Apple updates its repair policy, will now fix iPhones with third-party replacement batteries

Apple has informed its Genius Bar employees and Authorized Service Providers (AASP) that it’s now OK to fix iPhones that have aftermarket batteries installed by third-party repair shops.

Previously, Apple denied service to customers who had replaced their iPhone’s battery themselves or whose phone was previously repaired with non-original, third-party parts.

The company has communicated this change in policy to its own service technicians and authorized partners via internal documents seen by French blog iGeneration.fr.

MacRumors has more:

If the repair is unrelated to the battery, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now instructed to ignore the third-party battery and proceed with service as normal, according to Apple’s internal document. This could include repairs to the display, logic board, microphones, and so forth, with normal fees applying.

What an unexpected, consumer-friendly move!

If the repair is related to the battery itself, the Genius Bar and AASPs are now permitted to replace the third-party battery with an official Apple battery for the standard fee.

That’s how this should have always been.

Before starting the repair, the Genius Bar must drain the third-party battery to less than 60 percent of a charge

I wonder whether this is standard practice or a requirement meant to protect Apple’s technicians from unsanctioned replacement batteries that may spontaneously catch fire.

If the battery tabs are broken or missing, or there is excessive adhesive, the Genius Bar and AASPs are permitted to replace the entire iPhone for only the cost of a battery replacement at their discretion.

Wow, that’s very generous of Apple.

The company will still deny any kind of repair service for iPhones that are outfitted with third-party logic boards, enclosures, microphones, Lightning connectors, headphone jacks, volume and sleep/wake buttons, TrueDepth sensor arrays and other components.

The updated guidelines went into effect Thursday. This development will be music to the ears of companies like iFixit that offer DIY battery replacement kits for as low as $29.

iPhone battery service pricing following the expiration of Apple’s discounted program.

In February two years ago, Apple similarly reverted its policy concerning screen repairs.

As a result, iPhones with third-party screen replacements became eligible for a repair service while qualifying for warranty coverage, as long as the issue is unrelated to the display itself.

Before that change went into effect, however, replacing a cracked iPhone display with a third-party component was guaranteed to void your device warranty.