How and where to replace your old, depleted iPhone battery

The aging lithium-ion batteries in your iPhone will eventually start to lose their ability to hold a charge, and that can be very frustrating, especially if you’re out and about all day. And that’s not to mention reports that some iPhone batteries, specifically those pertaining to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, may be experiencing greater battery degradation than their users expected.

If this happens to you, there are several solutions available. You can switch to the latest iphonestart carrying a battery charger with you or just replace the battery.

To first identify if your battery is ready for a change, you can check the current status of your battery by going to Settings > Battery > Battery health and charge. This is where you can find out the current maximum capacity of your battery. A small notice may appear at the top if your iPhone battery is ready for a swap.

If you’ve decided to replace the battery, you have two options: do it yourself or hire someone else, like Apple, to do it for you. Doing it yourself presents several risks, that is, you risk breaking your phone. But if you’d rather do it yourself, there are plenty of guides online and the process is pretty easy.

Apple has realized that at least some of its customers are ready, willing, and able to replace their iPhone batteries themselves. Is Self-service repair program offers detailed repair manuals, links to an online service where you can buy Apple-approved partsand instructions on how to return old parts for recycling.

A more traditional place to start is I fix it, which offers detailed explanations on how to proceed. (For example, here’s one to use if you have an iPhone 14 Pro.) The process involves unscrewing the back of the phone, slightly heating the bottom edge of the phone, using suction cups to remove the screen, and going through various steps to remove and replace the battery.

Before you begin, you will need smartphone repair tools, which can cost around $14. (iFixit strongly recommends its own tool called anti-clamp.) Some vendors on Amazon even sell iPhone battery replacement kits for this very purpose, which, depending on the phone, can cost upwards of $70.

Please note that if you choose to do it yourself and have a waterproof phone, your phone may no longer be waterproof after opening it. Also, if you don’t use one of Apple’s batteries, your operating system will most likely recognize that there is no longer an Apple-manufactured battery in your phone, which means you may get an occasional warning prompt and battery status. . the app will not work.

If you’d rather have someone else replace your battery and not risk tampering with your device, Apple offers replacements under various conditions. you have three options: send your phone in for repair; have a provider drive you to your home or office (if one is available); or head to an Apple Store. A physical store repair could be completed in a single visit or, in more complex cases, take three to five days. Shipping will take five to nine days, as you have to wait for Apple to send you a box to pick up your iPhone.

As for other costs, it depends. If your iPhone is under warranty or has AppleCare Plus and Apple considers the battery to be defective (in other words, it has less than 80 percent of its original capacity), repairs are free. But if the problem is due to some other factor that isn’t covered by AppleCare Plus, or if it isn’t covered by that or a warranty, you’ll have to pay a service fee, depending on the carrier. For example, the service fee to change the batteries in an Apple 11 is around $89 (and can vary by carrier); Having someone drive to your location costs another $30, and mailing it adds a shipping fee.

If Apple replaces your battery for you, the iPhone should still be waterproof.

Finally, if none of this works for you, your schedule, or your budget, there may also be third-party vendors that offer iPhone repair services in your local neighborhood. But their quality, and if they use sealing adhesive to maintain water resistance – varies by provider so always check reviews and ask questions.

Update August 15, 2023, 12:48 pm ET: This article was originally published on December 21, 2017 and has been updated to account for service, device, and operating system changes.