Apple iPhone battery replacement program now live in India

Apple's battery replacement program for old iPhones has now gone live in India. Similar to the rest of the world, in India too the plan is live few weeks ahead of the schedule. 

The Apple's apology letter to its users originally said that the subsidised batteries would be available by the end of January 2018. Gadgets Now spoke to some of Apple's authourised service centers in Delhi and all of them are offering the programme. 

Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by Rs 3,900 — from Rs 5,900 to Rs 2,000 — for anyone with whose battery needs to be replaced. The offer is available worldwide through December 2018.

The eligible iPhones include iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

The company has announced that it will release an iOS software update in early 2018 with new features that will give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery. It will enable users to see for themselves if the battery's condition is affecting their iPhone's performance.

According to Apple, a replacement battery will return iPhone's performance to normal when operated in standard conditions. For, iOS will no longer require to save power.

Apple claims that the update dynamically manages the maximum performance of some system components when needed to prevent a shutdown. "Customer response to iOS 10.2.1 was positive, as it successfully reduced the occurrence of unexpected shutdowns," said iPhone maker in its statement.

The Cupertino giant also claims that the software update extends the life of older iPhones, particularly that of iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices.

Apple first released the software update in the year 2016 with iOS 10.2.1 rollout. According to the company, "About a year ago in iOS 10.2.1, we delivered a software update that improves power management during peak workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE."