Last August, Apple publicly acknowledged a major audio issue whereby a “very small percentage” of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro devices manufactured between October 2020 and April 2021 “may experience audio issues due to component failure in the receiver module”. when making a phone call.

At the time, the company promised that it or one of its authorized partners would repair eligible iPhones free of charge for two years after first retail sale. As 9to5Mac noted, Apple has now extended that to three years.

Despite the extension of the eligibility period, we advise affected owners to take advantage of Apple’s offer as soon as possible: it is clear that there is no point in living with such a serious problem when it can be solved for free. But it’s also worth noting that any major physical damage – Apple cites a cracked screen as an example – will need to be repaired before the sound issue can be fixed. So any damage you get from now on will make it more expensive to use the free service.

Of course, not every faulty iPhone is repairable. You will need to have your phone checked to make sure it meets the requirements, either by taking it to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Store, or by contacting Apple Support and using the mail-order service. You can check the terms of the service program in the support document that Apple has now silently updated.

Officially, oddly enough, the problem only affects the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. 12 mini and 12 Pro Max are not eligible.