Apple iPhone 5
iPhone 5 Replacement Programs extended

Here's some good news for Apple fans who have been complaining about the buggy nature of the on/off button (dubbed wake/sleep button by Apple) on their iPhone 5. Apple has announced that you can get them fixed for free till March 2016.

After discovering that the wake/sleep button on the top right edge of the phone would stop working permanently or sporadically on some iPhone 5 models, the company initially announced the replacement programme in April 2014. All the iPhone 5 models in question were made in 2013.

The 2014 programme allowed customers to type in their iPhone's serial number to verify its eligibility and consequently carry-in or mail-in their device to be fixed within 4-6 days.

The replacement option for the iPhone 5's button was due to expire this month. Apple has decided to extend the time period of the offer up to another year. This means all those who are currently facing issues with the faulty button, have time till next March to get them rectified for free.

Though the programme is generally meant to address all the faulty wake/sleep buttons, there's more to it than it meets the eye. In fact, few redditors have even confirmed that the service does more to your phone than just replace the buggy button in question.

"I had mine fixed through this program. They changed all the buttons and replaced my battery for free too. Once you get your phone back you can ask the guy at the apple store for the list of parts that were replaced. I think they have to replace a few things in order to get to the button," one of them wrote.

The replacement programme is similar to Apple's iPhone 5 Battery Replacement Program that came into light last week. The programme was also set to expire on March 1, 2015 (or two years after the first retail sale of the unit, according to Apple). Now, the company has added a third year onto the programme, extending the iPhone 5's battery replacement program up to 2016 as well.

If you are one of those affected with your iPhone 5, you can check out if your phone qualifies for the program by just entering its serial number at Apple's iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program page.

Stay tuned for more updates!