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iPhone 4 Battery Swelling/Expansion

S

scottacus

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 19, 2010
11
0
I had an odd problem with my iPhone 4 (which I've had since launch day).

At first I noticed a bright spot on the screen, and over a few weeks the top right corner of the back cover started to separate from the rest of the case.

I figured the battery was starting to expand, but I was really surprised since that usually doesn't happen in just a few months. But when I brought it into the Apple Store and the phone was disassembled, the Genius confirmed that the battery did expand.

The phone was replaced without issue, but I am still a bit surprised.

In any case, if anyone starts to notice a bright spot on the screen or a sudden gap in the case, the battery may be the cause.
 
Glad to hear they replaced it. I hope it was just an isolated issue and not a major problem that will affect a lot of iPhones.
 
Not an isolated issue I'm afraid.

The same problem happened to me this morning, it was an instant happening however. The phone just got rather warm and with a small puff of smoke the back of the phone came away and the phone was dead.

Apple store very good and a replacement provided in less than 10 minutes!
 
Happened to me as well.

As everyone else, it was replaced immediately. I asked if it was a refurbished replacement or new and the tech told me they didn't know and had no way of knowing. I was told it may have refurbished parts. Should I be concered?
 
Batterygate.... Oh great!

WTH is Apple doing? Seriously losing it.

And don't even bother arguing it's a limited thing. I've owned far too many phones & been in this business too long to buy any BS excuses.
 
ozred said:
Batterygate.... Oh great!

WTH is Apple doing? Seriously losing it.

And don't even bother arguing it's a limited thing. I've owned far too many phones & been in this business too long to buy any BS excuses.
Click to expand...
What...Who is arguing? Am I missing something. And since three people in this thread report bad batteries, it's not like it's contagious or something.:D
 
JamesMB said:
What...Who is arguing? Am I missing something. And since three people in this thread report bad batteries, it's not like it's contagious or something.:D
Click to expand...

You have a point, but just because it is not brought up in this forum does not mean it doesn't exist or it isn't an issue.
 
Random but I remember when the first Zune's came out, my friend had one and he had the same problem with his battery. After charging the battery would expand because of the heat and eventually the screen popped off.

Seems like such a dumb problem to have, but it destroys the phone/device!
 
iPhone 4 battery expanded and phone open

I am having this issue now. The iPhone 4 battery has expanded and rear cover is opening up from three sides. I wasn't using this phone for the last 30 days after buying myself an 4S. I am surprised that this happened. Planning to visit the apple store tomorrow and have it inspected. Hope they replace it.
 
I am sitting here at Apple Store in Scottsdale and they refuse to replace the phone since it is 100 days out of warranty. The Genius Bar took away the battery saying its a safety hazard. What about the safety hazard for me the user all along when I had the defective battery? I / my company bought the phone for the actual price and I find myself in this limbo now? Shouldn't apple to responsible for selling a defective product at any point of time irrespective of the warranty period?
 
psagi said:
I am sitting here at Apple Store in Scottsdale and they refuse to replace the phone since it is 100 days out of warranty. The Genius Bar took away the battery saying its a safety hazard. What about the safety hazard for me the user all along when I had the defective battery? I / my company bought the phone for the actual price and I find myself in this limbo now? Shouldn't apple to responsible for selling a defective product at any point of time irrespective of the warranty period?
Click to expand...

No. You have a warranty, and you had the chance to extend it. The battery expanding isn't a safety issue, it's a feature designed to protect you. A new battery is £59 - it's not a massively expensive thing.

You may have extra protection depending on your country's consumer laws, but these are hard work and technically impossible to use (you have to PROVE that there was a fault at the time of sale - and then it's the retailer's problem, not Apple's).
 
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