It’s no secret that iPhones lose some of their oomph after a year or two, partly due to batteries that inevitably deteriorate, partly due to software updates that place greater demands on the hardware, and partly due to deliberate moves by Apple to slow down old iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns. The last of these factors prompted a backlash from consumers in recent weeks, which Apple responded to by dropping the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements. South Africa’s iStore has followed suit and announced its pricing for battery replacements for the iPhone 6 and later handsets.
The iStore is offering iPhone battery replacements at all 23 of its stores in South Africa at a cost of R377 excluding VAT (or R429.78 including VAT). You’ll need to make a booking, and you can do that by heading over to https://www.myistore.co.za/help-center from tomorrow (11 January 2018).
If you suspect that your iPhone’s battery is not performing the way it should be, you can make a booking and have the phone assessed in-store to see if it is eligible for replacement. The offer only applies to certain iPhone models, namely the iPhone SE, 6, 6s, 6s Plus, 7 and 7 Plus.
Normally the iStore charges a R200 technical appointment fee for non-iStore customers, but that fee is being scrapped for the duration of the battery replacement programme (which will run for a limited time) as long as the consumer books online. They do warn that battery replacement times may vary depending on stock levels, so keep this in mind when booking.
Will reasonably priced battery replacements mean people hang onto their iPhones longer before upgrading? Maybe. That’s bad news for Apple, but good news for iPhone owners.