X
Tech

iPhone 3GS overheating linked to battery

iPhone 3GS owners have been reporting problems with some units overheating and becoming too hot to touch. The handsets are getting so warm that the white plastic cases are discoloring to a brownish/pink as seen in the picture above from Ben on the French site Le Journal du Geek.
Written by Jason D. O'Grady, Contributor

3gs brown ring

iPhone 3GS owners have been reporting problems with some units overheating and becoming too hot to touch. The handsets are getting so warm that the white plastic cases are discoloring to a brownish/pink as seen in the picture above from Ben on the French site Le Journal du Geek.

The Inquirer is reporting that the overheating problem may be related to faulty battery cells. According to Aaron Vronko of Rapid Repair "overheating is likely an issue due to faulty battery cells" and could result in "massive recalls of iPhone 3G S units."

Wired's Charlie Sorrell adds that the problem may not be limited to iPhone 3GS hardware and that it may be related to Apple's new 3.0 software -- which can be installed on all iPhone models and the iPod touch:

I have noticed my 2G iPod Touch getting a lot hotter than usual since updating to the v3.0 software. This happens while web browsing, and the battery is draining fast, too. I have no idea if this is related, but if it is it could point at some bad power-management software in OS 3.0.

Is your device running hot since installing the iPhone 3.0 software? Tell us about it in the TalkBack below.

Editorial standards