AAPL Apple Inc

By Tripp Mickle and Eva Dou 

Apple Inc. said it would provide consumers world-wide with a free battery replacement for iPhone 6s devices that unexpectedly shut down.

The announcement Sunday came less than a week after a Chinese consumer-protection group said it received reports of iPhone 6s devices spontaneously shutting down though half their battery life remained. It is the second time in the past three years the company has offered a battery-replacement program for iPhones.

The replacement plan comes two months after Samsung Electronics Co. moved to replace millions of its Galaxy Note 7 phone because of battery fires.

Unlike Samsung, Apple said the iPhone 6s battery issue isn't a safety matter and only affects a limited number of iPhone 6s devices manufactured in September and October 2015. Concerned consumers must contact Apple online, visit an Apple store or authorized service provider to learn whether a specific device is eligible for a fix -- wireless carriers aren't participating.

Apple's announcement left a number of questions unanswered, including when Apple learned of the problem and why Apple thinks the shutdowns are related to the battery. Apple also didn't specify how it concluded only phones made in those two months are affected and whether those phones used a different battery, or battery supplier, than other phones.

For at least a year, consumers have reported iPhone 6s devices were powering off and not restarting until after they had been plugged in, according to Apple support forums.

Keat Cross, an accountant in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said his iPhone 6s began having issues in September 2016 when it powered off despite having 28% battery power remaining. He took it to an Apple store and was told the problem likely stemmed from using an unauthorized battery charger. When it happened again, Apple replaced the phone with a refurbished iPhone 6s, he said.

"It won't stop me from getting another iPhone, but it's too bad they're so secretive with issues," Mr. Cross said, adding he thought the company should provide him with a new iPhone 6s rather than a refurbished one. "For a company with so many loyal customers, they need to be sure they're upfront with customers and make sure they get what they pay for."

Apple announced the battery-replacement program just days after announcing a separate repair program for iPhone 6 Plus devices. The company last week said it would repair iPhone 6 Plus devices with displays that flickered or had touch-screen issues for $149 provided the screen wasn't cracked or broken. The company said the iPhone 6 Plus issues were occurring in phones that had been dropped multiple times on a hard surface.

Analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research downplayed the iPhone issues, saying the phones were made over a year ago, and Apple already has moved onto a new generation, the iPhone 7, which hasn't had similar issues. The timing of the iPhone 6s battery-replacement program -- on the heels of the Chinese consumer-protection group raising concerns about it--"probably isn't coincidental," he said.

China is critical to Apple's future. The company is investing heavily there, though sales are sliding as competition ramps up from homegrown rivals. Revenue in Greater China, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, fell 17% in the fiscal year ended Sept. 24 after growing 84% the prior year.

In 2013 and 2014, Apple made changes after being accused by state-run China Central Television of skirting warranties on iPhones and tracking user locations. China sometimes uses state-run media and semiofficial sites to signal permissible, and impermissible, behavior to foreign companies.

The company last offered a battery-replacement program in 2014 for iPhone 5 devices that were experiencing a shorter battery life.

Write to Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com and Eva Dou at eva.dou@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 21, 2016 13:53 ET (18:53 GMT)

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