iPhone 5 battery issues? logic board?

[darizzter]

So for a while my iPhone 5 was dying around 20-30%. I took to the Apple store, they said my battery was all good and to do a full restore (not a backed up restore) and it would all be good. I did this. It didn't change anything.

I see that the battery in the iPhone 5 has been recalled from Sept 2012 - Jan 2013 purchase dates, which my phone purchase date falls into, but as you can probably predict, my phone didn't qualify.

So anyway, about a month ago, my phone died at 30%, which I was used to, so I plugged it in. For a month it never turned back on. The apple sign would appear, and then fade away, and continue this cycle until the battery was completely drained.

So finally last week I randomly tried it again, it actually turned on! After a few minutes the whole apple sign/fade away cycle started again. Eventually I finally had it on long enough (after a few hours of persistence), and I quickly plugged it into iTunes and restored it.

Long story short, it works now (I have yet to let it fully die) but the battery has been draining while it is plugged in. So now I'm pretty concerned its going to die and forever be gone.

I've done some research and seen that the whole apple/fade cycle has to do with logic board failure. But I dont see how my phone would be working again if that was the case.

I'll gladly replace the battery, but unfortunately not from the Apple store, because I am in Europe for 4 months (originally from the US) and they told me that my phone issues are unresolvable and its 250 EUR to replace. Which I find pretty excessive, as I only paid $200 for the phone (the rest over the 24 months of my contract).

I was wondering if anybody has heard of anything like this? Is it the battery? Is the it the logic board? Is it both? Is all hope lost?

Spoke with AppleCare USA and they said mail it to a relative and then have them send it in for the $80 repair and then have the relative send it back to me. That whole process I can see taking about 1.5-2months itself, so I am looking for other options for that as well.

Sorry if this was difficult to read or confusing, as it is 3AM and I'm pretty tired.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Edit: The apple sign appear/fade cycle HAS happened since the phone was restored, it just hasn't happened in about a week, coupled with being plugged into the charger the entire time. So I dont think that problem was completely resolved from the restore, but since it hasn't happened in a while ... maybe?

 

[chscag]

I suppose it could be a bad or defective logic board in the phone, but that would mean the board would have to be replaced. For your information... Apple does not repair iPhones, iPads, or iPods. They send them out and will instead replace your defective unit with a refurbished phone. That's what the $80 charge is for.

Why don't you rent a phone while traveling and wait until you return to the states. Or, do as they suggested and send the phone to a relative.

 

[darizzter]

I appreciate you taking the time to reply, however, that wasn't very helpful at all. You buy expensive devices expecting them to have some sort of longevity, not less than 20 months. Also, I am certain Apple does replace batteries in store, that is what the $80 charge is for. The 250 EURO charge is for the refurbished replacement. Also, I am not traveling, I am doing an internship and don't have disposable money to be spending on "renting" a phone. I also just said that sending the phone to a relative would take up to over a month (2 weeks to get there, 1 week to repair, 2 weeks to get back) minimum. So I am looking for other, cheaper/expedited/do it yourself, options.

I just want an educated opinion on what the diagnosis may be.

Does anyone with actual technical expertise have any input or ideas?

 

[MacInWin]

You got an educated opinion, but choose to ignore it. There is no quick fix. If it's the logic board, you need to take it (or send it) to the Apple folks to repair. Changing batteries will just make you more frustrated as the new battery won't make much difference if the root cause is not addressed. You didn't say where you are in Europe, but there are cheap phones for rent in most of Europe that could tide you over while you send it back to someone in the States for repair. Certainly cheaper to do that than to try to get it fixed for 250 Euro.

 

[darizzter]

Thank you for your reply Jake.

I am sure both of you guys are educated on your Apple products. The reason I was bothered with the first reply, was because there was no insight given on the issue at hand, it was just a regurgitation of my original diagnosis.

Just to make it clear, the $80, whether I send it to home or not, is just to replace the battery. AppleCare suspects its the battery, but I am very suspicious of the call center employee, as well as her supervisor, as she did not even know what a logic board was when I mentioned it, and the supervisor just said its a battery issue. I don't see how sending my iPhone to the US to get a battery replaced for $80 (probably close to $120 after shipping costs) will help me out.

There could be many reasons that the logic board isn't responding correctly or the board may be defective itself. I am seeking advice for a method in which I could test the circuitry/connection (aka loose ribbons) and observe whether or not there any components of the phone that are failing to respond. I suspect that this is the issue, because I would expect that if the logic board itself was defective, the phone wouldn't be turning on - I may be wrong, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but its my current assumption.

I also am going to go a limb here and say that Apple probably won't just open up my phone and make sure everything is connected properly, because when I took it to the Apple store here in the Netherlands while it wasn't turning on, they told me that the issue was unresolvable. I don't find it as a particularly good answer for something to be unresolvable (considering the phone is now on), especially from "Geniuses".

I suppose I will just go and buy a kit to open the thing up and make sure everything is connected properly. I was just thinking that there was some non-invasive method to do this.

Again, I just want my device to work, considering the fact that I have taken excellent care of it and its not even 2 years old.

I apologize if I come off as rude, I just am trying to be clear and concise. I appreciate the responses, regardless of whether or not I thought it was helpful.

 

[MacInWin]

Sending it to Apple will get you more than just a changed battery. Apple will test it before and after to make sure nothing else is wrong with it. The fact that the logic board functions does not mean it doesn't have a part or parts that are taking more power than they should, or that the charging circuits aren't failing, or any of a thousand things that could kill the battery. Frankly, I can't tell exactly what you did with it from your original post, but you did say it went completely discharged. LiIon batteries, like the one in the iPhone do NOT like being completely discharged. That considerably shortens their life. You said it discharges even when plugged in, which is NOT normal behavior, but that could be almost anything, from a bad wall unit, to a failure of the charging circuitry. Without testing, it's impossible to tell. Hence the advice to send it to Apple. There is nothing you, as the novice you say you are, can do.

I can't speak fore the Apple store in the Netherlands, but Apple in the US definitely WILL fully test your iPhone before sending it back to you.

As for opening it yourself, while it is possible, it will probably cost you almost as much to just open it as it will to send it to Apple. The screws on the phone are special pentalobe screws that require a special screwdriver to open. The parts inside are very tightly packed and the wires are very thin. You can look at ifixit.com for videos on what is involved, and they sell kits to do the work, but as I said, if you are a novice, I would strongly recommend against it.

 

[chscag]

To the OP:

I realize your frustration and the fact that you're outside the US; however, please do not equate what service is available in the Netherlands to what is available here in the US. And read over the following Apple KB article with regard to service for an iPhone and then draw you own conclusion:

Apple KB Article