Apple Issues Replacement For Defective iPhone 5 Batteries

If you have an iPhone 5 and noticed your battery suddenly dying on you faster than usual, you might be one of the unlucky few to have a defective battery unit in your hands. This might just be your lucky day, or month, as Apple will be replacing those batteries completely free of charge. Provided, of course, the serial number on your iPhone matches Apple's list of affected units.

This isn't the first time Apple has issued "recalls" for defective parts, one of the latest being a faulty USB adapter in Europe. While we certainly hope that Apple would have stricter QA safeguards in place for critical components such as batteries (remember those days of exploding iPhones?), an acknowledgment of the issue and offer for reparation is for sure a welcome gesture on their part.

That said, Apple claims that the number of affected devices aren't that many, only those falling within a limited serial number range, sold between September 2012 to January 2013. If you're are unsure if your iPhone 5 is one of those devices, Apple provides an easy way to check by putting in your serial number on the web page they provide. Should you be one of those unfortunate to find their device on that list, you have the choice of Apple retail store or service provider to bring the phone in for a replacement.

Since iPhone's don't have directly replaceable batteries, getting a free replacement practically means handing your entire iPhone over to the repair dudes. That is why Apple recommends that owners back up their data properly, turn off the Find My iPhone feature, and then erase the phone's data and settings. And because of how the iPhone 5 is built, Apple notes that if the device has other damages like a cracked screen, those have to be fixed first, which might incur additional charges.

The battery replacement program for the iPhone 5 started last Friday for the US and China. Other countries will be following suit on Friday, August 29.

SOURCE: Apple