UK iStore refusing to replace battery

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Level 1

8 points

UK iStore refusing to replace battery

The battery in my wife's iPhone 6S is hopeless - we've done ALL of the things recommended including factory reset, switching off background refresh etc. etc. but it still plummets overnight or after using it for a few minutes. The battery health shows 83%.

She is happy to pay for a new battery (it's that or a new 'phone), so we made an appointment via Apple's website and she took it in to the store (iStore in Colchester) - they ran diagnostics on the 'phone and said everything was fine, and then refused to replace the battery because according to them Apple do not allow batteries to be replaced unless the battery health is showing < 80%.

Is this true? All I can find is that if you have AppleCare+ then batteries will be replaced free of charge if < 80%. We don't have AppleCare+ and want to pay for a new battery.

iPhone 6s

Posted on Feb 5, 2020 3:50 AM

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Answer 1

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MikeBzz Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 7, 2020 3:55 AM in response to Community User

We had done everything recommended to eliminate causes other than the battery. It still typically dropped 18-20% overnight with background refresh off, strong mobile and WiFi signals. The battery health indicator is software guessing, it isn't totally reliable. Other people have had badly behaving batteries changed which were showing > 80% health and report that it becomes like a new phone.

So she left the office yesterday afternoon with it showing 100% charge, got to the Apple Store (Regent St. London) 30 mins later and it was down to 61% (a bit of looking at Google Maps I guess, but 39%???). They put a new battery in (£49 as stated on the Apple website), after that overnight it only dropped 1%. QED. A lot cheaper than a new phone!

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Answer 2

y_p_w

Level 6

17,648 points

Feb 5, 2020 6:11 AM in response to MikeBzz

That sounds about right. I’ve inquired about battery service on several Apple devices and was universally told that 80% was the requirement. The one exception I recall was Apple’s worldwide battery replacement promotion for a reduced fee. They gave a single chance to get a battery replacement on demand where battery health was over 80%.

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Answer 3

MikeBzz Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 5, 2020 6:50 AM in response to y_p_w

Nowhere is this mentioned on Apple's website, neither is it mentioned when you go through the process on their website to book a battery replacement appointment. The only thing which is mentioned is that it has to be under 80% to be replaced for free under AppleCare+.

[Update] - wife is doing an online chat with Apple Support and they say it can be done, £49. Looks like iStore are talking out of their ****. She will take it to a genuine Apple store rather than an authorised/approved repairer and we shall see what happens.

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Answer 4

y_p_w

Level 6

17,648 points

Feb 5, 2020 8:24 AM in response to MikeBzz

MikeBzz wrote:

Nowhere is this mentioned on Apple's website, neither is it mentioned when you go through the process on their website to book a battery replacement appointment. The only thing which is mentioned is that it has to be under 80% to be replaced for free under AppleCare+.

[Update] - wife is doing an online chat with Apple Support and they say it can be done, £49. Looks like iStore are talking out of their ****. She will take it to a genuine Apple store rather than an authorised/approved repairer and we shall see what happens.

There could very well be different requirements between AASPs and Apple directly. Traditionally Apple didn't do battery replacements unless there was a specific malfunction or wear resulted in a "service battery" or "replace now" indication. For a while, Apple's only official means for a battery service was to replace the entire device and then have a central facility refurbish and install new batteries where the cycle continued. Obviously they would like to limit handing out more or less new (or at least refurbished) devices for a nominal fee. As far as I recall, Apple never replaced batteries unless they met the 80% standard until the battery promotion in 2018. What they're doing now seems to vary.

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Answer 5

Feb 5, 2020 8:49 AM in response to MikeBzz

Yes, this true based on my personal experience in battery replacement a few years ago. they hook your device up and do a diagnostics where they can tell what the battery status says. if hardware is OK and battery is above 80%, it could be related to something else such as an app etc. It sounds like they're trying to save you money in fixing something that doesn't appear to be the problem.

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Answer 6

Feb 5, 2020 4:32 AM in response to MikeBzz

80% health is a standard but it should not be a rule for replacement that the customer will pay for.

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UK iStore refusing to replace battery

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