Apple is separating the new smartphones into its usual low-cost versus high-cost categories, with big differences between the two models coming down to the camera, display, and battery life.
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Apple Says iPhones With Third-Party Batteries Now Eligible for Repairs
iPhones with aftermarket batteries installed by third-party repair shops are now eligible for service at Genius Bars and Apple Authorized Service Providers, according to an internal Apple document obtained by MacRumors from three reliable sources. The change was first reported by French blog iGeneration.
iPhone X battery with pull tabs via iFixit
This is significant news for iPhone repairs, as the Genius Bar and AASPs were previously instructed to deny service of any kind for an iPhone with a third-party battery, regardless of the circumstances.
If the repair is unrelated to the battery, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now instructed to ignore the third-party battery and proceed with service as normal, according to Apple's internal document. This could include repairs to the display, logic board, microphones, and so forth, with normal fees applying.
If the repair is related to the battery itself, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now permitted to replace the third-party battery with an official Apple battery for the standard fee. Before starting the repair, the Genius Bar must drain the third-party battery to less than 60 percent of a charge.
In the event Apple cannot safely remove a third-party battery due to broken or missing battery tabs or excessive adhesive, the customer is entitled to an iPhone replacement at the standard whole-unit out-of-warranty price.
The updated guidelines went into effect Thursday and should apply worldwide. Apple will still decline service for iPhones with third-party logic boards, enclosures, microphones, Lightning connectors, headphone jacks, volume and sleep/wake buttons, TrueDepth sensor arrays, and certain other components.
iFixit's director of communications Kay-Kay Clapp:
Updated on March 7 with minor correction about whole-unit replacement fee.
This is significant news for iPhone repairs, as the Genius Bar and AASPs were previously instructed to deny service of any kind for an iPhone with a third-party battery, regardless of the circumstances.
If the repair is unrelated to the battery, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now instructed to ignore the third-party battery and proceed with service as normal, according to Apple's internal document. This could include repairs to the display, logic board, microphones, and so forth, with normal fees applying.
If the repair is related to the battery itself, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now permitted to replace the third-party battery with an official Apple battery for the standard fee. Before starting the repair, the Genius Bar must drain the third-party battery to less than 60 percent of a charge.
In the event Apple cannot safely remove a third-party battery due to broken or missing battery tabs or excessive adhesive, the customer is entitled to an iPhone replacement at the standard whole-unit out-of-warranty price.
The updated guidelines went into effect Thursday and should apply worldwide. Apple will still decline service for iPhones with third-party logic boards, enclosures, microphones, Lightning connectors, headphone jacks, volume and sleep/wake buttons, TrueDepth sensor arrays, and certain other components.
iFixit's director of communications Kay-Kay Clapp:
This decision proves that now, more than ever, the third-party repair ecosystem is an integral part of maintaining Apple's high-quality customer experience. If Apple is getting enough third-party repaired phones for a policy change, they clearly don't have the reach or capacity to maintain all the iPhones that they've sold. All of us, including Apple, benefit from the service provided by the repair community.Apple similarly loosened its repair policy for iPhones with third-party displays back in February 2017.
Updated on March 7 with minor correction about whole-unit replacement fee.
Tags: Genius Bar, AASP
[ 97 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
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7 months ago
This is why Apple service is the best.
Ok.. let's not get ahead of ourselves...
7 months ago
This is why Apple service is the best.
Apple shouldn't have denied repairs in the first place. That would have been good service.
I'm wondering if Apple's hand has been forced due to changes of law / threatened law suits in one or more countries?
7 months ago
Ok.. let's not get ahead of ourselves...
I agree with him. I’ve never been disappointed. Many’s the time where they’ve just handed me a new iPhone or iPad and sent me on my way. I’ve found if you know what you’re talking about (“here’s exactly what’s wrong, here’s how I know that this is the issue because here’s everything I’ve tried”) and polite, they treat you very well.
7 months ago
I agree with him. I’ve never been disappointed.
Both you and City ignored...I've yet to find any other tech products vendor that's better.
... the context of the post you quoted. [USER=1098461]@Baymowe335[/USER] stated "This is why Apple service is the best." This being Apple's decision to repair despite 3rd party batteries. No it's not. Apple should have been doing that all along. Apple has good service, there's no denying that. They also have some undeniable idiosyncratic regulations that defy common sense.So yeah, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. Apple's service can be good. This just ain't the reason to proclaim it so.
7 months ago
About f***ing time! I was once refused a repair to the logic board because I had previously replaced the battery with a non-Apple OEM one (and this was entirely unrelated to the problem). Not only could I not try and make a warranty claim on this, they wouldn't even let me pay for the repair; I was told that the phone had no place being serviced at an Apple store and my only option was to pay full price for a brand new phone.
7 months ago
Good on Apple. This is welcome news for those who find themselves in a relevant situation.
7 months ago
This should have always been the case, smh... Imagine if a dealership denied working on a car because you got a better aftermarket battery installed...
7 months ago
By not servicing those devices, they were missing out on more revenue on out-of-warranty devices. Every dollar counts.
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