There is good news here for iPhone 5 owners as the Cupertino company has promised to fix faulty sleep/wake buttons of iPhone5 handsets for free. Before We go further, this applies to US and Canada only while two other countries will be added later as of May 2. This is a replacement program for faulty iPhone 5 sleep/wake buttons after finding a “small percentage” of units manufactured before March 2013 include parts that may stop working.
Customers with iPhones exhibiting the described behavior, and who have a qualifying serial number, can have the component replaced free of charge. Apple has also provided a quick serial number verification tool on its replacement programme’s website to check for preliminary program eligibility.
Replacements, which take about four to six days after receipt, are conducted at an Apple Repair Center and owners can bring in their phone personally or send it through the mail. Apple notes that all units will be examined for eligibility prior to repair, including whether the handset is in working condition. Cracked screens and other damage that may impair sleep/wake button replacement will need to be fixed before installing the new part, which comes out of the customer’s pocket.
While their handset is being services, eligible customers may request an iPhone 5 loaner model (16GB only) from participating Apple Stores and Authorized Service Providers.
Replacement programs are rare, but not unprecedented for Apple. Other recalls have seen iPod nanos brought in due to overheating concerns and problems with flash memory drives on MacBook Air laptops.
The only prior instance for the iPhone is the infamous ‘Antennagate’ iPhone 4 issue, which saw signal fall when the device was gripped in a certain way. In that case Apple offered ‘bumper’ cases for all affected users.
