iPhone 6+, 64 gb with Sprint. This phone was activated October 29, 2014. As a side note, this phone has a screen protector and case on the very first day. Never been dropped or close to water.
Here is a summary of the issues I have been experiencing:
-touchscreen is intermittently unresponsive. Swiping and pressing on the screen does nothing to the phone. This issue started happening Jan 2016.
-recently, I noticed this twice. Phone starts to open random apps, begins to type on it own, activates three finger tap and zooms in on screen. All this random "activity" is done without physically touching the phone. The first time I noticed this is when my phone was on my car mount while I was driving and freaked me out a bit. It seemed as if my phone was possessed or someone had access to my phone and began to start pressing randomly on my screen.
What I have done so far to address this issue:
-one method that seems to work for my phone is to press power button, putting the phone back to "sleep"
-after this, everything is functional and back to normal.
-removed case and screen protector. This does not resolve the above mentioned issues.
-Backed up phone and started to use phone without installing previous backup. Non-responsive touchscreen issue reappeared later that same day.
Apple's response:
-Made an appointment with Genius Bar. They ran several diagnostic tests. The Genius Bar representative said that I have two options, 1. replace the screen for $129. My second option is to replace the phone $299. I mentioned to the rep that this is a known issue that other users have been experiencing, where some users have said their screen/phone have been replaced free of charge because of this known issue . The rep mentioned that I should have brought my phone in while it was still under warranty. I explained to him that while the phone was still under warranty, I never experienced this issue. Why would I bring in my phone for warranty repair if it is working fine? Furthermore, he mentioned that I should have bought Apple Care. I told him that if I have known that my phone would be giving me issues after 15 months of normal use, I probably would not have bought the 6+ and continued to use my perfectly functional iPhone 5. I was so dissatisfied with his response, I decided to go to another Apple Store to see if I could get a walk-in appointment.
-At the second Apple Store, I was able to get a walk-in appointment. After waiting for about an hour, the representative pretty much gave me the same response. I'll give this rep credit, he went and talked to the tech in the back to see what they could do to help me. The tech told the rep that I either have to replace the screen or the phone, both out of pocket costs for me. His last ditch effort was to talk to him manager, after which she said that there was nothing they could do. Although there was nothing they could do for me, this rep was genuinely concerned and tried everything in his power to help me.
After my experience with Apple today, I'm am seriously starting to question the build quality of their products. I have owned, 3 iphones in the past, where only this model giving me issues after 1 year of ownership. I am really disappointed with Apple and how they are handling known issues with the 6+. I will definitely explore other companies before purchasing Apple products in the future.