But they're doing this with their own branded replacements. If I put an actual apple battery into my iPhone but don't do it through apple's store, this behavior is what happens.
This is akin to my check engine light always being on whenever any mechanic makes repairs to my car. Yes, Kia is "protecting themselves from liability of damages by 3rd party behavior" but they're also creating a UX problem for me.
As the end user: this is stupid, and I don't like it, and it seems like a choice not a need on the company's part.
iFixit are therefore making a misstatement.
The only thing Apple is doing is not making assessments about the condition of off-brand replacements. This is pretty obvious and expected behavior.
iFixit are using a misrepresentation of this to generate publicity using the same narrative as they always do.