Apple is ‘locking’ some iPhone batteries in an attempt to discourage third-party replacements

[steven36]

Apple is not a big fan of user-replaced pieces within its devices. The company has long fought against the “Right to Repair”, and this latest move to do just that may irk some users out there.

 

 

 

According to iFixit, Apple is “locking” certain iPhone models in an attempt to dissuade some customers from getting third-party battery replacements, and installing non-genuine Apple batteries in their phones. The group is reporting that if an iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max is equipped with a battery not replaced by Apple itself or an Authorized Service Provider, then software will pop up saying they need to get their battery serviced.

 

If you replace the battery in the newest iPhones, a message indicating you need to service your battery appears in Settings > Battery, next to Battery Health. The “Service” message is normally an indication that the battery is degraded and needs to be replaced. The message still shows up when you put in a brand new battery, however. Here’s the bigger problem: our lab tests confirmed that even when you swap in a genuine Apple battery, the phone will still display the “Service” message.

 

Put simply, Apple is locking batteries to their iPhones at the factory, so whenever you replace the battery yourself—even if you’re using a genuine Apple battery from another iPhone—it will still give you the “Service” message. The only way around this is—you guessed it—paying Apple money to replace your iPhone battery for you. Presumably, their secretive diagnostic software can flip the magic bit that resets this “Service” indicator. But Apple refuses to make this software available to anyone but themselves and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

 

When this situation does pop up, and it can in either the current iOS 12 versions or even in the iOS 13 betas, it prevents the user from accessing the Battery Health features Apple baked into the mobile operating system some time ago. If a third-party battery is installed, the user will instead see the service message that reads, “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery. Health information not available for this battery”.

 

 

It is worth noting that the third-party battery will still function as it’s intended, and so will the rest of the iPhone. However, this will prevent users from accessing the Battery Health feature, which could make it harder to determine when the new battery will eventually need to be replaced.

 

You can check out a video from YouTube channel The Art of Repair to see the issue firsthand:

 

 

 

As for why Apple is going this route, it more than likely would be connected to its statements on the “Right to Repair” front recently. The company recently stated that it fights against user replacements and fixes because it wants its customers to know product repairs are done “safely and correctly”.

 

Indeed, repairing a swollen battery could be potentially dangerous, and it would best be handled by a professional. But using a third-party battery, and not one specifically designated by Apple, should be okay in general. Apple may be going to a bit of an extreme here.

 

Source

[lolsee2]

The simple truth is that the market for third party non-Apple replacement parts is super sketchy. In the US and other countries where it's convenient to purchase from a reliable site like ifixit, you have legitimate options.

 

For the rest of the world, you have AliExpress. It's not a matter of finding a local reseller, you really just don't have many good options.

 

I opted for my own 3rd party replacement via AliExpress and a few other resellers who shipped to the country I'm in, and while the price was right (about $10 or so), the battery shipped was just trash. It did not charge properly, even when I wired it up myself, and once fully charged that way, the batteries turned out to be counterfeit and had labels posted over the actual capacities.

 

It's a mine field, and unless you have the technical background to know whether it's the phone or the battery itself causing the issue, it really starts to look like it's Apple making things bad. In my case, I have the rudimentary knowledge to know that I just was sold batteries that were not fit for purpose.

 

Go to the most common online retailer for most US persons (Amazon) and you are inundated with shoddy 3rd party batteries, the exact same ones I got from AliExpress.

 

How exactly are they supposed to protect the consumer here when __not__ noting that this is an unofficial battery results in the phone/user getting the impression something is wrong with the phone, not the battery.

 

I love iFixit, but in this case, I feel maybe they're misjudging the situation. I'd totally trust a battery from them 100%, but it's not feasible to ship to my country of residence from iFixit. Many people in the world are in this situation.

[steven36]

11 minutes ago, lolsee2 said:

The simple truth is that the market for third party non-Apple replacement parts is super sketchy. In the US and other countries where it's convenient to purchase from a reliable site like ifixit, you have legitimate options.

 

 

Everyone knows Apple locks down every thing on there products that and there too expensive is why they down in 4 place in the smart phone market now . Also Macs never really broke no ground ether only the rich and iphone devs use it another locked down device .  I believe you should  have a choice if you want to buy outside of the company and repair your own devices.  I would never buy and apple device i enjoy my Linux freedom too much to go there.

[Karlston]

I suspect that Apple is just making sure that dodgy replacement batteries don't cause any negative self-combusting phone stories.

 

That said, what they're doing must be testing consumers' rights in many countries.

[steven36]

11 minutes ago, Karlston said:

I suspect that Apple is just making sure that dodgy replacement batteries don't cause any negative self-combusting phone stories.

 

That said, what they're doing must be testing consumers' rights in many countries.

You may like Tech companies making choices for you but i don't. i been repairing devices  since i was a kid and i didn't need a babysitter then and i don't need one now as a adult stories like this keeps it fresh in my brain  why i don't buy Apple and the reasons keep piling up. Also it's the same reason I would never buy a Microsoft device there against the right to repair  as well.

[Matrix]

1 minute ago, steven36 said:

why i don't buy Apple and the reasons keep piling up.

Absolutely correct not something I would ever consider neither my $30 and $40 throw away androids have served me well for a long time !  

[steven36]

13 minutes ago, Mach1 said:

Absolutely correct not something I would ever consider neither my $30 and $40 throw away androids have served me well for a long time !  

If i was going to go out pay the apple price I would opt for one of Linux Smart Phones coming out soon  were have real Privacy not Apple's pseudo privacy . Google may not be good for privacy but at lest they don't try to sell fake privacy like Apple do and at lest on Android you have a choice to not use it  and just use  Fdroid. Life is about choice and when they cut choices out it becomes unusable to some people .

 

I don't make that up ether that what the NSA  said about Apple

 

Smartphone Users are Paying for Their Own Surveillance

https://billmoyers.com/story/smartphone-users-paying-for-own-surveillance/

 

 

[Karlston]

25 minutes ago, steven36 said:

You may like Tech companies making choices for you but i don't.

 

I don't either Once I've paid my hard earned money for something, I claim it as my right to do whatever I want with it, and any restrictions to my consumer rights in the manufacturer's T & C can be damned.

 

I just offered a possible explanation why Apple is making it difficult for users who want to put a non-Apple replacement battery into their iPhones. It doesn't mean I agree with my explanation.

[steven36]

25 minutes ago, Karlston said:

 

I don't either Once I've paid my hard earned money for something, I claim it as my right to do whatever I want with it, and any restrictions to my consumer rights in the manufacturer's T & C can be damned.

 

I just offered a possible explanation why Apple is making it difficult for users who want to put a non-Apple replacement battery into their iPhones. It doesn't mean I agree with my explanation.

Yes  that reason may be good enough for the rich people but it's not a good enough reason to sell it to poor people who just want to replace  it with a cheap one . That's why apple have always been niche on desktop and with cheap phones flooding the market will  become a niche smartphone in a few years ..they headed down hill .  If you don't buy into big techs hardware you never have this issues to began with,