iPhone 6S battery replacement

They're not just for making phone calls anymore. But they sometimes need repairing.
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

iPhone 6S battery replacement

Post by kevm14 »

This is the first integrated battery that I've ever replaced, on anything. And I tend to run my stuff for a while so that's maybe above average. Jamie said the battery seemed really suspect. The health estimate in the phone said like 88% but as you will see later, this was WAAAY optimistic.

I bought this battery kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PN ... UTF8&psc=1
It claims to be a 2200 mAh battery which is bigger than the original 1715 mAh. It also comes with some tools, adhesive for the battery, screws and stuff like that. $21.99. I could have spent less but I didn't trust them. For all I know the packs are all the same and I should have just gotten the cheapest. There's no real way to know. The reviews were pretty positive so I went for it.

I used mainly this video for guidance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZBQO1-kQTQ

I also read the comments so the main differences from the video are the following:
- I don't remember if the video mentioned it but I ran the phone down to 10% by running the AnTuTu benchmark like 3 times. That's all it took to make the phone restart due to low battery and I started at like 93%. That thing was DONE. But running the battery down is the correct way to dispose of Li-Ion, plus makes any possible lithium fire less energetic.
- I did not remove the screen. It was not necessary. It makes things a little more cumbersome because the screen can't go past about 90 degrees due to the ribbon cables but one of the issues people have after replacing the battery is the screen cable doesn't get connected right. Or plugging the screen in AFTER the battery gets plugged in. To avoid all this I just left the screen on and held it out of the way.
- The adhesive strips under the battery were evidently old enough to not stretch properly and come off. They both snapped. So I had to do some prying and after reading about some battery fire situations, I got out the heat gun to make the adhesive a little more likely to release, heated up the back of the phone, and that helped. I also used one of my interior plastic trim tools to shove under the battery. I tried to avoid bending the battery. This part was a little stressful.

I also just reused the screws. They are ridiculously tiny. Good news: Success, new battery installed, didn't break anything. Probably took 15-20 minutes taking my time. And the good news is, this is the same procedure to replace the screen so now I guess I am certified to do that, too.

Phone is charging now. They claim you need to run it down a few times to condition the cells. I guess I'll do that.
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: iPhone 6S battery replacement

Post by kevm14 »

kevm14 wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 11:23 am Phone is charging now. They claim you need to run it down a few times to condition the cells. I guess I'll do that.
It turned on at 53% and as I said I put it on the charger. But Jamie got a phone call. Neighbors stopped over to go for an impromptu de-stress walk...she took her phone. So....I guess I'll deal with that later. Hope it is fine if she needs it.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: iPhone 6S battery replacement

Post by kevm14 »

Now running the benchmark only drops the battery like 2%. Fixed!

I hope the battery is good enough to last until the phone is completely obsolete. I don't know how long that would really be but it currently serves her needs perfectly, running the current iOS.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: iPhone 6S battery replacement

Post by kevm14 »

Finally ran it down to 33%! Nice. That is obviously way better.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: iPhone 6S battery replacement

Post by kevm14 »

kevm14 wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 8:35 am Now running the benchmark only drops the battery like 2%. Fixed!

I hope the battery is good enough to last until the phone is completely obsolete. I don't know how long that would really be but it currently serves her needs perfectly, running the current iOS.
It did last 20 months or so. Ended up buying a used iPhone XR in November 2021. $326 shipped/tax. Meanwhile I continued to use my original V30 to Jan 2023.
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