Apple to block iPhone features for third-party battery repairs

Apple will start alerting users of ‘unauthorised battery repairs’ for iPhones whose batteries have been repaired by third-party service centres.

Apple starts locking iPhone batteries. (REUTERS)

Apple has begun locking its batteries with software to prevent cases of third-party replacements.

As detailed by iFixit, Apple has activated a "dormant software lock" in iOS that blocks features like Battery Health in settings when an iPhone uses a battery that was not installed by Apple itself, 9To5Mac reported on Thursday.

iFixit calls Apple's latest step of locking users into its ecosystem a "user-hostile choice", but the move is not isolated.

As iFixit writes, "This service indicator is the equivalent of a 'Check Oil' light that only a Ford dealership can reset, even if you change the oil yourself."

If a user tried getting a battery replacement from a third party service, a pop-up would appear on the iPhone that would read, "Unable to verify if this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery. Health information not available for this battery."

According to the report, the software lock appears to have been introduced to iPhone XR, iPhone X and iPhone XS Max models, running the latest iOS 12 version or the iOS 13 beta.