# Is it worth it to get an iPhone 6 battery replaced? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708 "2018-06-08T19:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ucha\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e79b87/32.png) [@Ucha\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ucha_G)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/1 "2018-06-08T19:21:00Z")
Have mine since it came out, was wondering if it was worth it to get the battery replaced since it’s quite bad now. Third party apps show it as ~67% of it’s original capacity and I believe it. It dies in basically 4-5 hours of use and it sucks. So, is the process easy? Should I even bother? and if so should I take it to an Apple store or is a local best buy sufficient? Also, did anyone have to update their software? I still like ios 10 and I deff. don’t want ios 11. I am also thinking of just picking up a new phone but honestly, if a battery replacement will make it work like new the iPhone 6 is still great for me. Thanks in advance ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/2 "2018-06-08T19:28:22Z")
I scored a battery on the internet for $20, and it took me 10 minutes to replace it. Some the ‘6’ apps aren’t getting updated, but for the cost, I’m glad I did it. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/3 "2018-06-08T19:39:49Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > I scored a battery on the internet for $20, and it took me 10 minutes to replace it. > > Some the ‘6’ apps aren’t getting updated, but for the cost, I’m glad I did it. Same here…Twice. and the screen once. Quite easy and straightforward, except the seeing part, those screws are VERY tiny and putting the wrong screw in the wrong hole can penetrate and harm your main board. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/4 "2018-06-08T20:05:25Z")
Go to an Apple store and have them do it. It takes about an hour and costs $29. They might require you to upgrade to IOS 11, though. I guess call first to see. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/5 "2018-06-08T21:22:23Z")
One of the latest IOS updates (I think the one to 11.3) includes a screen that tells you about the “battery health”. That might help you decide if a replacement battery is needed. And if it is, I agree that you’re better off paying Apple $79 to do it rather than trying yourself. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/6 "2018-06-08T22:44:41Z")
It’s $29 through the end of the year, which seems like a no-brainer to me. Definitely check ahead though. ---
**Author:** ![Ucha\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e79b87/32.png) [@Ucha\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ucha_G)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/7 "2018-06-11T20:35:24Z")
Thanks for the replies everyone! In regards to replacing it myself, I actually did look into that and was considering it as I have no problem taking it apart etc. but I don’t want to get a non-apple battery. Read some stories on how using third party batteries (i.e non apple) makes the battery wear down pretty quickly and in some cases might be worse then it is now. Probably will replace it for the $29 though… ---
**Author:** ![Ucha\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e79b87/32.png) [@Ucha\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ucha_G)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/8 "2018-06-11T20:37:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > One of the latest IOS updates (I think the one to 11.3) includes a screen that tells you about the “battery health”. That might help you decide if a replacement battery is needed. And if it is, I agree that you’re better off paying Apple $79 to do it rather than trying yourself. Interesting, would be useful but don’t know if this outweighs all the possible cons such as the new Ios slowing my iPhone down (no matter how many updates ios 11 went through.) kind of a paradox here haha P.S It would actually be $29 for me til the end of the year. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/9 "2018-06-12T11:52:45Z")
Just want to comment about my attitude on this sort of thing. I just replaced the battery in an mp3 player. It’s a T.sonic 310, 1GB “stick” player. Here’s a [review](https://www.tomsguide.com/us/sandisk-sansa-c100-vs-transcend-t-sonic-310,review-747-4.html). Note the date: 2006. (I bought it for cheaper later in the life cycle.) I used it this weekend while mowing. Lightweight, rugged, etc. so good for that situation. Note that there are no YouTube how-tos, no battery sites listing what battery goes into this, etc. I had to figure out how to take it apart, how to read the not-quite-all-there battery codes, figure out what was the actual battery number, get a battery off eBay, replace it, etc. I’ve done this with many devices. To me, an iPhone 6 is basically brand new. The idea of giving up on it is incomprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/10 "2018-06-12T18:04:34Z")
The cautionary words are: They might force you to upgrade to iOS 11. So, for 29.00 they will replace your battery. Which should resolve the poor power problems in the short term. But if they force the newest most RAM-hungry version of the mobile iOS into a phone that's several years old, then they are ( for 29.00 ) basically forcing your phone into near-brick status. They do the work for a few moments, replace the battery, and then your phone slowly grinds to a halt. For good. And so you are so frustrated that you go out and buy a new iPhone 10. It’s marketing. Not largesse. You want largesse, look elsewhere than The Apple™® Corporation. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/11 "2018-06-12T18:17:07Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > It’s $29 through the end of the year, which seems like a no-brainer to me. Definitely check ahead though. Cool. I’m making myself a note to revisit this idea in December. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/12 "2018-06-12T21:59:46Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > The cautionary words are: They might force you to upgrade to iOS 11. > > So, for 29.00 they will replace your battery. Which should resolve the poor power problems in the short term. But if they force the newest most RAM-hungry version of the mobile iOS into a phone that's several years old, then they are ( for 29.00 ) basically forcing your phone into near-brick status. > > They do the work for a few moments, replace the battery, and then your phone slowly grinds to a halt. For good. And so you are so frustrated that you go out and buy a new iPhone 10. > > It’s marketing. Not largesse. > > You want largesse, look elsewhere than The Apple™® Corporation. I have an iPhone 6 with iOS 11 and have noticed no appreciable performance difference than iOS 10. Take the conspiracy theories elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/13 "2018-06-13T01:25:14Z")
> [@Ucha\_G](#): > > Interesting, would be useful but don’t know if this outweighs all the possible cons such as the new Ios slowing my iPhone down (no matter how many updates ios 11 went through.) kind of a paradox here haha > > P.S > > It would actually be $29 for me til the end of the year. If you’re on 10.2.1 or later, then your iPhone is likely throttling itself to take into account your degraded battery. Contrary to what you think, replacing the battery will, in all likelihood, increase the performance of your iPhone, regardless if you stay on iOS 10 or upgrade to 11. Here is [a video showing the performance difference of an iPhone 6s before and after battery replacement](https://9to5mac.com/2018/03/05/iphone-6s-before-and-after-new-battery/). The Geekbench benchmark wen from about 2500 to 4400. But if you’re really concerned with staying on iOS 10, just tell that to the Apple person. I’m pretty sure upgrading the OS isn’t a necessity, at least I haven’t read about being so. Either way, you will want to update this fall to iOS 12 because Apple has specifically engineered it to improve performance on older iPhones, all the way back to the 5s. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/14 "2018-06-13T01:26:18Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > The cautionary words are: They might force you to upgrade to iOS 11. > > So, for 29.00 they will replace your battery. Which should resolve the poor power problems in the short term. But if they force the newest most RAM-hungry version of the mobile iOS into a phone that's several years old, then they are ( for 29.00 ) basically forcing your phone into near-brick status. > > They do the work for a few moments, replace the battery, and then your phone slowly grinds to a halt. For good. And so you are so frustrated that you go out and buy a new iPhone 10. > > It’s marketing. Not largesse. > > You want largesse, look elsewhere than The Apple™® Corporation. This is nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/15 "2018-06-13T01:46:18Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > The cautionary words are: They might force you to upgrade to iOS 11. > > So, for 29.00 they will replace your battery. Which should resolve the poor power problems in the short term. But if they force the newest most RAM-hungry version of the mobile iOS into a phone that's several years old, then they are ( for 29.00 ) basically forcing your phone into near-brick status. > > They do the work for a few moments, replace the battery, and then your phone slowly grinds to a halt. For good. And so you are so frustrated that you go out and buy a new iPhone 10. > > It’s marketing. Not largesse. > > You want largesse, look elsewhere than The Apple™® Corporation. I had my 6s’s battery replaced in March and have installed all iOS upgrades and have not experienced anything you mention. I do believe you’re mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/16 "2018-06-13T04:31:04Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Go to an Apple store and have them do it. It takes about an hour and costs $29. > > They might require you to upgrade to IOS 11, though. I guess call first to see. This is what they did for my wife’s phone. They ran some app that told them the health of the battery. (It drops pretty quick for her0 It was somewhat above the problem threshold but they agreed to do a replacement for the nominal price (IIRC about $37 Canadian). When we went back to get it, they said the replacement worked, but then the phone kept spontaneously rebooting; so they gave her a brand new (or possibly refurbished, but it was properly boxed and looked clean and unscratched) replacement iPhone 6 out of the box. Bonus. The only pain was restoring her setup when we got home. (Hint - do a backup in iTunes before you head for the store) IIRC they did not force the update, but (this was February) we were pretty up to date. So she was debating an 8 but now that she has a brand new phone, why bother? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/17 "2018-06-13T12:17:18Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > The cautionary words are: They might force you to upgrade to iOS 11. > > So, for 29.00 they will replace your battery. Which should resolve the poor power problems in the short term. But if they force the newest most RAM-hungry version of the mobile iOS into a phone that's several years old, then they are ( for 29.00 ) basically forcing your phone into near-brick status. > > They do the work for a few moments, replace the battery, and then your phone slowly grinds to a halt. For good. And so you are so frustrated that you go out and buy a new iPhone 10. > > It’s marketing. Not largesse. > > You want largesse, look elsewhere than The Apple™® Corporation. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I had my 6s’s battery replaced in March and have installed all iOS upgrades and have not experienced anything you mention. I do believe you’re mistaken. > [@zbuzz](#): > > This is nonsense. > [@jjakucyk](#): > > I have an iPhone 6 with iOS 11 and have noticed no appreciable performance difference than iOS 10. Take the conspiracy theories elsewhere. Currently running iOS 11.4 on my iPhone 6 and loving it! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/18 "2018-06-13T13:21:13Z")
Trouble is if they upgrade me to iOS11 I’ll no longer be able to play Peggle ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/19 "2018-06-13T19:46:59Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > I have an iPhone 6 with iOS 11 and have noticed no appreciable performance difference than iOS 10. Take the conspiracy theories elsewhere. This is not The Pit. I’m wagging a civil tongue- hey, let’s all try it !! [Apple: Yes, we’re slowing down older iPhones](http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/21/technology/apple-slows-down-old-iphones/index.html). This is The Straight Dope. We fight ignorance here in G.Q. I was responding to posts about the iPhone 6. My statement was based on cold hard fact provided by- hey, how about that- The Apple Corporation. Have a great day ! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708/20 "2018-06-13T20:33:37Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > They do the work for a few moments, replace the battery, and then your phone slowly grinds to a halt. For good. And so you are so frustrated that you go out and buy a new iPhone 10. That’s patently false. The point of throttling older iPhones with worn out batteries is to prevent them from shutting down due to a lack of current. Dying batteries not only don’t last as long, they can’t provide peak power either. Since iOS 11.3 (I think) you can choose to enable the throttling, or take the risk that the phone will crash/power down completely from time to time. Replacing the battery FIXES THAT. The flaw in your supposed logic is that a slowed down iPhone leads to a new iPhone purchase, and not a jumping ship to Android. That’s why Apple doesn’t deliberately try to slow down older phones with new software. Yes the new software tends to be more resource-hungry, but this isn’t 2011 either, the slowdowns are minor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-it-to-get-an-iphone-6-battery-replaced/815708.md?page=2)