Apple reduces incidence of iPhone 6 and 6s shutdowns with iOS 10.2.1 stability improvements

If you still experience random iPhone 6 or 6s shutdowns, Apple's recently released iOS 10.2.1 may fix the problem or at least limit its impact.

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Apple blames ‘ambient air’ for unexpected iPhone 6s shutdowns, still looking into some complaints

While Cupertino’s unusually prompt reaction to relatively widespread iPhone 6 and 6s “bricking” issues in China was certainly praiseworthy, Samsung’s recent Galaxy Note 7 explosion fiasco and especially the confusion still surrounding the phablet’s discontinuation taught Apple quick answers were also imperative.

Hopefully, the “information about the iPhone accidental shutdown” just shared on the tech giant’s regional support webpages has been a little more thoroughly researched, checked and double-checked than the competition’s first Note 7 quality inspection findings.

Apparently, it’s not a “security issue” that caused a “small number” of iPhone 6s units produced between September and October 2015 to randomly freeze, halt all operations, and refuse to charge or boot back up.

Instead, believe it or not, air was the culprit here. Specifically, a central battery component’s exposure to “controlled ambient air for too long” before said component was “loaded into the battery pack.” That sure sounds… unusual, so much so in fact that we believe it may well check out. It’s simply too weird to be fabricated.

It also means that, for the “affected” iPhone 6s range, everything should be a-okay after Apple’s voluntary free battery replacement program. But another “small number of customers” outside this “area” have been reporting unexpected shutdowns as well, and “more information” is needed ahead of a verdict, battery swap or recall, with an “additional diagnostic feature” coming as part of an iOS software update next week.

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Apple promptly reacts to unexpected iPhone 6s shutdown issues with free battery replacement

No electronic device is altogether immune to manufacturing defects and hardware flaws of all sorts. Some phones will spontaneously combust, others may bend under minimal pressure, refuse to properly recognize touch actions or unexpectedly shut down.

What’s vital for an OEM confronted with such issues is to identify the exact root cause of the “disease”, show transparency about measures taken to keep things in check, and most importantly, try its best not to alienate customers.

On that note, both Samsung and Apple have made mistakes of late handling bigger and smaller quality control scandals, with the former still unable (or unwilling) to share a determination of Note 7 investigations, and the latter turning a deaf ear to “Touch Disease” complaints for a long time, then finally acknowledging a problem, but forcing affected iPhone 6 Plus owners to pay up.

Thankfully, a new program aimed at fixing “unexpected shutdown issues” exhibited by the iPhone 6s will cover battery replacements free of charge around the world. While Apple doesn’t consider this a “safety issue”, claiming it affects “devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between September and October 2015”, the “very small number of iPhone 6s devices” randomly shutting down will be taken in and repaired.

Not just in China, mind you, where the plague recently came to light, and if you happened to already replace your battery on your own for a similar problem, you may qualify for a refund. Now that’s more like it, Apple!

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55 percent of early iPhone 7 pre-orders go to Plus model, blacks rule color chart

In addition to the typical sense of excitement traditionally surrounding any new iPhone launch, there’s an unusual confusion associated with the 7 generation’s popularity, since Apple uncommonly decided to keep pre-order and first weekend sales numbers under wraps.We know the iPhone 7 Plus is ...

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Hold the iPhone: Apple fixing iOS 10 update for T-Mobile [UPDATE]

Update: T-Mobile announced late Thursday that the connectivity issues caused by the carrier version of the iOS 10 update for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone SE has been fixed in a new software package.Those who already installed iOS 10 can go into Settings, tap General, and see “About to install the fix”. Other users may install the update as per usual.Our original story is below. If you have an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or iPhone SE with T-Mobile,

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watchOS 3, iOS 10 released, but take your time with it

In another day or two, we’ll probably have to publish a quick story about how fast iOS 10 is being adopted and the torrents of people finding major, iPhone- or iPhone-bricking problems with the update. We hope not to have to write the latter story, actually, but we expect to.Never mind all that, as the iOS 10 software package is available for using to download and install now, as is the watchOS 3 update. You can go to your ...

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Legere: T-Mobile iPhone 7 pre-orders quadruple iPhone 6

T-Mobile CEO John Legere took to a Periscope livestream to talk about the Un-carrier’s iPhone 7 carriage and revealed that pre-orders for both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch variants have tallied up to “like four times” the number of iPhone 6 pre-orders the carrier got in its first four days.The matte Black version, not the Jet Black color, was revealed as the most popular ...

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Verizon iPhone 7 trade-in deal explicit includes Plus model eligibility

Sprint and T-Mobile are offering free 32GB iPhone 7 devices with the trade-in of an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s. These promotions don’t really help out those with the Plus models looking for a way to upgrade and they certainly take a bite out of perpetual iPhone lease-to-upgrade programs.But at least we can say that everyone,

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Trade in a working iPhone 6 or 6s, and T-Mobile will give you a free 32GB iPhone 7

It’s not a buy one, get one free deal, at least not yet, but T-Mobile’s iPhone 7 launch promotion is still something Apple fans aren’t used to seeing so early in an iDevice’s commercial run.Literally right after Cupertino wrapped up yesterday’s jam-packed, iPhone 7 and 7 Plus,

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AppleCare+ iPhone screen repairs are now $29 a pop, any other damage sets you back $99

No one wants to think about this, but even a robust, water-resistant device like the spanking new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus can sometimes break. If that happens, God forbid, the AppleCare+ protection plan will save you a lot of hassle and, possibly, quite a bit of money, extending your standard one-year limited warranty with an additional 12 months.For a flat admission fee of $129 ($99, as far as the iPhone SE is ...

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iPhone 6s/6s Plus get more base storage, lower prices, 64GB iPhone SE also discounted

The magnificent seven is here (no, not Antoine Fuqua’s unnecessary reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s classic), and we all know what that means for previous-generation iPhones. Discounts. Small but meaningful. EOLs. And, surprise, surprise, storage upgrades.No more 16GB iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, with 32 gigs now the bare minimum offered to buyers of the last traditional headphone ...

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The Touch Disease class action against Apple everyone’s been waiting for

“The iPhones are not fit for the purpose of use as smartphones because of the touchscreen defect.”It’s a sentence that could be shortened by Apple’s critics, but it’s also a sentence found in full in a class action lawsuit filed at US District Court in San Francisco.Three individuals from California, Delaware and Pennsylvania are seeking unspecified damages from Apple. The plaintiffs allege fraud and transgressions of California consumer protection laws for ...

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Blancco: iOS fail rate epically skyrockets past Android for the first time

iOS 9.3 may have done Apple’s software reliability in for this quarter, at least according to Blancco Technology Group.The firm has been tracking device failure rates for some time now and this is the first quarter where iOS fails outgrew Android ones. How badly? Proportionally to each side, iPhones had a 58 percent fail rate as compared to 35 percent for Android. Blancco blames this on tweaks made iOS 9.3.1 and x.2 as both ...

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T-Mobile iPhone trade-in promo can get you the latest for only $100

Can’t wait for the next iPhones to come out? Thinking of getting an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus but it’s just too darn expensive? Don’t want to settle for a refurb or pre-owned unit?T-Mobile has your number, but only if you’ve got another iPhone you can trade in.You can get a 16GB iPhone 6s for only $100 if you trade in an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or an iPhone 6s ...

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