An Australian man named Robert De Rose is suing Apple alleging that his iPhone X exploded in his pocket and caused second-degree burns over his leg. According to reports, the actual incident happened all the way back in 2019. De Rose reportedly tried to bring the matter to Apple’s attention and opted to file a lawsuit after it became clear Apple wasn’t taking his claim seriously.
As to how the incident transpired, 7News out of Australia reports that De Rose was casually sitting in his office chair, his phone in his pocket, when all of a sudden he heard a fizzing sound and started to notice pain in his leg.
“I heard a faint pop sound, followed by a fizz and then I felt intense pain on my right leg, so I immediately jumped up and realized it was my phone,” De Rose explained.
Upon taking his iPhone X out of his pocket, he observed that black smoke was emanating from the device. Pictures De Rose took in the aftermath of the event depict an eerily charred phone and burns on his jeans.
“I had ash everywhere, and my skin had peeled back,” he said.
De Rose said he reported the issue directly to Apple but after receiving no response, he decided to seek compensation and wants to warn the millions of people who own the device of the dangers.
An Apple spokesperson told the publication that the company is investigating the matter.
Photos of the aftermath can be seen via Twitter:
Melbourne scientist sues Apple after iPhone explodes in pocket https://t.co/BzU8MBsvQv
— iMore (@iMore) March 2, 2021
At this point, we simply don’t have enough information to draw any type of sweeping conclusion as to what actually happened. On one hand, we have seen a handful of reports over the past few years of iPhones spontaneously exploding. On the other, the root cause of many of these incidents can be traced back to people relying upon third-party battery replacements and unauthorized components.
Two years ago, for example, there was a wild video that actually showed an iPhone 5s exploding in a person’s face.
Before long, the iPhone owner shed some light on the underlying reason behind the explosion:
Battery had been replaced by coworker who originally owned the phone and he thinks it was faulty equipment. Battery was swelling up when I charged it and he was taking it apart to see what was going on.
…
It was a third party battery that was faulty so as long as you purchase your batteries from Apple or a trusted seller you should be good.
While we don’t know what happened in De Rose’s situation, every iPhone battery has the following warning: “Potential for fire or burning. Do not disassemble, puncture, crush, heat or burn. Authorized Service Provider Only.”
That video can be seen below:
