New Apple tool lets iPhone 6s owners check for free battery swap eligibility
People worried about whether their iPhone 6s qualifies for Apple's free battery replacement program can now check directly via the company's website.
Owners must enter their serial number on the program's webpage. The easiest place to find the number is in the About section of the iOS Settings app, but alternately it can be retrieved from a packaging label, or by connecting an iPhone to iTunes and selecting the Summary tab for it.
Affected iPhones were built between September and October 2015, and can potentially shut down without warning, even if they should have plenty of charge left.
To actually obtain a replacement battery, people must contact Apple technical support, an Apple store, or an authorized service provider -- carriers aren't participating in the initiative. If a person has already paid to fix the issue, they can potentially get a refund for their repair costs.
Owners must enter their serial number on the program's webpage. The easiest place to find the number is in the About section of the iOS Settings app, but alternately it can be retrieved from a packaging label, or by connecting an iPhone to iTunes and selecting the Summary tab for it.
Affected iPhones were built between September and October 2015, and can potentially shut down without warning, even if they should have plenty of charge left.
To actually obtain a replacement battery, people must contact Apple technical support, an Apple store, or an authorized service provider -- carriers aren't participating in the initiative. If a person has already paid to fix the issue, they can potentially get a refund for their repair costs.
Comments
My daughter's 6s was having this problem: would shut down when the battery reached 40%. When she was home for TG last week, we called Apple support. We were told to install the new iOS update (which had just recently come out, and funnily mentions nothing at all about a battery fix in its features), and report back in a few weeks if the problem persisted. Let's see what happens.
It is nice to have this serial number check, though. I'll ask her to check it later today.
I'm really unimpressed with the 6s + iOS 9.x battery performance compared to my iPhone 4 with iOS 6.x, but I haven't had any spontaneous shutdowns (none that I've noticed at least).
But are you actually experiencing the issue? If not then why do it? Just because? What if you are offered a refurbished 6s, and i expect that’s exactly what this program will be offering?
We're on the yearly upgrade cycle starting last late-November.
Several months ago phone would spontaneously shut down from every-higher battery %s. Now it can do it from 100%, after seconds of use (esp if I try to take a picture).
I did travel to the Holyoke Mass Apple store a ways back (pre-Apple program) and fight with the manager for 20 minutes demanding a free fix. Their battery diagnostic reported battery OK so they wouldn't budge.
They only offered the Applecare $100 phone replacement, and for some reason I got obstinate and outright refused.
Have lived with it ever since (keep a cable handy at all times now).
I knew the yearly replacement was coming so haven't acted on the program I learned about a couple weeks ago.
Exhaustion is a factor here. Don't have energy to follow up everything I *should* be doing.
E.
Me too. Let's hope the in-person appointment is quick and easy too.
I don't expect they'll swap hardware (except the battery), but if they do I'd personally be fine with that. My home button is a bit sticky, so that would likely be an improvement. More importantly, a new battery is going to be better than the 15-month old battery that's starting to show its age. I think my phone exhibits the problem, but not as bad as others have mentioned. Occasionally, mine will shut down from around 20% or less. That's annoying, but I just attributed it to the battery gauge being overly optimistic. In any case, I'm glad to get a new battery (2 days after I asked my wife to get my an extended battery case for Christmas so I can use my phone all day again.)
Take it in to a Genius Bar, if there's one near you. I had this problem with my 6 (on iOS 9). The first time I spoke to a Genius about it, they said it was software, but the proposed total restore didn't fix it, so I took it back a week or so later and that Genius just replaced the battery for no cost. (It was out of Apple Care, but under Australian Consumer Law, they are obliged to fix some things for up to two years or more.)
I've thought it odd they're only talking about the 6S, since, as I said, I had exactly the same problem with my iPhone 6, and from what I've heard since then I'm not alone. (Although, where were they all when I was having the problem? I found very little online about it at the time.)
At least in store repair will give us a loaner phone, repair via mail will take a week and no loaner phone provided