Can You Replace The Battery In Apple’s Siri Remote?

In all the discussion about the new version of Apple’s Siri Remote, one fundamental question has been largely overlooked: can you change the battery? Few people will have considered that this might not be a possibility, what with changing the batteries being a seemingly crucial part of using a remote for any length of time. But then, Apple is given to throwing the occasional curveball.

The second-generation Siri Remote has a jog wheel, a D-pad, and a central button in place of the touchpad area on the older version. It also has new back, mute, and power buttons. All this is widely regarded to have improved the usability of the Siri Remote, but the device isn’t without room for further improvement. There’s no location chip, for example, meaning the Siri Remote can’t be tracked down using Apple’s Find My app if it is misplaced as many people had hoped.

Unfortunately, changing the battery is another one of these issues. An iFixit teardown found that, while changing the battery is technically possible, it’s also very difficult and risks damaging the Siri Remote. For starters, a panel at the bottom end of the device that incorporates the Lightning connector port and is held in place with two screws looks as though it may be a battery cover but this is, in fact, a red herring. The process is actually a lot more involved.

How To Replace The Siri Remote Battery

Having tried the Lightning connector port panel, iFixit looked for the next best possible way into the Siri Remote. That meant popping off all of the buttons and removing the touch wheel, all of which appears to be tricky but doable. With those elements removed, parts of the interior were revealed, including three torque screws. Once those were unscrewed, it was possible to slide the innards of the remote out of the black casing, albeit with some force.

With the casing removed, the 1.52 Wh battery was revealed. Although glued into place, iFixit says it is actually fairly easy to pull out of its housing. The fun doesn’t stop there, though. Removing the battery brings the lightning port and their cables with it as they are soldered together. That means those need to be detached and reattached to any new battery.

In short, while it is technically possible to replace the battery in the second-generation Siri Remote, it is clearly not intended to be done by the user. iFixit says the process is overcomplicated and one that will “scar the beautiful aluminium housing if you’re not careful.” Presumably, Apple wants to charge people for it somehow — or is perhaps just hoping they’ll buy another remote when the time comes. It’s not user-friendly and it doesn’t align with the environmental credentials that Apple has been touting.

Source: iFixit