The iPhone 7 is controversial and maybe even polarizing and it's anyone's guess as to how it will do sales-wise. The headphone jack's demise is clearly a major consideration for potential buyers and the lack of one could put many people off. Aside from this, while it's a faster, generally better handset than those before it, if you're happy with your current iPhone, but are finding the battery life has seen better days, don't upgrade just for this reason - replace the battery instead.
You can do this at home, it takes about 10 minutes and you can do it for less than $40. If your iPhone is more than a couple of years old - this would apply to most iPhone 5 owners and many iPhone 6 owners too, then your battery is almost certainly not holding as much charge as it did when new. In fact, it may be 10-20% down on where it used to be, which means you might find it doesn't last through the day any more, and you have to charge it more often.
Here's an example of my recent battery change. I've already replaced the battery in my iPhone 6 once about 14 months ago, and in that time, according to the Battery app (an app for jailbroken iPhones but the app 'Battery Life' works just as well and is available for free in the App Store) my iPhone 6 has been through 454 charge cycles.
As you can see, it also lost seven per cent of its capacity, falling from 1751mAh to 1,635mAh. Installing a new battery saw the percentage rise back up to 100%, moving from good, to perfect status. This is just in 14 months of use. If you've had your iPhone for longer than this, you could be down by up to 15% capacity or more.
Replacing it can give you a brand new battery, ready to keep your iPhone going for another few years. I'll be covering procedures for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6, but you can follow the same principles for the 5C, 5S and 6 Plus too.
- Buy a battery and tool kit
Image credit: Antony Leather
There are some cheap batteries around that are hit or miss as to whether they'll work properly when they arrive. I've found iFixit.com and iPhonefixuk amongst the stores that offer the best-quality ones, although it's still advisable to buy the battery and fit it as soon as you receive it.
Get tool kit with your battery, if it doesn't include one. This has the special mini star-head screwdriver for removing the tiny screws on the iPhone, a sucker cup for lifting the screen out, mini screwdriver and plastic picks. It costs around $5 extra on top of the battery.
2. Turn your iPhone off and undo the screws
iPhone 6:
Below you can see the two screws you'll need to undo with the star head screwdriver on the iPhone 6
Image credit: Antony Leather
iPhone 5:
Below you can see the practically identical screws, but on the iPhone 5. Keep them in a safe place until later as they're extremely small and easy to loose.
Image credit: Antony Leather
3. Use the suction cup
Image credit: Antony Leather
The suction cup should be placed on the lower part of the screen near the Home Button. This will allow you to lift the screen up from the bottom of the iPhone. Note that there is a small ribbon cable on both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 so don't pull too hard and don't lift the screen higher than 90 degrees. If the screen is tricky to get out, use a plastic pick, working it down the sides to lift it out.
4. Unscrew the battery cover
iPhone 5:
Below is the battery cover on the iPhone 5 - you need to remove the screws holding it down as shown. With the iPhone 5, you can skip to step 4.
Image credit: Antony Leather
iPhone 6:
Below is what the battery cover looks like on the iPhone 6 - remove the two screws that hold it down.
With the iPhone 6, the battery is held in place using adhesive that may require you to be warm the iPhone using a hair dryer from the rear of the case first. To do this, it's a good idea to remove the screen as it can get damaged. This isn't essential, but recommended. Locate the large metal cover at the top next to the battery as shown below, remove the screws and the cover and then unpick the ribbon connectors underneath to remove the screen
Image credit: Antony Leather
Now go ahead and remove the battery cover on your iPhone 6 - it looks like this:
Image credit: Antony Leather
5. Remove the battery connector.
The battery connector looks like the image below. Use a plastic pick to remove it on your iPhone 5 or iPhone 6.
Image credit: Antony Leather
6. Remove the battery
iPhone5:
Image credit: Antony Leather
In the iPhone 5 the battery comes out fairly easily, usually by pulling on a plastic tab at the side:
iPhone 6:
In the iPhone 6, you will likely need to use a hair dryer to warm the adhesive, blowing at the rear of the case:
Image credit: Antony Leather
No use a flat plastic pick to prise out the battery:
Image credit: Antony Leather
7. Install new battery.
Image credit: Antony Leather
Place the new battery into the slot the same way round, then press the battery connector back into the socket, using a plastic pick if necessary to press it into place.
8. Reinstall
Now screw the battery cover back on and with the iPhone 5, you're nearly there. With the iPhone 6, re-attach your screen connectors and connector cover:
Image credit: Antony Leather
9. Close the case
That's it - close the case by dropping down the screen and gently press it back into the base and then insert the small star head screws.
Image credit: Antony Leather
10.Charging procedure
The first time you power on your iPhone, let it drain flat, than charge it to 100% and let it run completely flat before you charge it again. This way you shouldn't run into any calibration issues and it will be primed to work as normal.
Things to watch out for
The battery should work like new. It should charge up to 100% and drop down to 1%, hopefully with more battery life than you had before. If it fails to charge, you iPhone switches off at 20% or doesn't last as long, return the battery - this happens a lot with cheap ones, but it won't damage your handset.
If you have any questions feel free to comment below.
