4 ms·

They're taking "commercially available" to mean things like a screwdriver - not a $1000 phone disassembly machine.

by bombcar 7mo ago

wincy 7mo ago
With all due respect, I can buy a kit on iFixit for $55 for an iPhone 16 pro max, including the battery. I’ve replaced my iPhone battery before, aside from the glue being a bit sticky so needing a heat gun it isn’t that difficult.
- FridayoLeary 7mo ago
  And you can do it for much less if you want. I've replaced phone batteries with 6 dollars worth of tools and a hairdryer. You can buy glue or sticky gaskets for next to nothing as well if you care about waterproofing.
  - leptons 7mo ago
    Most people are going to give up in 1 minute trying to open a smartphone. I can't imagine most people I know succeeding to replace the battery by themselves.
    - bombcar 7mo ago
      Most people I know would come to me to replace the battery in an old Thinkpad, and those were made to be easily removable!
- bombcar 7mo ago
  Which is fine - but the law is the law and will look at what Apple (et al) provide and document. (Thought Apple's $99 to do the repair themselves isn't terribly bad all things considered; and likely part of their attempt to forestall complaints and litigations).
- metabagel 7mo ago
  Heat gun? This isn't the type of consumer-friendly battery replacement which the EU is looking for.
  - bombcar 7mo ago
    reminds me of finding an old scout manual that said "go to your neighborhood blacksmith" - different things are "easy" for different people.
    - solenoid0937 7mo ago
      The people that are scared of using a hairdryer on their iPhone, won't be willing to disassemble it either. We have got to stop coddling people. We don't need to compromise on everything just so it's fully maintainable and accessible by the lowest common denominator. This law is being designed for a group that frankly does not care either way, but makes the devices worse for them in a practical, day-to-day sense.
      - globular-toast 7mo ago
        Nah. I'm perfectly capable of using a heat gun. Still don't think it's the kind of thing I should have to do for general maintenance of a tool.
    - krick 7mo ago
      I'm curious what was this about.
  - nearbuy 7mo ago
    You don't need a heat gun. A regular hair dryer is fine.
    - snet0 7mo ago
      A fine way to start a house fire, sure.
- heatgunuh 7mo ago
  > so needing a heat gun it isn’t that difficult. https://xkcd.com/2501/ https://xkcd.com/2501/
- spaqin 7mo ago
  I've replaced a battery in my 2019 Xiaomi phone for $5 (the costs of the battery), using basic tools - albeit the back was already ungluing itself, making that part easier. At 10x the price, it's hard not to call it a massive markup.
- realityfactchex 7mo ago
  Even with a good battery, bugs/features on the latest iOS can make iPhone 15 Pro Max battery last terribly, terribly short. Part of the new requirement should be they can't kill battery lifespan in 2-year old phones through software updates, either. Because even "replaceable battery" doesn't fix that serious problem!
- cryptonym 7mo ago
  Vendor or even model specific tools plus fighting with glue is not that complicated for someone willing to dedicate the effort, but it won't help recycling economy.
streetfighter64 7mo ago
The actual cost breakdown for a battery replacement is: 45 EUR for a new battery 10 EUR for new display adhesive 20 EUR for screwdrivers and a spudger (unless you have them already) a suction cup and tweezers you probably have at home already https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+11+Battery+Replacement/127450 https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+11+Battery+Replacement/1... Ignore the 25 EUR clamp and 20 EUR heat pack, I did and they weren't needed at all. So all in all, around 910 USD less than you claimed. The heat gun discussion in the sibling comments is also completely ridiculous. There must be 100 ways to do it without a heat gun. Put it on the radiator, use a heat pack for muscle soreness, or just borrow a hairdryer. If somebody's unable to replace their iphone battery because they can't come up with a source of heat, I doubt they'd even be able to replace the batteries in their TV remote.
- ssl-3 7mo ago
  Does your iPhone maintain its water resistance after this procedure? According to my read, under the EU rule, that's a requirement along with the easy-to-swap batteries. Myself, I've had bad luck with getting things sealed up just-so in my own phone-repair adventures (which can be validated well-enough in Samsung world by looking at the barometer's reading, squeezing the phone to create some internal pressure, and then watching the rate of change). I like to think that I have reasonably-decent mechanical inclination, but the luck here has been bad anyway. I really just want to be able to take the battery out, put a new one in, and have it otherwise work exactly like it did an hour ago. Alas.

They're taking "commercially available" to mean things like a screwdriver - not a $1000 phone disassembly machine.

by bombcar 7mo ago

They're taking "commercially available" to mean things like a screwdriver - not a $1000 phone disassembly machine.

wincy 7mo ago

With all due respect, I can buy a kit on iFixit for $55 for an iPhone 16 pro max, including the battery. I’ve replaced my iPhone battery before, aside from the glue being a bit sticky so needing a heat gun it isn’t that difficult.

FridayoLeary 7mo ago
And you can do it for much less if you want. I've replaced phone batteries with 6 dollars worth of tools and a hairdryer. You can buy glue or sticky gaskets for next to nothing as well if you care about waterproofing.
- leptons 7mo ago
  Most people are going to give up in 1 minute trying to open a smartphone. I can't imagine most people I know succeeding to replace the battery by themselves.
  - bombcar 7mo ago
    Most people I know would come to me to replace the battery in an old Thinkpad, and those were made to be easily removable!
bombcar 7mo ago
Which is fine - but the law is the law and will look at what Apple (et al) provide and document. (Thought Apple's $99 to do the repair themselves isn't terribly bad all things considered; and likely part of their attempt to forestall complaints and litigations).
metabagel 7mo ago
Heat gun? This isn't the type of consumer-friendly battery replacement which the EU is looking for.
- bombcar 7mo ago
  reminds me of finding an old scout manual that said "go to your neighborhood blacksmith" - different things are "easy" for different people.
  - solenoid0937 7mo ago
    The people that are scared of using a hairdryer on their iPhone, won't be willing to disassemble it either. We have got to stop coddling people. We don't need to compromise on everything just so it's fully maintainable and accessible by the lowest common denominator. This law is being designed for a group that frankly does not care either way, but makes the devices worse for them in a practical, day-to-day sense.
    - globular-toast 7mo ago
      Nah. I'm perfectly capable of using a heat gun. Still don't think it's the kind of thing I should have to do for general maintenance of a tool.
  - krick 7mo ago
    I'm curious what was this about.
- nearbuy 7mo ago
  You don't need a heat gun. A regular hair dryer is fine.
  - snet0 7mo ago
    A fine way to start a house fire, sure.
heatgunuh 7mo ago
> so needing a heat gun it isn’t that difficult. https://xkcd.com/2501/ https://xkcd.com/2501/
spaqin 7mo ago
I've replaced a battery in my 2019 Xiaomi phone for $5 (the costs of the battery), using basic tools - albeit the back was already ungluing itself, making that part easier. At 10x the price, it's hard not to call it a massive markup.
realityfactchex 7mo ago
Even with a good battery, bugs/features on the latest iOS can make iPhone 15 Pro Max battery last terribly, terribly short. Part of the new requirement should be they can't kill battery lifespan in 2-year old phones through software updates, either. Because even "replaceable battery" doesn't fix that serious problem!
cryptonym 7mo ago
Vendor or even model specific tools plus fighting with glue is not that complicated for someone willing to dedicate the effort, but it won't help recycling economy.

streetfighter64 7mo ago

The actual cost breakdown for a battery replacement is: 45 EUR for a new battery 10 EUR for new display adhesive 20 EUR for screwdrivers and a spudger (unless you have them already) a suction cup and tweezers you probably have at home already https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+11+Battery+Replacement/127450 https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+11+Battery+Replacement/1... Ignore the 25 EUR clamp and 20 EUR heat pack, I did and they weren't needed at all. So all in all, around 910 USD less than you claimed. The heat gun discussion in the sibling comments is also completely ridiculous. There must be 100 ways to do it without a heat gun. Put it on the radiator, use a heat pack for muscle soreness, or just borrow a hairdryer. If somebody's unable to replace their iphone battery because they can't come up with a source of heat, I doubt they'd even be able to replace the batteries in their TV remote.

ssl-3 7mo ago
Does your iPhone maintain its water resistance after this procedure? According to my read, under the EU rule, that's a requirement along with the easy-to-swap batteries. Myself, I've had bad luck with getting things sealed up just-so in my own phone-repair adventures (which can be validated well-enough in Samsung world by looking at the barometer's reading, squeezing the phone to create some internal pressure, and then watching the rate of change). I like to think that I have reasonably-decent mechanical inclination, but the luck here has been bad anyway. I really just want to be able to take the battery out, put a new one in, and have it otherwise work exactly like it did an hour ago. Alas.