Oliver Haslam·

Batterygate: Apple Will Replace iPhone 6 And Later Battery For $29 Regardless Of Its Condition

When Apple announced last week that it would be reducing the price of replacement iPhone 6 and newer iPhone batteries from $79 to $29, it seemed to have left itself some wiggle room.

The announcement said that “anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced” would be eligible for the discount, but did not go into details as to what constituted a battery that needed to be replaced. Now, we have some form of clarification – anyone asking for a new battery will get one at the reduced price. No questions asked.

The news initially came via French site iGeneration which said it had heard reports of an Apple internal memo that instructed stores to allow users to buy replacement batteries even after a Genius had confirmed that their existing battery was still functionally acceptable. Later, MacRumors also received confirmation from Apple itself that this is the case.

Apple’s benchmark for when a battery needs replacing is apparently triggered when it no longer holds 80% of the charge it did when it was new. Now, we know that Apple will allow customers to buy a new battery regardless of whether that point has been reached or not.

Apple had to begin offering the discount after it was rightfully lambasted for its lack of transparency relating to the throttling of iPhones with older, less capable batteries. With older iPhones being artificially speed limited to allow their poorly performing batteries to continue to function, the offer of a reduced replacement battery will allow customers with older iPhones – iPhone 6 or newer – to breathe new life into their handset.

As could unfortunately have been predicted, Apple has found itself on the receiving end of multiple lawsuits from users relating to the throttling of iPhones, something that will no doubt rumble on for some time. Meanwhile, if you wish to have your iPhone’s battery replaced, head over to our guide on the subject here: How To Get iPhone Battery Replaced For $29 From Apple Right Now.

(Source: iGeneration, MacRumors)

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