Other Water proof seal compromised when Apple replaces battery?

[trifid]

When an iPhone is opened to replace a battery, the sealing/adhesive may be compromised and may not work as intended when re-sealed. With the scandal of CPU throttling due to degraded batteries, I believe this might be the worst news out of the entire ordeal.

Because to ensure that it doesn't lose the water-proofing, you need to add back the adhesive which isn't easy and it's time consuming. At $29, even if Apple adds back the adhesive there is no guarantee that they'll leave it as good as when it came from factory. And long term, the price is increasing to $79 next year.

My phone was being throttled and it only had 330 cycles and was above 80% health, with only about a year of use. And I've been seeing reports of many people reporting similar experiences.

Hence it seems new iPhones including X only have 1-2 years of non-throttling, and you are almost guaranteed to experience throttling at the 2 year mark or before, at which point you'll need to $79 battery replacement which will likely compromise the water-proofing.

Does anyone know if Apple guarantees IP67 after replacing the battery, or is that an irrelevant point since Apple will not honor water damage anyway?

I'd like to see more discussion surrounding this issue since I haven't seen it get the proper coverage.

It seems to me we should be pushing for batteries that don't degrade as quickly, like Samsung is doing with the S8.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I think you need to keep your iPhone dry. I am sure that they will reapply any sealant before closing your device up. If you phone gets wet enough to set off the sensors, they will void your warranty anyway.

I do not think that Samsung's batteries are any better than Apples. At least ours do not caught fire!

 

[44267547]

From my understanding, Apple follows guidelines to ensure the phone is resealed accordingly to meet the water resistant specification as listed. But this question is likely more suited for a genius employee for their feedback based on how they are trained.

 

[OriginalAppleGuy]

My vote is Apple will reapply sealant when they replace the battery. Even iFixit's kits come with the sealer. Why do I say this? Because it's the sealer that keeps the phone together. I think the only time one should be concerned about seals is when they are of the rubber gasket type and secured with screws.

The issue with waterproofing and IP ratings is they are for at time of manufacture only. If you read Apple's statements, they say waterproofing may be reduced over time with wear. I believe drops contribute significantly to this issue. So if you really think about it, getting a battery replaced may actually extend the water proofing / resistance.

 

[JPack]

My vote is Apple will reapply sealant when they replace the battery. Even iFixit's kits come with the sealer. Why do I say this? Because it's the sealer that keeps the phone together. I think the only time one should be concerned about seals is when they are of the rubber gasket type and secured with screws.

The issue with waterproofing and IP ratings is they are for at time of manufacture only. If you read Apple's statements, they say waterproofing may be reduced over time with wear. I believe drops contribute significantly to this issue. So if you really think about it, getting a battery replaced may actually extend the water proofing / resistance.

Agreed, the display adhesive on the 6s and 7 are part of the display assembly process.

If Apple takes time to re-calibrate a display after replacement, I think they will replace the adhesive after opening an iPhone.