A woman upgraded to a $1,199 iPhone 3 years ago.
She walked out of the store thinking it was the best phone money could buy. For the first year, it was. It lasted all day. She barely thought about it.
Then something changed. Slowly, the way these things always do.
First it was dying at 6pm. Then 5pm. Then 4pm. By the third year, her battery was dead by 3pm every single day.
She started living her life around a charger. She carried one in her purse. She kept one in the car. She had one at her desk, one on her nightstand, and one in the kitchen. She plugged in at lunch. She plugged in again on the drive home. She stopped taking photos at events because she was scared of hitting 10% before dinner. She turned down a long road trip with friends because she didn't trust her phone to last.
She did what most people do. She Googled "iPhone battery draining fast." She read 14 articles. Every single one told her the same thing: your battery is old, replace it.
So she booked an appointment. Apple quoted her $99 for a new battery. She was about to pay it the next morning.
That night, her cousin came over for dinner. He spent 6 years working at the Genius Bar. He's seen every iPhone problem there is. She mentioned the battery appointment, and he asked to see her phone.
He scrolled for about 40 seconds. Then he put it down on the table, looked at her, and said:
"Your phone isn't broken."π§΅