iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus Affected by ‘Touch Disease’, Caused by Design Flaw.
Apple’s iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus are vulnerable to an issue that affects the touch screen. iFixIt claims that the issue is caused by a design flaw affiliated with the easily bendable frame ‘Bendgate’ and the Touch IC chip.
After fixing hundreds of broken iPhone 6 and 6 Pluses, many pros have developed theoriesabout what causes Touch Disease in these two specific models. One microsoldering pro I spoke to speculated that the U2402 Meson chip—one of the two Touch IC chips on the board—has a manufacturing defect. But the most popular theory I heard is that Touch Disease is the unanticipated, long-term consequence of a structural design flaw: Bendgate.
Back when the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were first released, some owners discovered that the large, wide phones had a nasty habit of molding themselves to the shape of your rump if left too long in a back pocket. The phenomenon, known as Bendgate, was ostensibly put to bed when Apple apparently strengthened weak points in the rear case of the iPhone 6s.
In both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the Touch IC chips connect to the logic board via an array of itty-bitty solder balls—“like a plate resting on marbles,” Jessa explains. Over time, as the phone flexes or twists slightly during normal use, those solder balls crack and start to lose contact with the board.
Apple has issued a vague response regarding the issue. Much like the Error 53 issue back in January, Apple did not fix the issue until there was massive public complaints, some even went as far as pursuing a lawsuit against Apple. This issue has even sparked some controversy with Apple editing users posts on their Apple Support Community.
Apple has stated if your phone is out of warranty, the cost to replace the device is $299/$349 USD. Apple does not acknowledge the issue as a repairable issue.
So, if you’re experiencing symptoms of Touch Disease and you’re still in warranty—now might be a good time to take advantage of that warranty replacement option. Though, there’s no guarantee that your replacement phone won’t suffer from the same issue somewhere down the line, too.
Fixing the issue could be costly and is not a simple repair. We’ve noticed this issue on lots of different occasions, We recommend if you’re affected by the issue and still have a warranty with Apple, your best bet would be to contact them right away. If you do not have a warranty, feel free to contact us to see your options.
