Apple offers free repairs to owners of iPhone 7 showing 'no service' connection

Apple will offer free repairs to owners of iPhone 7 models which show "no service" connection problems, the US technology giant said on its website during the weekend.

It’s the latest quality problem facing Apple which overtook Samsung to become the world’s top smartphone vendor. The glitch is due to a faulty component on the model's main logic board, media reported. 

A “small percent” of iPhone 7s sold globally, including on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and the United States, may face the problem, Apple admitted. Owners of these iPhones may see “no service” displayed on their screens when in fact service is available.

The problem phones were made between September 2016 and February 2018. Three model numbers are eligible for the free repair. In China, owners of model numbers A1660 and A1780, which are printed on the back of phone, can have free repairs in Apple Stores. 

In December Apple faced a lot of flak for slowing down older iPhone models as their batteries age. The company apologized and promised to cut battery replacement costs by over 60 percent globally including China.

Apple also announced in January a new software update to inform owners of their iPhone battery conditions and let users decide whether to upgrade their iOS.