EE gives free phone chargers to customers, will replace them when they run out

Power bars can be requested via text and then picked up in store

(EE)

EE is set to give out free phone batteries to all of its customers, allowing them to swap them for a new one when they run out of power.

Active EE mobile and broadband customers will be able to send a text requesting a unique code, allowing them to pick up a power bar from a store. The bar can then be used to charge a phone — before being swapped for another fully-charged replacement, or charged up at home.

To pick up the power bars, users can text ‘POWER’ to 365, which costs 35p, and receive the code. That code can then be used at any EE store.

The power bars will store enough charge to power up a smartphone battery once over, EE said, and will take about four hours to do so. They have a built in torch and charging lights to show how much battery is left in them.

The scheme will be rolled out “in the coming weeks”, though customers can text the company from today.

Non-EE customers can also be a part of the scheme, but they must pay £20 to do so.

EE said it launched the plan as a result of the dwindling battery life of many smartphones. As features have advanced, average battery life tends to reduce, and so many are left worrying about whether phones will last even a full day.

Nearly 60 per cent of UK smartphone users say their battery doesn’t last a full day and over 70 per cent of young people wish there were more places to charge them up, according to YouGov research.