Apple has extended its replacement program for iPhone 5 handsets by 10 months. The original deadline of Mar. 1 has already passed, but Apple has agreed to service faulty batteries in the handsets up until January 2016.

Apple initiated the battery replacement program to take care of iPhone 5 handsets that suddenly delivered significantly shorter battery life or needed to be charged more frequently than the norm. iPhone 5 handsets exhibiting those symptoms are eligible for free service, up until the new deadline.

The devices Apple believes to be especially susceptible to battery issues were sold between September 2012 and January 2013. The replacement program covers the eligible and affected iPhone 5 batteries for up to three years after the units were first sold at retail.

Apple maintains that a small number of iPhone 5 handsets were impacted the battery issues and is offering the free service to smartphones that fall within a limited serial range.

Consumers wishing to check their iPhone 5's eligibility can do so by entering their devices' serial numbers into the search field on the page.

Apple recommends that affected individuals prepare for service by backing up their data to iTunes or iCloud, turning off Find my Phone and wiping their handsets' data. Cracked screens and other display impairments will need to be addressed before submitting a device to the battery replacement program, and Apple says it isn't paying for that.

In other Apple battery news, Cupertino recently indicated that it is willing to settle allegations that it poached top engineers from A123 Systems. A123 Systems, a fabricator of lithium-ion batteries, accused Apple of poaching top engineers that were still bound by the terms of their previous positions.

A123 Systems alleges that key employees, still bound by non-disclosure and non-competition agreements, have been scooped up by Apple because the iPhone maker is seeking to create a rival battery division.

"Upon information and belief, all of the individual defendants are working in a field of battery science, technology, and/or products that are substantially similar if not identical to the field they worked in at A123," states (pdf) A123 Systems in the lawsuit.

Apple has requested an extension of the time it has to respond to the lawsuit, which has led some to believe the company is working out a proposal to settle the matter.