Chinese users complain of ‘exploding’ iPhones

SHANGHAI Several Chinese iPhone users have claimed that their handsets caught fire or exploded, according to a Shanghai consumer watchdog, which called on tech giant Apple Inc to address the complaints.

Fresh on the heels of Samsung’s worldwide Galaxy Note 7 safety fiasco, the state-run Shanghai Consumer Council said it had received eight reports in recent months of iPhones that spontaneously combusted while being used or charged.

The report, seen on the council’s website, was posted on Friday.

It quoted one woman as saying her iPhone 6s Plus exploded in August, shattering the screen and leaving the battery and back of the phone blackened.

Apple provided the woman with a new iPhone but did not address the cause of the incident, said the report.

“Apple should be responsible for consumers” and deal with complaints in a timely manner, said the council. “A large amount of consumer complaints are not solved effectively.”

The council said it had received a six-fold surge in total complaints against Apple in the past two months, including sudden shutdowns of the iPhone 6 and 6s even though batteries still had enough power.

The council did not make clear where the complaining iPhone users were located.

Apple last month offered to change iPhone 6s batteries for Chinese users who complained of what the company called “accidental shutdowns”.

The offer was effective for handsets made between September and October last year. At the time, iPhone insisted the shutdowns did not constitute a safety problem. AFP