iPhone 3gs exploding expanding battery

Totally agree with BombDog and CMC55. When my phone "expanded" and self destructed and I took it into the Apple store I was told by a genius that this was a "feature" of the phone. i.e. as Lawrence Finch has pointed out this is the way that Apple prevents the phone from igniting and REALLY doing damage to life and property.

Fine.

But how about telling us about this wonderful feature BEFORE we buy the phone? If I had known that at approximately 2.5 years my $700 device would self destruct I might have made a different decision about buying it.

If I had been told beforehand about this excellent feature of the iPhone 3GS I would have been very careful to have the battery replaced after 2 years. A statement in the manual, or on the packaging such as: "WARNING: battery MUST be replaced in 2 years to avoid total self-destruction of this device."

The big question I have is: why is Apple not disclosing this very important feature of their phones?

Now I have an iPhone 5 that is about 1.5 years old. Is it soon going to self destruct? How will I know? Apple is not telling us, so how can we find out? Is it the responsibility now of all owners of Apple products with enclosed non user servicable batteries--which are now in tens of millions of devices including MacBook Airs, countless iPhones, and iPads--to search online for discussion threads such as this one to know if we have to replace the batteries? Or do we just wait for these devices to "expand" safely, and nicely self destruct without catching on fire?

Or should it be up to Apple to tell us when the battery ought to be replaced?

In all my life of about 50 years of owning countless electronic devices from my first 6 transistor radio to my current MacBook Air I've never had a product that self-destructed BY DESIGN after 2.5 years. And with no warning. To me and many on this group the responsibility should be with the manufacturer to explain clearly up front when and how to change batteries in their products if those batteries are designed to and known to destroy the product only 2 or 3 years after the product is purchased.

Now THAT seems blatantly obvious to most of us. Why is it not obvious to Apple?

Another case of an exploding iphone 3GS battery with me too, this past weekend - usual stuff, reported it with no joy - in fact once you've reported it via a call to Apple and they've established that no leakage, personal injury or damage to property was caused (presumably all 'liability' stuff) they're pretty quick to wash their hands of it. The only solution offered is to pay the battery replacement surcharge & to replace it with a like for like 3GS - not impressed.

There doesn't seem to be any appreciation by them that customers expect a lasting quality product from a supposed reputable name or of the concern that people are gobsmacked about the fact that this can happen - even more fundamentally, why isnt this explained as a potential risk (or 'feature' as they call it) within their product documentation/safety notices?

You do expect a product to last more than 3 or so years & it makes you wonder if all the conspiracy theory stuff about 'designed-in' obsolescence to these sorts of products (to encourage purchase of replacement prodcts) may actually have some truth.

Repost with Quotation:

You wrote:

Lawrence Finch NYC Area

superjaz1 wrote:

Just to note as I didn't mention it in my previous post, my wife stopped using the phone for a few months and it was sat in a drawer. Then about a week ago she decided to use it again and charged it up. The battery didn't start expanding till a few days later after charging however.

That is significant. Leaving it unused that long without charging it will allow the battery to drain completely. Complete discharge is a death warrant for Lithium chemistry batteries, as it is for most other secondary batteries. (If you did the same with your car battery you would get the same results.) When the phone shuts off due to low battery under normal use there is still plenty of charge left in the battery; it shuts off early to protect the battery from total discharge. But leaving it uncharged after it shuts off will eventually drain it completely, as a few functions of the phone continue to operate (primarily maintaining RAM memory).

This is not true at all. Show me data. I have a regular laptop PC machine with a Li-Ion battery. The OS alerted me to replace the battery. A year ago! it has not expanded, exploded or anything of the sort.

My opinion is you are making generalizations. You have posted here hyperlinks to articles derogatory to other manufacturers of cell phones. How come your post hasnt been removed? It did violate the conditions of use. But more importantly, those batteries that failed from those other brand names are removable, so they didnt destroy the phones like the 3GS battery and 4 batteries do.

Just an update from me. Called support.. They said $195 fee because out of warranty. I said thats too much.. Its not my fault etc. They said safety feature.. but understood. She passed me on to someone else... That guy said would talk to his manager and call me back. Got no calls. I called.. but he was busy so he'd call me.. Never happened. Started fresh with someone else.. He was excellent.. Anyway said $95 for battery replacement fee (Sydney, Aust).. Had to take it in a store.. But all good.. I did replace phone.. Got shiny new one.. Now I just need a simcard to activate the **** thing...

You can try taking it to an Apple genius bar and see if they will do anything for you, but since it is out of warranty they may just offer a trade-in allowance. Doesn't hurt to try.

Apple is not here and no one here can help you. If possible, take it in to Apple and let them physically see it.

Just thought I'd add my $.02.

I've had 5 or 6 3GSs over the last 4 years. Every. Single. One. Has expanded to the point of cracking the back or popping off the screen.

😐

I noticed a lot of people are saying they bought a newer iPhone, and when they went to use the 3GS again, shortly after, the battery expanded. This could be a result of not using the iPhone regularly, as the tip in the Batteries article linked above recommends for maximizing its lifespan.

That is deffinetly a possibility, but I also have a first generation ipod touch. And no matter how long it sits on the shelf, it charges and works fine. I hate to say it but I think this is a defect in the 3gs, a very dangerous one. Batteries should not be exploding because of no use, thats sad if thats the excuse apple is giving.

I just went to an Apple store and they would replace it for $79. (cost of a battery)

Apple has just lost me as a customer, I have spent a lot of money on Apple products in the past few years for myself and my company, I cannot invest that kind of money into a company if their products 'self destruct' after 2 years.

This is not a one time things, there are thousands of reports of this happening, it is an obvious defect in their product.

There is a difference in product warranty and and a design/manufacturing defect that leads to dangerous/gurantee failure of a product. A perfect example to this is a recall on your car. The manufacture WILL recall your car if they found such a defect that will lead to certain failure. **** Audi even recalled my car after 8 years for a ignition coil issue. Why do you defend Apple like a fan boy? This is clearly something Apple has to own up to.

Hasse-Sweden wrote:

The technician at Apple Store (Stockholm/Sweden) told me about a "self destruct feature" that makes all of the Apple-batteries swell or explode after about 2 years! Nothing they tell the buyer about...

<Link Edited By Host>

The "technician" was speaking from the wrong orifice. The opinion of a local mal-trained idiot is neither the word of Apple nor remotely true.

It happened to my 3GS a month ago. Bought new 4s' for us and gave kids the 3GS to use like an Ipod Touch. They were being used and cycled, so they didn't just sit around.

The fact is, batteries have a finite life. They can only charge and recharge so often. I get that. If the battery had just died, for $12 I could have a perfect phone again.

This expansion has ruined an otherwise perfect phone that was always cased and always had a screen protector on it. My son was going to trade it in to get an Ipod Touch, but now it is worthless.

Batteries are not supposed to act in this manner. If they are, they should come with a warning to replace them before they do.

I am going to an Apple store today to see what they will do. If they fail to react responsibly, this will look really bad for them.

Well, went to Apple Store White City, London this evening.

Apple Man said that the battery is designed to expand when it reaches its end of life. He was very relaxed and confident when he said it. I asked if he had just made that up but he assured me this is Apple advice.

They offererd to replace the battery for £55 and that would actually mean getting a new phone.

I think it is amazing that Apple have designed (planned!) to have their iPhones self-destruct after 2.5 years.

To claim this is not a design fault is unbelivable, to say they planned to blow up iPhones is just plain crazy. I detect they are trying to get out of this with the £55 offer.

I think if you pay £600 for a device then it should not self destruct after 2.5 years. If it is by design then Apple should give me a replacement phone without charge.

People may say well you needed a new batter anyway and these cannot be guarenteed to last for many years but I would argue that this single component should not be able to destroy the rest of the device. What if I wanted to just keep it and only used it off the mains or maybe I just want to have it as an ornament! Ha.

I don't know, all seems reiculas.

I didn't pay the £55. The phone is my spare and what I had been using for testing VoIP apps for work.

Shame!

And... If you just need to replace a battery, you can get this done at third party shops for about £20. (In Canada, where I am, it's about $35.) So the £55 price Apple charges is high.

At the very least, Apple should provide a very large warning on the packaging stating that if the battery is not replaced in a timely fashion, the phone is likely to self destruct. A better idea would be a warning message that pops up on your iPhone screen at around the 2.3 year mark saying: "Battery dangerously old. Your phone is about to self-destruct unless you immediately get a new battery." This would be very helpful, and true.