Apple could use electrically induced adhesive debonding to make battery removal easier on future iPhones. The company reportedly might use this technology in at least one iPhone 16 model this year.
The move could help Apple make iPhones more repair-friendly — and help Apple comply with upcoming EU laws.
Future iPhones might use new reversible glue to hold batteries in place
In recent years, Apple has made several internal changes to the iPhone to make repair easier. In 2022, iFixit called the iPhone 14 “the most repairable iPhone in years.” Then, in 2023, iFixit found that accessing the iPhone 15 Pro Max internals is much easier than previous models, but replacing some broken components can be challenging.
The company has made these internal design changes to adhere to local regulations and pressure from regulatory bodies worldwide.
Building on its progress so far, Apple wants to use a new technology to make battery replacement easier for users, claims The Information in a June 27 report citing five people. Adhesive strips help hold batteries inside existing iPhones in place, and you must use tweezers to remove them. A “specialized machine and tray” is then used to install the new battery. The process is tricky and often requires the glue to be heated to loosen it.
Electrically induced adhesive debonding
Photo: Kosutami on X
With the new “electrically induced adhesive debonding,” a small jolt of electrical current loosens a special adhesive holding two metal parts together.
The process requires the battery to be enclosed in a metal shell. This will reportedly enable the user to dislodge the battery from the chassis by supplying a small amount of electrical current.
The report aligns with early iPhone 16 Pro leaks, showing its battery with a metal backplate.
The process of “electrically induced adhesive debonding” appears to have been first developed by the United States Air Force, according to this 2010 paper by Swedish scientists describing the process.
According to the paper describing the electrically induced adhesive debonding process, this is how it works:
Electrically induced adhesive debonding is a process where an adhesive can be debonded at command with help of an applied voltage. To make this process function, the adhesive is bonded between two metal substrates. In this study an epoxy adhesive is adhered between two aluminium foils forming a laminate structure. The adhesive is made ionically conductive by an addition of an ionic liquid before the curing. This arrangement forms an electrochemical cell, where the metal substrates act as the electrodes while the ionically conductive adhesive acts as the electrolyte. When a voltage is applied over the laminate, a current passes due to electrochemical reactions at the electrode interfaces and ionic transport in the adhesive.
It reportedly uses DC power supplies — used to test and charge electronics — which are widely and cheaply available.
The researchers say the technology has a wide range of uses: “This includes making adhesive joints in automotives to both reduce the total weight but also to simplify the disassembly after end-of-life, enabling an inexpensive recycling process,” the paper says.
It’ll be very interesting to see if Apple applies the technology more widely, perhaps replacing most of the glue in its products with these new debondable adhesives instead.
Apple could use this technology on at least one iPhone 16 model this year. In 2025, the company could expand the tech’s use to its entire iPhone lineup.
iPhone battery replacement could soon get a lot easier
An easier battery replacement process could help Apple adhere to the EU’s upcoming legislation in 2027, which requires companies to design devices with user-replaceable batteries.
Apple will also have to improve the iPhone’s design to make accessing its internals easier for end users. Despite notable improvements, this process is still challenging, especially without specialized tools and equipment.
