Apple speaks on new controversy involving batteries of iPhones

Apple likes to get into a controversy involving batteries, Is not it? First, we had that case in which it was found to decrease the processing power of devices depending on how the device’s battery life was (that is, if it is below 80%, the phone reduces the power of the chip to do not overload the component).

The company acknowledged the mistake (having done this in a non-transparent way) and put up an exchange program so that customers could exchange their old batteries for new ones, paying less for it. In addition, it implemented a way to see how battery health is on iOS.

Well, the program ended at the end of 2018 (11 million batteries were replaced) and, of course, a lot of people end up resorting to unauthorized technical assistance to change their phone batteries (either due to the price factor, convenience – after all, not even everyone has an Apple Authorized Service Center or Store next to their home – among others).

Battery warning on iOS

But, as we talked about last week, the company started to hide health data when the battery is changed in an unauthorized assistance. Obviously, public opinion fell on the company, which today was forced to issue an official statement on the matter.

Apple gave the following statement to Rene Ritchie, iMore:

We take the safety of our customers very seriously, and we want to ensure that any battery replacement is done correctly. There are now more than 1,800 Apple authorized service providers in the United States, so our customers have even more convenient access to quality repairs.

Last year, we introduced a new feature capable of notifying customers if we were unable to verify that a new, original battery was installed by a certified technician after Apple’s repair processes.

This information is there to help protect our customers from damaged, low quality or used batteries that can lead to safety or performance issues. This notification does not affect the customer’s ability to use the phone after an unauthorized repair.

This answer was quite obvious, as we discussed in episode # 333 of MacMagazine On Air. That the iPhone repaired in an unauthorized service works, that nobody doubted. The question that hangs in the air is whether the feature that decreases the device’s processing power (when the battery becomes old again) continues to work on these iPhones or whether Apple is really unable to measure this data when the battery is replaced in a non-service -accredited.

It is worth noting that Apple does not have a support network like the one it has in the USA anywhere in the world. Here in Brazil, for example, there are cities that do not even have an Apple Authorized Service Center. To speak only of the USA when such a measure is implemented globally does not seem fair to me.

In addition, the repair firm iFixit tested it and confirmed that, even though it is a genuine Apple battery, the message (stating that it is unable to tell how many the iPhone battery is running) appears. That is, the exchange must necessarily be made at an Apple store or an Apple Authorized Service Center for everything to work properly.

via 9to5Mac