I cannot get my incase slider OFF of my iPhone!!

[KER822]

Hello,

I purchased my new iPhone in the beginning of October. Wanting to keep my new, pretty white iPhone nice, I immediately began researching cases.

I decided to purchase a white incase slider (http://www.goincase.com/products/detail/slider-case-cl59056). I went to my local apple store and it was in stock! Everything about the trip was successful (except that the screen protector I wanted was out of stock).

I went against my better judgment & let the apple associate who helped me just put the case on my phone and I left the store with a fully protected iPhone.

Well, I got home and was playing with the case and I could not get the cover off to save my life! This posed a problem because I still wanted the anti-glare screen protector, and I would need to remove the case to apply it to my phone!

So I went back to my apple store the next week and another sales associate attempted to help me with my problem. There was NO success! He even took my phone back to the "geniuses" and he returned with no forward progress.

The "geniuses" suggested getting the phone cold in order to shrink the plastic of the phone. When I got home, I wrapped my phone in a paper towel and did what any sane person would do & stuck my phone in my refrigerator!
I only left it in there for a few minutes as I was worried about killing my beloved iPhone. That did not work. So I took it one step further and stuck it in the "quick freeze" part of my freezer...still no success.

I've only thought of one more option, which is to use a rubber jar opener to get a grip on the phone. (I have to get a rubber jar opener now).

Regardless, this is beyond ridiculous! I am so furious! :mad:

I just wanted to pick some brains on this message board for suggestions before I flip my lid at the apple store later this week.

Any insight will be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you in advance!
KER822

[mlemonds]

wouldnt the cold make the case tighter since the case would cool faster?

try using a hair drier to heat up the case a little and then try.

[Ferris23]

Cold-Contract
Heat-Expand

You would want to expand the case to make it slightly larger in order to pull the phone out. Hairdryer!

[gilkisson]

Eek. I don't know if I'd resort to thermal expansion/contraction...

Seems many people have had the same problem with that case, and resorted to sheer brute force:

http://store.apple.com/us/reviews/TS606LL/A?rp=3&rs=mostUseful
(http://store.apple.com/us/reviews/TS606LL/A?rp=3&rs=mostUseful)

[iMetalG5]

funny, well no its not but i was at the apple store last night and there were a bunch of "case geeks" hanging out there trying every single case on the shelf for their newly purchased 16GB White. and the sales kid was saying a few people love the Slider but more than a few have complained how it got stuck on there. This sales kid said most people put it on crooked hence why it wont come off. I have no idea if this is even possible. Also everyone complains how the slider pulls up the screen protector and again the sales kid said "If people would take their time and install the protector correct the first time they wouldn't have the problem"

i've read people have damaged their iPhones trying to get this off. Using screwdrivers to pry it off :eek:

[KER822]

I think the idea of cooling the phone off was that the plastic on the phone itself would shrink. Putting a hairdryer to my lil iPhone scares the crap out of me.

I am so sad about this. I think the part that makes me the MOST upset is that I let the apple associate put the case on for me in the first place. I'm certian that had I put it on, I would have noticed *odd, this is difficult to get on* and then hopefully would have decided against the case.

:(

[PSiBeR]

I think the idea of cooling the phone off was that the plastic on the phone itself would shrink. Putting a hairdryer to my lil iPhone scares the crap out of me.

I am so sad about this. I think the part that makes me the MOST upset is that I let the apple associate put the case on for me in the first place. I'm certian that had I put it on, I would have noticed *odd, this is difficult to get on* and then hopefully would have decided against the case.

:(


OP, I feel for you man! I also had endured the pain of getting the white slider case off of my 8GB iPhone. Luckily I managed to get the case off without scratching up the chrome bezel. There has been numerous discussions on the Incase Slider, the initial batch were made small, then the most recent new batches have been fixed and were slightly bigger, for easy sliding in and out.

As you were watching the associate put the case on for you, if you saw a struggle on sliding the phone into the case that should be a sure indicator, that it was not slid in properly or the case is one of the old batches with problems.

I myself was almost crying when I couldnt get the top part of the case to slide off (no joke here guys). I tried almost everything with the scotch tape method, to holding the sides of the case stretching it out and trying to force the phone to come out. What I can reccomend you do is get those rubber jar opener things and hold it on the middle of the phone and trying to slide it out that way. Or just pretty much stretch the sides of the case as much as you can and push the phone out.

Are you in Canada btw? because I'm not sure if were recieved the new batches of white sliders yet. I was gonna buy another one and see if it is the new batches, but dont wanna take the risk. I'm content with my Agent 18 clearshield for now.

Good luck! ;)

EDIT: Hope this thread will help you - http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=555056

[Rayfire]

I'm sorry to hear about that. Come to think of it I thought they revised already the white slider from incase.

Have you tried pushing the part of the headphone jack with an eraser from a pencil? Some were doing that. Or the wiggle left, wiggle right slowly while gently pulling it out.

[truz]

KER822,

From reading reviews about this case I hear it goes on very smoothly, however its a pain to remove (but with force it will come off).

Have you tried your hardest to remove this case? Pulling from the headphone port, charging port, ect..

Just make sure your in a padded area (bed or lay bedding down) as with force you never know which direction your iphone will go and the last thing you want to do is drop your iphone on a hard floor!

[jlake02]

I have the Slider and I haven't had any problems getting the phone out. Really odd yours is stuck. Might be a faulty unit or something. :/

Best of luck.

[Smacky]

No, this is a commonly reported problem
Just do a search of the boards for related stories
For such an expensive case, you would expect better

[Duflul]

can you get the bottom part off?
if so, just put your index fingers on the sides near the bottom and your thumbs underneath the exposed bit of phone, rest the top (power button, headphone jack) on a table. Now push out the sides with your index fingers (the cas should flex a bit) and then pop out the phone with your thumbs.

[marthal118]

I got to this forum because I had googled "I can't get a slider case off my iphone" While I was reading the first post, I decided to be brave and use a letter opener to coax the bottom and top parts apart. Then, voila, the case easily slid apart -- imagine a slider that actually slid. I then put a Speck CandyShell on my phone. Didn't like as much as the slider, so I struggled to get the Speck case off my phone. The slider is back on, now I know the trick to getting it off and I'm staying with it. I'm using the holster attachment that came with my original Speck case for my old iphone (the original iphone). Happy as a clam for now...

[bobpensik]

I just bought an incase slider for my 3GS, and getting it off was quite difficult IMO, it took me a good 10 minutes of work to get the dam thing off. At least I know it isn't going to fall off on a whim!! LOL

I don't take it off that much so I don't really care, but it is something potential buyers should be aware of.

[map1978]

never had any problems with ALL 4 incase sliders i have

sounds like its a user problem and not a design problem

[scirica]

never had any problems with ALL 4 incase sliders i have

sounds like its a user problem and not a design problem

It was a known original design issue that has since been updated by Incase. It is not user error in most cases. Seems like our Canadian friends got a lot of old inventory!

[map1978]

It was a known original design issue that has since been updated by Incase. It is not user error in most cases. Seems like our Canadian friends got a lot of old inventory!

most likely because that was a year ago with company defects

i'm convinced its a user problem

how can I have all these cases and have no scratches or problems removing cases.

maybe its time to hit the gym if you can't remove the case :D

[machacker]

When I first got my iPhone 3G. I had the same problem with a white slider. It freaked me out. But I managed to get it off after a lot wiggling. I immediately took it back.

When I got my 3GS this past week, I decided to check the store and see how a gunmetal fit. It fit perfectly. Slid right on. Right off. Seems like a lot of people are saying the same thing about the WHITE slider. Any connection? Maybe something to do with the color and the batch?

[OlgaJ]

It's not a user problem. It's not rocket science. It is a real problem with some of their cases.

I bought my metallic red case for my 3G at the Apple store around a month ago. I wrote to Incase about the difficulty removing the bottom part and received this reply:

"The Slider Case can be removed by using a latex glove to grip the iPhone and pulling the top portion off from the bottom where the sliding portion meets the top portion. Squeezing the case from the sides will just make it more difficult to remove. It will take quite a pull to come off so it might
be a good idea to get assistance. Please contact us if you have any
problems. We may be reached at 1-626-338-6400. "

I did get a chuckle about the "good idea to get assistance".

I've been using one of those rubber helpers that I have in my kitchen which helps twist off bottle caps and jars.

[dbill]

Sounds bizarre. One thing to avoid is putting it in the fridge as condensation may develop and make it even harder to get off. I had a very tight fitting case for my iTouch and the only way I got it off was to push up hard on one of the corners until the plastic cracked and I could remove it. The lesson I learned was that you need to find a case that has a button or tab to push down so you can separate the top and bottom easily. I have purchase a couple from www.blujuicz.com and they work great. Tight fitting but easy to separate. These are a much better option http://www.blujuicz.com/iphone-cases/iphone-slide-case-silver-lining.html . Just push down the tab and pull, no latex gloves or surgery required.

[Mikewdfa]

the eraser on the headphone jack works VERY well. Gentle and effective.

[STEVESKI07]

Try hitting the gym. I hear muscles work very well at pulling apart things that are stuck together. On the plus side, it also works well with lifting things that are heavy, beating people up and getting girls. You solve your problem and then fix all these other problems that you may or may not know that you have also. Now THAT'S a solution.

[dithium]

i only got to stumble on this same problem 2 weeks back! mine was a Uncommon Capsule Case. Anyway, didnt dare to put the iphone in a fridge, drip oil to lubricate or use hairdryer to try to expand the slider case. however, i manage to get a pen to push the iphone out slightly from the earphone hole on top of the case. then the rest had to rely on a chopstick stunt.

this is how i got my phone out http://dontworryaboutdit.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-remove-iphone-cover.html.

[window123]

we tried a lot of methods and the following is the combination that worked:

Do not attempt to pull the skin out from underneath the iPhone Incase Slider Cover (this is what we tried at first). What will probably happen is the skin will recoil under the cover and bunch up, making it harder to remove the cover.

if simply pulling fails try this method:

Use the eraser end of a pencil and press it into the hole in the case where the earphones are supposed to be plugged in. We could only get the phone to move about a millimeter with this technique.

Spray a little bit of DW40 into a cup and poor a small amount (a teaspoon) down the back of the phone between the cover and the surface of the phone (or more likely between the cover and the skin which is on the phone's surface). Let the DW40 sit of a minute and wipe off any DW40 that makes it to any of the open areas of the cover (the earphone hole, power button hole, volume hole). Try not to get any DW40 on the exposed part of the phone as you will need to hold on to this part.

Get some packing tape and cut two pieces. You are going to use this gently pull the sides of the case apart from each other. Doing one side at a time stick the end of the tape to the inside edge of the case and wrap it around the edge leaving enough tape hanging off so that you can get a good grip on it. Repeat this for the other side. Then have one person gently pull the sides of the case apart from each other as the second person holds on to the exposed end of the phone and pulls it out of the the case. This worked very easily and did no damage to the phone or the case. We did not even have to remove the skin on the screen of the phone. A win, win solution.

other methods we tried:

1st method: The phone moved a little with the pencil method but then would move no more.

2nd method: With the pencil we were able to get it to move enough to slip a plastic coated steel wire through the case's headphone hole and out the case's power button hole. We tried holding steel wire and the other end with a jar opener and pulling as hard as possible, but it did not work.

3rd method: We applied a little DW40 down the back of the phone and tried pulling again with the steel wire and the jar opener. It did not work

4th method: Moving away from the jar opener method we tried applying tape to the exposed area on the back of the iPhone touch, pulling one direction with the tape and the other with the steel wire. It did not work..

[miasma]

After 6 months safely encased in a red incase case, I needed to extract my iPod Touch in order to calibrate a spirit level. Imagine my surprise when, having removed the bottom section of the slider case, all I achieved was a bunch of broken fingernails. Yet another consumer product that just doesn't work and therefore should NOT be sold! It actually slid out after 20 minutes of struggle with no special tools - having first read these posts and realised I was not alone.
Had it not done so, I would have taken it back to the Apple Store in Exeter UK, slapped it on the counter and told them to extract it or replace it - or they would be hearing from my lawyers. We all have to make a stand against people selling us stuff that is disfunctional. We suffer because there are just not strong enough sanctions against companies that waste our time and our money.

[SLT1]

Warning. Do not buy this case. It gets stuck on your iPhone. It took one hour, two people, a letter opener and pencil eraser to get the two parts off. Thanks to this site for those suggestions on this site or it would still be on. Check the online message boards and you'll see this has long been a problem. It doesn't even deserve a one star rating. I ordered a purple metallic slider case directly from Incase one week ago, have dumped this in the garbage, cancelled the credit card charge, and will never buy anything from them again. :eek:Griffin makes an attractive and functional slider case and I will continue to use theirs.:)

[johnson12]

My case was completely stuck and after applying this remedy...it slid right off

1. take bottom of case off
2. place the ball of your thumb on backside of iphone, on the bottom part (the part exposed after step 1)
3. place 4 fingers on front side of iphone
4. apply pressure to both sides of phone, your thumb up against the iphone and your fingers down against the iphone.
5. applying pressure will ensure a good grib on the iphone, move fingers from top of phone to bottom in a sliding motion. your other hand should be gripping top of case and pulling opposite direction of other hand
6. repeat

hopefully this works...i'm thinking about applying a light layer of wd 40 before i put the iphone back in the case....or maybe some olive oil if i want to get freaky with it. I'd use my ky jelly, but im fresh out.

Last night was a long night

[QuarterSwede]

I found it impossible to get off until I learned the secret. Thumbs on the front of the phone with the rest of your fingers on the back. With the phone bottom facing away from you push away from your body with your thumbs and it slides right out after three or four pushes ... unless your case is too small I suppose.

[musicmanic]

Like others, I could not remove an incase slider case from my daughters itouch which would not fit in the radio she just got while the case was on. Read all the forums and did not like any of the solutions too much, hot, cold, WD40, etc.

However, they did give me an idea which worked in seconds once applied - and maybe it will work for others.

Was able to remove the bottom section of the case - which exposed about 0.75 inches of the case. But could not get a grip from there and tried all sorts of grips - jar grips, mitts, gloves, etc.

So my solution involves 3M electrical tape and duct tape - the solution to all problems ;)

First I applied the 3M 33 electrical tape to the face of the itouch and wrapped it to the back, but not getting it ont he case. This took 3 pieces of tape to cover the entire face of the itouch. Did not want the duct tape adhesive sticking to the face of the itouch.

Next I used a piece of duct tape and applied it on top of the electrical tape on the ENTIRE FACE of the itouch - but at the bottom - I left about 4 or 5 inches to extend PAST the bottom of the itouch and then folder it back on itself so it landed on the back of the exposed bottom of the case. Now I had a handle :)

Now I simply grabbed the back of the incase with my finger nails and pulled on the duct tape in the opposite direction - and the case slid off like it was greased !!!

Hope this helps someone else.

[i3igsmooth5769]

This is one of the reasons i never wanted a slider style case. Many times you have to apply force to pull it out, while dirt and grime sliding around with the phone that could potentially scratch it.