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iPhone 5s just caught on fire
- Thread starter TehFalcon
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LOL! Lithium ion batteries fail. It happens and until a better battery alternative is cost effective, there isn't a lot that can be done about it. Nobody was hurt and Apple is replacing the defective phone.
Not sure what suing Apple would achieve. I guess some lawyers would make a little money in the process?
Ummm.... Healthy lithium ion batteries do not expand. That genius was full of ****
Failed lithium ion batteries do expand, like this one (taken off the internet)
Failed lithium ion batteries do expand, like this one (taken off the internet)
Seriously? Have you seen what happens in an iPhone 3G or 3GS when the battery expands? It basically pops the screen off. The iPhone 5/5c/5s are built in a similar fashion, so it seems reasonable that an expanding battery would do the same thing.
True, I had this happen to my genuine 2007 MacBook Battery. It bulged so badly that the touchpad stopped working. Didn't heat up or caught fire like WAM2's though. That's some serious stuff. Glad they replaced it! (And that everything ended well without serious injury or house burned down etc)
Yikes! Good thing it wasn't in your coat pocket during the night or laying on top of anything flammable. That could of started a serious fire. Luckily you caught it in time. Wondering if there was any earlier indication, like the phone feeling warm or hot when using? Heard of a few cases where the phone is really hot to the touch, etc. My 5S is coming on 2 months now, and I've been watching it, but its always cool, slightly warm when in use for a period. My iPad mini remains cool to the touch even after 4 hrs use. I wonder if there are some defective batteries or their components out there? Anyway, glad to hear you weren't hurt, and I'm sure apple will take care of you. They are really good that way. 
I don't think the potential for danger is as serious as some of you are making it seem.
What if it was in the OP's pants pocket and it started venting very very hot electrolyte towards his reproductive organs? Is that potential for danger serious enough for you?
The story is ludicrous. Yes, lithium batteries can short out and burst, Yes it even happens to iPhones. But it did not happen to this iPhone. The OP was taking the phone apart and punctured the battery trying to pry it up from the adhesive. Anyone with experience repairing iPhones can see it plain as day. The pictures do not lie. Im not saying this was an intentionally "staged" explosion, but it is a shoddy cover up of even shoddier work in order to get the $600+ iPhone that YOU destroyed, replaced by Apple. Their engineers will verify that fact upon inspection of the phone and hopefully they will not replace it. I would tread lightly. Posting stories like this in the public forum to gain media attention is actionable libel, and you can bet that Apple has an extensive legal team. I encourage you to "debunk" the comments from 9to5mac, especially mine, as you claimed you have, because you haven't offered any reasonable explanation as of yet.
I don't know which between the 2 of these are the most ridiculous I guess we'll call it a tie.
Li-ion and LiPo batteries certainly do expand. Here is an example from my own workshop. The totally mazing thing is that the MacBook Air returned to normal once the swollen battery was removed. I have now dealt with two cases involving MacBook Airs. I also recall many, many customers reporting trackpad button problems that were caused by swollen batteries in the pre-Unibody MBP's and MB's.
Apple are well aware of it happening and have guidance on handling the problem for each affected model. For the pre-Unibody MBP's, it is possible that the entire unit would have been replaced if extracting the battery was not possible.
Apple are well aware of it happening and have guidance on handling the problem for each affected model. For the pre-Unibody MBP's, it is possible that the entire unit would have been replaced if extracting the battery was not possible.
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I think it only ended so well because WAM2 was present when it happened.
Imagine how this would have ended if it had been unattended on a couch or something. It only takes one minute for a minor fire to get out of control.
I know there was no fire but the hot venting could have ignited something else.
I'm a first aider/emergency responder in work and one of the first things they teach you is how quickly a fire gets out of control. And how little is needed to start it. Check out the bradford stadium fire videos on youtube. They always show them to us during the fire trainings.
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I suggest you have a read back at the outcome of the OP's visit to Apple, as they didn't agree with you and replaced the phone (*after* they inspected it).
I suggest you have a read back at the outcome of the OP's visit to Apple, as they didn't agree with you and replaced the phone (*after* they inspected it).
Yikes! Good thing it wasn't in your coat pocket during the night or laying on top of anything flammable. That could of started a serious fire. Luckily you caught it in time. Wondering if there was any earlier indication, like the phone feeling warm or hot when using? Heard of a few cases where the phone is really hot to the touch, etc. My 5S is coming on 2 months now, and I've been watching it, but its always cool, slightly warm when in use for a period. My iPad mini remains cool to the touch even after 4 hrs use. I wonder if there are some defective batteries or their components out there? Anyway, glad to hear you weren't hurt, and I'm sure apple will take care of you. They are really good that way.
It's perfectly normal for an iPhone to become warm when using it or during charging.
"The exterior of the device functions as a cooling surface that transfers heat from inside the device to the cooler air outside."
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2101
Or they just wanted it out of the way. The genius said no. The manager said yes and replaced it. The managers won't be technicians, so the "inspection" resulted in a no.
Either way, I doubt we'll ever see the full story.
MacRumors is more skeptical than a 9/11 forum 
I'm glad you got your replacement phone. Lord knows you deserve more reimbursement than that.
I'm glad you got your replacement phone. Lord knows you deserve more reimbursement than that.
You mean like if he took it out, pulled off the casing, and put it back in his pocket all opened up ready to vent?
It kinda needs to be taken apart first.
Made no sense.
Ok you bring up a fire from 1985 in which someone threw a lit cigarette underneath some bleachers where they were storing a bunch of old unused magazines and soccer guides, like as if it is at all relevant to the topic?
I guess you missed the point of training which is preventing potential hazards.
The lesson wasn't that a fire can randomly combust anytime anywhere with no reason.
Last time I checked, a couple of acidic sparks aren't enough to set a couch on fire.
Stop making up clearly false scenarios without reading any of the content of the thread.
The back of the screen had cables that were clearly ripped off, and it's warped in the shape of the expanding battery, the tabs are damaged and the screen is singed.
How exactly do you puncture a battery on a phone that is closed? Are you saying this guy can puncture things straight through matter? Because that's magic.
Your tone is clearly trying to violently verbally assault the OP, you even claimed that Apple's legal team would go after him. All the while you fail to understand all basic information here but went straight into a vicious attack predicated on an impossible scenario.
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