Update 12/5/18: End of December this offer expires.
Update 5/23/18: Apple announced today that they’ll be issuing $50 refunds to those who replaced their batteries for $79 during 2017 before the $29 offer began.
Update 1/3/18: This is already live (HT: bgr), though wait times may be long. I recommend scheduling an appointment. Might be worth verifying with the store directly that they’ll be able to do the replacement before going down since some report being told ‘we’ll now order the battery for you’ when going down. There’s also mention by others that those who recently had their batteries replaced can get a partial refund to align with the new price.
Apple got into a bit of a snafu when they stated publicly that they slow down battery performance on older iPhones. Amid public outcry and even class action lawsuits, they’ve now come out with a clarification that they’d never slow down a phone to push people toward a new device, rather the slow down is to prevent unexpected shut downs as the device ages.
To address customer concerns:
- 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, Apple 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.
- Apple is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.
$29 is really an incredible price for a new battery. I also like the second point of increased visibility – that way you can see clearly whether it’s worth investing in a new battery.
Battery replacement can be done at Apple stores in under half an hour. It’s worth making an appointment to keep wait times down. Again, this deal only starts in late January; the current price is still $79. And the deal is only available for iPhone 6 and newer.
Just did this a few weeks ago. You will want to set up an appointment ahead of time, as the queue is long and they must have the battery in stock. In other words you need to plan ahead.
Need to do this this month for my iPhone 7, I plan on calling my nearest 3 stores and making sure they have batteries in stock before making an appt and calling again the day of my appt. Supply might be running out/short with everyone like me trying to get this done before end of CY18.
Just did this over the weekend, make an appointment if going in store, they are slammed right now. I also got my entire 7+ replaced for a new one because they had issues reinstalling the battery.
Thanks for the reminder on this.
Chuck, you might want to include a direct link of how it works as there’s bound to be questions: https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-power
Also this is how people can check to see if battery health has been impacted (Settings > Battery > Battery Health): https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208387
I’ll add that.
I just got an iPhone for the first time (iPhone 6 in late 2018, I am so ahead of the trends). It is a refurbished phone so should I consider just proactively buying an extra battery when mine inevitably wears down?
There doesn’t seem to be an end date for this deal. Any idea if it could go away? I want to wait til my battery is marked by my phone as affecting performance.
Expires the end of 2018
word of warning: if apple things anyone besides them has worked on the phone at all, they’ll refuse to do this or any repairs. I knew that in theory but since it was unrelated to the battery issue, didn’t make the connection. fuckers.
They probably only offer a refund if repaired at Apple right? I had mine repaired elsewhere for $59
if you have got your iphone repaired before for any reason at any shop other than apple or its authorized retailers, apple or anyone else won’t honor the battery deal as they assume that your iphone has been tampered with and now is not eligible. learned the hard way (rejected by best buy).
Yeah, I’m sure only for Apple repairs. 🙁
Hi Chuck,
You might want to clarify that Apple has announced it will be offering a $50 credit to customers who paid for an out-of-warranty battery replacement for the iPhone 6 or later devices between January 1, 2017 and December 28, 2017, the day before the new program took effect.
Thanks, I think that’s what we wrote in the update.