Can iPhone Batteries Be Replaced? Yes – But You Need To Do This…
If you’re wondering whether iPhone batteries can be replaced, you’re in the right place – and the good news is they can be; it’s just not as simple as you might imagine…
In late 2017, Apple users were informed that the performance of their devices depreciating with time was intentional. Apple was ACTIVELY throttling older iPhones in a bid to conserve their aging batteries. Logically, it makes sense. But plenty of people were angered by the news.
The idea with throttling is simple: it downgrades the phone’s performance so that future updates and upgrades do not overwhelm the phone’s aging and underpowered battery. As a result, the iPhone battery would last for a considerable amount of time before it gets worse.
When your iPhone battery gets bad, can you replace it? The answer to that is Yes but it is not something you’d want to do yourself. iPhones come with built-in batteries, so a battery change won’t be straightforward compared to phones with removable batteries. To replace the iPhone built-in batteries, technical skills are required.
We’ll take a look at the steps involved in the iPhone battery replacement process. But first, let’s consider how the iPhone battery works and when you would need to replace it.
How The iPhone Battery Works
Apple makes use of Li-ion (short for Lithium-ion) batteries in their iPhones, and Li-ion batteries are consumables. As it is, consumable batteries do depreciate in capacity with time and consequently will need to be replaced. By depreciating, the amount of total power they can hold is gradually reduced, and so it goes until no battery power can be retained at all.
This is basically how these batteries work, and it does not concern their quality or initial capacity. You know your battery is depreciating if it charges and discharges quite faster than it used to. More precisely, you can know when your iPhone battery will start depreciating by measuring its lifespan. The lifespan of batteries can be measured in cycles.
What is a battery cycle? A battery cycle is the lifespan of a battery. In fact, it is when a battery is drained to 0% and then charged up to 100%. That is to say that when you use your iPhone, and it goes off at 0% if you charge it up to 100%, it has just made one cycle.
•TIP: How To Use Your iPhone To Check Your Apple Warranty Coverage
For iPhones, the battery lifespan is 500 cycles. Once your iPhone battery gets fully charged from 0% for the 500th time, it should be about dead. Technically, you will not always let your battery get to 100% before unplugging, and you will not always allow your phone to go off totally before charging.
As a result, completing 500 cycles usually takes a very long time, up to a couple of years. However, an average of two to three years is given as the lifespan of an iPhone battery.
How To Check iPhone Battery Health
iPhones feature a battery health status from which you can know the current stage of your battery life. To access it, use the following steps (these steps are directly applicable to iOS 13):
- Launch the Settings application
- Scroll down and select battery
- Click on Battery Health
From this page, you can see your battery’s maximum capacity. For a new battery, this should be 100%. The value will be less if otherwise, and the lesser the value, the worse the battery health.
How To Replace iPhone Batteries
You can replace your iPhone battery by visiting a local repair service provider or a verified Apple service provider – or using Apple itself to get the battery switched out for a new one. It is not impossible to do it yourself, but it will be difficult if you do not have the technical know-how. The best method of replacing your iPhone battery is through AppleCare+ if it is accessible in your location or nearby. This is to ensure that you get quality.
For an iPhone covered by warranty, battery replacement is free. A fee will have to be paid for repairing those without warranty. This amount depends entirely on your iPhone model. Battery replacement for the iPhone 11 model and higher costs $69 while battery replacement for the iPhone 8 Plus and below models (Including the 2nd Gen SE) cost $49.
Essential, there are two common methods for replacing your iPhone battery. For the replacement, you can either send it to an Apple Store, or you make an appointment and visit the store in person. If you send it, you will have to pay a $6.95 fee for shipping if shipping is required. If you make a physical visit, you might get your battery replaced quicker and then return with it.
Conclusion
Replacing your iPhone battery is possible and almost unavoidable as every iPhone battery would depreciate with time. Replacement costs money, but you’ll pay nothing if your phone has a warranty.
