Apple Explains Why It Won’t Make iPhones With Replaceable Batteries

The EU dont care.. lol
- If I remember correctly: If it is watertight, replaceable batteries are not required. EZ way to skirt around this stuff.
  
  Nah.
  To ensure the safety of end-users, this Regulation should provide for a limited derogation for portable batteries from the removability and replaceability requirements set for portable batteries concerning appliances that incorporate portable batteries and that are specifically designed to be used, for the majority of the active service of the appliance, in an environment that is regularly subject to splashing water, water streams or water immersion and that are intended to be washable or rinseable.
  From here: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0237_EN.html#title1:~:text=(39)%C2%A0%C2%A0%20To,by%20end%2Dusers
  So watertight is definitely enough of a reason.
  
  That's really stupid, waterproof phones with replaceable batteries are certainly possible and have been done before.
- Until you use some of that money for _lobbying political influence they don’t.
  Facebook can get away with advertising literal scam to kids and old people alike and there are no consequences for them.

- To be fair, accidental damage is never covered under "warranty" (or any other extended service guarantee "warranty equivalents") from any manufacturer. Given these black rectangles go everywhere with us, it's still very good to have a device that won't absolutely crap itself as soon as it gets dropped in water.
  I say this as someone who often sees customers bring in water damaged devices, wanting their data off of it.
  Frankly though, I wish the term used was "water resistance" and not "waterproof". That semantic annoys me.
  
  You should read AppleCare+ ToS before you make that claim. They will absolutely let you file a claim for accident damage (it is spelled out in the ToS).
  
  I wish the term used was “water resistance” and not “waterproof”. That semantic annoys me.
  In my experience they are waterproof. I have AppleCare+ so if my phone were to suffer water damage it'd be relatively cheap to get it fixed, and I fairly frequently expose my phones to water. I've never lost one to water damage so far.
  My understanding is the water proof glue can in theory be damaged if it's exposed to extreme temperatures and the like - that's why Apple doesn't cover water damage for free. But I've done that too (I've had my phone shut down with a temperature error a few times - usually when it's on my motorbike in the full sun for an extended period of time with a map open... it's fine while riding with the windchill but if you park the bike or get stuck in traffic, then it can overheat). Mine still hasn't died int he rain including 60mph driving rain (on the motorbike...) which it's supposedly not designed to handle. Every time that's happened I haven't really had a choice. I'd rather get where I'm going than stand in the rain parked on the side of the road waiting how long, five minutes? three hours? for the rain to stop.
  The one time I have lost a phone to the water damage it wasn't water it was extreme humidity. So I suspect putting the phone in a backpack, and then riding a motorbike in the rain, will actually increase the risk. Proper water has surface tension that stops it entering microscopic gaps. Humidity doesn't do that. And the inside of a backpack is never dry on a motorbike in the rain.
  
  Isn't all damage accidental?
  
  Frankly though, I wish the term used was “water resistance” and not “waterproof”. That semantic annoys me.
  Better is to use an ingress protection code, which provides standardized ratings for exactly how dust and water resistant a device is. Apple does use IP codes and rates the latest iPhones as IP68: dust-tight, submersible at a depth and duration specified by the manufacturer. Apple specifies "maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes".
  
  Im curios how often do you drop your phone in water? I swear to god in my now 35 years, I never lost a phone nor a smartphone due to water damage...
- Even if that weren't the case, waterproof devices with replaceable batteries have already been made for years. There is no technical reason water resistance precludes replaceable batteries. It's just more bullshit.

It is called a rubber o-ring.
That's how other companies have been making water-tight compartments for batteries and other things for literally decades now. But all of a sudden, Apple wants to pretend this is some unsolvable problem. For fucks sakes stop acting like this is some insane ask, goddamn it.
No other government body is as consumer-friendly as the EU, so I really hope this bill passes and forces Apple to comply. I am so sick of the bullshit from these megacorporations who are so big they just don't give a flying fuck about what consumers want. And on the flipside, there are going to be a million Apple apologists who will side with Apple on this topic. Those bootlickers only make things worse for everyone.
- Just wait, Apple will solve this with a rubber o-ring and will receive heaps of praise for their innovation.
  
  You mean magic rings?! Or maybe they'll be called i-rings.
  They'll come up with some stupid ass name like that to make it seem like it is a proprietary thing. Man, I hate that company so much.
  
  iRing.
  
  The $999 rubber oring
- Whata the draw? What makes you pick Apple over something else?

EU wasn't asking bro
- They tried asking before, with the charging connector. Apple effectively ignored them for about a decade, so they're going with the firmer option now.
- Govs should never ask. They must implement the regulation. The corporations are so greedy, they will follow for the money.

So glad to see the Apple fans here aren't a bunch of blind yesmen. With an R&D budget the size of Apple's I am sure theres a way to figure somwthing out.
- Especially since waterproof phones with replaceable batteries already existed. They aren't exactly working from nothing.
  
  I remember dunking my flip phone into glasses of water as a party trick and it was totally fine. This would've been around 2010 or so.
  
  They exist but not at this thinness. That’s an important difference.
- Really refreshing to see Apple fans who have not forgotten they are consumers who have features they want as opposed to accepting whatever decision is made for them.
  Other site was a weird mix of people who seemed less Apple consumers and shared more in common with Apple shareholders with the lengths they'd go to defend things from Apple's financial point of view.
  
  Indeed, I personally consider myself an apple fan but there are definitely things that are bad. People who think apple has done only good and defend them at all time are just imo thr worst.
- use 3M's post-it note glue.

It seems they are not going to make batterie replaceable without a fight. The waterproof excuse is crap, they already don’t give us repairs if the iphone is « water dommage » and they can just make a new water resistant design around the new requirements
- Same lame excuse they used for removing the headphone jack... Never forget what they took from us and the shitty trend they started in the industry
  
  I think the charging port is the next one to go. Just use wireless charging, roast the battery and buy a new phone when the battery finally dies after a few years. However, if the battery really is replaceable, it’s going to change the economics of this plan.
- The waterproof excuse is crap
  Yep. Galaxy S5, released 9 years ago with an IP67, removable battery, sd card and headphone jack with a back you could open with a fingernail.
  
  Yep. Galaxy S5, released 9 years ago with an IP67, removable battery, sd card and headphone jack with a back you could open with a fingernail.
  Spot on. They boast about how the iPhone is IP68, but IPX7 means...
  Protected from immersion in water with a depth of up to 1 meter (or 3.3 feet) for up to 30 mins
  There may be a tradeoff, but I'll take this level of waterproofing with a removable battery over being able to dunk my phone under water for 2 hours without a removable battery. Like that's an easy choice.
  It's all moot anyway. This is just Apple trying to justify their anti-consumer standpoint of wanting to own the device after it's been bought, like every other fucking manufacturer out there. We will own nothing and we'll be happy about it.

What a horseshit excuse: add 6 screws on your backplate, give it a frame with center glass, add a grommet. Give a torque setting for the screws to have a good seal in your instructions. L
Done.
Samsung did this shit years ago in a phone with a replaceable plastic back.
- Don't go pros have replaceable batteries too and get used in like the ocean?
  
  Yes, but they have a very sturdy case. The gopro itself (without the case) is not waterproof.
  Edit: looks like I haven't kept up with the times (username checks out) and now they ARE waterproof even without the case.
- Samsung still does it. It's called the Xcover lineup.

jeeeeesus christ, the idea that a component in your MOBILE PHONE will never need repair is a one-way ticket to fucking landfill electronics.
add a gasket, holy shit it’s waterproof again!
- I mean, they said it never needs to be repaired, so just offer a lifetime warranty if it degrades. Should be easy enough

It would be great if the EU steps back:
Dear phone manufacturers. It seems to be impossible to build water resistant phones with easily replaceable batteries. So we have an alternative for you: In future you must provide a unconditional, professional battery replacement, free of charge for 10 years for each individual phone which is water resistant. Since the phones are so water resistant you also have to replace all water damaged phones free of charge.
2 hours later Apple announces a keynote for next week. A week later Tim Cook presents us next years iPhone with an easily replaceable battery…

Liars! Galaxy S5 was IP67. One of the Xperia phones (forgot which one) was also water resistant but without an IP rating. IIRC one of the HTC phones was also water resistant. At the very least Apple, don’t piss in our faces and tell us it’s raining.
- Motorola DEFY was IP68 rated
- I owned the Galaxy S5 and I fucking HATED it’s design. You dropped the phone and it backplate flew off, the seals were terrible, the stupid flap on the charging port broke off super fast. Let’s not use the S5 as an example because that shit fucking sucked.
  
  You shoulda gotten the S5 active. I loved that phone.
  
  I miss my S5 :(
  
  I loved the galaxys5
  
  Treat your devices better then, this was never an issue for me when I had one. And I never had a case on it.
- what do you call those little plastic building blocks ?
  
  Lego?

My old ass Galaxy S5 had a ip67 rating, dropped it into a pool once and still working to this day, so apple and the rest of these phone manufacturers can piss off with this flimsy excuse especially when they're charging me hundreds of dollars.

Apple needs to have a look at the new Surface devices: https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/14/23761037/microsoft-surface-spare-replacement-parts-microsoft-store and https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/11/23453263/microsoft-surface-pro-9-repairability-improved-ifixit-teardown
Microsoft now sells Surface replacement parts, including displays, batteries, and SSDs / If you have a modern Surface device, then there are plenty of replacement parts to choose from.
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 9 has (...) now has a screwed-in battery module as opposed to an adhered one. Between that and other components having become more modular over the years, repairability is actually achievable.
But instead they're already removed to the press about this new regulations. This is the same crap they pulled with USB-C, still no USB-C iPhones whatsoever and unlike everyone else I'm not confident it will happen this year. To be frank Apple even decided to srew the customer even more by having newer iPhones come with USB-C to lightening cables and without a charger instead of plain USB-A.
- 230$ for a battery!! They have lost their minds lol.
  
  Well, still better than 1000$ for a new iPhone because you can't replace it yourself, Apple won't do it for almost the price of a new phone and they lock 3rd party batteries with serialization :) and you can buy 3rd party batteries for a fraction of the cost. What matters is that 1) you can replace the battery - no glued, soldered bs and 2) they actually sell them.
- Surface is literally twice the thickness of the iPhone (14 vs 7mm). That makes a waterproof iPhone with user-replaceable battery very very difficult, especially since users complained that iphones are heavier than previous models.
  
  iPhone with user-replaceable battery very very difficult
  Isn't Apple allegedly good at engineering? I'm sure they could find a way. There are old Nokia phones that are as thick as current iPhones (or less) and have use-replaceable batteries. This has nothing to do with waterproof, its all about their continued interest in using planned obsolesce and other means to sell new devices.

Well, they have to.
- Good grief.
  
  Too greedy to do that.

Unwillingly is also fine with me.

Fuck water, I want to change my battery.
- It's not even that hard. I had a Galaxy S5, which had Micro-B and a replaceable battery. It's called using a Cover on your USB Port, and a RUBBER GASKET. It's not rocket psychology.

Money. Answer every single time is money
- and here I thought it was always DNS
  
  True

Why? Because fuck you, that's why.
I hate Apple, but I'm not going to pretend that a lot of other phones are as unfixable, or close to.
- My mom's air has a sticky key. They wanted over $500 to fix it and I watched a video on what all that entails, not thrilled to try it. Apple does this shit on purpose.

"EU explains why it doesn't care that Apple is refusing to make non replaceable batteries"

Screws and gaskets. Fuck you apple.

- Like $ync. People need to eat!!
  
  Yes Apple will die if they make a better product for their users!
  
  Are you familiar with the concept of market cap

Force them to cover all water damage under warranty. And let them void the water damage warranty if you replace the battery. This will remove their bad excuse if « keeping the phone waterproof » as it will acknowledge that opening it breaks the seal.

I’ve commented this elsewhere but it wouldn’t surprise me if they actually over engineer the replaceable battery and incorporate their MagSafe tech or something to make replacement batteries prohibitively expensive but technically follows EU rules. Seems like a very Apple malicious compliance outcome.
- I don't hope it will be like this but i would also love to see this concept irl. Seems like something rly interesting
- The first thought that came to my mind was internal solid state power storage (good for an hour or so, but will outlive the rest of the phone) with an external MagSafe battery. Call it MC, but that’s definitely a more Apple UX than disassembling your water resistant phone.

They will though, at least in Europe. Otherwise they will lose that market entirely

Apple does love to take designs that makes their devices enter the realm of disposable tech. Like soldering storage and ram on their MacOS running devices in the name of speed, but one that is not noticeable to the average user. And decreases peoples ability to upgrade it to use even longer like they did the older macs.
So fighting against replaceable batteries seems along the line for them.
- iCloud private relay is the one reason I won’t leave Apple ecosystem.

tl;dr apple won't do that because it's special

Shame on apple

One year ago I brought my PinePhone with replaceable battery into the sea and it's still working!

I could accept an adjustment where manufacturers only need to provide an option in the current generation, I.E. they can sell iPhone 16s that don't have a replaceable battery, as long as they sell an equivalent version that does. The argument for waterproofing seems fair to me, so the best approach in my mind would be to give that choice to consumers.

I would think that as long as a battery is replaceable, it should suffice to meet environmental requirements.
Specifically regarding the iPhone, with the current battery replacement cost being under $100, I find it difficult to understand this being such an issue where an entire continent needs to make a rule against the design.
But I understand some people just want the ability to fix their own shit without having to bring it in for service. And I know this isn't just about phones but nearly everything that has a battery.

Steve would probably come back from the grave the day Apple releases a Nokia style plastic back iPhone

The answer: Apple wants to rip people off.

Don’t know what they’re going on about. They are easy to replace. I’ve done it myself. Takes about 20 min.