Other Is collecting iPhones a bad idea? Are old batteries dangerous?

[ruslan120]

I’ve read before that it’s potentially dangerous to store old iPhones / devices due to the old batteries that are inside (due to potential combustion).

If they’re at 0% do they pose a threat of eventually combusting? What are the odds? Is it better to remove the batteries?

What will happen to all of the iPhone 2G collectors?

Thanks in advance!
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I’m considering a project like this. Will most likely remove the battery but would be nice to leave it in.

https://i.redd.it/po9l51kjx5821.jpg

 

[sawah]

I’m very interested to learn about this. My son has a decent collection of older iPhones, I wouldn’t want them to be dangerous.

 

[freeagent]

Should be fine. Li-ions I don't think are nearly as dangerous as Li-Pos can be. I cant say for sure but there are probably other things in your house that are more dangerous to you.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

From what I know, batteries don't cumbust for no reason. They have to be punctured/damaged in some way, exposed to excessive heat, be faulty from the factory, or have something else happen to them to cause a defect. I'd say as long as the battery isn't obviously damaged or defective and isn't overheating (so don't charge it with a down comforter over it), it should be fine.

I use all manner of old batteries (I have both an official battery for my MacBook and for my iBook, and I still have the OG battery in my iPod Classic from 2008) and I've had no issues (knock on wood). It's always smart to be cautious of batteries and especially any Li-based battery because, yes, they are relatively unstable compared to something like an alkaline battery (which is what makes them so effective), but also, as long as it's a properly-manufactured battery, there's no reason why it should combust without other factors effecting it.

 

[ruslan120]

First of all, I appreciate the responses. I’m worried about the potential risk of not knowing if it was manufactured correctly. I guess my question becomes, how does one tell?

(Asking for safety of self and others.)

 

[ptfuzi]

You have to check because they sometimes swell and can get punctured.
If there's little charge on them there's low risk of thermal runaway

 

[chrfr]

Should be fine. Li-ions I don't think are nearly as dangerous as Li-Pos can be. I cant say for sure but there are probably other things in your house that are more dangerous to you.

Lithium-ion batteries do indeed have a fire risk; they're not safer than lithium-polymer. https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_concerns_with_li_ion
Lithium polymer batteries are actually less likely to leak.

Lithium Ion vs. Lithium Polymer Batteries – Which Is Better? - RAVPower

We go deep into the lithium-ion versus lithium-polymer debate and find out the benefits and drawbacks of each battery type! Which is better for you?

blog.ravpower.com

 

[Apple_Robert]

It is money down the rabbit hole.

 

[Madhatter32]

I have an iPod from 2003 or 2004. It's dead. Battery does not work but nothing has ever happened to it otherwise. YMMV

 

[Chung123]

They do sell Lithium Ion Safety carrying bags? For transporting Lithium ion batteries - carrying on to plane while traveling. Might be an option.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

First of all, I appreciate the responses. I’m worried about the potential risk of not knowing if it was manufactured correctly. I guess my question becomes, how does one tell?

(Asking for safety of self and others.)

Likely if you have a phone that is a couple of years old and the battery shows no signs of bulging or other defects and it hasn't exploded yet, there's no reason for it to randomly explode now. It's good of you to be cautious though. I'm not super trusting of Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries myself, but I can't really get away from them.

 

[Darth.Titan]

I had 3 first gen iPhones in a drawer for years. Then one day I noticed that the screen had detached from one and the battery was swollen to twice its original size. One of the others was starting to separate at the seams as well.

So yes, you should be concerned about storing old iPhones. Keep an eye on them.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

I had 3 first gen iPhones in a drawer for years. Then one day I noticed that the screen had detached from one and the battery was swollen to twice its original size. One of the others was starting to separate at the seams as well.

So yes, you should be concerned about storing old iPhones. Keep an eye on them.

Sadly iPhones don't have removable batteries, so you can't take them out and prevent them from swelling like that. I wonder if it's the storage that causes the issues, like they don't swell if you use them regularly.

 

[The Man]

Swelling batteries is a problem. Happened to my old iPod classic. Happened to my iPhone 5. The swelling actually started when I switched to fast charging. With the regular 5v 1A USB charger, the iPod was fine. But then I bought a speaker with dock that had fast charging. Not long after, the battery swelled up. Same happened with iPhone 5. Was fine on the regular charger for years, then not long after I switched to my iPad Apple charger, it got swollen. Makes me think fast(er) charging is not all that.

 

[ruslan120]

Sadly iPhones don't have removable batteries, so you can't take them out and prevent them from swelling like that. I wonder if it's the storage that causes the issues, like they don't swell if you use them regularly.

I’m taking mine apart, but I feel for those who buy collector iPhones.

Swelling batteries is a problem. Happened to my old iPod classic. Happened to my iPhone 5. The swelling actually started when I switched to fast charging. With the regular 5v 1A USB charger, the iPod was fine. But then I bought a speaker with dock that had fast charging. Not long after, the battery swelled up. Same happened with iPhone 5. Was fine on the regular charger for years, then not long after I switched to my iPad Apple charger, it got swollen. Makes me think fast(er) charging is not all that.

Might’ve been a bad speaker dock, ie bad voltage, current regulation on the output. I remember seeing an article that covered Apple’s adapter and it was a nice even line of power / voltage. Off-brands were all over the place.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

I’m taking mine apart, but I feel for those who buy collector iPhones.

Yeah, same here. Luckily I'm technically inclined enough to replace a swelling iPod batter (but not an iPhone battery), but I feel bad for those who aren't.

 

[now i see it]

Virtually all lithium ion battery fires occur while the battery is being charged. I doubt there's ever been a case where a Lithium ion battery that was stored at 40% charge (the sweet spot) has spontaneously combusted- ever.

If you're paranoid, there's no harm in storing old phones in an ammo case. If one spontaneously ignited, the case would contain the fire (and extinguish it) and smoke. The smoke from a battery fire warrants the most concern. It's very toxic.

 

[freeagent]

Don’t store dead batteries, put a storage charge on it.

 

[eyoungren]

It is money down the rabbit hole.

I disagree.

Only three of these devices were paid full price. The iPhone 5 was paid off in 2014, the iPhone 6s and 6s+ were paid off in 2017. The white 4s cost me $20, the black iPhone 4 cost me $20 and the 3GS which I just got last week was $29.

All of them are currently being used by me for various things. I don't let my devices sit in drawers. The iPhone 6s+ even has a current SIM in it with it's own active line.

 

[5105973]

My mother-in-law and my dad had iPhone 5 models that swelled and broke open. But they were in use and being charged regularly. But my dad’s was in a Mophie battery case pretty much all the time and my mother-in-law used a dock, which I think is official but I am not completely sure. Her older iPhone and our much older iPhones have been fine so far.

 

[eyoungren]

My mother-in-law and my dad had iPhone 5 models that swelled and broke open. But they were in use and being charged regularly. But my dad’s was in a Mophie battery case pretty much all the time and my mother-in-law used a dock, which I think is official but I am not completely sure. Her older iPhone and our much older iPhones have been fine so far.

I had three iPhone 5's that did this. Apple replaced them each time. The one in the pic above is the fourth replacement. It was swelling too, so not wanting to have any issues I let it sit off charger for several months until I had enough money to replace the battery again. Of course, by now, Apple won't do it.

But I did notice something. In that time I let it sit off charger, the swelling stopped and reduced. So, I have now taken to only charging it off and on.

PS. During the last battery replacement I was told by the Apple genius that the battery inside the iPhone 5 has a protective sleeve. It's this sleeve that contains any battery swelling. As long as it's not punctured everything is safe. I have to assume that this is also the case with the batteries on the 5s and up and it probably is the case with the 4 and the 4s, although I do not know.

 

[freeagent]

Crazy. You guys that had your batteries puff, were they from Apple? None of mine puffed, all of my stuff is oem.

 

[5105973]

Crazy. You guys that had your batteries puff, were they from Apple? None of mine puffed, all of my stuff is oem.

Yes, they were original batteries.

 

[eyoungren]

Crazy. You guys that had your batteries puff, were they from Apple? None of mine puffed, all of my stuff is oem.

The ONLY model I had batteries swell on was the iPhone 5 and it did it three times. Batteries were original OEM from Apple. Any service I've ever gotten on a iPhone has been from Apple.

It would seem that this issue is a particular affliction for the iPhone 5.

 

[freeagent]

Good to know. I was at work when I started reading this thread. Now I'm home, and have inspected our old phones. 2x 4S, 2x 5S, and two 7s, and the iPad mini 4. Most of them have takin a bit of a beating, but no puffing, so that's good. I run a couple of 3S 5000mah packs for my R/C's, you don't want to beat them up too much. Did you guys drop your phone, get it wet, or anything like that? I guess I am just surprised to hear of an iPhone doing that, so please don't take my questions personally, I am just curious.