Towards the end of last year, some evidence came to light claiming that Apple may have been slowing down older models of the iPhone, according to Geekbench results. The following day, Apple confirmed that it had released "a feature" for the iPhone 6, 6s, and SE in order to "smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down" in instances where a high amount of current was demanded. It then came as no surprise that the company ended up being sued and soon offered discounted battery replacements to try and manage the fallout.
While customers could now obtain battery replacements for the iPhone 6 or later for $29 instead of the usual $79 until the end of 2018, this was of no consolation for customers who had already paid for out-of-warranty before the offer"s availability. Now, it seems that Apple is attempting to make amends for this situation. According to a support document spotted on the Apple website, customers will receive a $50 refund if they had a battery replacement undertaken for their devices at an Apple authorized service location.
The Cupertino giant began notifying eligible customers yesterday, an exercise that will continue until July 27, 2018, with advice on how to avail themselves of the reimbursement. However, customers who miss out on the communication and believe they are entitled to the partial refund can contact Apple directly by the end of this year.
The news comes after Apple added the ability to check the battery health of an iPhone in iOS 11.3 almost two months ago, enabling device owners to be better informed about device throttling due to a diminishing charge capacity.