iPhone 6 Plus Bending Problems Still Plaguing Users

While the launch of the iPhone 6 was one of Apple’s best opening weekend releases ever for the iPhone, the company isn’t getting let off easy. Many users have been noticing that their iPhone 6 Plus bends while in their pocket, but Apple says they plan to replace units which suffer from the structural flaw.

While there has been enough attention to warrant Apple to address the issue and replace affected units, it seems that some users aren’t being granted free replacements after all. Plus, the number of iPhone 6 owners complaining about bent devices seems to keep growing.

One Reddit users says that he went into an Apple Store to get a replacement iPhone 6 Plus after he discovered that it became slightly bent. Unfortunately, contrary to what Apple says, the Genius Bar worker nor the store manager wouldn’t grant him a replacement device.

The Genius Bar employee told the iPhone 6 Plus owner that “Apple has not indicated to us at this time that this is a manufacturing issue.” The employee then told the owner that he could use one of his AppleCare+ claims in order to get a replacement, but that also requires a deductible.

The owner then proceeded to talk to the store manager, who reiterated what the Genius Bar employee said, stating that “Apple has told us that it is not a problem with the phones […] We are not replacing bent phones at this time.”

This goes against what Apple said late last month, telling users that they would replace bent iPhone 6 device, as long as the device passed a few guidelines and a visual inspection. We’re not quite sure what these guidelines are, but the owner mentioned above had an iPhone 6 Plus that was in pristine condition before it slightly bent.

Apple also said that getting a replacement would be “100% up to the Genius that you speak with at the Apple Store.” However, that no longer seems to be the case, since both the Genius and the manager seem to be following a new store policy that customers are unaware of.

Apple has been rather quiet about this specific issue, but that’s likely because the fiasco of iOS 8.0.1 has garnered a lot of attention as well. However, Apple said that it has been “looking into this with an insane amount of detail.” However, it looks like there’s nothing they can do to prevent the problem from happening again, seeing as they would have to redesign the phone completely in order to strengthen its structural integrity.

In any case, a phone made out of thin aluminum will bend with the right amount of force, so we don’t see this as something incredibly surprising. In fact, there were several reports back when the iPhone 5s released of units bending in people’s pockets. Of course, the amount of attention the issue got was nothing compared to what the iPhone 6 “bendgate” is receiving, which is rather unfortunate, since this issue is nothing new.

So what can you do to prevent your iPhone 6 from bending like this? For starters, a little bit of common sense goes a long way: don’t put your iPhone 6 in your back pocket and sit on it. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to not wear tight pants with tight pockets that could restrict the movement of the iPhone 6 in your front pocket, which could lead to a slow bend in the device.

Many users put their smartphones on the desk or table in front of them if they’re sitting down, not only to have easy access to it when they need it, but it also prevents any kind of accidental damage from occurring.

Otherwise, if you notice your iPhone 6 is bent, take it into your local Apple Store and see if you can get a free replacement. It seems like you might not be able to, but with enough persistence, you may get by.