Apple has been involved in a controversy lately concerning old iPhones. Following reports that it was intentionally slowing down old iPhones, Apple confirmed that it does slow down old iPhones that have degraded batteries. This caused backlash from customers who didn’t like that Apple was slowing down their phones without telling them first. Some say that Apple does this on purpose to get people to upgrade. Apple has since reduced the price of out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacements from $79 to $29. The company has also confirmed that it will replace the batteries of these handsets regardless of the results of a diagnostic test.
Apple said that this battery replacement policy applied to all customers with an iPhone 6 or later who need a battery replacement. It didn’t specify whether the eligibility criteria depended on the device failing the official Genius Bar diagnostic test.
There was some confusion over the weekend as some customers claimed that they were denied a battery swap because their devices passed the diagnostic test.
The diagnostic test has been designed to find out if the battery of an old iPhone is able to retain less than 80 percent of its original capacity. Apple has now confirmed that the results of this test won’t matter and customers who are coming in for a $29 battery replacement will be able to get one if they want.
Reports also suggest that customers who paid $79 for battery replacements before the new pricing was enforced can get a refund from Apple upon request.
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