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Apple Says Air Exposure Is Causing iPhone 6s Battery Problems (arstechnica.com)

Last month, Apple announced a repair program for a "small number" of iPhone 6s phones that suffer from faulty batteries. The phones that were affected by this fault were manufactured between September and October 2015. Two weeks later, Apple now says the fault was caused by overexposure to "controlled ambient air." Ars Technica reports: The same press release -- issued only in China so far, but available in English if you scroll down -- says that some owners of later iPhone 6S models are also reporting problems with unexpected shutdowns. Apple isn't replacing those batteries just yet, but the company says that an iOS update "available next week" will add "additional diagnostic capability" that will allow Apple to better track down and diagnose the causes of these shutdowns. It "may potentially help [Apple] improve the algorithms used to manage battery performance and shutdown," as well. Those improvements will be included in future iOS updates. Apple says that the battery problem "is not a safety issue," an important thing to note given the way the Galaxy Note 7 blew up in Samsung's face. The software update that Apple mentions in the release is almost certainly iOS 10.2, which is currently in its sixth beta build. The update will be the first major bug-fix release since October's iOS 10.1, and it also includes a handful of other changes like new and redesigned emoji, the TV app that Apple demoed at its last product event, and other features.

76 comments

  1. So holding it in air... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    is wrong!

    1. Re:So holding it in air... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. Lithium ion batteries exposed to air explode. See: note 7, youtube videos where they stab a battery w a knife

    2. Re:So holding it in air... by Anubis+IV · · Score: 4, Informative

      I know you're joking, but no, the actual problem is that they were exposed to air during manufacturing. It has nothing to do with the users using them a particular way. Apple is basically admitting to a manufacturing defect causing bad readings to occur, which is causing the battery to misreport its status and shutdown early. They think, however, that they can take all of that into account and rectify the problem via a software update.

    3. Re:So holding it in air... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unintended exposure to air can cause oxidation and other serious problems as illustrated by the video, up to and including combustion in certain battery types.

    4. Re:So holding it in air... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shitty iPhone scratches, bends, cracks open, oxidizes, shuts down and explodes.

      (c) logic

    5. Re:So holding it in air... by kiviQr · · Score: 2

      you need to cover those vents!

    6. Re:So holding it in air... by toonces33 · · Score: 2

      Just to be on the safe side, you should stick your phone in a bucket of water.

    7. Re:So holding it in air... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      It really depends if the problem is a bad reading or if the battery voltage is actually collapsing. Battery voltage varies with various things: state of charge, electrical load, temperature, age and so forth. If it dips below the range where the phone can operate, software isn't going to fix it.

      Doesn't bode well for the long term reliability of those batteries either. I'd hope they at least offer an extended battery warranty.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    8. Re:So holding it in air... by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      I tried using my phone only underwater, and now they say the warranty is void!

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    9. Re:So holding it in air... by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      Just to be on the safe side, you should stick your phone in a bucket of water.

      Afterwards, don't forget to dry it out in the microwave.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    10. Re:So holding it in air... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just to be on the safe side, you should stick your phone in a bucket of water.

      Afterwards, don't forget to dry it out in the microwave.

      Don't be stupid, that's for charging the battery!

  2. Adventurous and Bold by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Designing iphones for the vacuum of space! Did you want to use that in atmosphere?

    1. Re:Adventurous and Bold by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Adventurous? No, Courageous!

  3. low quality by WindBourne · · Score: 2

    Seriously, when are western companies going to quit trying to cut corners in China?

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:low quality by sims+2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      When it's cheaper to cut corners elsewhere and not one second sooner.

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    2. Re:low quality by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      really honestly ask yourself, if non china joe bumblefuck is going to care any more while making 9 dollars an hour in a job he hates...

    3. Re:low quality by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Funny

      Round corners, not cut corners.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    4. Re:low quality by sit1963nz · · Score: 2

      Ask yourself, if any American who is willing to work in that kind of environment will care any more... the answer is no, however because of Chinese culture , the large pool of people wanting jobs in those areas and the fact they are being paid above average wages, I suspect the Chinese worker will actually do a better job.

    5. Re:low quality by ckatko · · Score: 1

      Tell that to Samsung's >5 billion dollar recall of the Galaxy Note 7.

      I know we all have trouble imagining huge dollar amounts these days. But 5 billion dollars is a fuckton to any current size company. Nobody gets away with losing that much money without heads rolling, policies changing, etc.

    6. Re: low quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I can't hear you. I'm still talking on my user serviceable and replaceable battery, micro sd card enabled, two sim phone with a headset jack. It is a horrifying half millimeter thicker though. I try not to cry myself to sleep over it. A full mm actually, since it has a plastic back that absorbs shocks and pops off if I drop it.

    7. Re: low quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Heads have rolled. The engineers responsible are now developing umbrellas that use your phone to tell you that it's raining.

    8. Re: low quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You won't be getting LTE on your dual sim phone.

    9. Re: low quality by blindseer · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure that's rain that is falling on my head.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    10. Re:low quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Correction. 'Patented' round corners. No one can round a corner like apple.

    11. Re: low quality by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Uh, my dual-sim phone has LTE/4G connectivity. I'm using it to post right now.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    12. Re:low quality by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      And even if they could, they must not!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    13. Re: low quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where are you getting that idea?
      I bought one for my mom less than 2 months ago.

    14. Re: low quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stale joke that originate from people who can't understand patents. Sigh... it never ends...

      round corners can't be patented. Just because a patent has a design that includes having round corners doesn't means round corners are patented.

  4. Not good by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    It failed for being in the air? Not a good design in any engineering manual.

    1. Re:Not good by queazocotal · · Score: 1

      A more interesting question - were the conditions of storage outside the published storage temps, or operating ones. This could easily mean that it'll fail in use for some people.

    2. Re:Not good by AK+Marc · · Score: 4, Informative

      The phone "in the air" isn't the problem. The unassembled phone parts "exposed" prior to installation aged them before they were used. Poor QC and supply chain, not an inherent design flaw. They should be able to identify all affected phones by serial, as well as an iOS update that tests for the failures/signs known to the aged battery parts.

    3. Re:Not good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So... when did they start keeping all the parts in vacuum sealed bags?

    4. Re:Not good by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      Never. But in sealed boxes, with environmental protections (like as in ESD bags with desiccant). Why do you make false dichotomies?

    5. Re:Not good by Opportunist · · Score: 0

      So they "aged prematurely"?

      In other words, they were meant to fail in 2 years, not 2 months.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re:Not good by AK+Marc · · Score: 3, Insightful

      A car engine piston, left unprotected on a shelf will rust and age, and would fail sooner when finally installed. Properly stored and installed in an engine and used regularly, it will last for decades. Being in the final installation position matters a great deal and premature failure from improper storage in no way implies abnormal delicacy in the constituent parts.

    7. Re:Not good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A dip in motor oil and some paper should solve all the problems

    8. Re:Not good by Agripa · · Score: 1

      I get your point but that would be quite a problem since car engine pistons are made from aluminum; they start out rusted with a nice protective coating of aluminum oxide.

  5. Soldering batteries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I bet they're regretting soldering those batteries in now. And it'd really suck to have to mail in your phone just to get a new battery.

    1. Re:Soldering batteries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      2012 called.

      It told you to shut up, because even it is tired of hearing you whine that business decisions were made about batteries that you didn't like.

    2. Re:Soldering batteries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree, I have had celphones since the Motorola California models, and I can not recall ever replacing a battery on a phone, the carriers always sweet talk me into a new one before that is required

      and chances are all the people CONSTANTLY BITCHING about it have not either, its just some security blanket to know, if they had to they MIGHT be able to buy a 75$ battery for a 25$ obsolete phone

    3. Re: Soldering batteries by Ralgha · · Score: 2

      I replaced the battery on every phone I had that allowed me to, because I didn't, and still don't, need to replace the phone every two years. I would replace the battery in my Nexus 6 right now if I could because it's lost a noticeable amount of battery life, and again, I don't need, nor want, a new phone. You letting a phone company sell you a new phone because you fell for their marketing is your problem, not a reason for anybody else to not want to replace their phone's battery.

    4. Re: Soldering batteries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a 3G, 3GS, 5S and never replaced the battery and still get the best part of a day out of them, even though I use the older ones as internet radios, 5S is fine phone.

      My 6S was affected by this. It's like a semiconductor clean room, if you don't follow protocol, bad things happen.

    5. Re: Soldering batteries by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

      Same here. I have no need to replace the current phone, and don't foresee the need in the near future. I've replaced the battery once, and am much happier spending $20 to do that rather than a few hundred for a new phone.

      --
      Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    6. Re: Soldering batteries by burtosis · · Score: 1

      Newer iPhones don't have a soldered in battery, though removal and replacement does require working knowledge of how to work with small electronic parts. I've replaced the battery on 4,4s,5,5s, and 6 phones all from eBay for around $4-6 each no soldering. While the quality can vary it's actually not that hard, the hardest part is pulling the tabs to correctly remove it like a command strip for hanging objects. You may be thinking of the iPod touch devices, those do have soldered in batteries.
      I'm not defending the practice of a no user serviceable battery, I personally think it's stupid and hope companies learn from the billion dollar Samsung fiasco.

    7. Re: Soldering batteries by AaronW · · Score: 2

      I got a kit to replace the battery in my Motorola Nexus 6. It's as good as new, though you need to be careful who you buy batteries from. One battery I bought turned out to be old stock and was worse than the one I replaced. It's a pain but doable with the right tools.

      --
      This post is encrypted twice with ROT-13. Documenting or attempting to crack this encryption is illegal.
    8. Re: Soldering batteries by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      For me it is actually battery life. I can carry a charged spare battery in my pocket and when my phone dies I just swap it in and go. Sure I could carry a battery pack but they are larger and you need a cable running to your phone.

    9. Re:Soldering batteries by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Talk for yourself. I had my Nokia 7110 long enough to have three battery packs die on me. And considering that they held enough power for a week (instead of barely a day as it is today), you might deduce that I had it a little longer than 2-3 years.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    10. Re:Soldering batteries by iampiti · · Score: 1

      Hey, I replaced the battery on my s2 when the original started to lose capacity. I'm doing the same on my s4 now. I'll buy phones with user replaceable batteries as long as they're being made.

    11. Re:Soldering batteries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Batteries are more like 12 bucks. My S4 is 3.5 years old. Still works like new, but it's on the second battery.

      But yeah. $75 battery for a $25 phone. Please, impart more of your knowledge on us. You're clearly highly qualified to speak on this matter. That is, if you're not too busy being tricked (sorry, "sweet talked") by salesmen into making more foolish decisions.

  6. iPhone 6s Battery Problems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Samsung should sue Apple for copying the Note 7...oh wait

  7. "additional diagnostic capability" by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 2

    Surveillance? Now, when Microsoft does stuff like that, the shrieking commences.

    1. Re:"additional diagnostic capability" by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      Apple has done it for quite a number of years now .... 2003? maybe, but no its apple, its a "feature" to sign up for an itunes account and log in every time you boot your computer

      Microsoft does it and its all holy hell! I personally trust microsoft more, they have not been intentionally trying to fuck me over since the 1980's

    2. Re: "additional diagnostic capability" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Microsoft does it and its all holy hell! I personally trust microsoft more, they have not been intentionally trying to fuck me over since the 1980's"

      Maybe because they didn't exist? Also, are we talking about the same Microsoft? You haven't been paying attention, or your just a shill.

    3. Re: "additional diagnostic capability" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're*

      Edit typo.

    4. Re: "additional diagnostic capability" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummm Microsoft was founded in 1975, apple in 1976. Guess you have not been paying attention.

    5. Re:"additional diagnostic capability" by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      This is exactly what I was going to say.

      "additional diagnostic capability" == "telemetry"

      Ok for anyone except Microsoft.

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
  8. IOS 7 by jimbob6 · · Score: 0

    Didn't they install IOS 7?
    That's supposed to make them air proof.

  9. What Apple doesn't say is more important by fustakrakich · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What is causing this "exposure to air"? Can't they just spell out "manufacturing defect"?

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  10. You're holding it on the wrong planet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    If you can't be bothered to use it in the right atmosphere, just get an adapter bubble.

    1. Re:You're holding it on the wrong planet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, this joke hasn't been funny since 2011.

  11. Mis-Planning around Golden Week? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's a national holiday week off in early October

  12. I have a revolutionary idea! by dcavanaugh · · Score: 4, Informative

    Field replaceable batteries!

  13. Not even trying anymore by rantrantrant · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So we've reached the point where the Apple-Samsung duopoly have given up on things like effective quality assurance and testing. If they can't offer premium reliability then we may as well buy cheaper generic phones and tablets.

    1. Re:Not even trying anymore by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      To be fair, it's not just those two who have had problems with lithium batteries. Boeing's Dreamliner kept catching fire because of battery problems, Sony had problems with laptop batteries (which affected Apple and many others who buy from them), and I seem to recall LG had a few issues as well.

      I get a bit frustrated at the slow pace of battery development with electric cars, but on the other hand I can appreciate why they don't just ram another few cells in without doing extensive safety testing first.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Not even trying anymore by TheCastro1689 · · Score: 1

      The worst part is we have more stable batteries, but they're slightly heavier or don't produce as much power at the same rate. But they're safer.

  14. iOS update with "additional diagnostic capability" by JoeyRox · · Score: 1

    That way Apple can tell customers what's wrong with their iPhone 6s a full year after they purchased it.

  15. Air Exposure by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    We never anticipated the users actually taking the phones out of the packaging. We figured they could just gaze lovingly at them through the plastic.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  16. Yes I was exposed to an Ipad Air once. by ihaveamo · · Score: 1

    Caused me heaps of problems.

  17. The point i see here.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    is when the problem was US only apple fed everyone their usual bullshit propaganda. A "small number" of phones affected.
    apple is so desperate for sales in China that now when China raises the issue apple offers them a slightly less bullshit response.

  18. China is west of US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So when are eastern companies going to quit trying to cut corners in China?

  19. That's why I keep my phone in a vacuum. by sabbede · · Score: 1

    With the added benefit that I can't hear what anyone says and they can't hear me, so I'm getting into far fewer fist fights than usual.

    1. Re:That's why I keep my phone in a vacuum. by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      Do you normally talk to the person within arm's reach on your telephone?

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    2. Re:That's why I keep my phone in a vacuum. by sabbede · · Score: 1

      Ah, I see where the confusion is coming from. I meant that they don't come and find me to provide punches in response to something I said. Not that they can get that close anymore. Unless they wear one of these dang pressure suits.

  20. Apple products should only be used in a vacuum. by daveime · · Score: 1

    Which is okay, as that's where most of their users occupy their time.

  21. Small number? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not a small number. Iphone 6 and 6S batteries are failing like crazy. When my wife spoke with Apple customer service, she got the impression this was an extremely common issue.

    She did expose her phone to the air though, so it might have been her fault.