The entire purpose of a smartphone is to be able to go online, message, or call anyone from just about anywhere, so if the battery ceases working you’ve got little more than an expensive fashion accessory. That’s why Apple has agreed to repair some iPhone 6S devices that have a bad habit of suddenly turning themselves off.
The issue, Apple says, only affects a small number of iPhone 6S devices that were manufactured in September and October of 2015.
The battery isn’t dangerous; it’s not about to overheat or explode or anything. Instead it just… doesn’t work. The phone shuts down, because it’s not getting any power. So if your phone has been shutting off randomly, this may be why.
To get this one fixed, you’ll need to take it directly to Apple — not your wireless carrier. You can visit an Apple Store, an Apple “authorized service provider,” or contact Apple tech support online.
If your phone’s serial number indicates it’s one of the problem batch, then Apple will fix it for no cost. And if you already paid someone somewhere to replace your battery in the last year, you can ask Apple to reimburse you for that cost.
You’ll need to back up your data before you get your phone repaired, Apple cautions. And although the battery replacement itself is free, if there’s anything else wrong with your phone that they’ll have to fix first in order to do the battery replacement (like a cracked screen, for example), then you’ll be on the hook for that part.
This is just not a good fall for Apple’s phones, it seems. The immediate predecessor to the 6S model, the 6 and 6 Plus, are also now subject to a repair program for a design flaw. In that case the flaw, called “touch disease” in the techie and consumer world but never by Apple, results in the touch screen becoming unresponsive and, therefore, in the phone becoming totally useless. Apple’s charging $149 for that fix and blaming customers’ behavior for the issue.
by Kate Cox via Consumerist