Sometime August last year, Apple announced that they were offering a battery replacement program to iPhone 5 users.
Apparently, a small percentage of the iPhone 5 units initially sold were found to have shorter battery life than the ones being sold today.
If you bought your iPhone 5 sometime between September 2012 and January 2013 and they happen to fall within a limited serial number range, you may be able to have your batteries replaced for free.
I’m actually one of the lucky ones. I was able to have my iPhone 5’s battery replaced a few months back and let me share with you my experience and how I was able to have it done.
First step, check whether your phone is eligible.
Go to the Apple website and check your eligibility by entering your phone’s serial number.
If your phone is eligible, it will say this.
So your phone is eligible, what should you do next?
Next step, prepare your phone and back up.
In most cases, you’ll need to leave your phone at the service center so you’ll need to back up your phone and then erase all your data. You wouldn’t want to leave your phone which has a lot of sensitive information to a complete stranger, would you?
Here are the steps in backing up your phone and erasing all the data.
- Back up your data to iTunes or iCloud
- Turn off Find my iPhone
- Erase data and settings in Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings
In my case, I did not erase my phone until I got to the service center.
Why? I’ll explain in the next step.
After preparing your phone, go to your nearest Apple Authorized Service Provider.
When you get there, (in my case, I went to Switch Alabang Town Center) just tell them you’re there for the iPhone 5 battery replacement. They will then take your phone and do an assessment whether your battery is really broken, right then and there.
So this means that even if the Apple website says your phone is eligible for replacement, it doesn’t automatically mean that the battery can be replaced for free. They will need to do a test to see whether your battery is really defective.
The test takes only a few minutes. If the test gives out the result CONSUMED, then congrats! Because you’re now officially eligible for free battery replacement.
If your battery fails the test, then unfortunately, you can’t avail of the free battery replacement.
THIS is the reason why I delayed erasing all my data until I got to the service center. There’s a 50/50 chance they won’t take in your phone. It would be a real hassle if I deleted all my data for nothing, right?
The final step, you’ll need to leave your phone at the Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Don’t forget to erase all your data!
So how long do you need to leave your phone? It really depends on the service center you left it at. If they have a lot of pending work orders, you may need to leave it there longer. In my case, they told me to return for my phone in 2 days.
When I got there though, my phone wasn’t ready yet and I had to wait for another hour before they released my phone.
Lesson learned: Best to call and ask whether your phone is ready for pick up.
Woohoo, check that out. I was able to save P9,905.00! Got to love Apple products.
My battery life after the replacement.
Here are some screenshots of my battery’s performance after the replacement.
I can’t tell you how happy I was to see these numbers! My phone was like brand new!
(Ironically, though, I got my iPhone 6 from Smart the next month so my “almost brand new iPhone 5” is just there, being stored away and doing nothing. Anyway…)
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So, if you’re still an iPhone 5 user and you’re having battery problems, you might want to check if you’re eligible for the battery replacement. Make sure to have it done ASAP as the battery replacement program is only until March 1, 2015.
Don’t miss the chance for free battery replacement. Good luck, geeks!
XOXO,
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