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

If it's not a genuine Apple battery, it is 3rd party. It has nothing to do with coming from the same manufacturer. If its not an Apple battery, it will not have Apple's software/firmware chip in it....unless the battery companies want to do licensing for the software chip....and apple is willing to do licensing. that's why you can move an iPhone battery from on to another and it shows that information.
 
So iOS gives me a message that is supposed to scare me in a section of settings I never look at? I'll replace the battery in my phone when I need to and never worry about this nonsense.
 
chucker23n1 said:
This article has a weird vibe.



Where does this "lock the software"?



It doesn't say that.



Well, yes. How is Apple supposed to say when a third-party-produced battery needs servicing?



It doesn't really do that, though. It merely says that it can't really present diagnostic information about the battery. That's all.
Click to expand...

Even macrumors has started drumming up the Apple hate with clickbait titles.
 
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BMWs have software locks on major components (engine computer, transmission and infotainment computers, for example). This is to prevent people using parts from stolen vehicles to repair other vehicles, which is a very real problem.

Infotainment theft was so common on BMWs that they not only separated the main computer into multiple components, but mounted them in multiple locations in the vehicle and buried the primary module under the console making it much harder to steal.

However, unlike Apple with their battery, the vehicle will not even start/drive/function. In Apples case it’s just a message.

With stolen iPhones being useless (Activation Lock) the only use for stolen devices are parts. This is likely nothing more than trying to prevent people using stolen parts to do repairs.


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.
 
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chucker23n1 said:
This article has a weird vibe.



Where does this "lock the software"?



It doesn't say that.



Well, yes. How is Apple supposed to say when a third-party-produced battery needs servicing?



It doesn't really do that, though. It merely says that it can't really present diagnostic information about the battery. That's all.
Click to expand...
Come on, you’ll need to try harder than that.
Apple can easily put an algorithm in place they will approximate, with reasonable accuracy the health of even a third party battery.
 
Rogifan said:
Doesn’t the phone still work, you just don’t get battery health info?

I’d be curious to know what percentage of iPhone battery replacements are coming from non-certified 3rd parties. My guess is the number is small but iFixit needs it’s Apple outrage clicks.
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I did my own with a genuine battery when Apple through an authorised repair centre refused to replace the battery on my iPhone when the water sensors were triggered, not that I could see, however. Battery health status worked immediately and I did a better job than Apple managed on some others who reported damaged cases etc.

Stuff like this is just begging for anti-trust action to kick in, especially when Apple leaves you NO option to have your phone serviced.
 
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subi257 said:
If it's not a genuine Apple battery, it is 3rd party. It has nothing to do with coming from the same manufacturer. If its not an Apple battery, it will not have Apple's software/firmware chip in it....unless the battery companies want to do licensing for the software chip....and apple is willing to do licensing. that's why you can move an iPhone battery from on to another and it shows that information.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Why are people finger-pointing at Apple? A genuine Apple battery has a chip that monitors the battery, cheap Chinese ones don't. The iPhone now tells you that you won't see accurate (or any) stats about the battery when a non-OEM battery is installed.

Plus, despite the inaccurate wording of the article's headline, it doesn't lock anything. I think most of the finger-pointers here didn't even read (or comprehend) the article.
 
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Another issue with the non-genuine batteries is when below 10% the CPU goes to 100% draining it down to zero very fast right at the moment you need it most. It's the kernel process so the phone becomes unusable and can't even make calls. My guess is Apple know about this "bug" but just left it in.
 
MacRumors said:



Apple has activated a "dormant software lock" on its latest iPhones to discourage battery replacements that aren't undertaken by Apple, according to iFixit.

The teardown group has discovered that an iPhone XS, iPhone XR, or iPhone XS Max that has had its battery swapped by anyone other than Apple or an Apple authorized service provider will now display a message saying their battery needs servicing.

iphone-battery-service-thirs-party-repair-message-e1565262219785.jpg
The message appears in both iOS 12 and iOS 13 beta, and prevents the user from accessing the Battery Health features. Instead they see an "Important Battery Message" which reads: "Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery. Health information not available for this battery."

iFixit notes that the message doesn't appear to affect the functionality of the battery, but makes it harder to know when a replacement battery installed by a third-party needs to be replaced.

YouTube channel The Art of Repair has discovered the source of the message to be a Texas Instruments microcontroller installed on the battery itself, which authenticates the battery as an Apple one and provides the iPhone with information about battery capacity and temperature.

Apple and other authorized service providers likely use Apple's own RepairCal diagnostics software to reset the "Service" status when it undertakes an iPhone battery replacement - an in-house procedure that's obviously not available to a third-party.

iFixit says the message appears designed to deter battery replacements using third-party repair kits, like the one sold by iFixit, and to discourage customers from getting a third-party repair shop to swap out their iPhone battery.

Apple would probably argue it is doing it out of safety concerns surrounding the replacement of swollen or damaged batteries. Nonetheless, it places further restrictions on the options available to iPhone users looking to get their battery replaced by anyone except Apple.


The practice harks back to a more damaging third-party iPhone repair controversy: Error 53, widely publicized in 2016, caused some iPhone 6 users who had the Home buttons on their iPhones fixed by a non-Apple technician using non-original parts to see their iPhones bricked following a software update.

When the error code first surfaced, Apple said that error 53 was a protective security feature meant to prevent "malicious" third-party components from potentially compromising a user's iPhone.

However, after public outcry, Apple released a software update restoring functionality to bricked iPhones. Following the software update to unbrick iPhones, Apple claimed that the error 53 issue was meant to be a factory test and never should have impacted consumer devices.

Update: According to an Apple service document obtained by MacRumors, Battery Health info is unavailable for any iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR that has a non-genuine battery and is running iOS 12.1 or later.

Article Link: iFixit: Apple 'Locking' iPhone Batteries to Discourage Third-Party Replacements [Updated]
Click to expand...

It's for your own good, comrades! All hail the great leader Tim!
 
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H2SO4 said:
Come on, you’ll need to try harder than that.
Apple can easily put an algorithm in place they will approximate, with reasonable accuracy the health of even a third party battery.
Click to expand...

Why should they have to support every Chinese battery brand out there? Sounds like a good compromise to me that people who opt for the cheaper batteries give up some functionality.
 
simply258 said:
It’s just the battery health software that’s disabled. Otherwise it doesn’t affect usage.
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Yes. But it certainly could adversely affect resale value. Buyers may balk at this message.

I’m not going to get as outraged as others here. But clearly a really bad look for Apple. Especially a month before the 11 drops and many prospective buyers will need the cash from their current iPhone to finance the upgrade.
 
realtuner said:
BMWs have software locks on major components (engine computer, transmission and infotainment computers, for example). This is to prevent people using parts from stolen vehicles to repair other vehicles, which is a very real problem.

Infotainment theft was so common on BMWs that they not only separated the main computer into multiple components, but mounted them in multiple locations in the vehicle and buried the primary module under the console making it much harder to steal.

However, unlike Apple with their battery, the vehicle will not even start/drive/function. In Apples case it’s just a message.

With stolen iPhones being useless (Activation Lock) the only use for stolen devices are parts. This is likely nothing more than trying to prevent people using stolen parts to do repairs.


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.
Click to expand...

I’d love Apple to go even further... tell me what parts not a genuine/original e.g. screen, touchID, FaceID sensor, camera module, etc. I want to know if the used device I’m buying is a Frankenstein’s monster or a properly serviced device.

What people also seem to be missing here is it not just about whether the battery is genuine, it’s also about WHO installed it. So unless the battery is genuine AND installed by an approved service centre, then it displays a warning message. If a genuine Apple battery is damaged during installation it’s just as dangerous as a cheap knockoff.
 
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realtuner said:
BMWs have software locks on major components (engine computer, transmission and infotainment computers, for example). This is to prevent people using parts from stolen vehicles to repair other vehicles, which is a very real problem.
Click to expand...

Honda does/did the same thing, at least with the built-in stereo system. Maybe they stopped doing that but this was with an early 2000s Honda.
 
Right. To. Repair.

Apple's probably protecting themselves against exploding batteries...but why not just put a disclaimer and let people roll the dice if they so choose to.
 
The ironic thing is I’ve had great service from 3rd parties but when I went official and used Apple to replace my battery they royally screwed up. Not only did they break touch ID on my iPhone 7, but it took them nearly a month to accept they’d screwed up and then fix the thing. Absolutely shocking customer service from Apple and not something I’d want to repeat.
 
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Shirasaki said:
I think this is more about a trend of locking down system further to protect their intellectual property, which sounds reasonable, but also means nobody else can tamper their software and hardware, making independent audit impossible, indirectly increasing their incentive to plant malicious code by themselves.
Click to expand...

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.
 
chucker23n1 said:
It doesn't really do that, though. It merely says that it can't really present diagnostic information about the battery. That's all.
Click to expand...

Wrong. It tells the user the battery needs service. That is a falsehood that attempts to force a user to conform and pay Apple even more money just so the user can have iOS report the battery diagnostics. Stop defending the indefensible things this corrupt company does.
 
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I don’t see the big deal here. The battery still works. Majority of people don’t even know about battery health anyway. It would be a different story if Apple literally blocked the batteries from working.
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jardinager said:
Wrong. It tells the user the battery needs service. That is a falsehood that attempts to force a user to conform and pay Apple even more money just so the user can have iOS report the battery diagnostics. Stop apologizing for this corrupt company.
Click to expand...
I agree with you, it should say something like “the battery is not genuine, can’t report battery information”
 
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Software running on a cpu in the battery — yet another cyber attack vector — lock it down!

Doubleplusgood Mr. Cook, doubleplusgood. :cool:
 
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