Apple to issue replacement batteries for ‘faulty’ iPhone 6s

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) have announced plans to offer free replacements for a “small number” of faulty iPhone 6s battery devices.

The company have stated that the “small” amount of those affected are those manufactured between September through to October of 2015. It said a limited amount of serial numbers were affected by the malfunction.

The error reportedly causes affected devices to shut down suddenly, regardless of whether they have been adequately charged. Any individual whose device proves eligible for replacement will be able to do so, free of charge. However, mobile network operators are not participating in the swaps.

According to sources, the fault may be caused by the use of third party battery chargers as opposed to licensed Apple products. The use of such products potentially damage the circuitry of the handset and consequently cause battery malfunctions, however Apple have not officially concurred with speculation.

This follows a similar service recently introduced by the Californian tech company to repair a fault detected with iPhone 6 plus models, which meant that following upon impact the device home-screen would become less responsive over time. This scheme however was not deemed a manufacturing fault and is consequently available for £146.

More generally, whilst Apple remains a titan in the smartphone and technology markets, recent releases by the brand have proved disappointing for critics with underwhelming re-developments and features. iPhone 7 sales initially saw strong sales, however consumer interest in the handset has been dwindling as of late.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects demand to continue to flatline, he stated to investors:

“We think iPhone shipment forecasts will be revised down due to: (1) lower-than-expected demand due to a lack of spec surprises in the 4.7-inch iPhone 7; and (2) shorter times for delivering online orders of 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, which implies slowing demand. We note that the out-of-stock phenomenon also results from fixed capacity, and is not only due to robust demand.”

Read the full statement on the replacements here.