iPhone 6 DIY Battery Replacement - Experiences? Insights?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So mobile phone batteries have a useful life. Apparently an iPhone 6 goes for 18-24 months before a very noticeable loss of charging performance is obvious.

A quick online scan suggests that battery replacement is an option. Apple offers it but you have to be without a phone for a bit, I believe.

A few sites suggest replacing it yourself. Here’s a How-To from Forbes Magazine: How To Replace The iPhone 6's Battery

So - any Dopers with experience doing this? I am reasonably handy, but no whiz. Worth a try?

Thanks in advance!!

2

No personal experience - my fingers are way too fat and greasy for any of that sort of thing, but I trust this guy a lot when it comes to opinions on how DIY phone repairs are possible or otherwise:

3

The OP can also go to virtually any mall in America and have it done inside of an hour for somewhere in the neighborhood of $100.

4

Ah, I would do that. Specifically to an Apple Store? And if I plan ahead - e.g. Book an appointment and/or show up early or on an off day - it can be while you wait?

Sorry for being so ignorant - thanks for fighting it.

5

Edited to add: my daughter is making it clear her iPhone 5 faces similar issues. Can I take my iPhone 5 to the same place as the iPhone 6, or is it now an older model and must be serviced elsewhere?

6

Any cell phone repair place will be able to replace a battery on an iPhone. (Same with a broken screen, wonky buttons, etc.) Think of those kiosks you may see in your local mall, often they also sell cases and whatnot.

Some of these places allow you to call ahead and make an appointment, others are just first-come, first-served. If you google iPhone repair in your area, I’m sure you’ll find tons of options. Like I said, the cost should be less than $100, and there is no reason it should take more than 2 hours (at the most!) for them to do the work.

I’m not sure what services Apple Stores offer, because frankly it’s so much easier to go to a fix-it shop in my neighborhood when I’ve dropped my phone or whatever.

7

You may want to check out the iPhone 5 battery replacement:

Mine was eligible but I missed the 3 year window.

I’d second getting it done by a repair shop. It’s cheaper than Apple Store and a lot quicker.

8

Yeah malls, Batteries Plus…sometimes you can find someone on Craigslist that will meet you somewhere like a Starbucks and do the battery replacement while you wait.

9

FTR, I’ve replaced the screen,battery, etc… on my ipods/iphones/ipad a couple of times myself.

It’s not difficult with the right tools but I’ve found it much more convenient to pay the $50-60 and be done with it.

10

This is all very helpful. I think I could attempt it myself, but if it can be done at reasonable cost while I wait, that seems doable. Thanks all!

11

One problem with random mall cell phone places is you’re pretty much guaranteed to get a crappy battery. Drains down fast, won’t last long, more likely to catch fire or something.

I’d do it myself.* If I couldn’t I’d at least buy the battery from a reputable site and then pay to have someone install it.

I’ve replaced screens on devices. So a battery in an Android phone is no problem. But Apple is very good at making such repairs hellish. The days of “easy” battery replacement like in IPods is long gone.

12

If you’re replacing your battery you’re probably approaching the end of life of the device anyway. Any new battery is probably better than the old dead one. Do your research on what batteries you can get and which the repair shop will use.

Battery replacement on an iphone is actually easier than on an iPod due to the different case, bezel, glass etc…

If you order on-line look for one that includes the kit including tools and adhesive strips, if you don’t have them already.

13

This is a case where practice makes a difference.

Phone tech’s pry open these phones every day. They’ve learned how to do it with minimal damage.

I’d hate to attempt to open my phone and crack the case. I much rather pay somebody experienced.

14

I’ve replaced a few. The batteries are usually around $15-20 and often come with a tool kit. The biggest challenge for me was removing the old battery from all of the adhesive used to keep it attached to the case. It takes a lot of patience to slowly break the bonds of the glue. Once that is done, if you have any mechanical sense, putting the phone back together is not hard. There are a ton of good instructions on youtube.

Also… if you do try to replace it yourself, be careful NOT to bend the battery while trying to remove it. I did once, bent it too far and the whole thing caught on fire, quickly. Just about ruined my kitchen table.

15

You can use a heat gun (on low) to gently soften up the glue without damaging anything.

16

The battery kits have the necessary tools. Pro-Tip: Take it easy on the coffee that morning. Jeeze Louise the screws are tiny, and a marvel of engineering in of themselves.

17

Yep, and they are not all the same size either so mark them or make notes. As mentioned , there are a ton of instructions on the web on DIY sites, Youtube, etc…

18

I use a muffin tin to keep the screws separate. That or a deviled egg holder.

19

I use masking tape, sticky side up and taped along the edge of a piece of paper. The screws stick to the tape and I can make a little note next to each screw if needed. Top to bottom when taking apart, bottom to top when reassembling.

20

First, go to an Apple store and have them run diagnostics. I was having problems with my iPhone 6 battery, and asked them to check it. They said the battery is still in pretty good shape, and they made a few adjustments to my app settings that helped. Turning down the screen brightness helped a lot, and there is one app that I was using a lot that really sucked up the battery life. I’ve stopped using it, and I’m having a lot less trouble with battery life.