Add “Replace iPhone Battery” to Your To-Do List

Photo credit: Paul Hudson, CC BY 2.0.

So I thought I’d probably need to buy a new phone this year, but now it looks like I’ll just need to buy a new battery. As the Washington Post reports:

Rarely is tech advice this cut and dried: If you bought an iPhone in 2016 or earlier, make an appointment at a Genius Bar as soon as possible. Apple just started a program that can make old iPhones feel new again — for just $29.

Here’s the deal: last month, Apple ‘fessed up to the fact that it deliberately slowed down phones as their batteries aged. This is the kind of decision that serves two purposes: it prevents the phone from accidentally shutting down, and it prevents us from using our phones efficiently. Many people assumed that the slowdown meant it was time to get a new phone; the people who figured out they only need to replace the battery had to pay $79 to get the job done.

But once the news broke, enough people were angry with Apple that the company agreed to offer a limited-time deal on replacement batteries. Between now and December 2018, you can get your battery replaced for $29.

This is going to cost Apple a lot more than just overtime at the Genius Bar. Once your phone get a fresh battery and the processor kicks back to 100 percent, there’s a chance you might not feel the need to upgrade your iPhone for a while. One analyst, Mark Moskowitz of Barclays, expects the battery offer could cause Apple to sell 16 million fewer new iPhones.

Anyone going to add “new iPhone battery” to their weekend spending estimate?

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