Apple’s secret plan to permanently replace iPhone batteries

In the near future, replacing the battery inside an iPhone won’t be a glue-filled, risky, complicated and tedious process: According to The Information, Apple is researching new technology that could make the battery unit inside an iPhone easier to remove, making it more convenient to replace or repair.

Here are some details straight from the source: “The new technology, called electrically-induced adhesive removal, will encase the battery in metal instead of the current aluminum foil. This will allow the battery to be removed from the chassis by applying a small electric shock to it, the source said.”

Apple’s change of heart comes as the company has changed its mind about an adhesive issue that has plagued repair pros and DIYers for years — even the folks at iFixit had to write an article titled “Why Electronics Rely on Glue, and Why They Shouldn’t” to shed more light on the situation.

“A 2020 iPhone can take up to two hours to disassemble, an hour to remove liquid corrosion, and another hour to replace the adhesive — no easy repair,” the article noted.

Why is Apple doing this?

Why is this happening now? It’s because of the EU’s commitment to sustainability and a cleaner future. Last year, the European Commission notified the Battery Regulation, which wants to address the situation more responsibly, in particular in a way that doesn’t exacerbate the e-waste problem. Its core principles are:

1. Targets for recycling efficiency, material recovery and recycled content will be phased in from 2025 onwards. All collected waste batteries must be recycled and a high recovery rate must be achieved.
2. From 2027 onwards, consumers will be able to remove and replace portable batteries in electronic products at any stage in their lifecycle.
3. Portable batteries incorporated in equipment must be readily removable and replaceable by the end user or an independent operator during the life of the equipment if the battery life is shorter than the life of the equipment, and at the latest at the end of the equipment’s life.

“A major success for the Right to Repair is that from now on all new mobile devices and light transport vehicles coming onto the market must be designed with replaceable batteries,” Right to Repair (Europe) coordinator Cristina Gannapini said at the time. You can read the full proposal here (PDF).

The Magic of Ions

So how did Apple switch to this mysterious technology, known as “electrically induced adhesive peeling,” work? There’s a growing demand for adhesives that can form strong bonds but can also be quickly and easily separated with electricity. Such technology is especially useful in emergencies or for parts that need to be disassembled frequently, according to a research paper published in Materials Today Communications magazine.

The electrical and electronics industry is in urgent need of electrically removable adhesives to enable the installation and maintenance of sensitive electronic components. Attaching components to circuit boards with electrically conductive adhesives that react to electricity greatly simplifies the process of removing and replacing faulty components.

Another advantage of these adhesives is that they can be activated remotely, eliminating the need for direct physical contact with the bonded parts. Currently, adhesives used to assemble smartphones must be melted and removed at high temperatures. The technology above performs the same function, but uses electrical stimulation instead of heat.

Going electric is a promising solution that can circumvent many of the challenges. The method relies on adding ionic components, such as dissolved salts or ionic liquids, to the adhesive mixture. These additives add ion-based conductivity to the adhesive, which then makes it responsive to electrical stimuli.

Voltage-activated peeling can reduce the risk of mechanical, thermal, or chemical damage to the phone’s internal components, but the entire approach requires the use of a conductive substrate, such as a metal or a material that can be coated with a conductive layer.

At this point, the peel process can be initiated by applying a voltage between the two adhesive surfaces. These electrically responsive adhesives are currently attracting great interest in the aerospace and electronics sectors due to their potential applications and advantages over traditional adhesive methods. In the near future, the iPhone may become the most prominent adopter of this promising technology.

You can read more about the electrical bonding and debonding process at a microscopic level in the research paper published in the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces here. This excellent paper was submitted to the Department of Chemical Science and Engineering Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Sweden, and you can read more about this whole technology in the context of recycling at the Royal Society of Chemistry.