Apple battery issues

[pirx]

During the past few months first my iPhone 5 battery bulged and the bulging smashed the screen, thereafter an iPod did the same and now my MacBook Pro 15 is bulging, too.

Among the numerous threads about Apple batteries in this forum there was one post that said every consumer should know that this inevitably happens.

I beg to differ. During the past 25 years no device or laptop I owned has ever had this issue. That includes the 2009 ThinkPad that I use to post here.

Airlines restrict lithium-ion batteries for a reason, see Sony and Samsung. A while ago there was even a story in the Chinese press of an iPhone 6 fiery explosion.

I really do not care about the US$ 120 or so that it takes to mend also the latest bulging Apple battery, but in view of the accumulation of incidents in my home I wonder if it is safe to continue having battery-powered Apple devices in my household.

Has anyone on this forum had an Apple device going up in flames as a result of battery failure?

 

[throAU]

I have had many apple devices and other devices with Lithium Ion batteries since they came out and have had zero issues.

The 787 dreamliner is full of the things.

Most of the time when they swell or catch fire, etc. it is due to physical damage.

I would however suggest repair or replacement as soon as you notice anything "not right" with any of your devices, rather than just assuming nothing will happen and still using it despite swelling, etc. Swelling could potentially cause the insides to be crushed together causing a short and then fire...

 

[William Payne]

I had the battery in my iPhone 5 bulge. I had it replaced and been fine ever since. It was old and well used. Not the biggest deal. If you notice bulging its a sign that "Hey I need replacing". Also the iPhone 5 battery is not a solid plastic housing battery, its in like a soft pouch like thing which balloons.

 

[pirx]

I have had many apple devices and other devices with Lithium Ion batteries since they came out and have had zero issues.

Me too, that is why I am getting concerned when the Apple devices suddenly one after another show the same defect. There had been no physical damage to any of them.

I don't think this is a trivial issue. Samsung had to recall a complete phone series because of defective batteries.
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I had the battery in my iPhone 5 bulge. I had it replaced and been fine ever since. It was old and well used. Not the biggest deal. If you notice bulging its a sign that "Hey I need replacing". Also the iPhone 5 battery is not a solid plastic housing battery, its in like a soft pouch like thing which balloons.

Yes, iPhone 5 and iPod may have the same batteries, I would not know. However, the third device is a MacBook Pro, which most certainly uses a different battery.

I am tempted to think there may be a fault in the chemical composition of the batteries in all three devices.

 

[William Payne]

Me too, that is why I am getting concerned when the Apple devices suddenly one after another show the same defect. There had been no physical damage to any of them.

I don't think this is a trivial issue. Samsung had to recall a complete phone series because of defective batteries.
[doublepost=1502450445][/doublepost]

Yes, iPhone 5 and iPod may have the same batteries, I would not know. However, the third device is a MacBook Pro, which most certainly uses a different battery.

I am tempted to think there may be a fault in the chemical composition of the batteries in all three devices.

I wasn't implying the batteries are the same, just that when they get old the non user replaceable lithium batteries do bulge. How and why I really couldn't say. I just put it down to them being old.

 

[pirx]

I wasn't implying the batteries are the same, just that when they get old the non user replaceable lithium batteries do bulge. How and why I really couldn't say. I just put it down to them being old.

This to me raises the question, since I had no bulging batteries in 25 years, i.e. age of battery apparently was never an issue, why do three Apple device batteries bulge now?

 

[William Payne]

This to me raises the question, since I had no bulging batteries in 25 years, i.e. age of battery apparently was never an issue, why do three Apple device batteries bulge now?

Were the batteries you used in the past removable? In big plastic housings? Using the iPhone 5 battery for example it is big battery compared to the iPhone 5 itself. It also is in a soft plasticy fabric like pouch which as it starts to fail balloons up and pushes against everything else causing a bulge.

I think maybe it is more a lack of space thing with modern tech. No room to allow for a ballooning battery.

 

[Trubbles]

You're just extremely unlucky. The issues you listed all happened to YOU? The odds are way against that.

 

[pirx]

Were the batteries you used in the past removable? In big plastic housings? Using the iPhone 5 battery for example it is big battery compared to the iPhone 5 itself. It also is in a soft plasticy fabric like pouch which as it starts to fail balloons up and pushes against everything else causing a bulge.

I think maybe it is more a lack of space thing with modern tech. No room to allow for a ballooning battery.

These were equally tight Nokia and SonyEricsson phones, Samsung and ThinkPad Laptops (the battery is clip-on) and somewhat more "roomy" Blackberrys. The iPhone and iPod batteries were solid plastics. I once changed the battery in a MacBook Air (because it did not charge anymore) myself, solid plastic.
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You're just extremely unlucky. The issues you listed all happened to YOU? The odds are way against that.

Yes, all my devices. Unlucky or workmanship beyond 2013?
[doublepost=1502540297][/doublepost]Here the inflated MacBook battery. They are fixed with double-sided tape to the top of the housing, rather tedious work to cleanly remove. Don't try this at home. All of the "bags" were inflated, gassy.

.

 

[Stefan johansson]

Most exploding phone issues is caused by cheap third party chargers.

 

[pirx]

These were equally tight Nokia and SonyEricsson phones, Samsung and ThinkPad Laptops (the battery is clip-on) and somewhat more "roomy" Blackberrys. The iPhone and iPod batteries were solid plastics. I once changed the battery in a MacBook Air (because it did not charge anymore) myself, solid plastic.
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Yes, all my devices. Unlucky or workmanship beyond 2013?
[doublepost=1502540297][/doublepost]Here the inflated MacBook battery. They are fixed with double-sided tape to the top of the housing, rather tedious work to cleanly remove. Don't try this at home. All of the "bags" were inflated, gassy.View attachment 712666 View attachment 712667 View attachment 712668 View attachment 712669 View attachment 712670 .

The new battery and the new battery fit with the old battery for comparison:

 

[William Payne]

There is a difference between lithium ion batteries and lithium polymer batteries. Some reading for you.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_polymer_battery#Safety The safety section discusses this.

 

[throAU]

This to me raises the question, since I had no bulging batteries in 25 years, i.e. age of battery apparently was never an issue, why do three Apple device batteries bulge now?

There is a failure rate and manufacturing defect rate in everything we make.

Perhaps this is why?

Batteries have swelled, caught fire or exploded in some things for at least 10-15 years.

The difference now is that the internet and mass media are a lot more interested in reporting it.

 

[pirx]

There is a difference between lithium ion batteries and lithium polymer batteries. Some reading for you.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_polymer_battery#Safety The safety section discusses this.

Thanks, yes, from a consumer point of view: One is soft, the other one hard. According to your Wikipedia link, both can lead to QUOTE including the pouch rupturing, the electrolyte leaking, and fire UNQUOTE
[doublepost=1502586569][/doublepost]

There is a failure rate and manufacturing defect rate in everything we make.

Perhaps this is why?

Batteries have swelled, caught fire or exploded in some things for at least 10-15 years.

The difference now is that the internet and mass media are a lot more interested in reporting it.

I don't buy this. Depending on where you live, the internet has been around for just a tiny bit longer than 10-15 years. So have lithium-ion batteries, which in my home haven't "swelled, caught fire or exploded" in 25 years.

Apple prides itself of a high quality brand, who may charge premium prices. It is the base of its success. Therefore, even if having entered mass production, Apple should not allow low quality parts to harm that image.

 

[ZapNZs]

I am far from being an expert on batteries, but, in my personal opinion, I am firmly convinced that Apple incorporates a commendable margin of safety into their LiCo batteries in regards to the ability of the safety mechanisms to prevent a catastrophic failure (for that matter, many other reputable Makers do as well, most of the time.) I have checked in quite a few MBPs with batteries that have pillowed - not a single one of them had catastrophic failure, and in some cases the owners (unwisely) used them for extended periods despite an obvious problem (such as the bottom case being ballooned outward, and the trackpad being forced up - some cases severely enough to destroy the system.) Obviously, no safety mechanism has 100% success and I am sure there are isolated incidents of Apple batteries suffering catastrophic failure - some due to bad QC, some due to age-related failure of a safety mechanism(s), and some due to bad decisions on the User's behalf.

It sounds like you had very bad luck in terms of timing. It's not that unusual for cell phone batteries to pillow - the limited spacing in such a device often results in choice of a battery that uses a less rigid containment lining combined with chemistries that provide the best energy densities (at the expense of being least stable, especially towards heat), and the conditions that cell phones are used in are often conditions far from the ideal conditions for lithium cells. Unfortunately, when the battery does pillow, it tends to cause damage (or total destruction) to the device. However, this is more desirable than what could happen if the outer containment layer were unable to contain the release of gas.

 

[pirx]

It is true that the battery polymer bags themselves still seemed to have flexibility to inflate more without bursting, had it not been for the physical constraint of space inside the MacBook.

I have had batteries die battery death, i.e. not charging anymore, but before 2017 I never had ballooning batteries.

Frankly, when my MacBook trackpad became inoperable, the very last thing I would have suspected would have been a failing battery. The battery sensors showed health rate 90%. My previous experience of changing a battery was a hard-case battery of a MacBook Air. I wouldn't have known that this MacBook Pro had a battery of flexible plastic bags.

Only when googling the issue of the trackpad and finding a relevant thread on macrumors.com I became aware, that it must be from an inflated battery, a tip for which I am very grateful.

One is getting warned not to pour take-out coffee over one's genitals, but there is no label warning that an inoperative trackpad may point at a dangerously inflated battery.

There are umpteen sensors in the MacBook, why is there none warning of battery inflation?

There is no need for Apple to warn of anything and everything that may befall its devices, burnt out RAM, failed logic board or HD failure, but symptoms of potential hazard from failing batteries should be on page 1 of the user manual.

 

[Frankfurt]

I have used my Late 2008 MacBook probably over a year with a swollen battery without noticing it as the laptop was mostly stationary and I did not realize the casing did not close probably on the back.
My Trackpad stopped working due to the pressure and it took me about a year to realize that this was caused by the battery. Once I discovered the cause I immediately changed the battery and no harm was done.
Still cannot believe I did not recognize what happened earlier...