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Last week, Apple announced that it would replace the faulty batteries of some iPhone 6s devices, but now the company is struggling to provide sufficient quantities in time.
According to Business Korea, the Cupertino-based tech giant was unprepared for the volumes of affected devices and have turned customers away.
Apple decided to replace the batteries of some iPhone 6s devices which suffered from a fault that made them unexpectedly shut down completely free of charge to the users. However, according to industry sources, most customers who visited Apple stores and service centres couldn’t get their batteries replaced due to an insufficient supply.
One unnamed customer said: “I went to replace my battery but I was told to come back next week because they will have the battery in stock then. I have to visit the center twice just to replace my battery.”
Industry watchers said that eight out of 10 customers who visited the centres failed to replace their batteries. As a result, apple has recommended that customers return to an Apple store after December 8 when it should have an adeqaute supply.
Frustratingly, Apple said in its official statement that “the free battery replacement program is only limited to some iPhone 6s devices with a specific serial number manufactured in September and October last year”, but didn’t create a means by which users can find out if their phone is affected. Customers must instead call an authorised service provider or an Apple store to have their device’s serial number checked to confirm eligibility for a battery replacement.
What won’t help Apple right now is that this battery drama comes at the same time as reports of battery draining faults in the latest iOS 10.1 system update.
Many users have taken to the internet to stage their displeasure at the software update that sees the battery go from 30 per cent to 1 per cent and then shut down in a matter of seconds.
One user wrote: “ It jumps from 30 per cent charge to 1 per cent in a few seconds then shuts down.
“As soon as it reboots after connecting to a charger it show 30 per cent charge.
“When I unplug it right away it still shows 30 per cent and runs like nothing happened for a good few hours.
“So it goes from zero charge to 30 per cent in the time it takes to reboot? Strange.”
Apple will hope that it can rectify these issues quickly before it starts to be put in the same negative light as Samsung with its Galaxy Note 7 comedy of errors.
Suffice to say it has not been a great year for smartphone batteries.
