Apple has batteries in stock and a trip to the Apple Store for a replacement will be a seamless transaction. Expecting this phone to last me another 2-3 yrs maybe by then a used X will be in my future.
 

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pdaholic said:
It sucks that I'm so balls deep in this ecosystem. Apple is slowly degenerating into a greedy, buggy, laggy mess.
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MacBebe said:
I am in the same situation. I am Apple gadget freak and I don't have a problem with them ... yet. :D
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There have been many warning signs over the past "x" years (x - depends upon one's pain threshold and viewpoint). Maybe this is the first sign for you to start planning an "exit strategy" should things not improve.

Exiting the ecosystem doesn't have to be in one fell swoop, nor does it have to be complete. The biggest investment for me was in the hardware, much less on software, and nothing on media (I never purchased media from Apple that would only be access by their software/hardware).

I've got a plan for hardware and software... the alternatives are looking very good, and in some cases BETTER than their Apple counterparts. I'm not investing any more in Apple hardware, but will keep the current hardware going for as long as possible. When a device needs to be replaced, THAT's when I'll make the switch for that device.

The "Empire" flinched. Regardless of whether or not Apple is making money on these battery replacements, they have responded to the attention. If customers keep the heat on them for those things that need to change, there is a better chance of that happening.

I'd love to get to the point where I can discard my exit strategy.
 
cyb3rdud3 said:
A fair point that seems to get lost beyond all of this. For a device as compact as this and tightly integrated, I would never have it be torn apart unless absolutely necessary...I would not get a new battery just because...I'd only get one if my device was affected.
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Totally.

We are indeed of the same mind.

Those dudes on the backroom will be "violating" the original tight seals. But in here they all are singing praises and queue to get it done. LOL!
 
gnipgnop said:
I haven't said that Geekbench is the only way to trigger a slowdown. If it were, Apple would have never bothered to add the feature to iOS. The evidence is that Apple themselves have said Geekbench creates the peaks/valleys in power draw that iOS looks to smooth out. That's due to the way it's programmed: doesn't have typical idle time of a standard app and is designed to max out the CPU load at the same time.

I think what Apple has explained as the reason for adding the feature makes the most sense. If you've got a defective battery, it prevents it from shutting down too often before you get it replaced. If you've got an EOL battery, it prevents it from shutting down too often before you get it replaced. And if you're in a low charge situation with a healthy battery and potentially don't have enough voltage available to the CPU for what you're trying to do, it also won't shut down too often.
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Drop the Geekbench deflection. Apple have never addressed Geekbench .

Seriously, you are just spamming the forums with the same post , over and over. Can you add anything else to the conversation? or just the same EOL battery......
 
klazmandoo said:
How about apps like CPU Dasher X for example that shows lower than nominal clock speed of the throttled phone? How does that app works in this case? It seems that You have used only your pure imagination to create this Geekbench idle time theory..
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I haven't heard of CPU Dasher X being a part of the controversy. Is it? That's news to me. Anyway, here's an article that explains the Geekbench issue pretty clearly...

https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/20/a...ones-with-older-batteries-are-running-slower/
 
aevan said:
Apple does something people don’t like: “they suck”

Apple does something people like:
“It’s damage control”

Macrumors Forums, ladies and gentlemen.
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Yeah. It never ends. Many will never be happy unless they are constantly trying to stick it to the man. And then they can feel good about themselves for a little bit.
 
This is going to continue. Apple started by saying they'd begin to replace batteries in a couple of months. That changed to right away. Now they are saying that no matter what, if a customer wants a replacement, they'll get it regardless of testing. I suspect in a few days they'll remove the $29 replacement cost.

This issue isn't going away. This may eventually lead to Tim Cook and other management losing their jobs. I expect this will impact future sales of iPhones. This is a big deal and will haunt Apple throughout 2018 and perhaps beyond. The first company to reach $1 Trillion will not be Apple.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Been using Apple products for 30 years. Nearly everything they have sold has always been more expensive than competitors. The early Mac OSes were hardly bug free, just less so than Windows. But extension conflicts were a major PITA. And the early OS X versions were nearly unusable until 10.2. And laggy -- did you not use OS 9 in it's waning days?

Apple isn't slowly degenerating into any of the things you mention. Those characteristics have always been there. The difference is Apple is now missing an eye for "what's next," and is much more "me too." I believe it still makes the best in class products, but it's in the same class now as competitors, not one ahead.

This escapade is just more of the same. Apple has kept mum on defects for years, only providing solutions after the voices became too loud to ignore. Go back to the water cooled MPs or the blotchy screen MBPs.
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You know that this battery issue effects all phones, not just iPhones? Apple is the only one that did something about people with weak batteries have their phones randomly turn off under heavy strain. While they should have told people what they were doing, not sure they did wrong thing here by trying to add life to a phone...
 
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