Apple has always taken a very dim view of iPhone users going anywhere but the Genius Bar and authorised service providers in order to replace batteries. For years the company has denied repair service to those using batteries from third-party sources due to voided warranties.
However, it has emerged the company is softening its stance when it comes to issues both related and unrelated to the battery.
According to a memo spied by the French site iGen (via MacRumors), AASPs and Genius Bar employees can now ignore the presence of a third-party cell in order to repair the display, logic board and other flaws with the handset. In that instance, normal costs will apply.
If the issue does pertain to the battery, Apple employees and those acting with the company’s blessing will be able to replace a third-party battery with an official Apple battery.
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The memo also states that if the battery cannot be easily replaced (if tabs are missing or there’s too much adhesive) then it’s ok to offer replacement iPhone simply for the cost of replacing the battery.
According to the internal document, these changes went in effect late last week. However, this doesn’t mean an amnesty for all third-party repairs. If you’ve replaced other components with non-official parts then your bang out of luck.
Apple will still turn you away if you show up with a foreign headphone jack, logic board, lightning connector and many more components. You’ll get away with a third-party display though, after Apple changed the policy a couple of year’s back.
It is somewhat surprising that Apple has taken a similarly soft stance when it comes to third-party batteries, following so many years of resistance.
Will Apple’s change in policy rescue a failing iPhone for you? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
