14 DAY TRIAL // It would appear that Apple has recently changed its battery replacement policy for iPhone 6 or later devices to accept all requests, no matter if they pass the internally used diagnostic tool or not.
French website iGen reports that Apple published an internal note to inform Apple Store employees at the Genius Bar and authorized Apple retailers that all customers are eligible for the company's battery replacement, even if the diagnostic tool used internally indicates the battery is in a proper state.
At the end of last week, Apple released a statement to customers in regards to the iPhone performance throttling fiasco, reducing the price of battery replacements for iPhone 6 and later models with $50 USD, from the regular price of $79 USD to only $29 USD. Also, it made the updated battery replacement program available since December 2017 until December 2018.
People still think battery replacements should have been free
Apple's previous policy regarding battery replacement stated that for a request to be approved, the standard diagnosis made at the Genius Bar in an Apple Store needed to indicate that the battery indeed degraded, capable of holding 80% or less of its charge. Otherwise, Apple could refuse the replacement.
But that it no longer the case, and everyone with an old iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus device can be eligible for the $29 USD battery replacement program. However, people still think Apple should have made battery replacements free, considering how much an iPhone costs.
In addition to the discounted $29 iPhone battery replacement program, Apple promised to implement new battery features in an upcoming version of its iOS mobile operating system, which will help customers see for themselves the condition of the battery and how it affects the overall performance of the device, and if it needs to be replaced or not.
Apple is also working hard on new ways to make the iOS user experience even better, improving the management of performance for iPhone devices, while still protected older models with degraded batteries against unexpected shutdowns under certain conditions, such as cold weather when the battery is low in charge.