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Apple is developing a secret plan that could revolutionize future iPhone models for all of its 1.46 billion users.
The tech giant is reportedly working to make battery replacement easier – which currently requires tweezers and a specialized machine – by covering the power source with metal rather than foil, also known as “inductive adhesive debonding.”
The swap allows the battery to be removed with just a small amount of electricity from a widely available DC power source used to test and charge electronic devices.
The battery update could be added to at least one iPhone 16 model due for release in September this year, before expanding to all versions of the iPhone 17 next year.
Apple is reportedly working on making it easier to replace batteries, which currently must be removed with tweezers and a special machine.
The change to replace iPhone batteries could be introduced in the iPhone 16, due for release in September.
Before the iPhone, changing a battery was as simple as using your fingers to pry off the back cover of the phone, remove the battery, and then slide a new one in. But today’s Apple phones require special tools just to open the back of the device.
“We’d love to see Apple innovate to improve repairability,” Kyle Wiens, CEO of gadget repair website iFixit, told 9to5Mac.
“Glues are the bane of modern equipment repair, so any strategy to eliminate them is welcome.”
The new technology will allow people to easily remove the battery at home, reports The Information.
Currently, smartphone batteries are secured in place with adhesive tape to make them more waterproof and prevent water from spreading inside the device.
It is unclear whether the newer electrically induced adhesive removal methods can offer similar protection.
For a standard iPhone, users will need to purchase an Apple repair toolkit for $50 and use the included tweezers and solvent to slowly and carefully peel off the adhesive tape.
Next, the new battery must be clamped in place using a special machine called a battery press.
The other option is to take your iPhone to an Apple technician, but it will cost you around $99 to remove and replace the battery.
The new technology, used for testing and charging electronic devices, encases the battery in a metal that can be removed by administering a small electric shock from a widely available direct current power source.
iPhone users currently have to buy an Apple repair kit for $50 to replace their battery, or take their iPhone to an Apple technician, which costs around $99.
iPhone users have complained about how difficult the process was, with one user writing on Reddit: “I think we all know Apple’s attitude towards everything they make: they build in redundancies and rip-off their customers.”
“You can either pay a hefty fee to have an ‘Apple certified’ engineer replace your battery, or say ‘enough is enough’ and buy a new iPhone.”
These complaints have been going on for years, with another person writing to X in 2019: “I had to replace my iPhone SE battery after 3 years of hard use. It’s glued in a weird way!”
“It should be easier, like with the iPhone 4. How many people buy a new phone when their battery dies? [$21] Spare parts. A waste of resources!’
Apple’s change of policy comes as EU law may force the company to make it easier for users to replace batteries by 2025.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Apple for comment on the update.
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