In a rare move, Apple has announced on Friday that it will replace broken power buttons on affected iPhone 5 devices, free of charge. The iPhone owners who are experiencing issues can enter their device's serial number into Apple's support website, and if their device is eligible, Apple will repair at no cost.

According to Apple, the on and off feature, or the sleep and wake modes are where the issues lie. Apparently, only a small number of Apple users are affected, so it should not cost the company a whole lot of money, compared to when Apple had to give users a free iPhone case due to a faulty antenna back in 2010.

"Apple has determined that the sleep/wake button mechanism on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models may stop working or work intermittently," says Apple on its website. "iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 may be affected by this issue.

"Apple will replace the sleep/wake button mechanism, free of charge, on iPhone 5 models that exhibit this issue and have a qualifying serial number."

For iPhone customers in the United States, the replacement move is happening right now. However, those outside of the U.S. will have to wait until May 2, 2014. Affected users can take their phones to the Apple retail store, official Apple dealers, or simply mail them in.

"Replacement of the sleep/wake button mechanism is done at an Apple Repair Center. There are two ways to send your iPhone to the repair center-carry-in or mail-in," says Apple. "See below for details. The replacement process takes approximately 4-6 days from the time your iPhone is received at the repair center until it is returned to you. Your iPhone will be examined prior to any service to verify that it is eligible for this program and is otherwise in working order. Before sending your iPhone to Apple for service, you will need to back up all your data and erase all your content and settings."

Bear in mind that if there's a damage to your phone that affected the on and off button, that issue must first be resolved before sending the phone to Apple for repairs. Be sure to remember this, or Apple will likely reject your phone.

What Apple is doing here is a great kindness to its customers. Hopefully, other companies will take notice and follow Apple's footsteps.