Apple recalls small number of iPhone 6s due to defective batteries

Info! iPhone users should thank China for the repair program

Apple has announced a new repair program for the iPhone 6s, calling owners whose devices show signs of a defective battery to bring them into stores and have them replaced.

Specifically, Apple says that it discovered that “a very small number” of iPhone 6s devices are suffering from what the company calls an unexpected shut down happening at random times.

Cupertino claims the bug only exists on devices manufactured between September and October 2015, and emphasizes that this should by no means be considered a safety issue because it’s not. The bug only causes phones to shut down even though the battery percentage is at 50 percent or so, the company explains, so it doesn’t explode or anything (as it happened in the case of the Note 7).

“If you have experienced this issue, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider and have your device's serial number checked to confirm eligibility for a battery replacement, free of charge,” Apple explains.

Apple clearly states that every iPhone will be examined to determine if it’s eligible for the repair or not and devices with other damages, such as a cracked screen that impairs the replacement of the battery, do not qualify.

China asked for an investigation

In case you’re wondering how come that Apple discovered the battery flaw on the iPhone 6s, it’s all because of China, as the country recently contacted Cupertino and asked the firm to look into reports of phones shutting down at random times.

China Consumer Association (CCA) recently revealed that it contacted Apple after receiving reports of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s models suffering from a bug causing them to turn off even with battery level above 50 percent, as the organization believed this was a hardware problem.

Apple didn’t previously issue a statement on the request or the faulty batteries, but given the fact that the company is now conducting a recall, it looks like the problem is real and it’s being addressed. There’s no information on how many devices need to be serviced.