The iPhone 6 is an old model - first released in 2014 and sales stopped in 2016, so the phone is almost 3 years old at a minimum. The article doesn’t say exactly how old the phone was, but from the description, I would suspect that it was a hand-me-down device the kids were using to play games and watch videos. If this is the case, the battery was likely pretty old and may have been ‘abused’ somewhat. I’ve seen plenty of devices for which the battery is dead and kids just leave them plugged in constantly.
iPhone fires are quite unusual so it makes me wonder if there was other damage and/or a defective charger being used - both of these could lead to the battery overheating. GIven the age, it’s also possible that it had a defective replacement battery installed. Even considering this, though, you never want to have a device explode like this.
NONE of that is any excuse for a fire. NONE. ZERO.
How is a damaged battery not a reasonable explanation for a fire?
Who said it was damaged. You’re jumping to conclusions in your support of Apple.
Errrnnt. He’s providing plausible, reasonable, possible explanations for a fire. No one is claiming to know the actual reasons as we aren’t investigators.
Sooner or later, all iPhones with non-detachable batteries will catch on fire. That’s why I wrote to Apple years ago their designs (NDB) had safety and security faults.
The iPhone 6 is an old model - first released in 2014 and sales stopped in 2016, so the phone is almost 3 years old at a minimum. The article doesn’t say exactly how old the phone was, but from the description, I would suspect that it was a hand-me-down device the kids were using to play games and watch videos. If this is the case, the battery was likely pretty old and may have been ‘abused’ somewhat. I’ve seen plenty of devices for which the battery is dead and kids just leave them plugged in constantly.
iPhone fires are quite unusual so it makes me wonder if there was other damage and/or a defective charger being used - both of these could lead to the battery overheating. GIven the age, it’s also possible that it had a defective replacement battery installed. Even considering this, though, you never want to have a device explode like this.
Older iPhones are sold a few years after they are released. The iPhone 6 could have only been 2-3 years old. These are the lower cost iPhones being sold. Just because it was first released in 2014 is meaningless. I'm sure these things were selling to at least 2016. iOS12 was working on iPhone 6's.
Lithium Batteries though are not exactly SAFE. They hold a lot of power for their size. Everything has to be perfect. They can't be exposed to air. So they are tightly sealed. That have battery controller chips to control the charging rate and drain rate. They need to stay in the correct power zone. Any little defect and it's a ticking time bomb.
Maybe the battery was replaced with a cheapo China one? Not that the Apple one couldn't have a minor flaw. Kids phone, dropped a lot? Cheapo Charger can be another issue. You really should charge your devices on something that won't easily burn, just in case. When you sell hundreds of millions of these things, no matter what, a certain percentage are going to have issues. It's why there's Lemon Laws on Cars. Everything can be perfect, and yet for whatever reason, it's one issue after another on that car. Nothing in this world is 100% perfect, not even Humans in a number of ways.
If your device starts getting hot, toss it someplace safe before it blows. Getting HOT is not normally normal.
I noticed a lot of kids (sometimes, even adults) love to charge while still using (e.g. playing PUBG while charging). Often, I notice the iPhones/iPads run rather hot (warmer than usual) when they do so. Is this not another potential higher risk factor that so many people are ignoring until some serious incident happens?
I haven't come across any advisories or instructions from Apple that suggest avoiding charging while using iPhones.
if you go to support.apple.com and scroll to the bottom. It is right above Gift Card scams. It says:
Beware of counterfeit parts
Some counterfeit and third party power adapters and
batteries may not be designed properly and could result in safety
issues. To ensure you receive a genuine Apple battery during a battery
replacement, we recommend visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. If you need a replacement adapter to charge your Apple device, we recommend getting an Apple power adapter.
Also non-genuine replacement displays may have
compromised visual quality and may fail to work correctly.
Apple-certified screen repairs are performed by trusted experts who use
genuine Apple parts.
Hope this helps.
Maybe my original post wasn't clear enough: "I haven't come across any advisories or instructions from Apple that suggest avoiding charging while using iPhones."
So, WHY does using a non-Apple charging cable lead to a fire? What is so much different about an Apple cable vs the one you buy in drugstore? Until or unless people understand that there IS a difference, they will go with the lower cost and convenience of picking one up at the drugstore as they check out.
Comments
Try again.
Lithium Batteries though are not exactly SAFE. They hold a lot of power for their size. Everything has to be perfect. They can't be exposed to air. So they are tightly sealed. That have battery controller chips to control the charging rate and drain rate. They need to stay in the correct power zone. Any little defect and it's a ticking time bomb.
Maybe the battery was replaced with a cheapo China one? Not that the Apple one couldn't have a minor flaw. Kids phone, dropped a lot? Cheapo Charger can be another issue. You really should charge your devices on something that won't easily burn, just in case. When you sell hundreds of millions of these things, no matter what, a certain percentage are going to have issues. It's why there's Lemon Laws on Cars. Everything can be perfect, and yet for whatever reason, it's one issue after another on that car. Nothing in this world is 100% perfect, not even Humans in a number of ways.
If your device starts getting hot, toss it someplace safe before it blows. Getting HOT is not normally normal.
"I haven't come across any advisories or instructions from Apple that suggest avoiding charging while using iPhones."
Where are these idiots when an iPhone fire happens? Oh that's right, bashing APPLE.
The lack of low and high voltage isolation gaps is certainly a risk for exploding a battery.