iPhone users with faulty sleep buttons could qualify for $80 trade-in credit

iPhone 5 owners experiencing issues with their device’s sleep button can now get a free replacement from Apple. Apple yesterday launched the iPhone 5 sleep/wake button replacement program. The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant admitted that a “small percentage” of iPhone 5 models have faulty sleep buttons so the company has decided to replace the troubled component for free, even if your iPhone 5 is out of warranty.

Late Friday afternoon Apple issued a press release stating that some iPhone 5 devices manufactured through March 2013 may have a defect that causes the sleep/wake button to fail. At that time, Apple positioned mail-in repairs as the only remedy for this issue, but we have learned today that there is another option that may allow affected customers to upgrade to an iPhone 5c/5s for free… According to internal documents furnished to Apple employees this weekend, US customers who make a Genius Bar appointment for the known sleep/wake issue can opt to trade-in their device and may receive up to $350 (or $370 in Canada) in credit, which is $80 over the current maximum for non-affected devices.