Apple Says Manufacturing Defect is Responsible for Battery Issues in Some iPhone 5s Devices - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Says Manufacturing Defect is Responsible for Battery Issues in Some iPhone 5s Devices

A manufacturing defect has affected a small number of Apple's iPhone 5s devices causing shortened battery life and longer charging times, according to an Apple representative who spoke to The New York Times. The iPhone 5s, which was introduced in September, is rated for up to 10 hours of battery life on 3G and 250 hours of standby time.

"We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," said Teresa Brewer, an Apple spokeswoman. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone."

iphone5s

Apple has not specified how many iPhones are affected by the issue, but according to The New York Times, Apple's statement suggests that only a few thousand users may be experiencing battery life issues out of several million. After the launch of the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, Apple reported that it had sold a total of nine million devices, but did not break the sales number down further.

While Apple did not give specific details on the manufacturing issue or how it plans to contact affected users, the company will replace defective iPhone 5s units with functional devices.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple's Next Era Begins September 1

Thursday May 7, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company. Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Instagram Feature 2

PSA: Instagram Encrypted Messaging Ends on Friday, May 8

Tuesday May 5, 2026 8:24 am PDT by
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform. Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...

Top Rated Comments

164 months ago
We had a mistake, here is a complete and free replacement.

Just how it should be.

Good on Apple.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
164 months ago
Expect this thread to be full of moany faux outrage about an issue affecting 0.5% of users which is being sorted for them...
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
164 months ago
We had a mistake, here is a complete and free replacement.

Just how it should be.

Good on Apple.

Exactly! But sadly this forum will have some folks that will piss on Apple for not being "perfect", since Apple is the only company that employees robots and not humans. ;)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JayCee842 Avatar
164 months ago
Iphone 5 Master Race :cool:

enjoy your battery 5s and 5c

Don't feel bad just because you don't have the latest and greatest. ;)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
164 months ago
Thank you early adopters.

Or as I like to call you - beta testers.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KylePowers Avatar
164 months ago
I hope mine is part of that recall. Not that I particularly have battery issues, but I've nicked mine a couple times already sigh
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)