iPhone Phone Spontaneously Combusts in Pocket Despite Recently Replacing Battery
Guangdong Fire Department today released details of a phone self-combustion incident. On April 18th, Ms. Wu from Shanwei experienced her iPhone suddenly heating up and smoking while in her clothing pocket. She quickly removed it and threw it on the ground, where white smoke billowed. She had been using the phone for three years and had replaced the battery with a genuine certified one just over a month before the incident, but an accident still occurred.
The phone has been sent to a repair shop for inspection, and the specific cause of the spontaneous combustion is still under investigation.
Phone self-combustion is often related to the battery. Battery aging, improper replacement, impact and compression, and incorrect charging methods can all lead to battery thermal runaway, resulting in smoke, fire, or even explosion.
These situations are most likely to cause danger in daily use. Using non-original or inferior chargers and charging cables can easily cause short circuits and overheating. Using your phone while charging, charging for extended periods, or streaming/gaming while charging can also be dangerous as heat cannot dissipate.
Placing your phone in high temperatures or direct sunlight, or continuing to use it after it has been compressed, dropped, or impacted by heavy objects will significantly increase the risk of self-combustion. Replacing the battery with an inferior one yourself, or continuing to use a battery that is already swollen or overheating, is also very dangerous.
There are usually obvious signals before a phone malfunctions, such as sudden abnormal heating, inability to charge, frequent automatic restarts, damage to the charging cable, or swelling/deformation of the battery. If any of these situations occur, you must immediately stop using the phone, do not charge it again, and have it repaired promptly.