[Update] Ifixit debunked it, you can swap iPhone 13 batteries

[Master Disaster]

Louis Rossman has but out a call to people who have access to multiple iPhone 13s asking if they can swap batteries around and see what happens after a Tweet gained traction stating the devices ship with encrypted batteries. Now to avoid confusion, we're not talking about the existing system where phones simply warn users to battery might be non genuine but work anyway, apparently the new system stops the battery from powering the phone at all.

 

Here's Louis' video...

 

The astute among us might notice the top response from IFixIt saying they're picking up multiple devices today and will be sure to let us know if this turns out to be true.

 

I'm posting this in GD for now as its not really news, yet. If this blows up however I'll update this thread with more info and ask a mod to move it over to TN.

 

Update

 

Debunked, phones boot fine after a battery swap.

[adarw]

apple is too scared to give Louis a iphone 13 lol

[Zmimgo]

you are against right to repair so much that you ADD A CHIP WITH AN IDENTIFIER ON YOUR BATTERY AND MAKE IT UNIQUE TO EVERY PHONE bruh

 

if Apple will be able to replace the battery, it's just a matter of time before a third party makes a knockoff chip that can serve the same purpose. shouldn't be that bad (but batteries would get more expensive)

[tikker]

Coincidence that this pops up just as Apple is also (again) resisting the move to USB-C as a common charger?

[adarw]

5 minutes ago, Zmimgo said:

if Apple will be able to replace the battery, it's just a matter of time before a third party makes a knockoff chip that can serve the same purpose. shouldn't be that bad (but batteries would get more expensive)

encryption isnt easy to decrypt.... it possibly not going to be possible for people to replace thier own batteries.

[AkIonSight]

apple is just weird

[Sauron]

26 minutes ago, Zmimgo said:

if Apple will be able to replace the battery, it's just a matter of time before a third party makes a knockoff chip that can serve the same purpose. shouldn't be that bad (but batteries would get more expensive)

That hasn't happened for similar issues in the past, I don't see why it would now. At most I could see someone being able to open up the original battery and replace the lithium cells but that's not a given.

[Master Disaster]

25 minutes ago, tikker said:

Coincidence that this pops up just as Apple is also (again) resisting the move to USB-C as a common charger?

If the EU has anything to say (and as always, they do) Apple might not have a choice. If the EU do pass laws Apple will have to comply for all phones sold in Europe and at that point they might as well change it worldwide, it would cost them more to make 2 variants of every phone.

[Kilrah]

2 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

If the EU has anything to say (and as always, they do) Apple might not have a choice. If the EU do pass laws Apple will have to comply for all phones sold in Europe and at that point they might as well change it worldwide, it would cost them more to make 2 variants of every phone.

I'd expect Apple to go the malicious compliance route and just throw a USB-C to Lightning adapter in the box for EU models and call it a day.

[Master Disaster]

1 minute ago, Kilrah said:

I'd expect Apple to go the malicious compliance route and just throw a USB-C to Lightning adapter in the box for EU models and call it a day.

Fair point, well made

[Arika]

The sad this is, it wouldn't surprise me at all if this was the case.

 

They seemingly are doing what they can to lock down as many things as much as possible before right to repair is fully implemented, then they can just say "well, the law wasn't in place then we made these"

[Moonzy]

At this point, what haven't they made unfixable yet? Definitely not an apple engineer looking for things to lock down further

[just_dave]

The only even REMOTELY valid reason for this might be that they're using some sort of brand new, proprietary battery chemistry that pushes nominal voltage to like 3.95V (the battery doesn't seem much larger than the iP 12 but has a lot higher capacity).

 

Otherwise it's just a petty move before R2R legislation passes.

[FruitOfTheLum]

51 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

I'd expect Apple to go the malicious compliance route and just throw a USB-C to Lightning adapter in the box for EU models and call it a day.

That would be a very 'Apple' thing to do!

[tikker]

58 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

I'd expect Apple to go the malicious compliance route and just throw a USB-C to Lightning adapter in the box for EU models and call it a day.

Such an adapter is already needed for fast charging anyway according to their own web page. Granted it's male to male, but might as well just give in and switch if it's already sort of necessary.

[just_dave]

4 minutes ago, tikker said:

Such an adapter is already needed for fast charging anyway according to their own web page. Granted it's male to male, but might as well just give in and switch if it's already sort of necessary.

You do know Lightning to USB C cable ships with every new iPhone since the 12?

[just_dave]

1 hour ago, Kilrah said:

I'd expect Apple to go the malicious compliance route and just throw a USB-C to Lightning adapter in the box for EU models and call it a day.

That's how every iPhone ships since the 12.

[Kilrah]

13 minutes ago, just_dave said:

That's how every iPhone ships since the 12.

No, one of those:

 

 

The point of the EU thing being "you can plug the USB-C male end of the charger you already have into the phone", the Lightning to USB-C male cable that comes with the iPhone need to be plugged into something female, yet some chargers either have an USB-A plug and an A to C cable, or a permanently attached USB-C male. The only "constant" is the USB-C male end that goes into the phone hence what they want to standardize.

[Jo Jo]

1 hour ago, Kilrah said:

I'd expect Apple to go the malicious compliance route and just throw a USB-C to Lightning adapter in the box for EU models and call it a day.

Reading the proposal, that is not allowed, if there's a charging port on the device, it *has* to be USB-C. The law specifically talks about on-device charging ports, so there's no digging out of this one.

OTOH, I saw on reddit somewhere a very malicious-compliance way for apple to deal with this and find a loophole; just disallow charging via lightning, have it only used for data, and charge wirelessly. That technically abides by that law, but it sure as heck is going to make a lot of people confused, angry, and frustrated. But i almost expect that from apple at this point.

Edited September 24, 2021 by ShadowJonathan
Forgot additional context

[Jo Jo]

Regarding the thread topic, however, I'm sceptical. Wouldn't encrypted batteries also make it harder for apple themselves to replace them? I could imagine they have a framework behind the scenes where they keep master keys and such for every battery ever sold, so they can create new ones specifically to replace existing ones, but either they are *this* greedy with their devices, or this rumor doesn't make sense, i guess we'll find out.

[Kilrah]

1 minute ago, Jo Jo said:

Wouldn't encrypted batteries also make it harder for apple themselves to replace them?

No, it's easy to deal with that. Stores could just plug the phone to a computer, press a button and done.

[tikker]

31 minutes ago, just_dave said:

You do know Lightning to USB C cable ships with every new iPhone since the 12?

That's good, means they're halfway there already. Now switch the other end that matters as well.

[Mooshi]

Suggesting an Apple user will have the phone long enough to consider replacing the battery is being optimistic. These are the same phones that have the monopoly with carriers to trade it in after a year to swap to a new one. Apple wants you to contribute to ewaste for profit.

 

And before someone chimes in with a "I'm still using an iPhone 6" type comment, most iPhone users aren't a part of PC tech forums or even know who Louis Rossmann is.

[Zodiark1593]

2 hours ago, Mooshi said:

Suggesting an Apple user will have the phone long enough to consider replacing the battery is being optimistic. These are the same phones that have the monopoly with carriers to trade it in after a year to swap to a new one. Apple wants you to contribute to ewaste for profit.

 

And before someone chimes in with a "I'm still using an iPhone 6" type comment, most iPhone users aren't a part of PC tech forums or even know who Louis Rossmann is.

I still see plenty of phones as far back as the iPhone 7, and a 6S still in the wild be people far less technically inclined than myself (one of which still thinks hitting electronics does anything). 

[Mark Kaine]

6 hours ago, tikker said:

Coincidence that this pops up just as Apple is also (again) resisting the move to USB-C as a common charger?

Yes, but in the same vain...