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Resolved What is this under my screen protector?

DanielCoffey

DanielCoffey

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 15, 2010
1,208
30
Edinburgh, UK
I have what appears to be a persistent bubble under my iPhone 5 Bodyguardz Pure glass screen protector that just doesn't want to shift and I want to show it to folks who have had experience of air, lint or dust under their own glass protectors to get a consensus on what it is.

Under magnification (I have a 12x loupe) I cannot see anything under the glass at all. No matter what angle I hold the screen at near the window, all I see are the squiggles of adhesive/air, the polarised light effects and underneath those the pixels of the display. There is no visible physical object between the Bodyguardz and the iPhone screen.

Here are the two images of the bubble. The first shows the position and size relative to the home button and the second is a closeup. The other specks visible in the images are actually dust on the surface of the glass at the time of taking the photo...


BodyguardzBubble.jpg


BodyguardzBubbleCloseup.jpg



I fitted the screen to my iPhone5 seven days ago. I correctly cleaned the iPhone and got the Screenguardz positioned perfectly first time. It has not been lifted up as I am aware that this would damage the adhesive.

There were a few areas at the edges where there were the expected air bubbles as well the area near the home button that also appeared at the time to be a visible air bubble. Within a few hours, all the edge air bubbles disappeared leaving the screen perfectly lined up with absolutely no dust or lint under the surface but the one area near the home button just wouldn't shift.

I read in the FAQ that larger air bubbles could take up to five days to work their way out but I became concerned about this one because, no matter where I pressed on the glass, it wouldn't move about like a real air bubble should. In addition, despite pressure above the area, it just shrank a little then reappeared in a few seconds.

It is highly visible because of the coloured polarised light effect and has not changed in size at all since the glass was applied seven days ago. Under high magnification, it appears that the glue at its edges is incomplete and has a "bald spot" in the centre. I wondered if that despite being fortunate enough to position the glass correctly first time, I had been unlucky enough to get one that had a defect.

I considered that there might have been a bubble in the adhesive when this piece of glass was manufactured and that there was in fact one small spot on my glass that has no glue on it. The spot does not move about when pressed and is showing no signs of clearing after seven days.

Is it lint or is it a defect?
 
Last edited:
It's an amoeba
Heh

I would wait out the recommended time could be moisture was in there or in the adhesive and a change in temperature caused it to appear.
Or you could be right it might just be defective.

Only way to be certain is to give it more time and if it doesn't go away you would have to lift it to inspect it

Maybe someone else with the same protector has more insight
 
Here is an additional picture in which I took shots at different angles and lighting to try to see if there was anything under the glass.

Folks who did have lint and dust underneath said the dust was visible and easy to spot. I just can't see *anything* between the glass layers here. You can even see the pixels!

BodyguardzBubbleCloseupQuad.jpg
 
I've had that same type of issue but not with my Pure, but with my first GlasTr. It never resolved. Send a photo to Bodyguardz and get a replacement.
 
I have sent in the first two pictures (and just now the extra one) to Bodyguardz but they seem insistent that it is something under the glass and that I should pay for a replacement under their Advantage Replacements program (including international shipping). This is why I am trying to get an opinion of folks who have seen lint under their own glass screen protectors to get a better idea of what this might be.

If I do indeed have something under the glass, fair enough. If it is a defect then in the UK, I would expect a replacement under warranty. The protector was bought through Amazon UK who fulfilled the order for one of their Marketplace Sellers. I don't want to dump this on the poor guy's lap if it is user error but if it is faulty, he will be hit with UK to US shipping fees to return it for his refund.
 
DanielCoffey said:
I have sent in the first two pictures (and just now the extra one) to Bodyguardz but they seem insistent that it is something under the glass and that I should pay for a replacement under their Advantage Replacements program (including international shipping). This is why I am trying to get an opinion of folks who have seen lint under their own glass screen protectors to get a better idea of what this might be.

If I do indeed have something under the glass, fair enough. If it is a defect then in the UK, I would expect a replacement under warranty. The protector was bought through Amazon UK who fulfilled the order for one of their Marketplace Sellers. I don't want to dump this on the poor guy's lap if it is user error but if it is faulty, he will be hit with UK to US shipping fees to return it for his refund.
Click to expand...

You would see the lint or dust if it were there. I've had a speck of dust under the Pure and it didn't show like what you have. The screen actually settled down nicely around the dust. It drove me crazy, so i lifted the protector and got the dust out. Then it settled down again. You have an adhesive or glass problem.
 
It's the silicone adhesive not sticking down. I had this issue on my iPhone 4 version a couple of months ago. It refused to stick down on the corners and a spot in the middle just like yours TC.

Bodyguardz replaced mine no problem though.

Word of warning, mine fell off after a week as the silicone wasn't quite sticking. Yours appears to me stuck on the screen a lot better than mine was.
 
I can verify myself that lint or any speck of dust would NOT look like that. While I can't take macro shots of the lint caught under my Pure Glass screen protector, I can guarantee you that it does not create an air bubble like you see in your phone.

What that is though, is a portion of the screen protector's adhesive not gluing down properly. I did get these small air pockets on both of my installs of the Pure Glass, but after applying a lot of pressure on the affected area, they went away, and any micro bubbles surrounding the air pocket went away on their own over time. If a replacement is not enough for you, I highly suggest you apply pressure on that air pocket and force it to stick down for a long period of time, and hopefully it'll stick. Otherwise, a replacement would be your best option.
 
A replacement is what I would like but Bodyguardz' current stance is that it must be a foreign object and I would have to pay for the replacement.

I will put the Amazon Marketplace Seller on notice that I may have an issue and direct him to this thread.
 
I wish I could take Macro Shots of the lint caught in my Pure Glass to help you but I sadly cannot since I don't have the right lens on my DSLR. But it looks exactly like you'd expect, a piece of lint or dust just stuck in between the two glasses with no bubbles around it.

It seems so strange that they're giving you a hard time though since one time the Advantage program was not activated on my account and I didn't see the Advantage program discount at all on the website. I assumed that it would take effect when I was about to check out but it never did. Contacted Bodyguardz and they happily refunded me the difference.
 
The stage we are at just now is that they are yet to comment on the mosaic of four shots in better lighting. Due to timezone differences (they are Utah, I am UK) I am having to be patient.
 
Looks like a partial fingerprint. If you had oils on your finger, it could prevent the adhesive from sticking. Did you clean your fingers immediately prior to installation?
 
Yes I did, and I certainly didn't touch the underside after peeling off the backing. I was being careful to not get any dust under there.
 
Looks like a defect in the screen protector. It looks like it was dented prior to installation.
 
Just peel the screen protector off and take some tape or a lint roller to the backside. Then put it back on and see if it is there.

If lint or a foreign object it will come off. If not then its defective adhesive.

You could video your removal and tape/lint roller clean, and send the video to bodyguards if it is still there as evidence nothing is under the screen.

I had lint issues the first four times I installed. I pulled it off and on four times and took a lint roller to it each time. Still going strong after 3 months.
 
I thought about this but no, I was being scrupulously clean to avoid dust. It just seems to be a place where the adhesive doesn't want to go.

I have heard back from the Seller and he wants me to see how it behaves under more localised pressure... seeing if a fingernail across the middle will split it into two to see if the bubble will break up or disperse. I'll report back later.
 
RESOLVED

The Marketplace Seller got back to me and asked me to try something prior to considering a replacement. He asked me to apply harder and more localised pressure to the bubble.

I noticed that when I applied pressure with a cleaning cloth, the bubble shrank but always swelled back to the original size after a few seconds so I tried putting a fingernail across it to see if I could split it into two. This didn't work.

Next I got a satay stick and flattened and rounded one end. I applied the flat end directly over the centre of the bubble and pressed down more firmly. The first few times the bubble squashed away completely but came back in the same spot when I released the pressure.

I then tried pressing a short distance away from the bubble and hoped to displace some of the nearby adhesive into the bare spot. I did this from a few directions and then tried the centre of the bubble again. This time the bubble disappeared and stayed away. It has now been an hour and it has not reappeared so I think we can safely say it was indeed just a large air bubble and given a slight redistribution of the adhesive has now gone.

I am glad I have managed to sort it out because I was so pleased I had got a dust-free and straight-edged positioning of the Bodyguardz Pure on my first go.

As far as I am concerned, I have resolved the problem to my satisfaction, so thanks for everyone's suggestions and patience. At least this means we can recommend the same technique to others who have the same problem.

Daniel.
 
DanielCoffey said:
RESOLVED

The Marketplace Seller got back to me and asked me to try something prior to considering a replacement. He asked me to apply harder and more localised pressure to the bubble.

I noticed that when I applied pressure with a cleaning cloth, the bubble shrank but always swelled back to the original size after a few seconds so I tried putting a fingernail across it to see if I could split it into two. This didn't work.

Next I got a satay stick and flattened and rounded one end. I applied the flat end directly over the centre of the bubble and pressed down more firmly. The first few times the bubble squashed away completely but came back in the same spot when I released the pressure.

I then tried pressing a short distance away from the bubble and hoped to displace some of the nearby adhesive into the bare spot. I did this from a few directions and then tried the centre of the bubble again. This time the bubble disappeared and stayed away. It has now been an hour and it has not reappeared so I think we can safely say it was indeed just a large air bubble and given a slight redistribution of the adhesive has now gone.

I am glad I have managed to sort it out because I was so pleased I had got a dust-free and straight-edged positioning of the Bodyguardz Pure on my first go.

As far as I am concerned, I have resolved the problem to my satisfaction, so thanks for everyone's suggestions and patience. At least this means we can recommend the same technique to others who have the same problem.

Daniel.
Click to expand...

Sorry to revive this resolved thread, but I have to say, I JUST installed the Pure, and had the SAME thing as you. I then tried what you did, just press towards the area from around it (possibly like you said redistributing adhesive?), and then pressed firmly on the actual area. I have to say, it disappeared!!
 
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