User profile for user: Pappasbike
Pappasbike Author
User level: Level 3
563 points

New Crack in Case After Phone Ran Hot

Just a few days ago I took my phone out of my pocket and realized it was extremely warm. I woke it up to use it and immediately got the message that the battery was almost dead. It had a full charge from a couple of hours before and I had only used it for a few minutes since. I figured some background process was running wild so I did a total reboot then turned the phone off since the battery was almost gone anyway. When I got home I charged it up again and haven't had a problem with it. However for the first time I saw a definite crack in the plastic casing at the headphone jack as well as some stress lines in the plastic around that area. From earlier threads about cracking cases I was familiar with what other people had seen on their phones and realized mine was just like those.

My belief is that when the phone heated up it caused the plastic to flex and crack at its thinnest area. I have the black phone and the crack is very hard to see although if you run a fingernail across the area you definitely feel change in the surface. I'm not taking it in to an Apple store yet because it's so difficult to see and this phone was a replacement for another that had developed a visible flaw under the front screen. However if the crack becomes more prominent or if others develop I will take it in. I'm just wondering if the cracks that others had seen in prior threads were also related to the phone running hot for some reason.
John

Macbook Pro 15" 2.0 1gig ram, Intel iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.6), 1G, 2G

Posted on Dec 23, 2008 3:00 AM

Reply
17 replies
User profile for user: icebike
icebike
User level: Level 3
740 points

Dec 23, 2008 3:39 PM in response to Pappasbike

Cracks around headphone jack are almost always induced by headphone plug being stressed. There is nothing up there that generates heat, and heat makes plastic less brittle and less subject to cracking - not more so.

Cracks had nothing to do with heat.

The plastic may have been thin there, and headphone insertion, bumping, or pulling might have cracked it. It should be designed to handle normal wear and tear, especially since the ipod application is Apple's pride and joy.

So like the others mentioned, take it in for replacement.

There are plenty of threads on the heat issue since 2.2 software. That is another problem entirely, and will probably be fixed some day.
Reply
User profile for user: Pappasbike
Pappasbike Author
User level: Level 3
563 points

Dec 24, 2008 5:19 AM in response to MrAceXPS

Thanks guys. I do think it had something to do with the phone running hot because of some process that wouldn't quit and drained my battery, The crack appeared right after I noticed how hot the phone was. I'm guessing that even though the plastic might be more pliable from the heat it would also expand and possibly separate from the bezel of the phone. Where the casing is the thinnest - at the headphone jack - it then cracks. There are also several small lines, I'm calling them stress lines, in a few other spots along the top of the case. All of these are very tiny and at this point I'm not certain I could get someone else to see them. The case is black and I have to hold it at just the right angle in appropriate light to actually see them. When or if they become more prominent and more easily seen I'll take it in for a replacement.
John
Reply
User profile for user: MrAceXPS
MrAceXPS
User level: Level 1
6 points

Dec 24, 2008 6:14 AM in response to Pappasbike

It's highly unlikely that heat caused the cracks. Now, if you left it outside in your car in Chicago and then heated it up fast by charging... 🙂

But seriously, cracks are unfortunately common on these phones and the folks at the genius bar have 20 speculative causes, most focus on some sort of impact the rest on a defect at the manufacturing plant.

You will pull your hair out trying to "prevent" cracks. Just rest on the fact that Apple will replace your phone whenever you have trouble under warranty. There is no limit on warranty replacements.
Reply
User profile for user: Pappasbike
Pappasbike Author
User level: Level 3
563 points

Dec 24, 2008 2:18 PM in response to Owen Pillion

Owen Pillion wrote:
quick question: I have a few small hair line cracks in my white iPhone. If I make an appointment with a "genius" will Apple replace it? I guess, how willing are they to replace the phone over these small cracks?

Thanks for your time,

Owen Pillion

Check some of the threads involving cracks on the phone. Many posters included pictures of them. My feeling is if they look like those and are easily visible the Apple guys will replace it. My first 3g phone developed some peculiar spots under the screen around the outside edge near the bezel. I found a thread here with posters including pictures which were exactly like what I was seeing. I made an appointment, took mine in and the guy replaced it right away without my even asking.
John
Reply
User profile for user: tokatta
tokatta
User level: Level 3
869 points

Dec 25, 2008 7:32 PM in response to Pappasbike

To all that say heat doesn't cause cracks, you should work in an factory that makes plastic and acrylic products.

Although heat does make plastic more malleable, improperly applied heat will cause surface cracks that look just like the iphone cracks. A little heat, and a little movement when there is a heat differential between one side of the plastic surface and the other will cause some nice crazing and cracking.

I have always thought that the iPhone crack issue is due to heat. Most of the cracks are appearing at the thinnest places on the iphone case, and internal heat could easily cause the cracks. Especially with hot/cold cycles that occur inside the phone.

In the past I had a job repairing Acrylic and PVC, so i know for a fact that heat can induce cracks in thin plastics.
Reply
User profile for user: WaltzinMatilda
WaltzinMatilda
User level: Level 1
10 points

Dec 26, 2008 11:44 AM in response to tokatta

I don't believe heat will cause this cracking. Simple reasoning would suggest this phone is designed to be handled by humans, carried in pockets etc. Even those people reporting that the phone was running hot really mean that the phone was just warm, not more than a couple degrees above body temperature, probably not more than 100F.

The cracks you mention require much higher heat than this.

Besides you totally ignore the fact that the cracking is almost always first noticed at the headphone jack, where there are no heat causing elements. But lots of stress from users plugging and unplugging.

The simplest explanation is the case was too thin from some dies. Its really a stretch to suggest that Apple engineers selected a plastic for human use that could not tolerate human temperatures.
Reply
User profile for user: Pappasbike
Pappasbike Author
User level: Level 3
563 points

Dec 27, 2008 5:06 AM in response to WaltzinMatilda

I won't categorically state that the crack I have on my phone was due to heat only that it occurred immediately after the phone ran hot, it was pretty hot not just warm, and drained the battery. There is also some crazing/stress marks along the top of the case all the way over to the sleep/wake button. When I noticed that the phone was hot I did a total reset and then cut it off till I could get home to recharge it. My plan was to see if the issue reoccurred and take it in to Apple for replacement if it did. So I was examining it very closely when I saw the crack and the other marks.

My original 3g that I had gotten on the initial launch day had been used for several months with a lot of use of the headphones and had never shown any flaws in the casing at all. This phone I've only had for about a month or so and only after it ran hot did the marks appear. Again these are very faint and can only be seen if you hold the phone under a bright light and angle it just right, so until they become more visible or more appear I'm not taking it in for replacement. But I'm fairly convinced that my issue was caused by the heat of the phone, my original one never had an episode of running hot, and that was in the summer!
John
Reply

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

New Crack in Case After Phone Ran Hot

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up