Apple has extended its iPhone 5 battery replacement program into 2016. The program is aimed at addressing the manufacturing defect in some iPhone 5 units that causes shorter-than-normal battery life. The program was originally launched last year and only select iPhone 5 devices were eligible for the free replacement.
The tech giant offered two years to get a free battery replacement from the date of purchase or until 1 March, 2015, according to Apple.
If you skipped the free battery replacement notice, there's no point regretting now. But if your iPhone 5 is eligible for a free replacement, get in touch with Apple and take advantage of this extended opportunity. As spotted by iPhone In Canada, Apple updated its support page earlier this week, mentioning that it has extend its two-year program by another year. This means, eligible iPhone 5 owners have until January 2016 to get their free battery replacements.
"The program covers affected iPhone 5 batteries for 3 years after the first retail sale of the unit," reads the updated part of the webpage.
Apple originally identified the problem with "a very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices" after they experienced "shorter battery life or needed to be charged more frequently". According to the company, the affected units of iPhone 5 smartphones were sold within a five-month period between September 2012 and January 2013. Users can identify if their handset is eligible for a free replacement using their handset's serial number.
How to Check if Your iPhone 5 is Eligible for a Free Battery Replacement?
It's simple. Apple has a Support page to help customers identify if their iPhone 5 has a faulty battery.
- Find your iPhone 5's serial number by navigating into Settings > General > About.
- Enter the serial number in the search box on Apple's support site.
- If your handset is eligible for a replacement, you can take it to an Apple Store for a free battery swap.
The battery replacement program for iPhone 5 smartphones is available worldwide. Users must back up data using iTunes or iCloud, turn off Find My iPhone and erase data and settings from the phone (Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings), before handing over the iPhone for repair.
In case the iPhone 5 has other damages that impair the ability to check the phone's battery, Apple will need to fix that before a battery replacement. Additional repairs are likely to incur charges.
If you had your iPhone 5 battery repaired or replaced without any knowledge of the program, you are eligible for a refund. Just write into Apple's support team for evaluation.
