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Apple addresses iPhone battery concerns; offers lower-cost battery replacements

iPhone battery performance concerns are addressed in a message from Apple posted December 28, 2017. Lower-cost replacement batteries are now offered: Mail-in to Apple for $29 plus shipping, or fast-track at Connecting Point for $59.99.

iPhone battery replacement program Apple performance throttling Connecting Point Medford Oregon Apple Premier Partner

THE SKINNY: Effective immediately, if you have an Apple iPhone 6 or later, you can get your battery replaced at a drastically reduced price. Directly from Apple, that price is $29. For Rogue Valley residents, that means either shipping it directly to Apple (at an additional charge) with a three to six day turnaround time (on average). Alternately, you can make an appointment and take your phone an Apple company store (the closest Apple Stores are in Portland).

Due to popular demand, Connecting Point is offering a third option: a Fast Track iPhone Battery Replacement Program. Bring your phone to our Service Department, where we’ll record its serial number and put you into the queue. The good news: you get to keep your phone. We’ll contact you when your name comes up, and replace the battery promptly – usually the same day. The idea is to reduce the time you have to spend without your iPhone to a minimum. Connecting Point will charge $59.99 for this option. Our Fast Track iPhone Battery Replacement Program is already in progress, so come on in!

Apple states they expect to have more complete details sometime in January 2018. For timely updates on this (and many other) matters, we suggest signing up for Connecting Point’s free email newsletter, our VIP Club text service, or our social media feeds on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Here’s the full text of Apple’s announcement:

A Message to Our Customers about iPhone Batteries and Performance

We’ve been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we’re making.

First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.

How batteries age

All rechargeable batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they chemically age and their ability to hold a charge diminishes. Time and the number of times a battery has been charged are not the only factors in this chemical aging process.

Device use also affects the performance of a battery over its lifespan. For example, leaving or charging a battery in a hot environment can cause a battery to age faster. These are characteristics of battery chemistry, common to lithium-ion batteries across the industry.

A chemically aged battery also becomes less capable of delivering peak energy loads, especially in a low state of charge, which may result in a device unexpectedly shutting itself down in some situations.

To help customers learn more about iPhone’s rechargeable battery and the factors affecting its performance, we’ve posted a new support article, iPhone Battery and Performance.

It should go without saying that we think sudden, unexpected shutdowns are unacceptable. We don’t want any of our users to lose a call, miss taking a picture or have any other part of their iPhone experience interrupted if we can avoid it.

Preventing unexpected shutdowns

About a year ago in iOS 10.2.1, we delivered a software update that improves power management during peak workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE. With the update, iOS dynamically manages the maximum performance of some system components when needed to prevent a shutdown. While these changes may go unnoticed, in some cases users may experience longer launch times for apps and other reductions in performance.

Customer response to iOS 10.2.1 was positive, as it successfully reduced the occurrence of unexpected shutdowns. We recently extended the same support for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in iOS 11.2.

Of course, when a chemically aged battery is replaced with a new one, iPhone performance returns to normal when operated in standard conditions.

Recent user feedback

Over the course of this fall, we began to receive feedback from some users who were seeing slower performance in certain situations. Based on our experience, we initially thought this was due to a combination of two factors: a normal, temporary performance impact when upgrading the operating system as iPhone installs new software and updates apps, and minor bugs in the initial release which have since been fixed.

We now believe that another contributor to these user experiences is the continued chemical aging of the batteries in older iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s devices, many of which are still running on their original batteries.

Addressing customer concerns

We’ve always wanted our customers to be able to use their iPhones as long as possible. We’re proud that Apple products are known for their durability, and for holding their value longer than our competitors’ devices.

To address our customers’ concerns, to recognize their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple’s intentions, we’ve decided to take the following steps:

  • Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by $50 — from $79 to $29 — for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, starting in late January and available worldwide through December 2018. Details will be provided soon on apple.com.
  • Early in 2018, we will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.
  • As always, our team is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.

At Apple, our customers’ trust means everything to us. We will never stop working to earn and maintain it. We are able to do the work we love only because of your faith and support — and we will never forget that or take it for granted.

You can find the original version of Apple’s message at their website here.

Information about Apple’s iPhone 6s Program for Unexpected Shutdown Issues

Apple iPhone 6s Program for Unexpected Shutdown IssuesApple has determined that a very small number of iPhone 6s devices may unexpectedly shut down. This is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between September and October 2015.

If you have experienced this issue,Apple has provided this link where you can enter your iPhone 6s serial number to see if it is eligible for a battery replacement, free of charge. If you do qualify, please contact Connecting Point SERVICE. We are fully authorized to take care of this battery replacement issue for you.

Additional Information

Apple may restrict or limit repair to the original country of purchase.

If you believe your iPhone 6s was affected by this issue, and you paid to replace your battery, you can contact Apple about a refund.

This worldwide Apple program doesn’t extend the standard warranty coverage of the iPhone 6s.

The program covers affected iPhone 6s batteries for three years after the first retail sale of the unit.

Experiencing battery issues with your iPhone 5? Find out if you qualify for a free replacement.

iPhone 5 battery replacement program launches August 25, 2014UPDATED AUGUST 28: Please read carefully.

Apple Inc. launched an iPhone battery replacement program today. Apparently, a “very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently. The affected iPhone 5 devices were sold between September 2012 and January 2013 and fall within a limited serial number range.” Qualifying devices experiencing battery-related issues may have their battery replaced at no charge to you. Here’s how the program works…

STEP #1: To find out if your iPhone 5 qualifies for this program, visit the Apple support site here. Here, you’ll be asked to type in the serial number of your iPhone 5. (Finding the serial number of your iPhone is very simple.)

STEP #2: Once you’ve determined that your phone does indeed qualify, bring it in to either one of our locations. There, Connecting Point SERVICE will run a brief diagnostic to verify your phone is having battery-related issues. PLEASE NOTE: Your iPhone 5 must fail this diagnostic in order for us to replace its battery. Apple has made it clear we cannot supply a replacement unless it meets this condition.

iPhone 5 battery replacement program at Connecting PointSTEP 3: Once we verify your iPhone 5 qualifies for the program, we’ll add you to a growing list of customers also awaiting battery replacements. We currently have a large number of batteries on order, but as of August 28th, none have shipped.

STEP #4: Once your battery arrives, we will immediately contact you to set up a date to bring in your iPhone 5. Unfortunately, this is not a procedure that can be performed while you wait. We will strive for a one-day turnaround, to minimize the time you spend without your iPhone.

In short, we’ll take care of everything, regardless of where you purchased your iPhone. Connecting Point is an Apple Authorized Service Provider, able to work on all Apple products, in or out of warranty. If you have additional questions, give us a call, or contact Connecting Point SERVICE via this handy form.