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 X iPhone X battery swollen
- Thread starter xlinker
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
OK I finally got the call my iPhone X repair is ready for pickup -- over the phone the person said it was my original phone - repaired with a new battery, but when I got to the store it was a newly re-manufactured iPhone X with a new serial number. So why did that take 12 days????? Bridgewater NJ store. What a hassle - I had to return the iPhone 11 Pro I "bought" as a loaner for 12 days. The sales kid said I probably should have purchased Apple Care for the new "loaner" to protect it from damage I guess I got lucky and kept it perfect. So dumb that Apple is not giving free loaners to iPhone X owners. Oh and my repair was $74 with NJ Tax. Hopefully this means I can get another 2.5 years out of this battery. Apple will probably call my phone "obsolete" next time around.
because the "improvements" are not that great. If you look at what they have done from iPhone X ---> Xs----11Pro it mostly camera improvements. For 12 days I had the 11Pro (purchased and returned) and now I am back to my iPhone X and there is no perceptible difference. Both are 256GB models. I know on paper the new phone has faster processor and more RAM, but in use I can't see it. Maybe the screen was a bit brighter? Maybe the speaker was a little louder? Incremental improvements. Not worth the cost to sell and upgrade. In fact I would not be able to tell the difference between the two without flipping them over to look at the camera lenses. I do like the fact that the iPhone 11Pro can shoot 16:9 stills (full sensor?) and the iPhone X cannot. It's probably something Apple could unlock via software. My wife's iPhone Xs Max can't shoot 16:9 stills either. All running iOS 13.6.1
Ahh right so the camera takes good pictures then I wouldn’t know I’ve never had a notch iPhone As of yet I just didn’t understand why people were paying £350 and more for it still it’s a old phone that’s bound to become obsolete in a year 18 months etc
I’m looking at one of the notch phones the 12 or 11 this year as my camera on my iPhone 7 isn’t performing well after the latest update
the 7 is 4 years old next month lol
I’m looking at one of the notch phones the 12 or 11 this year as my camera on my iPhone 7 isn’t performing well after the latest update
the 7 is 4 years old next month lol
Pretty much the same timeline of purchase and fault for me. I’m gonna head over to the Apple Store tomorrow and see what options they offer. Not too confident since this will be in the UAE.
I was planning on riding it out until the September event, but I don’t really want to take the risk anymore.
Regarding wireless charging, I also wonder if that could be a contributing factor. However, my launch month iPhone 5 also developed a swollen battery.
I got my phone repaired with a battery replacement yesterday.
Apparently a new policy came in last week and they don’t need to send the phone back for factory review — double edged sword because although the 3 year free replacement is gone, you now get your phone back in an hour instead of a few days. Standard $70 equivalent cost.
Apparently a new policy came in last week and they don’t need to send the phone back for factory review — double edged sword because although the 3 year free replacement is gone, you now get your phone back in an hour instead of a few days. Standard $70 equivalent cost.
I have a question were the people with batterys swelling, using the Apple iPhone charger or an after market charger?
I only ever used Apple chargers on my iPhones 5 and X; both batteries became swollen though.
The battery doesn't get overcharged.
If the battery is not being over charged, then why does the battery swell? are they just exploding all by themselves.
I have read in the forums where people have been told by Apple support, that their phones with cases opening up because of the battery can still be used.
I am not implying this is factual advice coming from Apple support, what i do know is the battery in my old Apple iPhone 8Plus would hold a charge really good, today after the swelling case problem it quickly will lose charge so my getting a new phone was a good idea.
Last edited:
There can be batteries out there that are defective in one way or another, or there's something else that could be in play. But short of some defect somewhere overcharging isn't something that happens as the phone doesn't allow for that.
A quick search brings up many articles. Here is a link to one of them. Scroll to the battery charging section.
Just think of how dangerous it would be if the if the phone overcharged the battery. Once the battery reaches cpaacity, the phone‘s electronics stop charging until the battery decreases a bit. It then allows charging to begin again. This is called trickle charging.
I’m sure someone will have a more technical, and informative answer, but that’s the jist of the situation.
So, I suddenly have this problem with my launch day iPhone X. I'm on a trip and using my HyperJuice 18w charger for the first time. Coincidence? Maybe.
Made an appointment at my local Apple Store for Friday evening, which is the day I get my iPhone 12 Pro. Guess the timing could have been worse! Even if they send it away, not a big deal. My wife's getting the X and couldn't care less that she'll have the 6S for awhile longer.
Will report back as to what they do, for the good of the thread. I'm out-of-warranty. Now just hoping the thing doesn't explode, but based on everyone's comments here I'm feeling much better about that risk.
I’m pretty sure it won’t explode. And I’m hoping that you end up with a brand new (well, refurbished) phone.
Batteries swell when they are charged hot. That can be because the ambient temperature is hot (on a windowsill in sunlight for example), or some wireless chargers get hot from boosting power to try to increase their "charge radius" when the phone is not well positioned.
Reporting back as promised. Brought my iPhone X to my local Apple Store. They did/could not fix it on site during that visit, so my options were to come back after they had the necessary part(s) and wait around for an hour or so, or have them ship it out for repair, and it would be shipped to me at home. I went the latter route. Because of the swollen battery they apparently had to send it ground and that took a week (Friday to Friday). But they then repaired and shipped it back fairly quickly, such that I received it Wednesday. I guess they changed the battery versus sending a refurb, but it's odd that the phone was wiped (Apple Genius guy said that might happen).
I was indeed charged the $69 out-of-warranty replacement fee, but I have no problem with that.
I was indeed charged the $69 out-of-warranty replacement fee, but I have no problem with that.
Went into apple store today to have mine looked at (mine looked similar to The1andOnly's picture above) and it was suggested to replace battery for $69 out of warranty, however they had to order it. They had no ETA and said 3-5 business days. The employee also mentioned sometimes this leads to screen damage which they mentioned would be a $260 repair. I expressed concern over waiting longer as it could put more pressure on screen, but that was the only option I was given so I agreed and left the store. I'm supposed to get a call when they have in stock at my local store.
Then saw this topic. So I called Apple asking to see if they would clarify if I'll actually be getting a new battery or phone replacement. They seemed confident that they do replace swollen batteries in store. When I asked if it was safe to use while I wait for a replacement they suggested not using the phone until then. This was never mentioned to me in store and this simply isn't practical as I depend on my phone for work among other things. No other options were offered by them besides mailing it in, which again creates an issue as I need a phone.
So I went back to the Apple store and bought a new unlocked iPhone 12 and activated it at my phone carrier. Fortunately I don't have a contract w/ my phone carrier. I'll be using it as a loaner until they replace my old phone's battery, or whatever they end up doing. Luckily returns are extended through January for the holidays. This was my unofficial solution for now.
They also asked me when I bought the iPhone 12 if I needed a power brick for it (sold separately). This is probably common knowledge now, but c'mon Apple, seriously? I get it, we all have bricks laying around, but they're probably not USB-C.
Then saw this topic. So I called Apple asking to see if they would clarify if I'll actually be getting a new battery or phone replacement. They seemed confident that they do replace swollen batteries in store. When I asked if it was safe to use while I wait for a replacement they suggested not using the phone until then. This was never mentioned to me in store and this simply isn't practical as I depend on my phone for work among other things. No other options were offered by them besides mailing it in, which again creates an issue as I need a phone.
So I went back to the Apple store and bought a new unlocked iPhone 12 and activated it at my phone carrier. Fortunately I don't have a contract w/ my phone carrier. I'll be using it as a loaner until they replace my old phone's battery, or whatever they end up doing. Luckily returns are extended through January for the holidays. This was my unofficial solution for now.
They also asked me when I bought the iPhone 12 if I needed a power brick for it (sold separately). This is probably common knowledge now, but c'mon Apple, seriously? I get it, we all have bricks laying around, but they're probably not USB-C.