Apple Insists iPhones Are Safe to Use

In a seemingly knock-on effect from a series of Samsung mobile phone battery fires, there have been rumors lately about the safety of Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6S models.

Specifically, the US tech giant received eight separate complaints from Shanghai’s consumer watchdog. Customers who had bought handsets from the Apple iPhone 6 series reported that their devices had exploded or spontaneously combusted.

However, after running a series of exhaustive security tests, Apple insist that their iPhone 6 series devices are safe for use and has blamed “external factors” for causing the battery fires in China.

No Cause for Concern

Apple ran rigorous testing on the iPhone 6 series and said that they concluded there was “no cause for concern with these products.” At this moment, Apple is confident that this problem is not widespread, as they have yet to receive further reports or complaints.

Apple suggested that the damaged phones had already suffered from external physical damage that had caused the problem.

However, the Shanghai watchdog’s report had quoted one customer saying that her iPhone 6S Plus “exploded” in August of this year. She said that the screen had shattered and the battery was left blackened.

There have also been reports of “sudden shutdowns” of the iPhone 6 and 6S, despite the batteries being fully charged.

The Shanghai Consumer Council has complained that US technology giant was slow to respond to the complaints. Accusations which Apple later denied, insisting that the safety of their devices was their top priority.

In November, Apple offered to change iPhone 6S batteries for users in China who has reported problems of this kind, but maintains that their devices are safe to use.

A Slowdown in Sales

Despite the fact that in millions of Apple devices sold in China, there have been just eight recent complaints, this has had an effect on Apple’s sales in this giant economy.

Apple had seen a slowdown in sales during 2016 not simply for this public relations inconvenience, but from increasing domestic competition, offering cheaper models.

Moreover, South Korea’s manufacturing giant, Samsung, also suffered a blow when it was forced to recall 2.5 million Note 7 handsets globally, after a series of spontaneous fires. This has given further impulse to the rising sales of domestic devices.

This unfortunate incident with Samsung, followed by recent allegations against Apple, have increased distrust of foreign smartphone companies in China. It’s going to be an uphill battle to regain ground against continually improving, cheaper Chinese models as we move into 2017.