Easier battery removal probably also on iPhone Pro models

This year, Apple is receiving a surprising amount of praise for the repairability of its new iPhone: the company received at least 7 out of 10 points in the “Repairability Score” from the repair portal iFixIt. This applied to both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro. Only the standard models offer a special feature: their battery sits in the housing with a special adhesive that can be removed by applying voltage. A leaker claims that Apple should now expand the iPhone 17 technology to all devices.

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Four adhesive elements leaked

Corresponding components should already be in pre-production: An image on X shows a total of four of the adhesive elements that, according to @MajinBuOfficial, are intended for the four 2025 iPhones. In a blog entry, he writes that Apple is now planning the technology for all four models of the iPhone 17. The leaker correctly predicted the new titanium special color “desert sand” for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, but has also been wrong in the past.

Even with the adhesive elements of the iPhone 17, it should be sufficient to apply a low electrical voltage to loosen the adhesive – “without effort”. In fact, the battery then practically falls to the repairman, which is a relief after many years of hard gluing or the use of pull tabs that have to be removed with great effort.

Can the iPhone 17 Air also be repaired?

The iPhone 17 is expected to be released in September 2025. Apple is reportedly planning four variants again; instead of the iPhone 17 Plus, there will be an “iPhone 17 Air” with a particularly thin housing. The fact that this can also be repaired comparatively easily would be commendable.

iFixIt now also has suitable hardware ready to release batteries with a conventional USB-C power supply – but otherwise a 9-volt block battery with crocodile clips is sufficient. Of course, little has changed in the still lengthy opening process of the iPhone, but at least Apple is now publishing detailed repair instructions for this, this year even very close to the release of the iPhone 16. Apple of course also has its own instructions for the battery solution on its website.

(BSC)