Q: iPhone 5 screen bulge

I Just had this swelling issue happen to my Oct. 2012 iPhone 5.  It is now Aug. 2016 so it's about 4 years old.  The Apple Genius Bar helper explained that it was a swollen battery and they would replace my old phone with a brand new one for the cost of the batterY which is about 1/4 the cost of replacement for any other out of warrantee reason.  Since it's been four years I'm satisfied with that solution.  If it was just after warrantee expired I'd be upset As some of you were too.  My future solution is to look at products that have replaceable batteries.  As this could happen anytime with the new energy intensive battery technology.  That means I may be heading away from Apple products until they come up with replaceable technology.  I prefer function over form even if it means my phone is 1-2 mm thicker.   I believe that is the best solution for everyone who feels ticked off by paying for an expensive battery replacement  once out of warrantee. 

Peter_96 wrote:

 

My future solution is to look at products that have replaceable batteries.  As this could happen anytime with the new energy intensive battery technology.  That means I may be heading away from Apple products until they come up with replaceable technology.

You may also be heading away from Samsung and Motorola, at least from their models that are equivalent to iPhones. Also, most current LG an HTC phones. The exception I can think of is the LG G5.

Peter_96 wrote:

 

I prefer function over form even if it means my phone is 1-2 mm thicker. 

 

The difference isn't 1-2 mm. First, the battery must have a hard case instead of a foil wrapper. Probably about 4 mm. Then the phone's case must be strengthened so it doesn't collapse when the battery cover is removed and to support a removable battery cover. I have a wireless hotspot with a removable battery. It is over twice as thick as an iPhone or a Samsung. And then there's Meg's point about the fact that there aren't smartphones on the market that have a removable battery. However, most dumb flip phones have a removable battery, so that's an option.

For a very rare problem on phones that are 4 years old that's quite a sacrifice.

Same problem happened on my iPhone5 in Turkey. I bought my first iPhone5 in 2013 and after using it for 7-8 months power button stopped working and they gave me a new unit in 2014 May. After nearly 2 years its battery swollen last week and screen got out of the case.

I went to apple store in Istanbul - Turkey and they said that my phone is not in replacement program so they can not replace it i asked them to repair it  but they said they can not repair my phone because battery may affect the circuits around it. Then offered me new iPhone for full price. This is ridicilous.

Very very bad customer service.

IMPORTANT: The program that covers swollen batteries on an iPhone 5 is limited to TWO (2) years from the original date of purchase. A device with a swollen battery will be replaced under the quality program as long as it is within this 2 year period. It is not the same as the iPhone 5 Battery Program which does cover batteries that are not performing well for 3 years after the device is purchased. Given that these programs are not the same as the limited warranty, they are subject to change. It's important to keep up to date on this to avoid any confusion when you come to get your device looked at for this issue.

IMPORTANT: Swollen batteries are dangerous to the end-user and should be replaced at no charge no matter how old the phone. If Apple claims they cannot be replaced then the phone should be swapped out at no charge. For what most of us pay for these devices they should be covered for more than 2 years.Terrible customer service and experience. Last "i" anything for me.

Jamisdiablo wrote:

 

IMPORTANT: Swollen batteries are dangerous to the end-user and should be replaced at no charge no matter how old the phone.

That is certainly one opinion.

Jamisdiablo wrote:

Swollen batteries are dangerous to the end-user

Please cite a responsible source for that assertion.

No need. Apple has already admitted as much.

Thus the battery recall program in the first place.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/your-gadgets-battery-is-swelling-up-should-you-panic- 75625500284.html

The battery recall program was put in place because batteries were failing long before the expected failure date.

The article you linked to also notes that the writer had worked themselves up into a panic and that, in fact, it wasn't the danger they thought it was.

In other words, the answer to the question posed by the title of the article is "no".

I guess it's too much trouble for people to actually read articles they link to.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

 

I guess it's too much trouble for people to actually read articles they link to.

You're such a stickler!

Thought that last article was actually fine, with the author relating what an Apple tech told him. But Ook, how about this one?

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/more-exploding-iphones/

In any case, if you really think there aren't any inherent dangers in using a phone with a swollen battery, then I guess you'll be fine if it ever happens to you (just don't expect Apple to help, without at least some cost to you anyway). As this and other topics on this support page prove, many others feel quite differently.

Good day.

Again, not sure how that article is relevant. Some less than sensible child sat on their phone and damaged it. And, someone had a swollen battery. Note that the two incidents were not related. The swollen battery did not "explode" and the phone that caught on fire was damaged by the user.

I think you may also have ignored the last paragraph:

Still, this is a rare incident, and only a few hundred cases are known among the hundreds of millions of smartphones in the world, so don’t get paranoid. The biggest recommendations we have is to use the official charger with your phone, don’t leave it plugged in for days, and keep your smartphone out of your back pocket, for heaven’s sake. Don’t sit on your $300-$800 pocket computer. Yes, every teenager in the world, we’re talking to you.

In other words, don't treat your phone badly and it won't explode.

Clearly yet another case of TL;DR