Not light leak, but BACK leak?

[cellocello]

So ...

I was using my phone the over night, and set it down on my nightstand. This is my second phone (first one had a tilted screen with dust under it), but I never "checked it out" like I did the first one.

So I set it face down, and look back ... and light was coming through the back! Like as if the back wasn't painted thick enough on the inside and light was coming through - like when you close you eyes on a sunny day and you can still "see" the orange of your eyelid skin.

Is this what everyone is talking about when they say "light leak"? I made an appointment at my Apple Store on Thursday for a replacement.

 

[Niiro13]

I know it's probably not good for the back, but that sounds kinda cool to have. A glowing iPhone.

 

[s2smooth4u]

my girlfriend just noticed the same thing on mine last night. It looked like a light bulb i made an appointment for tomorrow because it will be 30 days to the day that i have had my iphone.

 

[cellocello]

I know it's probably not good for the back, but that sounds kinda cool to have. A glowing iPhone.

Heh, ya. It's not that cool though (I wish). It's all uneven looking, and gets worse at the edges. It honestly looks pretty bad.

my girlfriend just noticed the same thing on mine last night. It looked like a light bulb i made an appointment for tomorrow because it will be 30 days to the day that i have had my iphone.

Does this have to fall under the 30 day rule? I thought we got a year against manufacturing defects (?).

 

[s2smooth4u]

Niiro13 I know it's probably not good for the back, but that sounds kinda cool to have. A glowing iPhone. "[/QUOTE

nope its kind of annoying.

 

[s2smooth4u]

i agree it looks terrible

 

[StoneColdSober]

From what I understand this is normal with the white iPhones and replacing it with another white iPhone is not going to resolve the issue.

Think of it as a handy added feature, a night light if you will. If you keep your iPhone face down (which seems odd to me, but to each his own) and the phone rings and you are in a dark room, with the light coming through the back your phone will be easy to find.

 

[Niiro13]

From what I understand this is normal with the white iPhones and replacing it with another white iPhone is not going to resolve the issue.

Think of it as a handy added feature, a night light if you will. If you keep your iPhone face down (which seems odd to me, but to each his own) and the phone rings and you are in a dark room, with the light coming through the back your phone will be easy to find.

So ALL the white iPhones have this? Wow...and I was considering getting one.

 

[cellocello]

If you keep your iPhone face down (which seems odd to me, but to each his own) and the phone rings and you are in a dark room, with the light coming through the back your phone will be easy to find.

Hah. I don't usually put it face down, but I got up to get something real quick and just set it there on my nightstand for a sec -- and I'm glad I did!

I would have hated using my phone in a dark location and have it look all stupid. Besides, I don't want this to be an indicator of other possible QA "issues" with my phone.

Hahahah, and no; I don't believe this is an issue with all white phones.

 

[Mikey B]

Hahahah, and no; I don't believe this is an issue with all white phones.

i sure think it is. i've gone through 4 white iPhones and 3 for sure had it and i'd be willing to bet the other one did as well, i just didn't have it long enough to notice.

it's really really really really annoying.

if they don't all have it, a pretty hefty percentage does.

 

[StoneColdSober]

My point was, I don't think you will get a replacement. I could be wrong but I would not be surprised.

The fact that the white iPhones have this issue doesn't surprise me in the least. The iPhone cases are pretty thin. In order to prevent light coming through the back I would suspect the case would have to be thicker and with a device like the iPhone, every mm counts.

But, I could be totally wrong on all of the above. It wouldn't be a first.

 

[Kardashian]

If you keep your iPhone face down (which seems odd to me, but to each his own) and the phone rings and you are in a dark room, with the light coming through the back your phone will be easy to find.

Don't think you thought that one through.

The same could be said if the phone was laying on its back.

It has a pretty large, pretty bright screen on the front y'know - which also has the tendency to light up when a call is incoming.

 

[cellocello]

i sure think it is. i've gone through 4 white iPhones and 3 for sure had it and i'd be willing to bet the other one did as well, i just didn't have it long enough to notice.

it's really really really really annoying.

if they don't all have it, a pretty hefty percentage does.

Hmm ... really? I wonder why?

It's not like the whole case is evenly thin and lit up - just spotchy patches. All it would take is an even coat, and the whole thing would be opaque (like the parts of the back that don't allow light through).

Anyone else with white phones care to confirm or not?

 

[Mikey B]

My point was, I don't think you will get a replacement. I could be wrong but I would not be surprised.

The fact that the white iPhones have this issue doesn't surprise me in the least. The iPhone cases are pretty thin. In order to prevent light coming through the back I would suspect the case would have to be thicker and with a device like the iPhone, every mm counts.

But, I could be totally wrong on all of the above. It wouldn't be a first.

i've had it replaced twice for solely that reason. thinking about going back, but don't want to risk getting a new one with other problems.

like i said above, 3 in a row, all from different production weeks, have had it. it makes me want to try and trade it in for a black one.

 

[StoneColdSober]

Don't think you thought that one through.

The same could be said if the phone was laying on its back.

It has a pretty large, pretty bright screen on the front y'know - which also has the tendency to light up when a call is incoming.

I did think it through. My point was that if it is face down, you would not be able to see the screen. But that really wasn't the point and I guess my humor is lost on some.

 

[Mikey B]

Hmm ... really? I wonder why?

It's not like the whole case is evenly thin and lit up - just spotchy patches. All it would take is an even coat, and the whole thing would be opaque (like the parts of the back that don't allow light through).

Anyone else with white phones care to confirm or not?

i made a poll on here a while back, and over 25% of the people that responded had noticed it. and to be honest, i think a lot of the people who said they didn't have the problem had black phones and if they did have white, didn't really check or had their brightness really low.

 

[cellocello]

My point was, I don't think you will get a replacement. I could be wrong but I would not be surprised.

The fact that the white iPhones have this issue doesn't surprise me in the least. The iPhone cases are pretty thin. In order to prevent light coming through the back I would suspect the case would have to be thicker and with a device like the iPhone, every mm counts.

But, I could be totally wrong on all of the above. It wouldn't be a first.

Hmm .. well, I fully expect to get a replacement - this is manufacturing defect.

And besides ... this seems pretty super unApple. I doubt they'd be ok with these ugly ass half-lit up phones going around.

 

[Mikey B]

Hmm .. well, I fully expect to get a replacement - this is manufacturing defect.

And besides ... this seems pretty super unApple. I doubt they'd be ok with these ugly ass half-lit up phones going around.

i had to almost fistfight one "genius" about it. though he acknowledged the problem, he tried to claim that its within spec and therefore not eligible for a replacement. but i wasn't accepting that answer...

the other 2 swapped it out no problem.

 

[StoneColdSober]

Hmm ... really? I wonder why?

It's not like the whole case is evenly thin and lit up - just spotchy patches. All it would take is an even coat, and the whole thing would be opaque (like the parts of the back that don't allow light through).

My guess (and it is only a guess) would be that the reason it only comes through in patches is that there are other components that block the light coming through in other spots. I have not personally seen the problem but I would suspect that the light that can be seen through the back is in the same region on every iPhone and not occurring in various different spots on different iPhones.

 

[cellocello]

i had to almost fistfight one "genius" about it. though he acknowledged the problem, he tried to claim that its within spec and therefore not eligible for a replacement. but i wasn't accepting that answer...

the other 2 swapped it out no problem.

So ... what exactly is the "exchange policy" with Apple, anyhow?

If I noticed this a month (or 5) from now, instead of last night, would I be SOL?

My guess (and it is only a guess) would be that the reason it only comes through in patches is that there are other components that block the light coming through in other spots. I have not personally seen the problem but I would suspect that the light that can be seen through the back is in the same region on every iPhone and not occurring in various different spots on different iPhones.

That's a good point. Is there a thread with pics of this particular problem? I'm at work, so I can't take a pic of mine, but I can tonight.

 

[i0Nic]

All white iPhones have this to a degree, it would be crazy to get a replacement for it as you won't get a white one without it. Even with the black iphone, if you look at the back in the dark you can slightly see some soft light on the sides near the bottom.

Don't bother with a replacement, enjoy your phone it's not an issue.

 

[StoneColdSober]

There is even someone in Russia that did a mod on the Gen 1 iPhone to put a light up Apple logo on the back. I suspect the light is coming from the same source.

 

[cellocello]

All white iPhones have this to a degree, it would be crazy to get a replacement for it as you won't get a white one without it.

Damn, really? I dunno man ... I mean, it's really unsightly.

It just doesn't seem very Apple like at all. I can't imagine them selling iPods with warped backs and uneven mirroring. Or MacBooks that don't light up the Apple logo properly. If people are up in arms about light leaking (and checking in darkened rooms), I'd imagine I would have heard about this more.

I'm going to go anyway, and ask what the deal is. If this is honestly "the way apple does it" ... I'll be pretty disappointed.

 

[Mikey B]

Damn, really? I dunno man ... I mean, it's really unsightly.

It just doesn't seem very Apple like at all. I can't imagine them selling iPods with warped backs and uneven mirroring. Or MacBooks that don't light up the Apple logo properly. If people are up in arms about light leaking (and checking in darkened rooms), I'd imagine I would have heard about this more.

I'm going to go anyway, and ask what the deal is. If this is honestly "the way apple does it" ... I'll be pretty disappointed.

i totally agree. it frustrates me to no end. and i DON'T think i'm being overly OCD about it.

like you said, this is completely un-Apple like to have such poor quality control.

why is it so difficult to make the back of the white iPhone opaque??

but, i do think you are going to end up with the same issue on your new phone. i'm thinking about waiting a few weeks or months down the line to swap again.

 

[StoneColdSober]

Again, I don't know if there is a way to avoid it other than to make the cases thicker and then you have an iPhone with different dimensions as I am sure they can't add the thickness to the inside of the iPhone case.

As with everything in life there are trade offs. Apple got rid of the metal case to help with reception. They now offer the iPhone in both white and black. If they had only come out with black, people would be posting about how they want white. If Apple made the phone thicker to account for this issue, people would post about how the phone is too thick.

I understand that you are not happy with the issue you have, I just don't know how Apple can win on this one. My only recommendation would be to go to Apple and try to exchange for a black one. But by doing that you risk having some other issue. YMMV