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Apple is locking iPhone battery repair, says iFixit
Apple said iPhone XS, XR, and XS Max will display a message saying their iPhone batteries need to be serviced if they’re not replaced by us. The message shows up in both iOS 12 and the iOS 13 beta. it is shown regardless of whether a genuine Apple battery has been installed in the phone. It all comes down to whether Apple or Authorized Service Providers installed the replacement.
If you go into the “Battery Health” menu when the “Service” message appears, then you’ll be presented with an “Important Battery Message” that reads “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery. Health information not available for this battery.” The message replaces the standard percentage indicator which shows the health of the battery.
“HEALTH INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS BATTERY”
Although iFixit notes that these messages do not appear to affect the functionality of the battery. It makes it harder to tell when a replacement battery needs to be replaced. A battery could be brand new, or it could be on the point of complete failure. Either way the phone will simply tell you it needs to be serviced. When contacted, Apple did not respond to our request for comment.
The YouTube channel The Art of Repair reports the source of the message is a Texas Instruments microcontroller installed on the battery itself, which ordinarily provides information about battery capacity and temperatures to the phone. Microcontrollers like these can be found on most batteries, but in Apple’s case it contains an authentication feature. It locks battery replacements down to Apple’s authorized repair technicians.
Effectively, the practice restricts where you can get your iPhone battery replaced. Unless you want your phone to lose a piece of its functionality. It discourages you from repairing your phone using one of iFixit’s own fix packs, or using another third-party repair shop. To Apple’s credit, it has reportedly started allowing its own technicians to fix telephones containing outsider batteries. Yet depending on your location it simply might not be convenient to visit one of the company’s authorized service providers.
IFIXIT SELLS ITS OWN HOME BATTERY REPAIR KITS FOR APPLE iPHONE
Although Apple’s repair practices have confronted extraordinary investigation previously, its iPhone batteries are particularly noteworthy. Back in 2017 it emerged that Apple was designing iOSto throttle more seasoned iPhones to safeguard the life of their batteries as they degraded over time. After heavy criticism Apple consented to decrease the expense of its battery swaps for a year.
Having the ability to easily repair your devices is important. Replacing components as they wear out means your phone lasts longer. This saves you money and results in less waste being sent to landfill. The evidence suggests that people hold onto their phones for longer when they have access to cheap battery repairs; when Apple reduced the price of its battery replacements, so many people took advantage of it that it actually wound up hurting the sales of new iPhones.
Apple is keen to be an environmentally friendly company. Its recent Mac mini and MacBook Air computers are made out of 100% reused aluminum. Its business is powered by 100% sustainable power sources around the world. Access to repair services is important if Apple wants to keep its company as environmentally friendly as possible.
