iPhone exploded while charging overnight – Are you making charging mistakes?

January 26, 2023

By Kim Komando

Over the last few years, there have been several instances of people’s phones exploding for no apparent reason. Many victims claim they were using their devices as usual before the ensuing inferno, but that’s often not the entire story.

Read on for details on the latest incident where an iPhone burst into flames.

Here’s the backstory

After putting their iPhone 4 on charge in the kitchen, a family from Ohio went to sleep as usual. The next morning, their son noticed the phone was damaged. After reviewing security camera footage, the family was shocked to see the phone burst into flames the night before. 

“I’m assuming the battery was so degraded that it overheated. We had no indication that the battery was degraded (as) the performance of the phone was working fine,” Jennifer Leisgang told Inside Edition.

Leisgang explains that the iPhone was bought new over 10 years ago and was charged using the original cable that came with it. The family says that an Apple representative has been in contact with them and explained that the company would try to figure out what happened to the vintage device.

Here is a quick video where you can see the actual moment the iPhone went up in flames.

Smartphone charging mistakes to avoid

Exploding phones are rare but not unheard of. In 2019, a mother’s iPhone exploded and destroyed her Jeep Grand Cherokee. However, in this case, the iPhone battery wasn’t the original, as it was a replacement she ordered from a third-party seller. Bad idea.

Here are some ways to safely charge older phones:

• Never cover your phone while charging. Lithium-ion batteries can overheat if covered with a blanket or clothing and if it gets too hot, they can explode.
• Don’t charge your device with cheap cables, docking stations or adapters. Always use official or certified chargers and cables. Knock-off brands have had overheating problems in the past.
• Never use cables or charging accessories that are damaged. It only takes a small spark to start a fire.
• Stop using your phone while it’s charging. Using your phone while charging can rapidly increase the temperature, putting strain on your battery, screen and processor.
• Remove the case on older phones. If you have an old smartphone, removing its case while charging is a good idea. This can help keep it from overheating.

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