iFixit: Apple 'Locking' iPhone Batteries to Discourage Third-Party Replacements [Updated]

[jaxemer83]

Other than not seeing battery health (which shouldn’t matter for at least a year), what exactly is the downside here? The 3rd party battery still works.

MR is full of people that purely just want something to gripe about, and will go out of their way to play up a non issue to pretend it is one.

That's the downside here. May seem like a small thing, but it is consistent with Apple's pattern of taking anticompetitive actions to fleece customers and line their pocket books.
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Pretty sure that if Apple starts selling parts direct to consumers and publishes repair manuals (like right to repair and iFixit are asking for) that puts iFixit out of business, or at least introduces heavy competition. AFAIK things right now are pretty nice for iFixit, they get to profit on teaching people how to repair things that aren't obviously repairable. Seems to me like they're pushing back mostly for the good of the environment and consumers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way it looks to me. I don't see how passing right to repair and making Apple do what iFixit currently does (providing parts and manuals) helps iFixit.

Besides, what good ever came from sitting quietly and accepting "good enough"? I'm generally happy to see people complain about things that could be better. How do you think we got automotive right to repair? Do you always take your car to the dealer to get it repaired (if you can afford to then good for you, you make more money than I do)? Why do you think your local shop is able to source OEM parts? What about amendments to the Constitution?

As an aside, paying more might get you genuine Apple parts, but it also gets you super long wait times and less experienced techs (in my experience). I'm lucky enough to live near an Apple store, but I'd still trust the small shop downtown to fix my phone any day. The owner has an engineering degree and has been repairing electronics for 30+ years, they usually do things like a battery swap in an hour, and they know how to do things an AASP isn't allowed to do in house. When I got my phone wet and bricked it, Apple said recovering the photos was impossible, local shop got it done in a day. Sometimes, things that are more expensive are worse.

For one thing, the market for cars and car parts is very competitive compared to the market for iPhone parts. Car manufacturers do not have the leverage to force car part manufacturers into anticompetitive agreements that restrict the part manufacturers from selling OEM parts directly to consumers or third-party repair shops. Apple does.

 

[jamezr]

Apple is trying to grow it's services business. This is one way to milk a few extra $$$ from customers and grow repair services....

 

[racerxe]

I absolutely read the article, and it NEVER says they swapped the battery from one iPhone to another; rather, it just says they put a supposed genuine battery in there, and the error came up:



But considering how many people, yourself included, think genuine batteries are sold all over the place on aliexpress, fleabay, and elsewhere, it sounds like ifixit might also not know the definition of what a genuine battery is. ifixit does NOT sell genuine parts, as much as people like to believe they do. A

How can you say you went to China and could determine if a battery was even genuine at all? Why, because it had an Apple logo on it? Lol.

Anyway, all y'all can go waste $30-$40 on a junk, questionably sourced battery that is 99.99% not authentic, have a bunch of problems and rage on the internet about it, while I'll spend the extra $30 to just get it done right at Apple, know what I have is genuine, know that it works, and know that my warranty and support are intact. What a bizarre place to waste energy. Apple doesn't play well with third party junk parts, and this isn't news - you all know this by now, so you get what you pay for. As for right to repair, yeah, go ahead and repair it with whatever parts you want that Apple has no control over, but don't hold them to honoring warranty on a device fixed with parts they know nothing about and didn't spec. This is such a tired whinefest every time people want to cheap out.

iFixit took a battery out of a new iPhone XS and put it into another iPhone XS and still got the error...not sure how much more genuine you can get without buying a battery from Apple (which is impossible). Also, iFixit doesn't claim their batteries are OEM.

 

[I7guy]

iFixit took a battery out of a new iPhone XS and put it into another iPhone XS and still got the error...not sure how much more genuine you can get without buying a battery from Apple (which is impossible). Also, iFixit doesn't claim their batteries are OEM.

And if you were going to buy that phone from an ad, would you want to know the phone was opened and parts swapped?

 

[racerxe]

That's the downside here. May seem like a small thing, but it is consistent with Apple's pattern of taking anticompetitive actions to fleece customers and line their pocket books.
[doublepost=1565290876][/doublepost]

For one thing, the market for cars and car parts is very competitive compared to the market for iPhone parts. Car manufacturers do not have the leverage to force car part manufacturers into anticompetitive agreements that restrict the part manufacturers from selling OEM parts directly to consumers or third-party repair shops. Apple does.

That's how it is now, but before automotive right to repair it was super hard for normal people an independent repair shops to do anything on their own due to a lack of information. Repair manuals weren't published, and I'm pretty sure the OBD standard came out of that bill too.
[doublepost=1565291587][/doublepost]

And if you were going to buy that phone from an ad, would you want to know the phone was opened and parts swapped?

That's a good point, I guess I would. But I'd want to know if Apple did it too—their techs have been known to make mistakes. And my point was mostly that the error was tested with an OEM battery, just correcting that other comment.

 

[manu chao]

Tesla is one car manufacturer compared to many. The ratio of Tesla owners and vehicles compared to others is no comparison.

So if ten car companies that cover 90% of the market of electric vehicles all don't allow you to install a third-party replacement battery, then this is fine because each is only one of many manufacturers. But if one company that has maybe 30% marketshare does this, this is a problem?

The question one must ask is if Tesla will provide an owner to purchase genuine Tesla batteries if requested.

And do they?

FYI Tesla makes some of the most power efficient batteries in its sector.

And that would make it ok for them to block the installation of third-party batteries?

 

[LovingTeddy]

I absolutely read the article, and it NEVER says they swapped the battery from one iPhone to another; rather, it just says they put a supposed genuine battery in there, and the error came up:



But considering how many people, yourself included, think genuine batteries are sold all over the place on aliexpress, fleabay, and elsewhere, it sounds like ifixit might also not know the definition of what a genuine battery is. ifixit does NOT sell genuine parts, as much as people like to believe they do. A

How can you say you went to China and could determine if a battery was even genuine at all? Why, because it had an Apple logo on it? Lol.

Anyway, all y'all can go waste $30-$40 on a junk, questionably sourced battery that is 99.99% not authentic, have a bunch of problems and rage on the internet about it, while I'll spend the extra $30 to just get it done right at Apple, know what I have is genuine, know that it works, and know that my warranty and support are intact. What a bizarre place to waste energy. Apple doesn't play well with third party junk parts, and this isn't news - you all know this by now, so you get what you pay for. As for right to repair, yeah, go ahead and repair it with whatever parts you want that Apple has no control over, but don't hold them to honoring warranty on a device fixed with parts they know nothing about and didn't spec. This is such a tired whinefest every time people want to cheap out.

You can absolutely purchase a genuine battery on the market. It is not hard to find. All you need to do is a tester for testing genuine battery. I have no doubt that people within the battery manufacture will sour

My problem with your response is that you seems to think all third part stuff are junks.

And you did not look at the article, here is the quote from the article:

Put simply, Apple is locking batteries to their iPhones at the factory, so whenever you replace the battery yourself--even if you're using a genuine Apple battery from another iPhone--it will still give you the "Service" message. The only way around this is--you guessed it--paying Apple money to replace your iPhone battery for you.[\QUOTE]

 

[PickUrPoison]

It does this even with an Apple battery from another phone. There is no justification for that.

There is. Apple wants to limit the market for stolen iPhones, which often are just parted out because they can’t be activated.

 

[jaxemer83]

I have a friend that is an Apple "Genuis." He was barely out of high school when he got the job and got less than a week of training from Apple. The idea that he would somehow have some special expertise in being able to safely install a battery that an independent tech with a decade of experience wouldn't have is beyond absurd. This is about revenue to Apple and nothing else.
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There is. Apple wants to limit the market for stolen iPhones, which often are just parted out because they can’t be activated.

LOL. I'm sure this is exactly why they are doing this.

 

[realtuner]

It's 100% accurate. You, me, or almost anyone on this forum can replace their battery if they have a BMW.
Go to almost any autoparts store to get the correct AGM battery for your car. Purchase Foxwell NT510 or NT520 OBD2 scanner (can even be purchased at Walmart). Other tools accomplish the same task. I just prefer the Foxwell because it does a lot more than battery registration. Install battery. Use scanner to register your battery. Same tool works for BMW and Mini. I know because I've replaced batteries on my brother's 2010 335i and his wife's god awful crappy 2014 Mini Cooper.

Batteries are wear items that are meant to be replaced. They don't require OEM or authorized parts. They don't require a BMW or authorized service tech. Literally one of the easiest DIY automotive projects you or anyone can do. Completely true.

How convenient of you to leave out the fact a battery replacement in a smartphone requires dis-assembly of the device and a very real possibility of damage to device components or the seals. This problem doesn’t exist when replacing a vehicle battery.

Your analogy is still wrong.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Yes! Of course they do. For what other product sector would this not be allowed?

I couldn’t disagree more.

If Apple wants to make sure secondhand buyers know you put a knockoff battery in your XS before you try to sell it to me, I’m all for it. I wish they would do that for screens as well.

Sellers have absolutely zero right to substitute crappy parts, screw that. I don’t want your used iPhone with the low-capacity exploding battery, $20 screen and sucko digitizer.

 

[69Mustang]

How convenient of you to leave out the fact a battery replacement in a smartphone requires dis-assembly of the device and a very real possibility of damage to device components or the seals. This problem doesn’t exist when replacing a vehicle battery.

Your analogy is still wrong.

You can try to move that goalpost all you want. Your original premise tried to use BMW computer components as a justification analog for Apple's actions. Didn't work. You tried to parse down to the battery tech to prove me wrong, not support your original premise, but to prove me wrong. Didn't work. Now you want to try to claim disassembly in a smartphone somehow makes the my analogy somehow wrong? C'mon man, try harder. Any replacement, smartphone or car is going to require some form of disassembly.

You can try obfuscate by attempting to attack my analogy 'til the cows come home. It will make your original premise no more valid than when you initially made it. Simply put you were wrong.

 

[PickUrPoison]

LOL. I'm sure this is exactly why they are doing this.

I’m sure you have no idea exactly why Apple is doing this. But that never stopped anyone who is sure they know what they’re talking about, even though they’re just guessing or making things up in support of their Apple-hate fueled outrage.

 

[nitramluap]

This article has a weird vibe.

Totally agree with your points. I really dislike iFixit’s FUD approach. Since they have money to make by selling non-genuine batteries, I don’t think we should be listening to them.

 

[jonblatho]

I’m sure you have no idea exactly why Apple is doing this. But that never stopped anyone who is sure they know what they’re talking about, even though they’re just guessing or making things up in support of their Apple-hate fueled outrage.

Did you know that you can disagree—even strongly so—with a company’s anticompetitive and anti-consumer actions while not only not hating them but also using multiple products and services of theirs on a daily basis?
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Totally agree with your points. I really dislike iFixit’s FUD approach. Since they have money to make by selling non-genuine batteries, I don’t think we should be listening to them.

Sounds like attacking the source and not the argument, but if Apple began selling genuine parts and offering repair manuals for its products, as iFixit has repeatedly and very publicly requested, iFixit would have a serious challenge to its present business model.

 

[Shirasaki]

Yes, that's not wrong. But even if you grant all that, it's 1) not really what Apple is saying, and 2) it doesn't change that the message is accurate: Apple can't vouch for the long-term behavior of a third-party battery's behavior.

At best, what they could do (if they wanted to) is provide a spec for third parties to make matching controllers. Even then, Apple would have to trust their behavior.

Many guys, maybe you included, misses one point in the article: iFixit swaps another genuine Apple battery FROM an iPhone to another iPhone. The message still shows up. There is no reason why iOS cannot figure out the power characteristic of a genuine battery, yet message still pops up. Apple Clearly has an additional process during battery swap to reset the battery in some way so that iOS can properly initialise it during first boot up.

 

[LovingTeddy]

I couldn’t disagree more.

If Apple wants to make sure secondhand buyers know you put a knockoff battery in your XS before you try to sell it to me, I’m all for it. I wish they would do that for screens as well.

Sellers have absolutely zero right to substitute crappy parts, screw that. I don’t want your used iPhone with the low-capacity exploding battery, $20 screen and sucko digitizer.

Thanks Daddy Apple takes care about me for buying second hand iPhone

Seriously, do you even believe whatever you said?
[doublepost=1565295465][/doublepost]

I’m sure you have no idea exactly why Apple is doing this. But that never stopped anyone who is sure they know what they’re talking about, even though they’re just guessing or making things up in support of their Apple-hate fueled outrage.

So, in other word, you don’t have a solid proof of whatever you are saying. So can I say that you are just guessing or making things up in support of your Apple loving spirit?
[doublepost=1565295633][/doublepost]

How convenient of you to leave out the fact a battery replacement in a smartphone requires dis-assembly of the device and a very real possibility of damage to device components or the seals. This problem doesn’t exist when replacing a vehicle battery.

Your analogy is still wrong.

WTF? You can absolutely damage the car if you don’t know which type of battery you are using and it is real possibility for someone flip the connection and short out the battery.

Yet, this doesn’t stop people changing their battery, engine oil, transmission oil by using third party battery, engine oil and transmission oil?

 

[realtuner]

You can try to move that goalpost all you want. Your original premise tried to use BMW computer components as a justification analog for Apple's actions. Didn't work. You tried to parse down to the battery tech to prove me wrong, not support your original premise, but to prove me wrong. Didn't work. Now you want to try to claim disassembly in a smartphone somehow makes the my analogy somehow wrong? C'mon man, try harder. Any replacement, smartphone or car is going to require some form of disassembly.

You can try obfuscate by attempting to attack my analogy 'til the cows come home. It will make your original premise no more valid than when you initially made it. Simply put you were wrong.

Sorry, you’re flat out wrong and you’re the one moving the goal posts with your very first reply. As usual.

My original post was very clear that I thought this was about preventing theft of iPhones for parts reuse. I used BMW as an example of software locks to prevent the theft of vehicles so they can be parted out. You’re the one who tried to make it about comparing vehicle batteries to smartphone batteries or that repairing/maintaining smartphones is somehow the same as repairing/maintaining vehicles.

 

[MacSERV]

I sell a lot of used iPhones (when I upgrade). Buyers know about Activation Lock/Find my iPhone and check when buying to make sure it’s off. If it’s On and the seller can’t turn it off they know not to buy the phone as it’s useless. Buyers can now also check the battery. While the “right to repair” people see this as a negative, you can bet buyers of used iPhones will see it as a positive.

It’s pure arrogance on the part of repairers to think their right to replace batteries trumps a buyers right to know if the iPhone they’re buying has ever been opened up/repaired by an unauthorized facility.

Fair enough. How about a more accurate description then instead of FUD designed to scare users? Something like "3rd party battery installed"
[doublepost=1565297022][/doublepost]

I just don't understand the huge resistance to just replace batteries at Apple for $69 or whatever it is. Your phone is an expensive, precision item that you use probably more than anything, so for how critical people claim their phone to be, I just can't understand the huge uproar where people insist on using 3rd party parts.

You can still use 3rd party batteries, go ahead. But don't complain when Apple won't support it, you know by now that Apple is resistant to do so, so in classic fashion, you really do get what you pay for trying to save a mere $30-$40 on a battery.

Believe it or not, there are many educated consumers that don't buy into the concept that Geniuses are infallible or at the top of their field when it comes to repair skills and knowledge. This same distrust extends to so-called "depot" repairs that are performed by 3rd party US-sweatshop CSAT Solutions.

 

[Gasu E.]

But it doesn’t say it NEEDS service. Macrumors article was written by someone with no reading comprehension.

There's a screen shot in the article where it says "Battery Health Service". Admittedly, it doesn't actually have a pop-up icon of a little repair guy saying "Buddy, you need to service the battery". But the display meets my threshold for a message.

 

[Suttree]

Sorry, you’re flat out wrong and you’re the one moving the goal posts with your very first reply. As usual.

My original post was very clear that I thought this was about preventing theft of iPhones for parts reuse. I used BMW as an example of software locks to prevent the theft of vehicles so they can be parted out. You’re the one who tried to make it about comparing vehicle batteries to smartphone batteries or that repairing/maintaining smartphones is somehow the same as repairing/maintaining vehicles.

It’s always best to leave the other to beat himself up for you. LUL

 

[jaxemer83]

I’m sure you have no idea exactly why Apple is doing this. But that never stopped anyone who is sure they know what they’re talking about, even though they’re just guessing or making things up in support of their Apple-hate fueled outrage.

Ever heard of Occam's Razor?
[doublepost=1565298618][/doublepost]

I couldn’t disagree more.

If Apple wants to make sure secondhand buyers know you put a knockoff battery in your XS before you try to sell it to me, I’m all for it. I wish they would do that for screens as well.

Sellers have absolutely zero right to substitute crappy parts, screw that. I don’t want your used iPhone with the low-capacity exploding battery, $20 screen and sucko digitizer.

Disagree with what? Sellers have the right to sell whatever they want to sell, including things they have purchased and then modified from other sellers. That's not an opinion ... it is fact. You're perfectly able to refuse to buy something that has been modified, but once you start talking about "rights" ... you are clearly going beyond your knowledge.
[doublepost=1565298742][/doublepost]

Totally agree with your points. I really dislike iFixit’s FUD approach. Since they have money to make by selling non-genuine batteries, I don’t think we should be listening to them.

But it's OK to listen to Apple? Everyone has interests and biases that influence their opinions. Obviously its important to recognize that and adjust accordingly, but to reject one side because it has a financial interest and accept the other side (without scrutiny) when they have an even more obvious financial interest, is nothing more than fanboyism.

 

[BigBoy2018]

Eats popcorn.

Oh this is fun to watch!

The ol’ unoriginal “popcorn” post. And super late too since the very first post used the worn out popcorn reference.

 

[chucker23n1]

Many guys, maybe you included, misses one point in the article: iFixit swaps another genuine Apple battery FROM an iPhone to another iPhone. The message still shows up. There is no reason why iOS cannot figure out the power characteristic of a genuine battery, yet message still pops up. Apple Clearly has an additional process during battery swap to reset the battery in some way so that iOS can properly initialise it during first boot up.

That's a valid point that I did indeed miss.

 

[cube]

Right to Repair War