Is Apple facing some sort of Galaxy Note 7 situation of its own? The BBC said this week that as many as eight different reports have suggested iPhones are “spontaneously” catching fire in China. The iPhone 6 appears to be the problem device, suggesting that battery issues related to the iPhone 6s aren’t the only problem Apple is facing right now.
Apple acknowledged the issue in China and said that “external factors” are responsible for the iPhone 6 fires. In other words, unlike the Galaxy Note 7, Apple believes that its iPhones aren’t the units at fault but, instead, it’s something else causing the problem. It could be that the iPhone owners accidentally dropped their devices, causing some sort of internal malfunction, or are using dangerous parts like third-party chargers that are causing the fires.
“‘We treat safety as a top priority and have found no cause for concern with these products,” Apple said. Still, the issues have caused enough problems that the Shanghai Consumer Council is getting involved and looking for answers. Additionally, it appears that Apple’s iPhone 6s woes have spread to China, too, where users are also complaining of problems related to the device shutting down when the battery still shows a 30 percent charge.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s are both having problems
Apple responded to that problem last week, noting that it, too, isn’t a safety concern and is indeed a feature of the iPhone meant to automatically shut it down. Apple says there is a small batch of iPhone 6s units experiencing the issue, though it appears to be widespread enough that it’s now planning to roll out diagnostic tools in an update due sometime next week to help it better identify the problem. Users affected by that issue can have their batteries replaced at no charge.
For now, it appears Apple is not facing any sort of Galaxy Note 7 problem of its own. We’ll let you know if the fire issues become a bigger concern.
