Apple —

Some iPhone 6S units aren’t turning on, so Apple launched a repair program

The problem affects phones made between October 2018 and August 2019.

Closeup image of rose-colored smartphone.
Enlarge / The iPhone 6S is the new baseline for iOS 13.

Apple has posted notice of a new repair program to address an issue that prevents some iPhone 6S and 6S Plus phones from turning on.

"Apple has determined that certain iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices may not power on due to a component that may fail," the page for the program says. The program is wordily called "iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Service Program for No Power Issues."

The issue does not affect all iPhone 6S and 6S Plus units; rather, it affects phones in a certain serial-number range that corresponds to some handsets sold between October 2018 and August 2019. The iPhone 6S was discontinued in North America throughout that window, but the company continued to make and sell it for some other regions.

Apple's page for the service program invites users to type in their serial numbers to check if their devices are affected. The company also notes, "If your iPhone has any damage which impairs the ability to complete the repair, such as a cracked screen, that issue will need to be resolved prior to the service. In some cases, there may be a cost associated with the additional repair."

If the user's serial number fits the bill, Apple will service the affected devices through either an Apple Store, a mail-in service, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. The company also says that users who paid out of pocket to repair the problem already can request refunds. All these offers only cover the phones if you have purchased them within two years of reaching out to Apple, however.

Apple has offered similar repair programs for its products in the past—for example, Mac laptops with failing butterfly keyboards. The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are currently the oldest iPhones supported by Apple's latest software release, iOS 13. And with iOS 12 last year, Apple sought to improve performance on those phones to extend their longevity in some cases.

Channel Ars Technica