APPLE is investigating a possible issue with the iPhone 8 after reports emerged of the device splitting open while charging.
In the wake of iPhone 8 users complaining about a “static crackling” sound coming from the earpiece, new reports have emerged of an issue that no software update will be able to fix.
With the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus released less than two weeks ago, two different cases have surfaced of the phone splitting open.
An iPhone 8 Plus owner in Taiwan has said that her phone broke open shortly after being put on charge.
According to local media Ms Wu, who had purchased her 64GB rose gold phone just five days earlier, plugged her device into the charger and three minutes later the front panel began to bulge and lift away.
She was reportedly using the correct Apple supplied charger cable and adaptor at the time of the incident.
The split phone has reportedly been shipped back to Apple so experts can assess the damage and hopefully determine the cause.
The second report of an iPhone 8 busting open comes from Japan, with Twitter user @Magokoro claiming that his device was already broken when it arrived.
The pictures posted to Twitter appear to show an iPhone 8 Plus with the front panel partially detached from the device.
More photos of the phone were posted the next day, showing that the damage had gotten even worse, with the screen almost completely lifted away from the rest of the phone.
This certainly isn’t the first time that Apple has had issues with one of their new models. When the iPhone 6 was released in 2014 there were multiple reports of the phone being susceptible to bending, leading to the hashtag #bendgate trending on social media.
According to The Next Web, there are unconfirmed reports that the battery used in the new iPhone is built by the same company that made the battery for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which Samsung had to recall after multiple reports of explosions.
Some have said that the damage caused to the iPhone 8’s appears to be consistent with a swollen battery but Apple is yet to make an official statement.
While some users have been quick to dub these incidents as #splitgate, they have probably jumped the gun.
There are no visible burn marks that would be indicators of an explosion like the one experienced with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
Also, any device that is manufactured and distributed on a massive scale is bound to include a few faulty models.
Two similar issues aren’t enough evidence to indicate a trend or wider problem and for now, these incidents seem isolated.
Until Apple reviews the issue or more cases like these two arise, you probably won’t be waking up to find your new iPhone has split in half over night.
Online Source www.news.com.au
