CUPERTINO (dpa-AFX) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) has confirmed that the iPhone 6s battery issue may be larger than thought, as the tech giant said that some customers 'outside the affected range of devices' have also reported unexpected shutdowns.
In mid-November, Apple said it will replace batteries for the iPhone 6s free of charge for customers who have experienced an unexpected shutdown of their smartphones. The program covers affected iPhone 6s batteries for three years after the first retail sale of the unit.
'Apple has determined that a very small number of iPhone 6s devices may unexpectedly shut down. This is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between September and October 2015,' Apple stated at that time.
However, the iPhone maker said on Tuesday in a posting on its Chinese support page that a small number of customers outside the affected area also reported unexpected shutdowns. The company again stressed that it is not a security issue.
According to Apple, some of these shutdowns may be normal as the iPhone will shut down to protect its electronic components.
However, the tech giant added that it found a small number of iPhone 6s devices manufactured between September and October 2015 were exposed to 'controlled ambient air' for too long before a battery component was loaded into the battery pack, causing the battery to drain faster than normal. This resulted in an unexpected shutdown.
Apple has not provided details about how many devices have been affected.
The company said it will add an additional diagnostic feature to the iOS software update that will be released next week, in order to gather more information.
According to Apple, the feature will collect a variety of information in the coming weeks that may help it to improve algorithms for managing battery performance and shutdown operations.
If improvements are achieved, Apple intends to deliver them through further software updates.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX