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> Doable for layman? Well, some people are afraid of opening up a device in any way. How do we (or, rather, lawyers) draw a line? Start by not requiring a scre

> Doable for layman? Well, some people are afraid of opening up a device in any way. How do we (or, rather, lawyers) draw a line? Start by not requiring a screwdriver in the process of changing batteries. I remember the early days of Samsung/Android phones where you only needed to pry open the back cover using your nail and the battery was easily taken out. It's a small change but the layman will be way less afraid.

minimaul 3y ago
My experience was that those kinds of back covers would always come loose over time and/or after they were removed a few times they never fit properly again.
- vladvasiliu 3y ago
  Maybe it depends on how they're made. My Galaxy S5's cover never had any issues, even after a few months with a bulging battery. It stayed in place no problem, and the phone was still waterproof enough to not care at all about being in the pouring rain on a motorcycle for several hours at a time.
mvanbaak 3y ago
Those phones were not water resistant. While maybe not important to some, to others it is
- vladvasiliu 3y ago
  The Galaxy S5 was IP67 rated. The back cover could be opened with just a fingernail.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    Only if the rubber port was on the port. Not exactly engineering excellence.
    - vladvasiliu 3y ago
      Right. Although there wasn't any cover on the headphones jack, and apparently newer phones can have waterproof open ports. Engineering excellence or not, the fact is that that old phone was both weatherproof and had an easily replaceable battery.
      - scarface_74 3y ago
        Don’t you think “only if the port was covered” and if the battery and the cover were put back just right are big caveats?
        vladvasiliu 3y ago
        I don't know what you mean by "just right" for the cover. I just clipped it back on, without taking any special precautions, and it seemed fine under heavy rain. Granted, I didn't try throwing it in a pool, though, so I don't know if it would have survived that. Furthermore, the port cover was just in the way if I didn't clip it back in, so I always did, and, as above, never had any issue. While I agree that I much prefer not having an USB port cover, I think that's pretty much a solved issue, seeing how my iphone 7 didn't have one and survived just fine in a downpour. My point is that it is absolutely possible to have an easily replaceable battery while keeping the phone waterproof.
        scarface_74 3y ago
        https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s5-smartphone,3908-3.html https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s5-smart... > After every charge and boot sequence, the phone reminds the user to preserve the IP67 rating by securing the back cover and making sure the USB flap is closed. This reminder gets old fast, but is necessary considering how rushed and absentminded people can be On top of that, to get a reputable battery for it that includes NFC support (because the NFC was built into the battery) was not that much cheaper than just taking an iPhone to an authorized dealer for replacement.
- adhvaryu 3y ago
  > Those phones were not water resistant. And it's 10 years later in 2023. If Apple/other big companies want to they can do R&D and come up with waterproof+dustptoof solutions. Let's face it, they don't want to because it sells more phones.
nonethewiser 3y ago
> Start by not requiring a screwdriver in the process of changing batteries. Thats not actually part of the law though, is it?
kaba0 3y ago
That’s not part of the law, and it absolutely shouldn’t be.
deergomoo 3y ago
> Start by not requiring a screwdriver in the process of changing batteries. I remember the early days of Samsung/Android phones where you only needed to pry open the back cover using your nail and the battery was easily taken out God no. With those designs you lose so much capacity to the extra stuff required to support it. You effectively need two backs—one to cover the battery and another to cover the components inside. You also largely lose the ability to do non-rectangular/multi-cell batteries, which is critical to maximising capacity in many modern phones.

minimaul 3y ago

My experience was that those kinds of back covers would always come loose over time and/or after they were removed a few times they never fit properly again.

vladvasiliu 3y ago
Maybe it depends on how they're made. My Galaxy S5's cover never had any issues, even after a few months with a bulging battery. It stayed in place no problem, and the phone was still waterproof enough to not care at all about being in the pouring rain on a motorcycle for several hours at a time.

mvanbaak 3y ago

Those phones were not water resistant. While maybe not important to some, to others it is

vladvasiliu 3y ago
The Galaxy S5 was IP67 rated. The back cover could be opened with just a fingernail.
- scarface_74 3y ago
  Only if the rubber port was on the port. Not exactly engineering excellence.
  - vladvasiliu 3y ago
    Right. Although there wasn't any cover on the headphones jack, and apparently newer phones can have waterproof open ports. Engineering excellence or not, the fact is that that old phone was both weatherproof and had an easily replaceable battery.
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      Don’t you think “only if the port was covered” and if the battery and the cover were put back just right are big caveats?
      - vladvasiliu 3y ago
        I don't know what you mean by "just right" for the cover. I just clipped it back on, without taking any special precautions, and it seemed fine under heavy rain. Granted, I didn't try throwing it in a pool, though, so I don't know if it would have survived that. Furthermore, the port cover was just in the way if I didn't clip it back in, so I always did, and, as above, never had any issue. While I agree that I much prefer not having an USB port cover, I think that's pretty much a solved issue, seeing how my iphone 7 didn't have one and survived just fine in a downpour. My point is that it is absolutely possible to have an easily replaceable battery while keeping the phone waterproof.
        scarface_74 3y ago
        https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s5-smartphone,3908-3.html https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s5-smart... > After every charge and boot sequence, the phone reminds the user to preserve the IP67 rating by securing the back cover and making sure the USB flap is closed. This reminder gets old fast, but is necessary considering how rushed and absentminded people can be On top of that, to get a reputable battery for it that includes NFC support (because the NFC was built into the battery) was not that much cheaper than just taking an iPhone to an authorized dealer for replacement.
adhvaryu 3y ago
> Those phones were not water resistant. And it's 10 years later in 2023. If Apple/other big companies want to they can do R&D and come up with waterproof+dustptoof solutions. Let's face it, they don't want to because it sells more phones.

nonethewiser 3y ago

> Start by not requiring a screwdriver in the process of changing batteries. Thats not actually part of the law though, is it?

kaba0 3y ago

That’s not part of the law, and it absolutely shouldn’t be.

deergomoo 3y ago

> Start by not requiring a screwdriver in the process of changing batteries. I remember the early days of Samsung/Android phones where you only needed to pry open the back cover using your nail and the battery was easily taken out God no. With those designs you lose so much capacity to the extra stuff required to support it. You effectively need two backs—one to cover the battery and another to cover the components inside. You also largely lose the ability to do non-rectangular/multi-cell batteries, which is critical to maximising capacity in many modern phones.