Free battery replacement of iPhone 6s by Apple

Apple Inc. said it would give customers world-wide with a free battery replacement for iPhone 6s devices that unexpectedly shut down.

The announcement Sunday came less than a week when a Chinese consumer-protection group said it received reports of iPhone 6s devices spontaneously shutting down although half their battery life remained. it is the second time within the past 3 years the company has offered a battery-replacement program for iPhones.

The replacement plan comes 2 months after Samsung electronics Co. moved to replace millions of its Galaxy Note seven phone due to battery fires.

Unlike Samsung, Apple said the iPhone 6s battery issue isn’t a safety matter and solely affects a limited series of iPhone 6s devices manufactured in Sept and Oct 2015. concerned customers should contact Apple online, visit an Apple store or authorised service provider to find out whether or not a specific device is eligible for a fix—wireless carriers aren’t participating.

Apple’s announcement left a number of queries unanswered, including when Apple learned of the matter and why Apple thinks the shutdowns are associated with the battery. Apple also didn’t specify how it concluded only phones manufactured in those 2 months are affected and whether or not those phones used a different battery, or battery provider, than other phones.

For at least a year, customers have reported iPhone 6s devices were powering off and not restarting until after they had been plugged in, according to Apple support forums.

Apple announced the battery-replacement program few days after they announced a separate repair program for iPhone 6 plus devices. the company last week said it might repair iPhone 6 plus devices with displays that flickered or had touch-screen problems for $149 provided the screen wasn’t cracked or broken. the company said the iPhone 6 plus problems were occurring in phones that had been dropped multiple times on a hard surface.

Analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research downplayed the iPhone problems, saying the phones were manufactured over a year ago, and Apple already has level up onto a new generation, the iPhone 7, which hasn’t had similar problems. The timing of the iPhone 6s battery-replacement program—on the heels of the Chinese consumer-protection group raising issues regarding it--“probably isn’t coincidental,” he said.

China is crucial to Apple’s future. the company is investing heavily there, tho' sales are sliding as competition ramps up from homegrown rivals. Revenue in greater China, which incorporates Hong Kong and Taiwan, fell 17 November within the fiscal year ended Sept. 24 after growing 84% prior year.

In 2013 and 2014, Apple made changes when being accused by state-run China Central tv of skirting warranties on iPhones and tracking user locations. China sometimes uses state-run media and semiofficial sites to signal permissible, and impermissible, behaviour to foreign companies.

The company last offered a battery-replacement program in 2014 for iPhone 5 devices that were experiencing a shorter battery life.

If you have experienced this issue, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorised Service Provider and have your device’s serial number checked to confirm eligibility for a battery replacement, free of charge.