Hollis Johnson
- Apple has locked the battery in its iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max, according to a report from iFixit.
- That means if you try to replace it yourself or at any repair shop that isn't authorized by Apple, you will see a message indicating that your battery needs to be serviced.
- This message will appear even if you replace your current battery with one of Apple's batteries, the report says.
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If you try to replace the battery in your iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max by any means other than through an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, you may see a message indicating that the battery needs to be serviced, according to a new report from iFixit.
Those who replace their iPhone's battery themselves outside of Apple's channels will see a service indicator appear in the Battery Health section of the device's settings menu, says iFixit. That service indicator typically means that your iPhone's battery needs to be replaced because it may be degrading. A message saying that the phone is unable to verify that the device is using an authentic Apple battery will also appear - even if you do replace your iPhone's battery with one of Apple's batteries.
That also means those who want to swap out their phone's battery themselves won't be able to take advantage of the iPhone feature that tells you how your phone's battery is performing, according to the report. This doesn't impact the way your iPhone performs after replacing the battery, however, as iFixit says it didn't experience any throttling.
Read more: You should change this one setting on your iPhone if you want better battery life
This could be caused by a microcontroller on the iPhone's battery that provides information such as the battery capacity and temperature, according to a video from YouTube Channel The Art of Repair, which iFixit cites in its report. In Apple's newer iPhones, that microcontroller reportedly has an authentication feature that enables it to pair with the device. So if you replace your iPhone's battery independently, you may be missing out on that necessary authentication key.
Apple did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
It wouldn't be the first time Apple has been criticized for the way it handles product repairs. An investigation from Canadian news organization CBC found in 2018 that Apple often overcharges for product repairs compared to independent tech repair shops. A report from MacRumors last year also indicated that the 2018 MacBook Pro and iMac Pro had go undergo a specific Apple diagnostics repair process that isn't accessible at non-Apple repair centers in order to be fixed.
Apple has also come under fire for its iPhone battery management in the past. In 2017, for example, it was discovered that the company intentionally throttles old iPhone batteries to preserve their performance. As a result, the company reduced the price of its battery replacement to $29 until December 2018.