Apple probes ‘exploding’ iPhone 7 after smoking hot video surfaces online
Apple is reportedly ‘looking into’ video footage of a melting iPhone 7 Plus, which was recently shared on Twitter. Do we have the beginnings of a new exploding Galaxy Note 7 saga on our hands?
Twitter user Brianna Olivas shared a video of her rose gold iPhone 7 Plus in meltdown, and after-the-fact photos depicting the damage done to the device.
Give it a watch for yourself and we think you’ll agree – it’s pretty scary stuff, especially as the device’s battery appears to be the source of the fire.
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https://twitter.com/statuses/834556234166448128
Olivas apparently had been having trouble with her phone not turning on prior to the incident (which, we should note, hasn’t been independently verified), and took it to the Apple Store, where staff appeared to have remedied the problem.
However, the following day, all was not well. As she explained to Mashable:
“The next morning I was asleep with my phone charging next to my head, my boyfriend grabbed the phone and put it on the dresser. He went the the [sic] restroom … and from the corner of his eye he saw my phone steaming and [heard] a squealing noise.
“By the time he got over to the phone it had already caught fire, he quickly grabbed the phone and threw it in the restroom … as soon as he threw it in the restroom is [sic] blew up and more smoke started coming out of the phone.”
However, as shocking as the footage is, it’s worth noting the iPhone 7 Plus has been out for a while now, so in all likelihood this an isolated incident, not something that will warrant an embarrassing global recall like the ill-fated Note 7.
Apple has said it is ‘looking into’ the footage and we’d caution iPhone 7 Plus owners against making any rash decisions until the company reveals its findings.
WATCH: iPhone 7 Plus vs iPhone 7
Is this just the tip of the iceberg for Apple and the iPhone 7 Plus, or just a one-off? Speculate away in the comments below.