How can I find out if my broken Apple products qualify for a free repair, or are part of a replacement programme?
If your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV or other Apple product has gone wrong and you don't think it's your fault, you may be able to get Apple (or a company authorised by Apple) to repair it for free, provide a replacement product, or refund your money. You can attempt this on an individual, case-by-case basis - read our guide to your legal rights when getting an iPhone repaired for advice - but in some cases Apple institutes a general recall or free repair programme for a particular product or model that it acknowledges has a congenital problem.
From time to time Apple acknowledges that there is a problem with one of its product lines and announces that it will replace such products for free. In this article we cover Apple's current replacement programmes: check to see if your faulty device is included. You might be in line for a free replacement.
Will Apple repair products for free?
Sometimes, but don't depend on it.
Apple product recalls are an unusual occurrence. When it is prepared to admit that a problem is inherent to a product line or certain models within that line, Apple will agree to repair or replace these devices, and either announce this publicly (expecting you to get in touch yourself and seek redress) or in smaller cases contacting affected users proactively.
Apple did this with the iPhone 5, whose power button was prone to failure - your humble reporter went through this process and was able to get a new iPhone 5 at no cost, even though that iPhone went wrong in a completely different way several months down the line.
Apple has also instituted a programme for failing MacBook Pro models that faced an issue known as 'staingate', following a saga that caused distress and frustration for many of our readers.
But for most problems you'll need to approach Apple as an individual, and demonstrate that the issue was fundamental to the product rather than something that has developed over months and years of ownership. In those cases you will generally need to fall back on your warranty and insurance rights.
For more information on your legal rights and best options when getting an Apple product replaced, repaired or refunded, see Will Apple replace my broken iPhone for free? And we will list other Apple product recalls and free repair programmes in the rest of this article.
iPhone repairs and recalls
Here are the product recalls Apple has announced for the iPhone.
iPhone 6s battery shutdown issue
In November 2016, Apple acknowledged that iPhone 6s handsets made in September and October last were faulty and prone to spontaneous and unexpected shutdowns; it says the issue is battery-related. The firm is therefore willing to offer a free replacement for the battery unit in affected models.
"Apple has determined that a very small number of iPhone 6s devices may unexpectedly shut down," the firm says in a statement. "This is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between September and October 2015."
The announcement follows an investigation into reported shutdowns by the China Consumers Association.
In early December 2016 as noted by USA Today, Apple's Chinese support page also acknowledged that 'A small number of customers outside of the affected range have also reported an unexpected shutdown'. Apple continues to offer exchanges for the affected models.
How to find out if your iPhone qualifies
The recall applies to iPhone 6s models manufactured in September and October 2015, as explained above, but is restricted to handsets within a specified serial number range.
You can easily find out if your iPhone is eligible for the recall by visiting Apple's dedicated web page for the programme, and using the serial number checking tool. Open Settings > General > About on your iPhone; the Serial Number is listed as the 11th entry on this page. Type this into the field on Apple's web page and hit Submit to find out if your iPhone qualifies.
Apple repairs & recall programmes: Check serial number
9to5Mac offers a list of serial numbers that are eligible. If the fourth and fifth digits in the serial number are any of the following combinations, you should qualify.
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
QC
QD
QF
QG
QH
QJ
If you're not sure, we suggest you visit an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider and have your device's serial number checked.
Your iPhone also needs to work to qualify for the replacement programme. And they'll check.
Reported delays
According to a Reddit user named 'broostenq', Apple's battery replacement programme isn't proceeding as quickly as hoped, possibly as a result of subscribers to the programme exceeding expectations.
"I visited a flagship Apple Store this afternoon and was told by the Genius I would have to wait around two weeks for a replacement battery since most stores don't have any in stock, even though I signed up for an appointment the day the program was announced," broostenq writes.
"Was disappointing to be sent away with a defective battery when the problem affects me frequently and that Apple didn't anticipate the demand for batteries to fix "a very small number" of phones (in their words.)"
Apple product recalls and free repair programmes
iPhone 6 Plus Multi-Touch Issue (aka Touch Disease)
Arguably one of Apple's most scandalous product faults of recent years, what Apple calls the iPhone 6 Plus Multi-Touch Repair Programme first hit the headlines in August 2016. iFixIt initially identified it and called it Touch Disease, although it had been well known within the third-party Apple repair community for some time.
You'll know if you're affected because the iPhone 6 Plus' display will periodically be affected by a small flickering grey bar at the top of the screen. It's about the height of the iOS menu bar and looks a bit like old-school TV static, or may look like a series of short bars (that is, crenellated). Additionally - or alternatively - the screen may become completely unresponsive to touch.
Apple eventually took note and issued a recall in November 2016 but gallingly for those affected the repair isn't free. Apple simply acknowledged the problem and requested £146.44 to get rid of the problem. However, the iPhone must not be damaged and must be in working order. The recall programme is set to end in September 2019, five years after the iPhone 6 Plus first went on sale.
Apple claims users cause the iPhone 6 Plus issue by dropping the phone on a hard surface and then make the issue worse by "incurring further stress on the device" - although they don't go into details as to how.
Apple recalls: iPhone touch disease
What to do if you're affected
If you're affected by this issue then you can either pay for Apple or one of its authorised service centres to make the repair, or visit an independent Apple repair shop to have the work done. The latter will be significantly cheaper but there's no guarantee of quality and you will probably invalidate any warranty you might have (such as one offered by a retailer if you bought the phone used). Nonetheless we found a handful of vendors on eBay offering postal repairs, starting from £70 - just search for "touch disease".
Notably, if you had already paid Apple to make the repair prior to their announcing the recall programme in November 2016 then Apple will pay you an amount "equal the difference between the price you paid for the original service to your iPhone 6 Plus and the £ 146.44 service price". In simple terms, if you paid the standard £306.44 repair cost to Apple to fix the issue then they'll give you back £160. To make a claim if you haven't already, contact Apple. Remember, however, that this only covers Apple-authorised repairs and not unauthorised, third-party repairs.
iPhone 6 Plus iSight camera replacement programme
Is your iPhone 6 Plus camera blurry? Back in August 2015, Apple launched an iPhone 6 Plus iSight camera replacement programme.
Ever since the iPhone 6 Plus was first released back in September 2014, there has been a small percentage of users complaining about blurry photos. The issues weren't present with iPhone 6 users, which leads us to believe the fault is in fact with the optical image stabilisation feature. The feature is said to utilise the A8 chip, gyroscope and the M8 motion coprocessor in the iPhone 6 Plus to stabilise photos, measuring motion data to provide lens movement that compensates for shakiness.
In August this year, Apple admitted that a small number of iPhone 6 Plus cameras were defective, causing the cameras to constantly take blurry photos. Apple has said on its iSight Camera Replacement Program website: "Apple has determined that, in a small percentage of iPhone 6 Plus devices, the iSight camera has a component that may fail causing your photos to look blurry. The affected units fall into a limited serial number range and were sold primarily between September 2014 and January 2015."
The company goes on to note that if your iPhone 6 Plus is taking blurry photos and falls into the eligible serial number range, Apple will replace the camera free of charge.
So, how do you check if you're eligible? All you need to do is head over to the iSight Camera Replacement Program website and input your iPhone's serial number. You can access your iPhone's serial number by heading into the Settings app and tapping General. You should see your serial number - tap and hold it to copy it, then paste it into Apple's Replacement Program website.
However, if you're not eligible but still try to get your camera replaced, Apple will know. Apple will examine your iPhone 6 Plus at either an Apple Store or an Apple Authorised Service Provider to verify the handsets eligibility for the program before agreeing to repair it.
It's also recommended that before you send your iPhone in to be repaired, you back it up either via iTunes or iCloud. The replacement iSight camera will be covered by an extended three-year warranty from the date of the original iPhone sale, however this doesn't effect the standard iPhone 6 Plus warranty coverage.
The most important thing to note: Apple has stated that if your iPhone 6 Plus has damage (like a cracked screen) that impairs the camera replacement, you'll have to fix the issue beforehand.
iPhone 5 battery replacement programme
Apple is offering a second replacement program for iPhone 5 users. This time it's the phone's battery that's giving users headaches. Apple says that a "very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices" may be experiencing poor battery life, requiring users to charge the device more frequently. We actually found that three out of six iPhone 5s we checked for eligibility in Apple's battery replacement program were eligible, so it seems like more than a "very small percentage" to us!
Affected devices were sold between September 2012 and January 2013, and are within a specific serial number range, Apple says. You can check your serial number on Apple's website to see if your phone qualifies for a free battery replacement. You'll find your serial number by going to Settings > General > About > Serial Number.
If you have an affected device, you'll have the choice to replace your battery free of charge at the Apple Store, an Apple authorised service provider or you can send it off to Apple Technical Support.
However, the catch is that if your iPhone 5 has a broken screen, cracked back or any other damage that may impair battery replacement is fixed, which Apple is unlikely to do for free (read on to find out more).
For those with battery woes but no option to get a replacement from Apple, check out our iPhone battery saving tips for help.
iPhone 5 power button replacement programme
In April, Apple confirmed that some iPhone 5 smartphones have defective power buttons and is offering a free replacement.
"Apple has determined that the sleep/wake button mechanism on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models may stop working or work intermittently," Apple said in an online support document.
You can find out whether your iPhone 5 is eligible here.
If you've got a broken lock button on your iPhone 5 or other iPhone model but are not eligible for the replacement program, you can find out how to use the handy lock button workaround here.
Here's how to reset and restore a frozen iPhone.
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