Sunday, December 23, 2018

iPhone Battery Replacement Experience - Is it worth replacing a battery on an old iPhone?

I have an iPhone 6 that is about 4 years old and while it is still in good condition, the battery just does not hold a charge like it used to. For example if I would charge it to 100% before bed, in the morning, it would be down to about 75% without using it. I checked the battery health and it was down to about 78% capacity.

I noticed Apple was running a promotion on battery replacements for $29 down from the regular price of $79, good though the end of 2018, so I decided it would be a good time to get it replaced. I still like the phone and have no reason to upgrade any time soon so I figured it would be a good idea to get the new battery to help extend the life of the device.

I set up an appointment to bring it in to an Apple store. The soonest available was the following Saturday which was further away than I was expecting, but I decided to set the appointment anyway. At the appointment, I checked in and was helped within minutes.

They ran a diagnostic test and confirmed that it could definitely use a new battery. I was hoping they would be able to do it right away while I waited, but they said it would be about a 3 hour wait, so I dropped it off and said I would come back to pick it up when it was ready.

To do the replacement they will ask you to enter your password to turn off the Find My iPhone feature. Also they will ask you if it is backed up just in case anything happens. I made sure to back it up on iCloud and also get an extra back up of the contacts. They gave me a receipt and said it would be ready in a few hours.

After a few hours I came back and checked in and was helped again within minutes. The phone was all set and ready for pickup. I just had to show ID and pay for it and it was ready to go. The phone was in good condition and all the apps and data were the same as before so I didn't have to worry about reloading backups or anything like that. The battery was charged to 100% and the battery health was at 100%.

The evening I got it home I could already tell the battery was much better. Usually it would drain quickly even without using it much, but I was using it and the battery barely drained at all. I tested it overnight to see how much it had improved. Usually it would drain about 25%, but this time it only drained about 3%.

Overall I am pleased with the experience. If you have an older iPhone or one that is not holding a charge very well and you plan on keeping it for a while, I recommend getting the battery replaced. It is a good deal at the promotional rate and even at the regular rate it is still worth it if you are having trouble with the battery and you don't want to buy a new phone.

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