https://www.ifixit.com/News/apple-is-locking-batteries-to-iphones-now
By activating a dormant software lock on their newest iPhones, Apple is effectively announcing a drastic new policy: only Apple batteries can go in iPhones, and only they can install them.
If you replace the battery in the newest iPhones, a message indicating you need to service your battery appears in Settings > Battery, next to Battery Health. The "Service" message is normally an indication that the battery is degraded and needs to be replaced. The message still shows up when you put in a brand new battery, however. Here's the bigger problem: our lab tests confirmed that even when you swap in a genuine Apple battery, the phone will still display the "Service" message.
It's not a bug; it's a feature Apple wants. Unless an Apple Genius or an Apple Authorized Service Provider authenticates a battery to the phone, that phone will never show its battery health and always report a vague, ominous problem.
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Friday August 09 2019, @04:10PM (3 children)
Thanks for the pointer to the flight deal; yes, it's my real name. Cool!
The guy that runs the 'Strange Parts' YouTube channel added a headphone jack to an (IIRC) iPhone 7 but it was a serious hack. I'm not willing to commit the effort to it though. It's time for my sweetheart to learn Android. :/
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday August 09 2019, @06:30PM (2 children)
IIRC some Androids are dropping 3.5mm jacks... I don't get it. I wish nobody would buy a thing without that jack. Anyway, what I value the most is the hands-free microphone that hangs close to a mouth so that you can understand the talker, esp. when there's a lot of background noise. I guess someone could invent a phone holder that would keep it near a person's mouth...
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Friday August 09 2019, @09:32PM (1 child)
The new Samsung doesn't have one. :( It's too bad, that's a nice phone.
I'm not being a luddite about the headphone jack, fwiw. We have a 2011 Equinox and a 2009 Town and Country. The former has bluetooth that works for calls, but not audio, e.g. Pandora or Audible. The latter has an aux port and that's it.
I'm not going to drop $8k on a newer car just so I can listen to audiobooks when I'm driving. :/
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Saturday August 10 2019, @01:12AM
You can buy simple BlueTooth receivers that have 1/8" jack / plug. I'm not recommending this, it's just an example: https://www.microcenter.com/product/418608/istream-dockfree-bluetooth-audio-receiver [microcenter.com]
Audiobooks will live on!