When news came last year that Apple had deliberately been slowing down iPhones to save battery life (and thus unexpected shutdowns), the company understandably faced a huge backlash. This prompted them to offer new batteries that would solve the problem, but only for affected handsets and at the price of $29 instead of the regular $79.
This price reduction runs to the end of this year and is for iPhone 6 or later. However, those that had their battery replaced before the reduced-price program came into effect would not benefit from this substantial discount. That’s why Apple has announced a $50 credit available to retrospectively reduce the fee.
Am I eligible?
If you bought an out of warranty battery replacement for your iPhone 6 or later at any time during 2017 up until December 28 and if your repair was done at an Apple Store, Apple Repair Center, or Apple Authorized Service Provider then you will qualify. Apple still points out that battery replacements which were in-warranty are obviously not eligible.
Apple started sending out emails to eligible customers yesterday and this will run until July 27th.
How will I get the credit?
You’ll be given credit on the credit card that was used to pay for the replacement, as Apple will already have the necessary information. Apple has an encrypted record of the credit card but points out that the information is only decrypted when credit is issued or refunded.
I’m a customer outside of the US
The amount of credit isn’t the same for everyone. Apple will exactly match the amount of the battery replacement price drop. In the UK, battery replacements cost £79 until December 28 until it dropped to £25 for eligible customers, meaning that the credit offered is £54.
If you bought a battery replacement just before the price drop for eligible iPhones, this stands as a welcome gesture from Apple. This battery saga has been a complicated matter for the company but this new price drop significantly extends the range of customers who will benefit.
