14 DAY TRIAL // This doesn't happen too often with Apple products, but it appears that some iPhone 5 units are having issues with the battery. Apple has decided to change the battery in those and here is how you can enroll in that program.
Apple says the devices sold between September of 2012 and January of 2013 that have a certain serial number will get a replacement battery. If your device does not hold charge or the battery depletes too fast, check out Apple's special page and enter your serial number. You can find the device's serial number under the Settings.app in General – About.
The program has already started in the United States and China. The rest of the world will become available as of August 29.
There are few ways to get your battery replaced. You can either find an Apple Authorized Service Provider, go to an Apple Store or call the company's Tech Support line.
But before you do that, there are a few steps you need to perform to get your iPhone ready. First one up: back-up.
You can do that via iTunes or iCloud. As a precaution, it is safer if you use both methods. Just connect your iPhone to a computer running the latest version of iTunes, via the USB cable, and go in iTunes – Devices – [your iPhone's name] and then choose Summary on the center panel, go down to Backups and select "This computer." Then press Back Up Now. Do not set iTunes to encrypt your iPhone's back-up unless you work for a government agency.
Depending on when you did that the last time, it may take anywhere from 1 minute up to an hour. After the backup is done, go ahead and select iCloud in the same Backups box and then choose to back-up your computer to the cloud. Again, this may take longer than the local backup.
Backing up your iPhone should be done at least once a day, so this is a good exercise for you to perform, just in case.
After that, you need to turn off Find my iPhone. Enter the Settings.app and go to iCloud, then tap to turn off Find my iPhone. Apple then explains that you need to erase data and settings. Just go to the Settings – General – Reset – Erase All Content and Settings. This is going to take a while so do not try to turn the iPhone off.
Apple may turn down your iPhone if it has damages, or they may ask for an extra charge for the repair. On the other hand, they will pay you money if you replaced your battery by yourself.