Apple Delays iPhone 6 Plus Battery Replacement Program Until Spring

If you own an iPhone 6 Plus and were hoping to take advantage of Apple’s $29 battery replacement program, you’re out of luck for now. Apple has delayed the program for the 2014 iPhone Plus due to limited supply.

According to internal documents, iPhone 6 Plus battery replacements are in short supply until late March or early April in the United States and other regions. Battery replacements for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus are also delayed, but only by approximately two weeks.

Replacement batteries for the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone SE are available without extended delays in most countries.

As previously noted, Apple dropped the price for replacement batteries from $79 to $29 throughout 2018. Additionally, a future iOS app update will better inform you about the battery condition of your device. Replacement batteries (with installation) are available at Apple retail stores and online support channels.

In early December, a report claimed that Apple intentionally slows down older iPhones in the iPhone 6/6s range with batteries that need to be replaced. Soon after a class action lawsuit was filed against the company.

This led Apple to announce a temporary price cut for iPhone replacement batteries. The company also apologized for how it has handled performance on iPhones with older batteries and how it has “communicated that process” to the public.

According to “A Message to Our Customers,” Apple explained:

To address our customers’ concerns, to recognize their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple’s intentions, we’ve decided to take the following steps:

• Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by $50 — from $79 to $29 — for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, starting in late January and available worldwide through December 2018. Details will be provided soon on apple.com.
• Early in 2018, we will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.
• As always, our team is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.

Should you replace your battery? If you think the battery on your iPhone is performing poorly, you should certainly get it replaced. Otherwise, it is probably best to wait and see how things work out over the next few months. Besides, the battery discount is good through the end of the year so you have nothing to lose.