iFixit Shows Off the iPhone 16's Shocking Battery Removal Process

It takes a steady hand to safely remove a battery from an iPhone. Now, in a new teardown video, iFixit is showing how the iPhone 16's battery can be replaced without any tugging, pulling, or cutting—a small electric charge is all it takes.

Improved repairability is, to our surprise, a defining feature of the iPhone 16. Apple totally rejigged the interior of the iPhone 16 lineup and introduced a Repair Assistant feature that lets you configure third-party replacement parts as if they are genuine Apple-made components. The iPhone 16's LiDAR scanner is serviceable (something that wasn't true in previous models), and components across different models of the iPhone 16 lineup are now cross-compatible—you can install an iPhone 16 Pro Max's TrueDepth camera in a standard iPhone 16, and so on.

But the battery is the real star of the show. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus use a new electrically-releasing battery adhesive that improves the ease and safety of battery replacements. Simply apply a 9-volt charge to the battery, and it can be removed within a few seconds. (Unfortunately, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max do not use Apple's new adhesive.)

This improved battery-removal process was put to the test in iFixit's iPhone 16 teardown video. And it's shockingly awesome. No need to rip away at adhesive or tug at pull-tabs. Just grab a low-voltage power source—a standard 9v battery will work—and attach it to the positive and negative terminals inside of the iPhone 16 using alligator clips or electrical probes. The adhesive becomes so loose that you can turn the iPhone 16 upside down to release its battery, though you should obviously unplug the battery before knocking it out of the iPhone.

Applying an electrical current to the inside of a smartphone may seem a little scary. That said, the process appears to be quite easy, and Apple claims that battery removal can be safely performed with as much as 30 volts. The team at iFixit tested the 30-volt claim and came out just fine.

Also, as iFixit notes, Apple is offering iPhone 16 repair guides at launch. We usually need to wait at least a year for Apple repair guides.

The iPhone 16's improved repairability and awesome new battery adhesive are a win—iFixit has granted this smartphone lineup a provisional 7/10 repairability score, which is a massive improvement from the 4/10 that the iPhone 15 line received last year. However, I should reiterate that the electrically-releasing battery adhesive is exclusive to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Apple's Pro models are stuck with a more traditional battery adhesive.

Source: iFixit