There’s some exciting news from Apple that could make our lives a bit easier when it comes to iPhone maintenance. As the European Union gears up to enforce new legislation, Apple is reportedly working on a cool new tech that would simplify battery replacements in iPhones.
According to The Information, Apple is looking into something called “electrically induced adhesive debonding” for this purpose. Now, if you’ve ever had to replace an iPhone battery, you know it’s a bit of a hassle. You need tweezers to get the old battery out, which is stuck down with adhesive strips, and then a special machine to press the new one in place.
But here’s where it gets interesting. This new tech involves encasing the battery in metal instead of the usual foil. With a little jolt of electricity, you could easily dislodge the battery from the phone’s chassis. Sounds like a game-changer, right?
However, there’s still the tricky part of prying open the iPhone itself, thanks to all the adhesives and screws that keep it sealed tight. Apple will probably still suggest that you go to a professional for battery replacements, but this new method should make the process a lot simpler.
If everything goes according to plan, we might see this new bonding technology in at least one iPhone 16 model later this year, with a full rollout expected for all iPhone 17 versions next year.
Kyle Wiens, the CEO of iFixit, is pretty excited about this development. He mentions that glue has always been a major pain point for device repairs, so any method that helps reverse adhesives is a welcome change. Using a small voltage to release the battery seems like a promising solution since the necessary equipment is widely available.
This shift is also part of a broader plan from Apple to update its iPhone battery tech over the next few years. In fact, we might see the iPhone 16 Pro featuring a metal-cased battery for the first time, which is crucial for the new bonding process to work.
The looming EU legislation might require Apple to make iPhone batteries user-replaceable by 2025, though there might be some exceptions. Either way, it looks like Apple is taking steps in the right direction to make iPhone repairs less of a headache for all of us.