Apple AirPod batteries are impossible to replace, which shows the need for right-to-repair reform

July 13, 2021: -When Apple AirPod were first released in the year 2016, they were a marvel of miniaturization.

To ditch cords and be wireless, Apple packed a few chips, microphones, and speakers into each headphone, weighing about 4 grams. Without a thread, the earbud gets its power from a tiny cylindrical battery that has approximately 1% of the capacity of the battery of an iPhone.

But lithium-ion batteries, such as those used by the Apple AirPod , wear out the more they are used.

Some owners noticed that, after several years, used Apple AirPod eventually will last only an hour or so before needing to be recharged, a significant decay from the four-to-five-hour battery life they have when new.

The limited lifespan of AirPods is precisely the kind of problem that the “right-to-repair” movement to be able to fix. Repairing shops and lobbyists in support of repair reform want lawmakers to implement various rules, which include increased access to manuals and official parts and consumer protections near warranties.

But one of their most important requests is for companies to design products with repair in mind, despite packing gadgets with parts that are not labeled and sticking them together with glue, forcing users to use a knife to take them apart.

This desire puts repair advocates at odds with hardware companies such as Apple, whose business models depend on customers that upgrade to the latest model every few years.

When Apple offered a cheap iPhone battery repair a few years before, it hurt sales as consumers were able to hang on to their old phones for longer instead of upgrading. Apple also charges customers for repairs and extended warranties.

Policymakers began engaging more closely with right-to-repair advocates in recent years. State-level bills have been introduced in most states, but electronics companies have lobbied against them, and none have passed.

In May, the Federal Trade Commission released a 56-page report on repair restrictions, concluding that repair restrictions have “steered consumers into manufacturers’ repair networks or to replace products before the end of their useful lives,” precisely the problem users are running into with their AirPods.

“Tech and other companies impose restrictions on the self and third-party repairs, making repairs more costly and time-consuming, such as by restricting the distribution of parts, diagnostics, and repair tools,” the White House wrote in a fact sheet about the order on Friday, linking to a story about fixing Apple products. Apple declined to comment on the White House executive order.

Apple has launched a program it calls the “Independent Repair Program,” which gives repair shops the option to enter into a certification process and contract with Apple to get access to authentic Apple parts, tools, and manuals.

Apple has also decreased the price of its battery replacement for iPhones, and recent models have been designed to make it easier to replace a battery or cracked screen, according to iFixit. Apple has an extensive network of stores and authorized repair shops compared to other consumer electronics companies.

Still, many Apple products remain challenging to repair at home or as a business with no contact with Apple.