Do Apple Stores reset iPhones when replacing a battery?

[jollino]

Hi all,
I have a possibly silly question, but I'm trying to plan ahead.

My iPhone 14 Pro is due for a battery replacement under AppleCare+, which is free of charge. However, I have no Apple Stores nearby (the nearest being 200 km away) and the local Apple Premium Reseller explicitly claims on their site that "Your data will be erased while performing diagnostics", hence the need for a backup beforehand. I assume that also includes replacing batteries, but I won't be able to ask until they open up tomorrow — assuming I get to talk to anyone without physically going in — so I figured I'd ask here first.

I'm surprised about this requirement. I though that the need for a backup was "just in case something goes wrong", not "we will reset the phone anyway". I reckon that also explains why they said the procedure would take two hour: restoring to factory settings at least once, if not twice if it's done again after the battery is changed, takes a while.

Is this standard procedure in the "official" Apple Stores as well? The official Apple page does not mention that the phone needs to be wiped.

Also, I understand that a local backup on the Mac, if encrypted, includes additional private data . The last time I restored a backup from iCloud I was shocked at how most apps didn't retain any login state, making it extremely tedious to bring the phone back to the previous fully usable state, especially as some apps wouldn't restore notifications until they were uninstalled and reinstalled manually. Would restoring from a local encrypted backup prevent that half-cooked situation (e.g. also including cards in Apple Pay, and not needing to reset my Apple Watch as well)?

I have a few things coming up next week, and depending on how this works, I may have to postpone the replacement until I am sure I have time to restore everything properly.

Thanks!

 

[jz0309]

Hi all,
I have a possibly silly question, but I'm trying to plan ahead.

My iPhone 14 Pro is due for a battery replacement under AppleCare+, which is free of charge. However, I have no Apple Stores nearby (the nearest being 200 km away) and the local Apple Premium Reseller explicitly claims on their site that "Your data will be erased while performing diagnostics", hence the need for a backup beforehand. I assume that also includes replacing batteries, but I won't be able to ask until they open up tomorrow — assuming I get to talk to anyone without physically going in — so I figured I'd ask here first.

I'm surprised about this requirement. I though that the need for a backup was "just in case something goes wrong", not "we will reset the phone anyway". I reckon that also explains why they said the procedure would take two hour: restoring to factory settings at least once, if not twice if it's done again after the battery is changed, takes a while.

Is this standard procedure in the "official" Apple Stores as well? The official Apple page does not mention that the phone needs to be wiped.

Also, I understand that a local backup on the Mac, if encrypted, includes additional private data . The last time I restored a backup from iCloud I was shocked at how most apps didn't retain any login state, making it extremely tedious to bring the phone back to the previous fully usable state, especially as some apps wouldn't restore notifications until they were uninstalled and reinstalled manually. Would restoring from a local encrypted backup prevent that half-cooked situation (e.g. also including cards in Apple Pay, and not needing to reset my Apple Watch as well)?

I have a few things coming up next week, and depending on how this works, I may have to postpone the replacement until I am sure I have time to restore everything properly.

Thanks!

no. just had my wife's 13mini getting a new battery this past weekend, at an Apple Store, in the US.
I did back it up to my Mac prior, they did turn "Findy my iPhone" off, ran the diagnosis, took it into the back and it was ready 1 hr later.
Turned "Find my" back on, everything was still there, data-wise incl passcode etc.

I'd suggest contacting Apple via chat to understand their requirements

 

[smirking]

I've taken an iPhone 7 in for a battery replacement years ago and they didn't reset the phone or do anything other than change the battery.

I can understand why Apple or a vendor would be super aggressive in convincing you to keep backups of your phone, but I've never heard of typical diagnostics erasing a phone. I've also replaced a few iPhone batteries myself and aside from it being difficult to change out, it's just a battery.

That said, I would never hand my phone or laptop to a repair agent unless I had a backup I was confident about. This is just not something you take shortcuts on.

 

[jollino]

Thank you both, I am making a local encrypted backup as per requirements, but the store's iPhone replacement page literally says that (under step #1 here: "I tuoi dati saranno cancellati durante lo svolgimento della diagnostica.").

Hopefully it's not going to be the case and they're just being overzealous, but the phrasing does make it sound like it happens at all times, just to run diagnostics.

I'm calling them first thing tomorrow (it's 10 pm right now) and possibly call Apple too. Alas I can't drive to Rome and back just for a battery, and apparently the Adriatic coast of Italy ends at Rimini, according to Apple.

 

[Nermal]

Would restoring from a local encrypted backup prevent that half-cooked situation

Not necessarily. Developers can opt out of backups (why?!) so there's no guarantee that restoring a local backup will fully restore the state of the phone. Like you, I was astounded when I did a restore, because I thought the backup was complete.

 

[doogm]

I've also had multiple battery replacements done at Apple Stores and none had their data wiped. However, Apple tells you to back up the device (and remove Find My from the phone) because sometimes the battery replacement fails (for example, they break another part when trying to replace the battery) and if that happens they could replace the phone with a like-new replacement that would, of course, be factory reset. But I believe that's rare.

 

[jollino]

Thank you all!
I just spoke with the AppleCare team in case things are different here for some reason, and they confirmed that the procedure does indeed normally involve wiping the device, but sometimes skip that if it's not strictly needed. "Even in Apple Stores, ESPECIALLY in Apple Stores." (?!)
Apparently they always do it if 1) the phone doesn't recognize the battery, e.g. a much older device like an iPhone 12 with a much newer battery, or 2) they find something else that's broken and they need to repair that as well, since "you can't just tell them 'change the battery and I'll deal with that later'" (his words).
I do have regular backups, not just for the phone, so I'm not objecting to them suggesting that. My only gripe with a restore is the aftermath, with app status that may not be retained, notifications not working if the APNS token isn't updated, having to unpair and re-pair the apple watch. First world problem, I know, but it ends up taking a lot of time — and that's the one thing I currently lack. It just seems surreal that the procedure is "wipe it all!" for such a simple thing, especially if it all goes smoothly.
I'll try calling the store (or their HQ, not sure who picks up) in a little while and see what they say.

 

[bushman4]

Back it up! Things go wrong in battery replacements even though it sounds simple it’s not.

 

[jollino]

As I said the issue is not having a backup, I already backup to iCloud daily and already made sure that a local encrypted backup goes smoothly (not a restore, but the backup is completed).

It's just about figuring out how likely it is that they may need to wipe the phone, due to time constraints on my part (work, medical appointments, etc.) in case a restore isn't as complete, which @Nermal also confirmed to still be the case.

For the record, the local repair place confirmed that they normally do not do it for just a battery change, but there's a non-zero chance it may be needed. I'll se how the day goes and try to book it over the weekend, or just postpone until the most urgent stuff is dealt with.

Thank you everyone, much appreciated!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

If you have an iCloud backup, you’re good to go. Regardless of “intentions” or plans, it could get wiped.

My iPhone had an unfortunate encounter with a heavy falling object last week - literally crushed (frame bent, both sides smashed). Got a replacement via AppleCare+ and was back up and running quickly with a restore… I was pleased to note that my Apple Watch even automatically paired up with the restored phone; last I knew you had to erase & re-pair the watch but apparently no longer!

 

[jollino]

@FreakinEurekan That's great to hear about the Watch, I was told by Apple that I'd have to unpair and re-pair it just yesterday. May I ask how it worked in your case? Did it just automagically keep working after the restore?
My appointment for the replacement is today, I'm going to make a final local backup before I leave just so it'll be quicker to restore in case it needs to be done, but the Watch thing is actually quite nice to hear about. Did everything else also work smoothly, including notifications? I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but years ago I had a pretty nasty restore experience with an iPhone 11 that had to be replaced due to a bulging battery that was starting to affect the screen!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

@FreakinEurekan That's great to hear about the Watch, I was told by Apple that I'd have to unpair and re-pair it just yesterday. May I ask how it worked in your case? Did it just automagically keep working after the restore?

Yes, it was extremely smooth. I’d been using the watch (s7 with cellular) for calls in the absence of the phone, which due to travels, etc was about 4 days. When the new phone arrived I just set it up normally & restored my iCloud backup, and once it was done I tapped the side button on my watch and was pleased to see the green iPhone icon at the top of the screen! Couldn’t have been simpler, really.

 

[jollino]

That is great to hear! My watch is an older series 4 so it’s stuck on an older version of watchOS, which may be an issue for that. I will find out at some point, they cancelled my appointment because the technician made themselves scarce and i won’t be able to book again until at least late next week. Oh well