Apple is developing a secret plan that could revolutionize its future iPhone models for all of its 1.46 billion users.
The tech giant is reportedly working to make battery replacements that currently require tweezers and a specialized machine easier by encasing the power source in metal instead of foil – known as ‘induced adhesive decomposition’.
The swap allows people to remove the battery with a small electrical current using a DC power supply, which is used to test and charge electronics and is widely available.
The battery update could be added to at least one model of the iPhone 16 as early as this year, rolling out in September and expanding to all iPhone 17 versions next year.
Apple is reportedly working on making it easier to replace batteries, which now require tweezers and a special device to remove them.
The change to replace iPhone batteries could be introduced in the iPhone 16 coming in September
Before the advent of the iPhone, replacing the battery was a piece of cake. All you had to do was take off the back of the phone and disconnect the battery. Then you placed a new one. But with today’s Apple phones, you need special tools just to open the back of the device.
“I would love to see Apple innovate to improve repairability,” Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, a gadget repair website, told 9to5Mac.
“Glue is the bane of modern appliance repairs, and any strategies that help undo adhesive residue are welcome.”
The new technology allows people to easily remove the battery at home, The Information reported.
Currently, smartphone batteries are held in place with adhesive strips so that they are more resistant to water and prevent water from penetrating the device.
It is unclear whether the new electrically induced adhesive loosening method will provide the same protection.
For standard iPhones, users must purchase an Apple repair kit (costing $50) and use the included tweezers and solvent to slowly and carefully remove the adhesive tape.
They will then have to use a specialized machine called a battery press to lock the new battery back into place.
The alternative is to take the iPhone to an Apple technician, which costs approximately $99 to remove and replace the battery.
The new technology encases the battery in metal that can be removed by applying a small current pulse using a DC power supply used to test and charge electronics and is widely available.
iPhone users currently have to purchase an Apple repair kit to replace the battery for $50, or take the iPhone to an Apple technician, which costs around $99
iPhone users have complained about how difficult the process is, with one person writing on Reddit: “I think we ALL know Apple’s stance on everything they make. Build in redundancy and rip off customers.
“Either you pay an ‘Apple Approved’ technician to replace the battery for a ridiculously high price, or you say ‘Sod that’ and start looking for a new iPhone.”
These complaints have been going on for years as someone else wrote on X in 2019: ‘After 3 years of intensive use, I had to replace the battery of my iPhone SE. Stupid the way it’s glued down!
‘Should be a lot easier, like it was with the iPhone 4. I wonder how many people buy a new phone when the battery dies, even though it’s just a [$21] spare part. What a waste of resources!’
Apple is taking this step as EU law may require the company to make it easier for users to replace batteries from 2025.
DailyMail.com has asked Apple for comment on the update.