Apple is offering a new program to replace the batteries of certain iPhone 5s for free due to their sudden decrease in battery life.
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Through a post on the company's website, Apple announced that a small number of iPhone 5s were experiencing sudden drops in battery life with more frequent charges needed. For these certain phones, Apple is offering to swap out the battery for no charge at participating Apple Stores and other authorized locations. You can find the closest location to you here.
According to Apple, the affected smartphones were sold between September 2012 and Janurary 2013. To see if your iPhone 5 is eligible for the free battery replacement, you can type your phone's serial number into a form on the program's announcement page to see if it falls within the serial number range Apple has identified with the issue. The program is already available in the U.S. and China. The free replacement will be available to the rest of the world on Friday.
Additionally, for phone users that believe their device had the issue and previously paid to have their battery replaced, Apple is encouraging them to contact support to verify their serial number and see if they're eligible for a refund.
Apple advises affected users to back up their phone's data and turn off Find My iPhone before sending their device in for service. They add that if the phone is damaged to the point that the battery cannot be safely replaced, users might need to pay to repair that damage before receiving the free battery replacement.