Apple has apparently figured out what the cause of its iPhone 6s battery flaws and unexpected shutdowns was.
The company released a short note linking the issues to mistakes made during the manufacturing process:
“We found that a small number of iPhone 6s devices made in September and October 2015 contained a battery component that was exposed to controlled ambient air longer than it should have been before being assembled into battery packs,” Apple wrote on its Chinese website. “As a result, these batteries degrade faster than a normal battery and cause unexpected shutdowns to occur.”
Apple has insisted that “this is not a safety issue,” perhaps deflecting potential concerns related to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and its battery defects, which have caused the device to be taken off the market because of battery fires and explosions.
iPhones are designed to shut down automatically under some conditions to protect electronics from low voltage, Apple added.
Apple has recently begun a battery swap program in which owners of affected iPhons 6s handsets can get their device fixed for free, or a refund if they previously paid out-of-pocket. On Thursday, the company introduced a Web tool for checking for a qualifying serial number.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Apple