In the face of harsh criticism, Apple has revealed how customers can get their virtually irreplacable iPhone batteries replaced, reports The Globe & Mail.

iPhone users who eventually wear out their batteries will have to send the phone back to Apple for service. That service will cost $79, plus shipping. Users can expect to be without their cellphones for three days.

Apple will make iPhones available on loan for $29 in the duration if anxious owners simply cannot live without.

The complex battery exchange procedure exists because the iPhone battery is soldered on inside, as opposed to a separate unit, and is thus not easily replaced.

This news led the Foundation for Consumer and Taxpayer Rights to register a complaint with Apple. At the heart of the issue is the non-disclosure of this particular bit of information until the phone was already on sale.

The high cost and the taking away of the phone itself for three days, the group says, goes against common cellphone industry practices.

As many as 500,000 iPhones have already been sold after the device was launched with great fanfare and long lines on June 29th.