Apple has activated a dormant software lock on the iPhone’s battery that affects how iOS software treats unauthorized third-party battery replacements.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes for ZDNet:
The software lock was highlighted by iFixit when the company came across a video by The Art of Repair showing the software in lock in action.
Apple is using a secure memory key built into the battery to lock the battery to the iPhones at the factory. The side effect of this is that if you replace the battery yourself, even if with another genuine Apple battery, the Battery and Battery Health screens in Settings will display a “Service” message. It appears that the only way around this issue will be to have Apple, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, carry out the battery replacement. However, the good news is that testing suggests that the battery continues to work correctly despite these warnings.
MacDailyNews Take: Scams abound in the unauthorized iPhone battery business and theses batteries are capable of doing much damage if not properly handled and installed.
Earlier this year, Kingsley-Hughes reported that iPhone owners who purchase replacement batteries from third-party outlets need to be careful because it’s possible for them to be ripped off as it’s easy to take old iPhone batteries and “reset” them to make them look like new units. Kingsley-Hughes also reports that “the third-party market is also awash with cheap and nasty counterfeit batteries that are potentially unsafe.”
Which is why we cringe every time some frangamdroid loser shuffles aboard our plane with a piece of Samsung junk (which are notorious for battery explosions and fires)… It’s only a matter of time. — MacDailyNews, July 26, 2019