After the long-held urban legend that Apple slows down older iPhones to compel owners to buy new devices turned out to be, well, actually not a legend, Apple announced that it would be offering discounted replacement batteries. Instead of the usual $79, the company would be offering $29 battery replacements. Which seemed like a good enough deal, even if it was just to appease angry iPhone owners who are probably still going to seek legal action. (Apple is currently facing multiple lawsuits regarding the issue.)
Apple posted an apology on its website — “We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize.” — and said the reduced-price batteries would be available for the iPhone 6 and later for the duration of 2018. If you read the fine print, however, you’ll find that Apple will only replace a device’s battery for $29 once, MacRumors reports. If you get a new battery and find yourself needing another six months later — or its December 2018 and you were just hoping to spend $30 to extend the life of your outdated but totally functional iPhone 7 — you’ll have to pay full price. Which, mind you, is still cheaper than shelling out a grand for an iPhone X.
