iPhone 6(S)/Plus New replacement battery crapped, Apple refuses warranty?

[eicca]

iPhone 6S, had the battery replaced on Dec 29, 2018. Old battery was at 84% health so I decided to take advantage of the low price.

Just this week it's suddenly gone from totally normal to completely unusable. It'll drain from 90% to zero in 50 minutes while only listening to music, no other apps open, and all background services suspended. It also charges abnormally fast, from 0 to full in under an hour.

All of this happens without it heating up at all.

The battery only has 47 cycles on it according to Apple's diagnostics, but the health thing says it's at 93%.

I did a DFU restore at the Apple store, in front of the manager, and no change. But the manager says if their computer reports the battery is fine, they can't do anything about it and I'll have to pay out of pocket for a new one. The manager also insists that it's probably not the battery at fault so I should just buy a new phone. Of course.

I showed the manager to her face that the battery was dropping one percent every five seconds and still no concession.

Replacement batteries have a 90-day warranty, but apparently that only applies if the diagnostics detect it's below 80% health within that 90 days.

I suspect a bad and swollen cell because at the same time this started, I noticed pressure ripples in my screen right where the top right corner of the battery is. That wasn't happening before.

My phone was purchased brand new in July 2017, so it's not even two years old. I didn't get AppleCare because my old iPhone 5 was still running perfect at five years of age and I've never known anyone with a hardware defect.

What can I do?

 

[JPack]

Open the phone to check if the battery is swollen. There are only 2 screws at the bottom of the phone. If it is, tell the Apple Store.

 

[eicca]

Open the phone to check if the battery is swollen. There are only 2 screws at the bottom of the phone. If it is, tell the Apple Store.

Will that void my warranty or trade-in value? They're offering me $200 for it if I wanted to put it toward a new phone...

 

[JPack]

Will that void my warranty or trade-in value? They're offering me $200 for it if I wanted to put it toward a new phone...

No, it won’t. If you’re concerned about opening the device, a repair shop should be willing to do it.

Also, the Apple Store should be willing to diagnose the ripples on the screen for free. If it is a swollen battery, the techs will point that out.

 

[eicca]

Well I opened it, and there is definitely a bulge in the corner of the battery.

 

[JPack]

It's within the 90 warranty for the battery, so Apple will do the repair.

 

[eicca]

It's within the 90 warranty for the battery, so Apple will do the repair.

If they try to fight it, so help me...

 

[JPack]

If they try to fight it, so help me...

Focus your efforts on telling the Apple rep you have a swollen battery and a safety issue. Battery capacity typically drops 0.5% every month so your battery is far from normal.

 

[eicca]

I’m assuming the battery is supposed to be totally flat and not have those lumps. Photographic proof in case they try to fight me again.

 

[JPack]

Yes, it looks like it's starting to swell.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Looking at the image, it “may” be the start of swelling but only Apple can decide.

 

[eicca]

Looking at the image, it “may” be the start of swelling but only Apple can decide.

If they try to tell me that’s normal I’m making them show me a brand new battery that I guarantee won’t have those lumps. They can’t turn me away with a phone that has a warranty-able fire hazard in it.

 

[DevinNj]

I showed the manager to her face that the battery was dropping one percent every five seconds and still no concession.

If they try to fight it, so help me...

If they try to tell me that’s normal I’m making them show me a brand new battery that I guarantee won’t have those lumps. They can’t turn me away with a phone that has a warranty-able fire hazard in it.

I've certainly not been there for your interactions with the staff, but by what I read here, maybe your approach towards a resolve could be detrimental to a satisfactory outcome. "I showed the manager to her face" "so help me..." & "I'm making them..." Go in and calmly express your concerns over your phone's performance as well as your safety and maybe you'll get the resolve you're looking for. Be personable, remember you catch more flies with honey. Just sayin...

 

[eicca]

I've certainly not been there for your interactions with the staff, but by what I read here, maybe your approach towards a resolve could be detrimental to a satisfactory outcome. "I showed the manager to her face" "so help me..." & "I'm making them..." Go in and calmly express your concerns over your phone's performance as well as your safety and maybe you'll get the resolve you're looking for. Be personable, remember you catch more flies with honey. Just sayin...

I gotcha man, I work retail so I do feel for these people. I just vent online because I can.

 

[DevinNj]

I gotcha man, I work retail so I do feel for these people. I just vent online because I can.

COMPLETELY understand, I do cable/phone/inet support and customers can be brutal.

 

[44267547]

I’m assuming the battery is supposed to be totally flat and not have those lumps. Photographic proof in case they try to fight me again.
View attachment 827436

I totally understand why you opened the phone, but I would not have done that personally. Because now that you partially removed the display, Apple _could_ say that you may have tampered with The internals inadvertently, switched the battery, etc. In those types of situations, always let Apple disassemble the phone and allow them to investigate whatever issues you may have.

 

[JPack]

I totally understand why you opened the phone, but I would not have done that personally. Because now that you partially removed the display, Apple _could_ say that you may have tampered with The internals inadvertently, switched the battery, etc. In those types of situations, always let Apple disassemble the phone and allow them to investigate whatever issues you may have.

Apple will warranty the device even if a third party display has been installed.

The battery has a serial number printed on the back and can be read electronically. This isn't a concern unless the Apple Store staff deliberately want to deny a repair.

 

[44267547]

Apple will warranty the device even if a third party display has been installed.

I wasn’t disputing/referring to a third-party display or not. My interjection was I would never disassemble a phone until Apple can at least investigate the issue -first-. And even if I was slightly concerned if there was any type of battery swelling, then by no means would I be disassembling a phone for safety concerns, when I would let the manufacturer investigate that for themselves, and in the same respect, it also eliminates any type of uncertainty/confusion of why the OP opened the phone in the first place.

 

[eicca]

Well I took it in, they opened it up, and just opted to give me a whole new phone

Props to them for making it right, shame on them for their "the computer says it's fine so it's fine" diagnostics.

 

[DevinNj]

Well I took it in, they opened it up, and just opted to give me a whole new phone

Props to them for making it right, shame on them for their "the computer says it's fine so it's fine" diagnostics.

Glad it worked out for you.

 

[eicca]

Also, small tip: There are these little glue string things that cling between the display and the body when you open it. I made sure to leave as many of them intact as possible while getting that photo. The Apple store asked no questions.

 

[JPack]

Well I took it in, they opened it up, and just opted to give me a whole new phone

Props to them for making it right, shame on them for their "the computer says it's fine so it's fine" diagnostics.

Glad to hear a good outcome.

What's disappointing is if someone in your position didn't have a pentalobe screwdriver and didn't open it up, they probably wouldn't get a new battery, much less a replacement phone.

Equally disappointing is the lack of competency from the Apple Store staff. Your battery had fewer than 50 cycles yet the capacity was down 35%. The guy who ran the diagnostics did their job really poorly.
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Also, small tip: There are these little glue string things that cling between the display and the body when you open it. I made sure to leave as many of them intact as possible while getting that photo. The Apple store asked no questions.

It's a good tip, but not really necessary. Apple will honor the warranty even if you open it up and replace the display with a non-OEM part.

What Apple looks for is if the customer did anything that could reasonably cause the battery to malfunction. Opening the phone up is no cause for concern.

 

[eicca]

Glad to hear a good outcome.

What's disappointing is if someone in your position didn't have a pentalobe screwdriver and didn't open it up, they probably wouldn't get a new battery, much less a replacement phone.

Equally disappointing is the lack of competency from the Apple Store staff. Your battery had fewer than 50 cycles yet the capacity was down 35%. The guy who ran the diagnostics did their job really poorly.

The health check was saying 93%, for the record. But still, with only 47 cycles, it doesn't take a degree to figure out that's not right. But apparently the only real sign of trouble is the health reporting 80% or less. They have no way to detect failing cells.

My line of work involves knowing how things work, knowing the outcome of them working correctly, and knowing all the ways they can behave if they're working incorrectly. Ridiculous to trust a limited-scope computer diagnostic.

I left a tactful but clear review on the store's Google and Facebook pages.

 

[JPack]

The health check was saying 93%, for the record. But still, with only 47 cycles, it doesn't take a degree to figure out that's not right. But apparently the only real sign of trouble is the health reporting 80% or less. They have no way to detect failing cells.

My line of work involves knowing how things work, knowing the outcome of them working correctly, and knowing all the ways they can behave if they're working incorrectly. Ridiculous to trust a limited-scope computer diagnostic.

I left a tactful but clear review on the store's Google and Facebook pages.

If the replacement threshold is 80%, then 93% capacity means the battery is 7/20 or 35% consumed. It should have rung a bell. If you spoke with a manager during your initial visit, then I'm even more disappointed.

 

[eicca]

If the replacement threshold is 80%, then 93% capacity means the battery is 7/20 or 35% consumed. It should have rung a bell. If you spoke with a manager during your initial visit, then I'm even more disappointed.

Oh I gotcha. Yeah, the excuse I got was "well it's probably not a linear measurement."