Apple probes reports of swollen iPhone 8 batteries

We shouldn’t be too worried though, writes Michael Simon

You might have seen a tweet or Facebook post over recent weeks with a picture of someone’s swollen iPhone 8 case. A handful of such claims have surfaced since the phone started shipping on 22 September, and as expected, they are making headlines all across the web. But there’s no reason to worry yet.

Bulging batteries are caused by a build-up of gases inside the cell. It generally affects older batteries that are reaching the end of their lifespan, but while it’s rare, it’s not completely uncommon for it to affect new batteries as well. In fact, if you search for ‘iPhone 7 battery swelling’, you’ll find numerous cases of Apple swapping out new iPhones that experienced the very

problem being spread across social media. In total, there have only been six reported cases of bulging batteries, an infinitesimally small number when you consider the millions of phones that were likely sold since its launch. Granted, there could be many more that haven’t been posted on social media or news sites, but if it was a widespread issue, we likely would have heard about it by now. Apple has said it is looking into the claims. Faulty smartphones batteries receive a lot of attention these days due to Samsung Galaxy Note7 recall last year. Back in September 2016, reports began to emerge of Note 7s that were spontaneously catching on fire, with photo evidence.

But these are different problems. In Samsung’s case, the issue was traced back to several manufacturing defects. In the most common instance, the negative electrode windings were bent within the batter assembly, causing internal short circuits. Other issues included improper welding, substandard separators, and missing insulation tape. In short, Samsung’s vendors supplied them with faulty batteries, which weren’t caught before they ended up in shipping phones.

But while there’s no evidence of iPhone 8 batteries causing any harm or property damage, a swelling smartphone battery is still cause for concern. Swelling can affect any lithium-ion or lithium-polymer battery, and it can affect all products, not just smartphones. If your iPhone 8 (or any other phone, tablet, or laptop) shows signs of swelling, don’t charge your device or try to puncture the battery. Take it to your nearest Apple Store where they can properly dispose of it.