Have you ever taken your broken iPhone to an Apple service centre, only to be told, “Sorry, we can’t”? Pissed off, you tell them, “But you are an Apple authorised service centre, aren’t you?”. But the tech guy rolls his eyes and replies, “Your phone has a third-party battery. And it’s against the iPhone repair policy.” Sounds familiar? Well, you wouldn’t have to go through such stress anymore.
In early 2017, Apple eased its repair policy for iPhones with allowance for
According to a leaked internal Apple document, the company will allow Genius Bar and Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) to repair iPhones with a third-party battery. And if you’re lost at sea about Genius Bar, it’s a station for tech support inside Apple’s retail stores which aren’t in India yet.
The Changed Policy
MacRumors reports, “The Genius Bar and AASPs are now permitted to replace the third-party battery with an official Apple battery for the standard fee. Before starting the repair, the Genius Bar must drain the third-party battery to less than 60 per cent of a charge.”
Also, the tech giant will allow replacement of the entire iPhone. So, if your battery issues include broken battery tabs or excessive adhesive, congratulations! As for the display, microphone, and such, the document instructs Genius Bar and AASPs to proceed with the usual servicing. And what about a device with third-party logic boards, headphone jacks, and other components? Tough luck, because the iPhone-makers will decline service as per reports.
This silently updated iPhone repair policy should apply to all international markets. And if that wasn’t explicit enough, we meant that India should be one of the international markets. Because, who are we kidding? The jugaadus among us would love nothing more than repairing our broken phones instead of buying new ones.
