Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 5s just caught on fire
- Thread starter TehFalcon
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
Like I said, I'm merely trying to tell OP to protect himself. It may not feel like a bad burn, but you should definitely tell them it happened. I'm not saying walk in with a lawyer, just be prepared.
And yeah, maybe it's just me, but if my customers were being affected by exploding batteries, I'd definitely replace their phone AND give them something else, be it a gift card, free year of applecare+, whatever. I know exploding batteries isn't Apple's fault and is in no way exclusive to Apple products, but with Apple having some of the best customer support around, I don't find it absurd to think they'd shower him with gifts
And yeah, maybe it's just me, but if my customers were being affected by exploding batteries, I'd definitely replace their phone AND give them something else, be it a gift card, free year of applecare+, whatever. I know exploding batteries isn't Apple's fault and is in no way exclusive to Apple products, but with Apple having some of the best customer support around, I don't find it absurd to think they'd shower him with gifts
Idiotic post of the day Award goes to.
----------
Did you read the OP?
The front of the phone (the screen) started to come off (battery started to "inflate", being a tech guy I was almost certain what was happening so I ripped the screen off and then the battery started to vent violently. The aluminum conducted the heat and was at a pretty good temperature while it was venting (at least 150* F.)
While i attempted to move the phone to get it outside, The battery "spit" and it did burn my finger, I have a small blister but nothing I would really complain about.
Just got off the phone with Apple.
They asked for the photos.
They will get back to me. They said I will have to send the phone in (of course), and they don't know if they are going to send a replacement yet.
They asked for the photos.
They will get back to me. They said I will have to send the phone in (of course), and they don't know if they are going to send a replacement yet.
They'll examine the photos, and will likely want to arrange to get the device itself so they can look at it. Keep copies of all e-mails and other communications you have with them, and of course, make sure you don't lose your copies of your photos. If you can, get a hold of a good dSLR camera with a quality macro lens, and a place with good lighting, and before you send that phone in, take lots of good, detailed photos of the phone from every possible angle, so that you have good evidence. Pay particular attention in those photos to the serial numbers, and dock connector and headphone jack, making sure you get good closeups of those to show there is no corrosion or shorts. Same for all internal connectors and water damage sensors, since the phone's already in pieces.
Also, get photos of the cables you're using with the phone and their condition, and also the charger. They will likely ask for those too, so make sure you have evidence that those components were genuine and in good working order.
Also, make sure that whatever camera you use has the correct date and time set on the internal clock. If there's a dispute and you need those photos for evidence, the metadata in the photos will be important, so accuracy counts. You might even want to take a few extra shots with another, working iPhone, so that both accurate time and location are established.
Honestly, the resolution on this would probably be a lot quicker if you just made that two-city trip to the Apple store. You could've even made the point about how far you had to drive to deal with this mess, and THEN you'd definitely have a legit case for getting a little more than just a new phone.
Also, get photos of the cables you're using with the phone and their condition, and also the charger. They will likely ask for those too, so make sure you have evidence that those components were genuine and in good working order.
Also, make sure that whatever camera you use has the correct date and time set on the internal clock. If there's a dispute and you need those photos for evidence, the metadata in the photos will be important, so accuracy counts. You might even want to take a few extra shots with another, working iPhone, so that both accurate time and location are established.
Honestly, the resolution on this would probably be a lot quicker if you just made that two-city trip to the Apple store. You could've even made the point about how far you had to drive to deal with this mess, and THEN you'd definitely have a legit case for getting a little more than just a new phone.
Last edited:
Wow! Why does my phone seem hot all of a sudden?
This reminds me of a time my Samsung Solstice just started smoking one day when we were out. It's one of those things that you see happen and never will think it'll happen to you.
Glad you're okay OP!
This reminds me of a time my Samsung Solstice just started smoking one day when we were out. It's one of those things that you see happen and never will think it'll happen to you.
Glad you're okay OP!
Do it anyways because if you have complications down the road or it gets worse in two weeks, you are going to wish you had. At least report it to apple and get it on record.
Apple is aware of it, and the inhalation of the Toxic fumes.
If I do develop issues I will seek financial help from them.
No. Unfortunately I do not have health insurance thus no primary/family doctor.
I would say that you should actually get a doctor to diagnose it instead of Apple telling you what to do there. Apple wouldn't be in a position to tell you right from wrong there, whereas a doctor would.
Also, how far is that "two cities" over? I wouldn't trust sending in the phone, especially while they could look at it and say that you were doing something that invalidates any warranty protection from them. Better to take it into Apple in person, and reference your phone call with Apple, especially if you got some case number in relation to the call. They should be able to tie those together.
For anything related to sending the phone any further, let Apple take care of that. That way, onus is on them if anything happens to the phone in transit. So once the phone is physically handed to them at the Apple store, they would be responsible for getting it shipped out.
In the meantime, have a doctor check you out. Your health is more important than the phone.
BL.
Were you doing anything in particular right before or shortly before it happened or perhaps something different than what you typically do? Just curious.
Nope, I was just using the phone as I would normally.
----------
It's about 100m to the Store.
A little under 2 hour's drive. IMHO, I'd make the Genius Bar appointment and let them see what happened, reference the case number from your call, and let them deal with shipping it back to Apple.
BL.
I'll probably do that.
Now that I think about it, it is true that they could say something happened in shipping or something.
Apple will want that phone so they can trace the cause...probably a faulty battery, but they take this kind of thing very seriously indeed. You may well get a complimentary gift..a case, iTunes voucher or similar.
Oh here we go - why should he get a complimentary Mac Pro?
And, I hate to be the sense of reason - but quite a few things don't ring true with this thread (as always).
Firstly. You say you ripped the screen off whilst it was in use - yet, where are the screws in the bottom of the phone? If you ripped the screen off as you say you did, one of two things would happen:
- a. the screw connectors would snap off the display, leaving the screws in
- b. the screws would bend out of the display connectors - leaving scuff marks/damage to the bottom of the casing.
Neither of these happened.
Secondly - there is a metal shield holding the cables down in a 5S. Yours doesn't appear to have one. Again, if you'd pulled the screen off - then you would have either:
- a. snapped the display cables off
- b. ripped the metal shield out. this would leave bent screws, etc.
Again, neither of these happened - and all of the screws in your shielding plate appear to have been cleanly removed from what I can see.
Thirdly, there appear to be several perfectly circle pit marks on the battery surface. These aren't vents - they don't go all the way through, and don't match with either the screen (which has a smooth back) or the internal structure of the battery. The iPhone battery is designed to vent (as you can see) from the top and bottom and to expand - it won't pit as randomly as yours has.
Sorry for being negative - but I just don't believe it. You have an on fire/smoking battery - and you pull out a screwdriver to neatly remove screws and panels, etc? I don't think so.
- Status