What You Need to Know Before Trying to Replace an Old IPhone Battery
Modern technologies last a long time. Gone are the days when you had to update your smartphone every two years; right now, the 2015 iPhone could very well serve you, except maybe your battery. Luckily, replacing it is a lot cheaper than buying a new iPhone. And while you should completely replace your old battery rather than upgrade your phone , there are some things you should know before you jump in.
You won’t spend much
We mentioned that replacing your iPhone’s battery won’t cost nearly as much as upgrading the device; it’s really not a comparison. First of all, if your iPhone is still under warranty, the repair will cost $0. This is a very good deal.
Of course, if you’re using an older iPhone, you’re likely out of warranty. In this case, if you have an iPhone with Face ID, the battery replacement will cost $69. If you have an iPhone with a home button, repairs will only cost $49. This is one of, if not the cheapest repairs that Apple offers, and it can greatly improve your iPhone’s speed and performance (if iOS slows down due to an old battery).
You can check out Apple’s pricing here for a complete list of iPhones and how much they cost.
Maybe you don’t take it to Apple
Not everyone has an Apple Store nearby, but for those of us who do, Genius Bar was the place to drop off an iPhone for repairs. Sure, Apple’s repair center was the subject of criticism and ridicule, but heck, it was reliable. If you have a problem with an Apple device, you have taken it to Apple.
This does not seem to be the case these days. For one reason or another, the days of choosing from the many appointments at the Genius Bar are over. Of course, you still can, but instead, you may see a plethora of additional third-party stores to choose from. You may not consider the Apple Store as an option at all.
The main reason is likely due to COVID restrictions affecting Apple’s ability to resolve most of its customers’ problems in its own stores. Also, Apple has always had a list of authorized repair shops that the company approves to repair their devices; What’s new here is that Apple invites you to make an appointment at stores like Genius Bar.
Since all you have to do is replace your iPhone’s battery, it really doesn’t matter who does it. Anyway:
Always ask in advance if the repair shop has your part
While Apple isn’t perfect, they have a good system in place to fix it. When you make an appointment for your specific product, the store you are going to will know if they have the part you need. If they don’t have it, they will be able to order one to complete the repair.
This will not be the case everywhere.
I have a friend who set up a battery replacement for his iPhone 8 through an Apple Authorized Best Buy in our area. When they came to the meeting, Best Buy informed her that they didn’t have the part in stock so they couldn’t repair it. Sorry. You would think that if you made an appointment with a repair shop for your product, they would check to see if they have the part before forcing you to come get it.
Since there are clearly no guarantees here, you should call ahead to make sure they have your part. Not to mention, as iPhones last longer and longer, there are more and more devices that need to be turned to for parts. The chances that your repair shop doesn’t have a battery for your five, six, or seven year old iPhone is pretty high; if you’re lucky, they’ll make sure to order the part for you before you meet. In order not to waste time in vain, call in advance and confirm.
Don’t take no for an answer
When dealing with an Apple Authorized Repair Shop, the repair technicians can get you into trouble in the name of Apple regulation. For example, this Redditor was denied Best Buy’s battery replacement because Apple allegedly wouldn’t allow iPhone repairs with 87% battery health. Apple generally delays battery replacement until it reaches 80% condition (or 1,100 charge cycles), but this only applies to warranty repairs.
Since this iPhone was out of warranty, the Redditor user should have been able to replace the battery if they wanted to. If the comments are to be believed, the repair shop could have compromised its Apple certification by refusing to do so. If you know your iPhone is out of warranty, you have every right to replace the battery.
Send your iPhone to Apple for repair
If you don’t want to deal with a third-party store, or any in-person store, you can always set up mail-order repairs through Apple. You can select this option when setting up a repair via the Apple site here . The main downside here obviously is that you need to be away from your iPhone for an extended period of time, so I would only recommend this method if you have a backup phone you can use.
You can always replace your iPhone battery yourself
Paying someone to replace your old battery isn’t your only option; it may sound intimidating, but you can hack your iPhone and fix the battery yourself.
My favorite resource for experimenting with Apple like this is iFixit . The company produces repair manuals for all kinds of devices and even sells kits with everything you need to complete the repair.
I won’t lie; Replacing an iPhone battery is not the easiest task, especially if you’ve never worked with technology before. Batteries can be dangerous, so it’s important to follow the instructions exactly – you don’t want them to explode when you change them. However, it is not possible to do this on your own. If you carefully read the instructions, which often include both a video and a detailed description, you should be able to replace your iPhone battery yourself.
Since you do everything yourself, this method is the cheapest. For example, if I wanted to replace the battery in my 8 Plus, I could buy an iFixit repair kit for $29.99, which is $20 less than through Apple. However, if you decide to replace your own battery, be careful.