Although 71% Americans reportedly sleep with their phones, but you'll want to avoid snoozing with your iPhone after watching this viral video.
Earlier this week, Brianna Olivas tweeted footage of her rose gold iPhone 7 Plus billowing smoke and overheating, quickly melting her plastic case away. The teen's boyfriend caught the scary moment on his own device, and the video soon racked up over a million views. Warning: It does contain a few expletives.
Olivas told Mashable that she had visited the Apple Store the previous day after the phone wouldn't turn on, but employees got it working again and assured her everything was fine. But the following chain of events didn't seem fine at all.
"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," she told Mashable. "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 moved it, Olivas said the phone "blew up and more smoke started coming out."
Twitter users speculate her liquid-filled case may have caused the malfunction, but Apple is conducting their own tests to find out what happened. "We are in touch with the customer and looking into it," an Apple spokesperson told Mashable, adding the company expects to know more within a week.
In the meantime, many people are comparing the video to the Galaxy Note7 battery explosions last fall. Samsung eventually issued a recall after 92 reports of overheating, including dozens of burns.
There's no evidence yet that this recent incident is part of a widespread iPhone problem, but there are some general guidelines users should follow. "Always use a certified charger," advises Rachel Rothman, Chief Technologist at the Good Housekeeping Institute. "Avoid charging in extreme environmental conditions — too hot or too cold — and out of any case that can generate excess heat."
The more you know ...
[h/t Distractify
Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience. From 2015 to 2019, she held various editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, including as health editor, covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and dreams of the day Northwestern will go back to the Rose Bowl.
