Apple has started a new repair or replacement program for their iPhone 5’s with faulty Sleep/Wake buttons.
The scheme was launched after Apple received a number of complaints saying the button becomes stuck or unresponsive. The program is currently only up and running in the US and Canada but is set to roll out to the UK and other countries from the 2nd May 2014. It is at the moment only available to customers whose Apple iPhone 5’s were manufactured through March 2013, but hey, at least it is free of charge!
Owners will have to enter their devices serial number into Apple’s website, where it will determine whether or not they are eligible for the free repair.
Also See: Apple offering replacements for some iPhone 5S with battery issues
Apple has provided two ways for holders to send their phone to their repair centers:
- Take it into an Apple Store.
- Mail it to Apple themselves.
The replacement process is said to take between 4-6 days, from the time your iPhone is received to the time you get it back. Apple are also believed to provide a replacement 16GB iPhone 5 if you really can’t do without your phone while it gets repaired. It is advised, however, that you back up all of your data, turn off the Find My iPhone feature and reset your iPhone back to factory settings before sending it off to Apple.
Apple have confirmed this and stated that: “Your iPhone will be examined prior to any service to verify that it is eligible for this programme and is otherwise in working order, before sending your iPhone to Apple for service, you will need to back up all your data and erase all your content and settings.”
It’s nice to see a manufacturer actually taking note of a fault and proactively trying to fix it, rather than attempting to bury their head in the sand and flat out deny it ever existed. Well done Apple!