The average smartphone batteries is unlikely to explode, but it happens.
There’s not much you can do if shoddy hardware is to blame, but these tips may help prevent your phone from going up in smoke.Sometimes smartphones explode.
In January 2023, an iPhone 4 caught fire while charging overnight. A child in India was killed when a Redmi Note 5 Pro reportedly blew up in her face. In July, a man’s phone exploded on an Air India flight, causing an emergency landing.The likelihood of your smartphone battery exploding is slim, but it happens, as demonstrated by Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 fiasco a few years back. But why does it happen and what, if anything, can you do to avoid it?
Why Do Smartphones Explode?
There are many reasons a smartphone may catch fire or explode, and it almost always has to do with the device’s battery. Modern mobile devices are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which contain a careful balance of positive and negative electrodes to allow for recharging. When something goes wrong, the inner components of the battery can break down and create a volatile reaction that can lead to fires.This can happen for multiple reasons, but the most common problem is excessive heat.
If a charging battery or overworked processor becomes too hot too quickly, it can ruin the chemical makeup of the phone’s components. With batteries, a chain reaction called thermal runaway can cause the battery to generate even more heat and eventually catch fire or explode.The reason for your phone overheating will vary. Physical damage—the kind sustained from a fall or excessive bending—can disrupt the inner workings of the battery. Leaving the phone out in the sun for too long, malware overworking the CPU, or a charging debacle can all cause short circuiting within the device.Or it could be something outside your direct control. Batteries degrade over time, so if a device has been used for several years—like the iPhone 4 that caught fire—it’s possible for the internal components to fade, leading to swelling and overheating.
As was the case with the Galaxy Note 7, an issue with the phone’s production may be to blame, which you can’t really account for.You may not get a warning, but if you hear hissing or popping sounds coming from the phone or smell burning plastic or chemicals, it may be damaged and on the verge of exploding. (Don’t put your face near it, obviously.) Similarly, look out for excessive heat coming from the device, especially when charging. If it’s burning hot to the touch, unplug it immediately.
Another big warning sign is a swollen battery, which can happen if it has been damaged or internal components have degraded. Look out for any changes in your device’s shape, including a protruding screen, an enlarged seam, or a distended chassis that may cause the phone to no longer sit flush with a flat surface.We nearly blew up an aging Android phone while trying to remove all traces of Google services in 2019. All we got for our trouble was a bulging battery.Most modern smartphones no longer allow you to remove the battery, so if you’re concerned about your device, turn it off and take it in for service immediately.
Can You Prevent Your Phone From Exploding?
melted android phone(Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd)While there are steps you can take to alleviate some of the strain you may put on your phone’s battery, there’s not a whole lot you can do if the issue is a manufacturing defect. Batteries must be rigorously tested for faulty components, butly cheap made units may possessions imperfect that can cause a phone to overheat.In the case of the Note 7, a design flaw was to blame; there was nothing the average consumer could do to fix it. There’s no quick fix when it comes to shoddy construction.
The same goes for that iPhone 4 batteries naturally degrade over time and will ultimately need to be replaced.