Your old iPhone battery can be replaced even if it passes Genius Bar test

Last week, Apple apologized for its iPhone performance slowdown "misunderstanding" and offered select iPhone users a discounted price on battery replacements. However, it was unclear if passing a Genius Bar diagnostic test would disqualify a device from getting that affordable battery replacement. According to a report by MacRumors, Apple will replace batteries in iPhone 6 smartphones and later models even if they pass Apple's own diagnostic test.

The news was first spotted by the French website iGeneration, which reported that an internal Apple Store memo said to replace batteries in these iPhones no matter if Apple's diagnostic test shows the battery can retain less than 80 percent of its original capacity or not. That appears to mean that even if your iPhone 6 or later has a battery that's deemed healthy by Apple's test, you can still get a battery replacement at the reduced rate. Apple lowered the battery replacement cost from $79 to $29, even for out-of-warranty devices.

This welcome clarification comes just days after Apple began offering battery replacements earlier than expected. Initially, the company said the program would roll out starting in late January, but Apple began offering discounted battery replacements just a couple of days ago. Apple said that initial supplies may be limited, though, so don't be surprised if you have to wait for your local Apple Store to have a replacement battery for your iPhone.

At the end of last year, Apple admitted to slowing down the performance of older iPhone models to prevent unexpected shutdowns and other issues that come with aging batteries in its devices. Customers had suspected Apple of doing something to slow down their iPhones for over a year and were understandably frustrated when their suspicions were confirmed. In addition to reducing the cost of battery replacements for the iPhone 6 and later models, Apple said it will come out with new OS features that give users more information about the health of their smartphone's battery. Those new features are slated to arrive via a software update sometime in early 2018.