Today is April Fools’ Day, and so some scepticism about the world is probably warranted. But cynicism is probably best avoided as much today as everyday, even if we all sometimes fall into it.

My iPhone 12 Mini is 25 months old. While Wendy and I were nursing lattes in a local deli recently, I spotted an ‘important message’ telling me that the phone’s battery had ‘significantly degraded’ and my heart sank.

The cynic in me decided that it was no coincidence that this had happened just after the warranty had expired. Surely, this was a ploy to get me to upgrade? But I don’t want a massive phone, so I knew without really checking that the latest and greatest iPhone 14 series wasn’t for me—it doesn’t have a ‘mini’ model.

And so, I resigned myself to taking my phone to the Apple Store and parting with £100 or so for a new battery—and having the hassle of them wiping my phone and having to restore a backup. I assumed that would play havoc with my eSIM, and that I’d be spending an afternoon trying to reverify Apple Pay cards.

I was entirely wrong. I scheduled an appointment at the Apple Store, and they replaced the battery in about an hour, for free, without wiping the phone. They didn’t even take my screen protector off. It really wasn’t any hassle at all, and the staff couldn’t have been friendlier.

Sometimes, tech support can be a pain, and even Apple doesn’t get it right all the time. But when they do, the experience can be superb.