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I've been having touch issues with my screen where it becomes hyper responsive and begins self tapping in multiple places on the screen. The issue persists even after hard resets and has been nearly impossible to use for 3 months now. It sounds like this explains the reasons for this happening now.
 
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How can you write an article like this without mentioning whether or not the problem was fixed in the design of the 6s/6s Plus? Even the video fails to mention whether the the design was changed in the 6s/6s Plus, which seems ridiculous since I'm sure they'd have been curious enough to check the first time they got a 6s or 6s Plus in for repair even if it wasn't sent in to repair this problem.

Thanks for pointing out this oversight -- I assumed since the article pertained only to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that it was clear it wasn't a problem with the 6s, but it needs to be mentioned. I've added a bit at the bottom to clarify that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are not affected because (per iFixit) Apple relocated the Touch IC chips in those devices from the logic board to the display.
 
I had this with my 6+. First battery degraded, argued and replaced outside of 'one year warranty'. The replacement then had the unresponsive and flicker. 'Genius' guy didn't believe me, then the screen went grey at the top and he told me he HAD to replace it. Then the replacement's camera stopped working, while on holiday in Spain. Barcelona Apple Store then replaced this phone for me.

Throughout Apple were dismissive and disingenuous. "You didn't buy it from Apple". Yes I did. "It's outside of its 'one year warranty". I know, but I have protection afforded by the UK sale of goods act and EU consumer law. "You need to provide the original receipt". No I don't, Apple replaced the phone less than 90 days ago, and so it's covered by that warranty. "We don't have any replacement phones or parts, come back later today, we cannot promise to return you a working phone". And then the best bit, "we replaced the phone". I asked why I was told they didn't have any in stock earlier that day, in the whole of Barcelona. "We found one".

Don't get me wrong, I don't want a free ride. But, if I'm spending £689 ($909) on a phone and taking very good care of it, it best work as it should for at least two years until I sell it and buy another.
 
My friend has this exact same issue with his iPhone 6 Plus!! I see his phone act up and I see the gray flickering bar just about every time I'm around him..! I've seen the gray bar extend all the way down the entire screen. His phone was under warranty just as it started happening, but didn't get into the Apple Store in time. Now his warranty is done.

Now the cellular antennas act up (or at least used to), Touch ID straight up does not work at all, the touch screen barely works because of what's in this article, his phone is bent, the speakers broke (his phone literally doesn't recognize that it has speakers, when he tries to watch video, it has nowhere to send the sound so it freaks out. He has to turn the phone off, plug in headphones, and turn it back on for video to work) his phone won't record video... It's a mess.
 
So that's 50% of how many? Does this specialist service phones that aren't broken?

A statement like this demands some actual arithmetic, not just drama.

I get your point, and it may not be a “hyuuuuge” number of units, but judging from the dissection they show in the video (they removed the metal RF shields, which have always been standard on this type of device and seem to fit nicely even when installed as after-market add-ins) and from the bend-happy pre-7000 series aluminium casing of the 6 and 6 Plus, the issue seems to stem from pretty obvious corner-cutting design flaws (seriously… Changing the alloy in the 6S range is the biggest admission of guilt ever).

So, while we can argue that the latter decision was caused by incompetence (nobody bothered testing the resistance of the casing), the former was deliberate, stupid, and is causing units to fail well before what can be considered reasonable, [one-year worldwide] warranties notwithstanding. Aren't these iOS devices supported for quite a few years even after those expire? We already knew that Apple is very happy to obsolesce our devices (as far as iOS devices go, sooner rather than later), but this reeks of planned failure, really.
 
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So wait a minute, this could mean the 6s and 6s plus are affected too?

Potentially, but the 6s models have much harder aluminum casing, so bending or slightly flexing the phone is much harder.

The 6s and 6s Plus are NOT affected by this because this chip moved off the logic board and onto the display assembly.
 
I get your point, and it may not be a “hyuuuuge” number of units, but judging from the dissection they show in the video (they removed the metal RF shields, which have always been standard on this type of device and seem to fit nicely even when installed as after-market add-ins) and from the bend-happy pre-7000 series aluminium casing of the 6 and 6 Plus, the issue seems to stem from a pretty obvious corner-cutting design flaw.

So, it was deliberate, stupid, and caused units to fail well before what can be considered reasonable, [one-year worldwide] warranties notwithstanding. Aren't these iOS devices supported for quite a few years after those expire? We already knew that Apple is very happy to obsolesce our devices (as far as iOS devices go, sooner rather than later), but this reeks of planned failure, really.

If you want to go that route, it seems Apple took a page out of the playbook of Samsung et al........upsize your phones, thin em out and then manufacture them shoddily enough that they fail after so long (instead of dropping all security/OS support like Android)
 
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If you want to go that route, it seems Apple took a page out of the playbook of Samsung et al........upsize your phones, thin em out and then manufacture them shoddily enough that they fail after so long (instead of dropping all security/OS support like Android)
I don't usually go that route, and I have always excused their cheapness when it came to RAM and storage units on the Mac line-up (they were mostly crap back when they were replaceable but at least… well, they were replaceable, and now they aren't anymore but at least the default configurations are decent enough and the BTO ones are priced a bit more reasonably), but, yes. I am going that route.

The egregious 16 GB iPhones are also the biggest tell; having iCloud storage and Apple Music is all well and good, but 16 GB *on a flagship device* (I mean, if they still offered an even cheaper 5C-like device for older people, kids, etc., I would get it, but a 6S??) doesn't really cut it these days, all with 4K video recording and whatnot.

And I am aware that 32 GB will be the new baseline default very soon… But it should've been the default for years now, and there will be no 64 GB device anymore, forcing you to skip to 128 GB, which *may* be overkill for some people… I, for one, have a 64 GB iPhone 5S and had two 64 GB iPod Touch models before it (an iPod Touch 5 which I will be selling soon and an iPod Touch 4 which I lost in a cab), and never had trouble managing that amount of storage, but would never restrict myself and downgrade to a 32 GB device. I know perfectly well the game Apple's playing with us here.
 
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Ugh. I'm affected by this issue :(

The good news is that I was already planning on buying an iPhone 7 (Plus) to replace my 6 Plus. So I should be fine... hopefully...
 
I just never get this argument / complaint - there were other storage options to purchase - 16GB wasn't your only option.

While I'll agree with those complaining that the tiering is rather silly when it comes to raw component costs, the 16GB model of iPhone does have some value...people that rarely load apps or games, kids, and business-issued devices (throw an MDM, some configuration profiles, and a couple of apps and that device is golden). In a perfect world, Apple should start the devices at a higher capacity—to satisfy all of us cheapskates, but the argument that the 16GB is an unusable piece of junk for everyone is unfounded. It might just be unusable for a particular user's case (in which case, Apple will happily sell you more storage - I basically ignored that the 16GB SE existed and have ignored most 16GB iPhones).
 
I just never get this argument / complaint - there were other storage options to purchase - 16GB wasn't your only option.
The thing is: for the kind of hardware the iPhone features, namely the 4K video-capable camera (is 4K selected by default? If so, it further reinforces and proves my point), 16GB is paltry, egregious, and contrary to everything Apple used to represent. Just my €0,02.
 
NO WAY! this happened to me and i thought i was alone! Apple gave me a brand new iPhone 6, jess ill be selling it a year from now before it happens to it too!
 
While I'll agree with those complaining that the tiering is rather silly when it comes to raw component costs, the 16GB model of iPhone does have some value...people that rarely load apps or games, kids, and business-issued devices (throw an MDM, some configuration profiles, and a couple of apps and that device is golden). In a perfect world, Apple should start the devices at a higher capacity—to satisfy all of us cheapskates, but the argument that the 16GB is an unusable piece of junk for everyone is unfounded. It might just be unusable for a particular user's case (in which case, Apple will happily sell you more storage - I basically ignored that the 16GB SE existed and have ignored most 16GB iPhones).
Hence my point about the 5C… If Apple still offered the 5C or even the 5S, maybe those should get the 16GB storage option by default, or even as the *single* option.

Though I will readily admit that some people, like my father, would probably be content with a large screen and paltry storage, but those users are a fringe of a fringe of a fringe.
 
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As the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus approach their second birthday, a growing number of users are suffering from what appears to be a latent manufacturing issue that presents as a gray flickering bar at the top of the screen and a display that's unresponsive or less responsive to touch.

In a new blog post and video, repair site iFixit says a number of third-party repair outlets have seen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models affected by the bug, which appears to be very common. STS Telecom owner Jason Villmer says he sees faulty iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models multiple times a week, while another repair tech in Louisiana sees up to 100 iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices that don't respond well to touch.

iFixit is calling the problem "Touch Disease," and says Apple appears to be aware of the issue based on dozens of complaints on Apple's support forum, but isn't "doing anything about it." Multiple people who brought their iPhones to Apple Stores were told that Apple doesn't recognize it as an issue and nothing could be done as their iPhones were out of warranty.

Putting pressure on the display of an affected iPhone or twisting the device appears to reverse the issue for a short period, but the gray bar returns and touch functionality grows worse and worse until the touchscreen stops functioning entirely.

Replacing the display doesn't work as the problem is said to be caused by the touchscreen controller chips soldered to the logic board of the phone, and it's possible the damage is caused by the same structural design flaw that caused the major "Bendgate" controversy.According to iFixit, the only way to fix the problem is to replace the iPhone, replace the logic board, or replace the Touch ICs on the logic board, something Apple's in-house repair staff is not able to do. iFixit recommends users who are experiencing early symptoms of Touch Disease -- an intermittently non-functional touch screen or hints of a gray bar -- get their iPhones replaced outright if they're still under warranty.

For those without a warranty, iFixit suggests taking an affected iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to an electronics repair shop able to replace the chips. Apple doesn't approve of third-party repairs, but it may be the only solution until the problem is officially acknowledged by the company.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are not affected by the same issue as Apple strengthened the body and changed the position of the Touch IC chips in those devices.

Article Link: Growing Number of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Devices Affected by Insidious 'Touch Disease'
 
16GB is paltry, egregious, and contrary to everything Apple used to represent.


Here's what macworld says about the 16GB iPhone capacity - how much more should one expect?

"iPhone 6s (16GB model): approx. 11.5GiB, or 12.3GB. 3,075 songs OR 8 films OR 23 TV shows OR 1,921 photos OR 410 apps OR a combination of these."
 
Ah, the perils of wanting giant phones, and Apple's penchant for thinner is better. It is not that life is so complicated, but that simplicity is so rarely understood.
 
I had this problem with my iPhone 6 plus, 15 months after purchase. It never went in my back pocket, and apple agreed it was in cosmetically perfect condition. I convinced apple to replace it at no cost to me, but it was a real PITA. It required referring to a little-known consumer protection law in Quebec called the "legal warranty": https://www.educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/legal-warranty-automatic-protection-consumers.

Basically in Quebec, when you buy a "premium" product manufacturers have to stand by the warranty for longer than the usual year (varies on a case-by-case basis) but 2-3 years for an iPhone is reasonable...

When I mentioned this fact at the apple store, they immediately told me they couldn't help me any further and I would have to call the "legal" department. By the time I got AppleCare on the phone, they agreed to replace the phone "as a one-time goodwill gesture," but only after I threatened to take them to small claims court...

All's well that ends well for me, too bad they are still giving people the run around for what is clearly a design flaw.
Having to fight Apple to do the right thing is part of the user experience! Like a wise man once said, you are 'holding it wrong' :)
 
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