Why old iPhone and Apple Watch batteries explode and how to avoid it!

As a battery ages, its internal material gradually wears out and loses its ability to store electrical charges. So an old iPhone or Apple Watch doesn’t last as long as it used to. But not only his life; its stability is also questioned, making the battery potentially dangerous.

However, not all old iPhone or Apple Watch batteries ignite, swell, or harm their owners. So, let’s dive into the matter and determine if your old iPhone or Apple Watch batteries are dangerous and how to know if you have a problematic battery.

Can an Apple Watch or iPhone battery fail?

While not too common, there have been reports of Apple Watch overheating and exploding. iPhone batteries have also swelled in the past. So yes, iPhone and Apple Watch batteries can become dangerous.

Source: 9to5Mac

The initial degradation of a battery may be due to a material defect, manufacturing error, or other birth defects caused by improper maintenance.

Although the battery can become especially dangerous during a short circuit. When the positive contact physically touches the negative due to improper assembly, it completely releases the battery charge, which causes the iPhone battery to explode violently.

Why do old iPhone or Apple Watch batteries explode?

Your iPhone/Apple Watch can catch fire or explode for a variety of reasons, but the battery is always to blame. Lithium-ion batteries for mobile devices balance the positive and negative electrodes to ensure recharging.

Sometimes the internal parts of the battery can fail, cause a volatile reaction and ignite. Below are some known causes of iPhone battery explosion.

Heat accumulation

Higher temperatures are the main cause of battery explosion. Older batteries have a higher starting temperature, so they must reach a higher temperature to enter thermal runaway. And if not an instantaneous explosion, then the ever-increasing temperature can harm your skin and start a fire.

Apple believes that iPhone temperatures should not exceed 113°F (45°C). For Apple Watch, the optimum temperature is 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C). Because the device’s internal hardware can be damaged if it gets this hot and stays that way for a while.

Source: Apple

The good news is that Apple Watch batteries are significantly smaller and less dangerous than iPhone batteries. In addition, heat can escape from these batteries due to their excellent ventilation.

Also, you may have noticed a temperature warning on your phone screen. As a result, the iPhone battery may catch fire. So, check the cases on your phones to make sure they provide enough airflow and prevent your iPhone from overheating.

Use of poor quality fittings

Never lose your wall-mounted power adapter or go through multiple USB charging cables while charging your iPhone and Apple Watch. When buying a replacement, always buy original Apple products. Also, contrary to popular belief, using your phone while charging will not cause your iPhone battery to explode.

In addition, physical damage, prolonged sun exposure, CPU-intensive malware, and problematic charging can cause your iPhone to short out.

All rechargeable batteries are consumable items with a limited shelf life. Thus, they lose capacity and performance to the point where they need to be replaced. In addition, battery wear and tear may affect iPhone/Apple Watch performance. I will tell you how you can increase the battery life of your iPhone and Apple Watch.

Battery Explosion Prevention: The Right Way to Save Your Device’s Battery

The “chemical age”of a battery affects how long it will last. It takes into account a few things, like how well you took care of it and how many times you charged it. Apple states that your iPhone’s battery cannot be more than 80% charged after 500 charge cycles.

You can use these iPhone and Apple Watch battery saving hacks to extend battery life and improve performance. And ensure the following conditions:

1. Avoid overheating

Extreme heat can cause battery performance degradation and battery explosion. In addition to overheating, it also does not like the cold, which shortens its lifespan. But the cold effect only lasts until your battery gets hot. According to Apple, your iPhone can operate harmlessly at temperatures up to 95°F.

So in addition to this, the battery may suffer. Numerous factors can inadvertently cause your iPhone to get too hot. Therefore, do not charge it in the sun or install it in front of a heater vent in a car. Although your iPhone has built-in security features that disable your iPhone temporarily to prevent further harm.

2. Don’t go below zero

You can periodically discharge and then fully charge the device battery to calibrate the internal sensor. But this no longer applies to modern batteries. Thus, lowering your iPhone battery to 0% is harmful and will shorten its lifespan. Therefore, squeeze the juice out of your iPhone often so as not to empty it completely.

Also, enable low power mode when your phone is over 20 percent. This setting can help you extend battery life when the battery is about to run out. As such, it will lower the brightness and disable power-hungry features like iCloud sync and AirDrop.

When to replace the battery?

For Apple Watch

Don’t worry, first of all. The chance of your Apple Watch battery failing, hurting you, or burning you decreases over time. It may simply lose the ability to hold a charge as it ages. Check the battery status of your Apple Watch and make sure it’s at a decent level.

However, you can always avoid a battery explosion by spending the minimum cost of an Apple Watch battery replacement. Apple will replace the battery on any Apple Watch for $79 in the US. If your battery fails, you can also buy a new battery from Apple.

Also, if your watch is damaged or gets very hot, have it checked and repaired. Also, do not use the watch with a dead battery.

For iPhone

In order to maintain proper battery life on your iPhone, you should replace it after a while. Although you can last a long time if you follow the above behavior. You need to bring your iPhone to an Apple Store or repair shop to get a replacement Apple iPhone battery.

Source: PCMag

The important question is to find out if your iPhone has a battery problem. As you know, iPhone battery life degrades over time. Thus, when the maximum battery capacity reaches 79% or less, the warning “The condition of your battery has deteriorated significantly”is displayed.

And it’s the fastest way to determine if it’s time to replace the battery to avoid trouble. If your battery is less than 80% charged and you have AppleCare coverage, replace it at no additional cost.

In addition, other signs indicate that your iPhone needs a new battery:

• The display is less bright than usual
• Speaker level lower
• Screen freezes when scrolling
• Some gaming applications have reduced frame rates.
• Longer app load time

While you may never know about the upcoming iPhone battery explosion, be on the lookout. Pay attention if something hisses near the battery or if your phone gets very hot and does not dissipate. Sometimes batteries often start to grow and swell before they explode.

In this situation, never connect it to a power source. Also, to make sure it doesn’t catch fire, place it on a non-combustible surface. Take it to an Apple Store immediately to have it checked by professionals. Wrapping Up The complexities of battery chemistry can be confusing, but that won’t happen if you handle the battery properly. You can keep your battery running longer if you refrain from these extremely simple steps. In addition, many other factors will affect the health of your battery. But this is minor and will not have a long-term impact.

Your battery will last 18 to 24 months reliably if you take care of it until it reaches 80% capacity. Luckily, Apple provides a battery replacement service at a reasonable price.

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