Introduction

Apple has finally acknowledged the existence of the so-called “touch disease” affecting its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models- well, for the iPhone 6 Plus at any rate. However, its response and solution isn’t everything some people had hoped it might be.

To recap, “touch disease” is a problem affecting the touch response of iPhone 6 screens. Most independent experts believe it’s caused by solder connections to the Touch IC chips getting damaged when the phone bends. For more background detail, see see our original “Touch Repair” article. (If you simply want your phone fixed, please contact us here.)

Literally a day after we published the original version of that article, Apple- which had flat out refused to address the problem- finally acknowledged the issue, and even offers a repair solution to the problem.

So- all is well? Not quite…

What Apple are Actually Admitting To- And What They Aren’t

Apple has condeded that

“Some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.”

Emphasis and italics ours- note Apple’s careful wording.

The first bit makes the specific claim that the problem starts off (allegedly) with the phone being “dropped multiple times on a hard surface”. They don’t need to point out that this- we can all agree- would be the user’s responsibility, not something that can be blamed on Apple.

However– note that they’re not claiming that those clumsy users dropping their phones are sole cause of the problem. Rather, that it’s caused by this “and then incurring further stress on the device.”

What they don’t actually mention is what that vague “further stress” might specifically consist of!

The original- and most commonly-believed- theory, that flexing of the iPhone 6’s case leads in turn to bending of the board inside, straining and then breaking the solder connections between that and the Touch IC chips- would certainly fit the definition of “further stress”. However, given the “Bendgate” controversy surrounding the iPhone 6’s case, this would- unlike the phone dropping- be more likely considered to be Apple’s fault… and responsibility.

This is, of course, speculation. However, given how specific and committal they were on the supposed “phone dropping”- that would obviously be the user’s fault- one might ask why a company as careful as Apple would choose to be so vague and nonspecific on those “further stresses” unless they were seeking to avoid admitting- even by implication- that the responsibility lay with them.

(We’ll also note that the part relating to the phone being dropped isn’t one that’s been considered a potential cause by anyone else, whereas the “bending” one is widely-believed. It’s also not clear to us how or why the “further stresses” wouldn’t be capable of causing the problem on their own, or why if- as alleged- dropping causes the problem that isn’t enough on its own. That would be possible, though it would still suggest the chip wasn’t securely attached to the board).

In short, while Apple has admitted to the existence of the problem- that’s as far as it goes. They haven’t even implied- let alone come out and said- that the problem is caused by a design flaw in the iPhone 6, and they’re not offering a free repair service for what many people allege is their manufacturing fault.

Is Apple’s Repair Offer a Good Deal?

Admission of responsibility- or lack of- aside, discussion within the repair community has centred around the nature of Apple’s “Multi-Touch Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus”. Some users have investigated further. Specifically, it appears to be the case that:-

• Apple makes no guarantee that they’ll repair the actual board in your phone- it may be swapped out for one from refurbished (not new) parts. If that is the case you will lose your data. (Apple themselves advise users taking part in the program to back up data before sending their phones off).
• Apple has not denied the possibility that replacement phones may contain boards from phones that have already been bent or dropped, and which may already be well on the way to developing exactly the same problem.
• Apple has not announced any changes to the replacement iPhone 6 Plus’ design that would prevent this from happening again.
• Any secondary issues with your phone- such as damage to the screen or frame- will render you ineligible to take part in this program, and you’ll have to pay the full $350 (or the UK equivalent) for an out-of-warranty refurb replacement.
• The “repair” only carries a 90 day warranty.

We expect further details and clarification of these issues to come out as time goes on. These details appear to relate to the US, and the offer and legal position may vary in the UK and the EU. Also, as far as we are aware, the above relates to iPhones outside the regular warranty period. At the time of writing, many iPhone 6 Plus phones will still be within the one-year warranty period, and you should consider your options with that first if this is the case.

Please feel free to contact us for the latest information and our advice on whether it makes sense for you to take Apple up on their offer.