When will the promised promotion begin to replace older batteries in iPhones (reduced price from $79.99 to $29.99)? This has been promised since end of Dec but no news yet. I see there is a new OS in the pipeline that will reduce/prevent throttling but wasn't there also supposed to be an offer of new batteries?
iPhone 6s, iOS 11.2.5
Apple wasn't likely going to send anyone an invitation. They just announced the program. But here's a link to the battery repair pricing and you can make an appointment via the link as well. iPhone Battery & Power - Official Apple Support
Apple wasn't likely going to send anyone an invitation. They just announced the program. But here's a link to the battery repair pricing and you can make an appointment via the link as well. iPhone Battery & Power - Official Apple Support
From what I have seen, it went into effect Jan 1 most everywhere and in many place before that.
Contact Support or call your local Apple Store to have it done.
It's going on and has been since the announcement late December. The main issue is that supplies of batteries are low, publicity is extremely high, and there are a lot of people who are looking for a new battery because they see it's a discount for an OEM battery. The original announcement was that replacements at the promotional price would begin late January, to give Apple time to order and receive the substantial number of batteries they would need from their suppliers. Before this time, many balked at the official $79 price (in the United States) and might even go for an aftermarket battery replacement even though it might affect whether Apple is willing to service the phone in the future.
My understanding of how it works is that once you bring it in they will run the standard battery diagnostic. In the past the basic rule was that Apple or Apple Authorized Service wouldn't perform a battery replacement unless the battery registered below the industry standard 80% battery health of a new battery, or otherwise had failed. But under this promotion they will for $29, but just once unless it fails the battery diagnostic. You get one chance at a $29 battery replacement when your battery is registering as "healthy". During the promotion, any time the battery is fails the diagnostic, they'll replace it for $29. But once you've gotten that $29 offer on an otherwise healthy battery, you've used up that one ticket.
In theory it went into effect January 1 but it's not reasonable to expect all the Apple Stores to have all the batteries that they'll need in stock in zero time. I plan on waiting a month or two. It's no big deal, certainly nothing to get an ulcer over.
See the last sentence on this page to schedule a battery replacement: iPhone Battery and Performance - Apple Support
And this for an explanation: A Message to Our Customers - Apple
Apple started replacing batteries the 2nd week in January. But keep in mind that there are roughly a half a BILLION phones that are eligible (Apple has said they will replace any battery in an iPhone 6 or newer, regardless of its condition), and that's a lot of batteries to manufacture and distribute to Apple stores and authorized service providers, so some patience will be required.
iPhone battery upgrade
