Apple has activated dormant software within its iOS operating system, in an attempt to crack down on "unofficial" iPhone battery replacements.
The software update means that only Apple batteries installed by Apple will work properly in iPhone handsets.
If you get your iPhone battery replaced by anyone other than Apple, a message will appear in the Battery Health section of your Settings app, stating that "Your iPhone battery may need to be serviced".
This service message is normally an indication that the battery is degraded and needs to be replaced, according to Apple's support page .
However, the message now appears even if the battery is brand new, and even if it is a genuine Apple battery that has been installed by a third-party repair firm.
As a result, the user will no longer be able to access their iPhone's Battery Health tools, which offer information on maximum capacity and peak performance capability.
iPhone users attempting to access their Battery Health tools will be greeted with an "Important Battery Message" stating that Apple is "unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery".
The issue was first spotted on Wednesday by The Art of Repair , which demonstrated the problem on its YouTube channel.
It has since been verified by electronics repair company iFixit , which replicated the issue on an iPhone XS running both iOS 12 and the iOS 13 beta.
The issue reportedly only affects the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max for the time being. However, it is likely to be included in future version of iOS.
"It's not a bug; it's a feature Apple wants," wrote Craig Lloyd from iFixit.
"Unless an Apple Genius or an Apple Authorized Service Provider authenticates a battery to the phone, that phone will never show its battery health and always report a vague, ominous problem."
The good news is that if you get your battery replaced by a third party repair firm, it will still work just fine. iFixit has confirmed that this doesn't throttle the iPhone’s performance, for example.
However, you will not be able to access the Battery Health tools, and it could cause confusion for iPhone users who have recently replaced their battery but are still seeing the service message.
This is not the first step Apple has taken to undermine third-party repairs.
Back in 2016, the company issued an update that completely bricked any iPhones that had a replacement Touch ID home button.
More recently, Apple reportedly started disabling TrueTone on replacement screens - even if they are genuine Apple components.
"This pattern of behaviour proves, once again, that Apple is out to stop all repairs performed by anyone except Apple themselves," said Lloyd.
"The company claims that using third-party components can compromise the integrity of an iPhone's functionality.
"But when genuine Apple parts have the same problem, then clearly it's not really about third-party components at all: it's about preventing you from having any autonomy with a device you supposedly own.
"You bought it, you own it, you should be able to fix it. It's that simple."
Apple has not yet responded to Mirror Online's request for comment.
.jpg?w=600)
