Source
r/apple•
slack

iPhone 5 Battery Expansion

Recently I noticed that the front panel of my iPhone 5 was separating from the body. I brought it to my nearest Apple authorized repair provider and they commented that it was probably due to the battery expanding. Unfortunately they were unable to process any kind of repairs that day anyway due to their computer system being under maintenance.

After some preliminary research online the outcome of such a situation does not look comforting or very safe.

After contacting Apple support the bottom line seemed to be this:

  • They acknowledged that such a situation was not safe and their guidance was to "not use the phone".
  • They said there was no option here other than an out of warranty repair which, by necessity for the iPhone 5, costs around $300 and involves the replacement of the phone body.
  • Assuming that the user does not want to pay that price for an out of warranty repair there is no other recourse.

I then asked for guidance about safely disposing of the phone and they seemed to not understand the question, at first just repeating that I could not get a free repair. When I made myself clear that I was interested in knowing how to safely dispose of a phone in this condition they said they had nothing to say about that and that I would have to take it to the apple certified repair center.

So the reason for this post is not to necessarily complain that I was unable to get something for free out of warranty. I can afford a new phone and at this point I will make my own decision on whether that should be:

  • A refurbished iPhone 5 from the repair center
  • A burner phone until the fall when my contract runs out.
  • Switching to Android and not bothering replacing with an iPhone 5 or trying to figure out some economical option until October.

I would like to provide a reference for anyone else encountering this issue as there is an apparent lack of official information available. If you are covered under AppleCare then they will obviously repair your phone. If you are not covered under AppleCare, waking up one day and finding your battery expanding (to likely rupture at some future time) is no different from dropping your phone in the toilet.

Overall recommendations are for you to stop using your phone and then either pay for a full replacement or find yourself a safe way to dispose of the phone. The only really disappointing thing here has been the lack of guidance on how to dispose of a phone that appears to be a ticking battery bomb.

If you find yourself in this situation there is a good chance your phone is unsafe to use. My feedback to Apple on this issue would be to update their CS docs with information about how to safely dispose of a phone that's in this condition. While rare, searching the internet indicates that I am not unique in this situation.

Posted May 26, 2014, 6:49 AM UTC

315
KearneyZzyzwicz•

There is currently a quality program for swollen mobile batteries in place at all Apple stores, which should push the device into warranty status regardless of when you bought it. Assuming there's no other physical or liquid damage to the phone, Apple will replace the device free of charge as a safety concern.

Go to a different store. Sorry you had a shifty experience.

28
eyyyyyyyyy•

I wish this was the top comment instead of "buy a battery and fix it yourself."

OP, take it back to an apple store, if your technician gives you grief definitely ask to speak to a lead genius or a manager. Lead genius would be more equipped with the right information.

There is definitely a quality program for swollen batteries that cover up to 3 years from date of purchase.

4
owlsrule143•

I just upvoted this comment to 14, and downvoted the 'buy a battery and fix it yourself' to 13, so now it is top!

5
TheRojo•

Why is this being down voted? It's good info

2
iJeff•

Try an Apple Store again. If an exception is to be made, it'll be there, never the first level telephone support. Explain your frustration at their runaround over the phone and initial phone system issue. Give them a chance to try and do it the right way.

They may either repair it for you without charge or at least offer the right information on how to dispose of it.

10
bengx•

I was in the exact same position. Phone battery bloated up until the screen started popping out. Since I was out of warranty, replacing the phone would cost $300+. What I did was to buy a battery online and replace it myself. You can probably find a decent battery on eBay for $20-30. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes if you follow the guides online. You can find the battery changing guide on ifixit. Overall a better solution than ponying up $300 or changing phones.

5†
DigitalLuminance•

It definitely sucks that your battery started to separate, but strange they weren't able to give you advice on how to dispose of the device since that's something Apple offers.

https://www.apple.com/recycling/ipod-cell-phone/

5
slackOP•

I actually spoke to two customer service reps. The first one was on the US line and he seemed adequately concerned over the potential danger surrounding using the phone itself. He did say, however, that I would have to call the Japan line since I live in Japan and they were unable to provide guidance for over here. So the next day I called the Japan line and the customer service representative there seemed mostly concerned with making sure I knew that (sorry, but) there was no way I was getting anything for free rather than explaining anything else. Noting that I did not ask for anything free, what I really wanted was my options and an evaluation of the situation explained in English since I'm not an iPhone expert. Both conversations were in English there was no communication problem.

2
owlsrule143•

Yeah, so go into a store because the cs reps don't know anything beyond the price of an out of warranty repair/replacement, or how to check if you are covered by warranty .

2
tx3017•

If you haven't already, head to your local Apple Store. There is a quality program that will cover the cost of the battery if not the phone. That really sucks that the last experience you had was bad :(

5
owlsrule143•

Not sure what you think switching to android would solve. If you are talking about price, any cheap off contract android phone you can get will be useful as a burner until your contract is up, and any that is worthwhile would be equivalent to picking up a refurbished iPhone 5 except probably more expensive. So unless for some reason you decided you prefer android, there's no advantage to switching to android besides having android. So I suggest getting a refurb iPhone 5 or 5c if you can't find out how to fix it.

2
DavidZeno•

is the quality program for swollen batteries in all states or just some, because I'm in Illinois and I've talked to cs and and all they offer is battery replacement for out of warranty for $75 and replacing the phone at over $300. I've had most iPhones since they came out but not once did I have a battery issue until now

2
slackOP•

You'll have to ask someone else about the quality program. I can say that there is no quality program at all if you can't walk into an Apple store. I left negative feedback for the CS rep who couldn't stop repeating the words "We can't make an exception for you" even after I said I understood that and had other questions.

Your recourse if you can't go to an Apple store seems to be paying $300 or trying to replace the battery yourself or buying a brand new phone for ~$600.

1
dzh•

I feel you. My Mac battery expanded after warranty period ended. It bended it a bit too.

I believe we should have better warranties for batteries.

1
iJeff•

Certain models like the plastic Macbook were under recall and they'd replace it out of warranty. I'm not sure if it took court action to make that happen.

4