Pulling a battery out of an iPhone
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Apple is reportedly testing ways to make it a lot easier for users to remove the glue holding down the battery in the iPhone, with a report suggesting the new tech may arrive as soon as the iPhone 16.
Like many mobile devices, the battery in the iPhone is a very difficult to service element. In the majority of cases, owners have to submit their iPhones to Apple or authorized repair centers to switch a worn battery for a new one.
With a large amount of components to remove to access it, as well as adhesives, the battery is quite difficult to replace normally. A user can do so via a self-service repair, but that still requires the rental of specialized tools from Apple itself.
Now, Apple is reportedly preparing to make replacement of the battery a bit easier for consumers. According to five people involved in the manufacturing process speaking to The Information, it may arrive with the iPhone 16 in at least one model.
If successful, it could also be rolled out to all iPhone 17 models.
The proposed change could make things easier, but not by much. After device disassembly, the current process of extracting the battery involves using tweezers to pull on adhesive strips. To add the new battery, a machine and tray is used.
The new version is called electrically-induced adhesive debonding, which involves encasing the battery in metal instead of foil. Using electricity, the battery can be dislodged from the chassis very quickly.
It is still a far cry from smartphones of yesteryear, which allowed users to easily remove the casing to grant them free access to the inside of the device, and the battery. It is thought that Apple will still be constructing the iPhone in a way that it will require specialist tools to take it apart, just like the current models.
Despite being easier, it seems likely that the process will only be accessible to customers well-versed in electronics, and are confident to perform their own repairs.
