Hey everyone! I've got AppleCare+ on my iPhone, but it unfortunately sustained water damage while I was in a country that didn't have any licensed Apple sellers. I ended up replacing the battery myself with a third-party one, and now my phone won't boot up at all. I'm wondering if I can take it to an Apple store in the UK and get it replaced, even if they see I used a third-party battery. Do they actually check for that? Thanks for any advice!
4 Answers
In the UK, it’s similar to the US in that water damage voids warranties. However, you might still be able to get a replacement through AppleCare+ despite the third-party battery. It’s always worth checking with them directly, as you might get lucky with an exchange!
Just to clarify, AppleCare technically gets voided when you use third-party parts, like your new battery. With water damage, you might face additional costs for out-of-warranty repairs, or they could simply refuse to fix it. It really depends on how much they find out when they look at your phone. You might need to pay a fee either way to find out.
It sounds like you might be in a tough spot. Generally, if your iPhone was opened or repaired by a non-authorized technician, Apple won't cover it under warranty or AppleCare+. They could deny your service altogether, especially since there’s water damage. But who knows? Sometimes they don’t look too closely, so it may be worth trying to take it in and see what they say.
Honestly, with a third-party battery in your phone, you're likely not going to see any help from Apple. They typically won’t help if unauthorized repairs are detected. If it makes you feel better, just try taking it in anyway and plead your case—it might just work!
But how do they determine if it’s really a third-party repair? Like, could they just check it out without seeing the battery?