After months of refusing to admit they had a problem, Apple is finally offering customers a fix for Touch Disease. The issue—which affects iPhone 6 and (predominantly) 6 Pluses—often manifests as a gray flickering bar and touch screen responsiveness problems. Eventually, the screen loses functionality all together. Today, Apple announced it is offering owners of iPhone 6 Pluses a $149 option for Touch Disease-affected phones.
Since we reported on the issue back in August, there has been growing public pressure for Apple to address the widespread problem. Repair technicians we spoke to attributed the problem to a structural design flaw in the wide, thin phones. Stress on the phone causes the chips governing touch functionality to eventually lose connection with the motherboard.
The gray flickering bar at the top of this phone is symptom of Touch Disease.
While Apple is finally admitting the problem, they aren’t calling it Touch Disease. Instead they are describing it as “display flickering or Multi-Touch issues.” And they aren’t attributing it to a manufacturing defect. Instead, Apple says Touch Disease occurs after the phone has been “dropped multiple times on a hard surface.”
Apple’s statement confirms what the independent repair industry has been saying for a long time: the problem is failed solder joints beneath the touch IC components. Apple is correct that dropping the device onto a hard surface could cause this issue. But that’s not the only cause: we have seen this problem on phones that have never been dropped. And in phones that have lived their entire lives protected in cases. The root problem is insufficient structural support around the logic board.
Apple is calling this the “Multi-Touch Repair Program”, but it looks like they are not actually repairing customers’ phones. An Apple Genius told us that they are swapping customer phones with a refurbished device. The repair service does not transfer your data over to the new device — customers must backup their important information. We chatted with Apple Support and they told us that the warranty for the repair is 90 days.
As Motherboard reported, Apple has had chronic issues with Touch Disease on refurbished devices in the past, and a limited 90-day warranty on this ‘repair’ does not instill confidence that the repaired units will stay fixed. Independent board repair specialists, on the other hand, have been fixing the motherboard on Touch Disease phones for a similar price (depending on the tech) as Apple’s Multi-Touch Repair Program since this problem first cropped up.
If you’ve already paid to replace your Touch Disease-affected phone through Apple, the company is offering a $149 reimbursement.
The program is a good start, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Apple is still charging a lot of money for the device swap. And they’re only replacing iPhone 6 Pluses, even though many iPhone 6 owners have also been affected.
Apple should come clean, admit the manufacturing deficiency, and extend their warranty on this issue to 24 months from the original date of purchase (the same warranty that iPhones have in Europe) for both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Lawsuits on the matter are still pending.
I am in the U.K. and the same thing happened to me a week ago and my phone has never been dropped, the warranty is also only a year here. As I was outside my years warranty I was charged £139 by Apple for a new refurb phone
I have had intermittent responsiveness on the immediate right hand side of my 6S plus for the past two months. I’ve never dropped my phone, but I rather doubt Apple would believe that, even though I’m a very longstanding customer c1996.
Im using iphone4 from 2011 then i use iphone5s in 2013 i have not even single issues on my previous phones. On 25th dec 2014 i brought iphone6. After one and half year Same thing happned to me after droping my iphone6 on 4th july 2016. The phone freezing everyminute. On same day i updated my phone on 9.3.2 i thought im suffring because of update version. To come out from freezing situation i tried lot of things like hard reset, restore from backup, restore as new, updated with 9.3.3 and 9.3.4 etc. But the problem still there. At last i left iphone and move to samsung galaxy s7.now im so happy with my new phone.
I too am having intermittent unresponsiveness with my 6 plus and it has never been dropped.
I have iPhone 6Plus and recently I started seeing this issue (at this moment very light). I thought it may be iOS 10 and so I started updating it as soon as new version is released. But after reading few articles, I realize it is hardware issue. iFixit did wonderful job bringing up this issue however I am equally upset with Apple who is charging high to fix problem they introduced in their phone.
Hoping that they
Here is my fix, which has been working for me for months:
Slap it hard against your hand. It corrects the short-circuit issue until you stress the phone (physically) again.
I call it “The Fonz” technique. It worked on my old old old iPod 3 before they went solid state on the memory and the drive reading lens would get stuck. Good times.
Apple has a problem and they are trying to make it ours. As a design engineer this is my assessment:
https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2016/11/19/apple-offers-program-to-fix-iphones-with-touch-disease-class-action-suit-follows/
Although I hate propriety, I love the ease and simplicity (Apple stop adding to an already great OS) the iPhone provides. Therefore, my next phone will be the iPhone 6s, since to me Apple designers failed on the 7 series. Anyway, my question is really to Apple; Has the trouble been rectified on the new 6 series phones, currently being manufactured. If not I’ll hold on to my 5 until I know for sure.
same problem here from HongKong
my phone never dropped, the problem comes some day i catch Pokemon, then my poke ball automatically move around, at that time i though my phone overheat cause run Pokemon App over 6 hours, after Google, found that’s because of touch disease.
I’m very unhappy that Apple need customer Pay for the repair.
Too little too late.
Had iPhone 6+ and iPhone 6s phone, upgraded from iPhone 5. The iPhone 6+ acted up 9 months after upgrade (Still paying for phone), and they insisted problem was ONLY caused by the phone being dropped and not covered by warranty, even though she took extra care to keep it in HD protected case, never in pocket, never dropped, etc. (phone looked new with no case bend, etc.) Spent over $330 for Out of warranty replacement, only to have the same thing happen again 5 months later with the replacement phone. The iPhone 6s had the same issue right at 3 months ago, with similar blame. Wasn’t going through same fiasco a second time with iPhone 6+ and with 6s.
Sold both phones on eBay 2 months ago to pay off most of remaining AT&T finance contracts. Went back to our iPhone 5 units until we complete our cell contract terms and can get different phones.
Would have been nice if Apple owned up to problems instead of blaming someone else for their shortcomings. They used to make top class products, but after the iphone 5, the products went to crap. Before the screen problems, we had to pay for battery replacement on 6s because if random shutoffs (again blamed on dropped phone), Mic failure on 6+ replaced under warranty, and wifi connection issues with 6s after the last iOS update (kept switching to cell data, even if next to router even though other phones did not have issues).
In as much as my wife, kids and I love the iPhones in general, obviously time to change. As I don’t trust Google, may need to look at Windows phones now.
Re- Seamus Reid
With regard to your iphone 6 problem and being out of warranty, I had a Apple USB keyboard die on me whilst I was using it last wee. I took it back to the Apple store in Leeds(UK) and the very helpful technician said “whilst it was it as out of warranty, the consumer rights act offered two years cover I think. In the end my keyboard, after finding the reciept from Apple store was replaced foc. It was over three 1/2 years old so you might want to go back and discuss with them again about a refund..
To Steve W.
You sold two defective phones on ebay. You don’t state anything about having them repaired. So you’re no better than Apple.
…and yet Apple fans STILL line-up to give Apple more money – People like Phil D’Aoust above are exactly why Apple continues to get away with comedic acts like this. Instead of holding them absolutely accountable for screwing you at your own expense, you just declare you’re going buy the next/other Apple iPhone. This iSheeple behavior fascinates me: I have never understood why iPhone users are so willing to voluntarily subject themselves to continuous abuse from a company that treats them like livestock.
iPhone user: You’re either holding it wrong or you’re dropping it too much, but it’s YOUR fault!! Shame yourself! (and give us another $149 to fix our perfect phone that you DESTROYED!)
Estimados Sres. Recibo de continuo sus tutoriales en inglés, existe posibilidad de que me los envíen en español?– – -Se los agradeceré enormemente,- – – Atentamente: Bernabé Castro.
It is the arrogance of the large companies, not only Apple, however I own also many things from Apple, including the iPhone6, and my experience with Apple are the same: a very bad behaviour to there customers.
I agree, it is unbelievable why you are addicted to a brand, but sometimes you are more or less obliged to comply with it.
As an example, sinds 1999 I use Apple computers, and it is easy to share with iPhone/iPad etc. but sometimes with some software it is impossible to use Apple, and you must change the platform to Windows. Well that software of Widows gives from time to time great problems also.
Under UK Consumer Law, if you can prove that the problem was caused by a manufacturing fault then you are entitled to a repair or replacement, and you have up to 6 years to claim it:
Although your phone is out of warranty, the fault was there before the warranty expired, even if it didn’t manifest itself – you therefore have the same rights, even thought the warranty has expired.
https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds
While Apple are entitled to ask if you dropped the phone, if you didn’t then they have no right to use that as a way to avoid their responsibilities, unless they can prove it by pointing out impact damage on the case (for example).
If Apple won’t play ball with that, and if you bought the phone with a credit card, it may be worth putting in a Section 75 claim to your credit card company.
Alternatively, if you’ve already paid for the replacement and Apple refuse to reimburse you, then the Small Claims Court is inexpensive and surprisingly straightforward:
https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview
Ive factory reset my iphone and now it doesn’t work on any circumstances. Tried to unlock yet no reaction took place.any help? ?
I opened my iPhone 6 and could feel that the Touch ID chips are very hot whenever there is “ghost touch” and sluggish touch. So I put heat conduction paste (the kind use for computer CPU chips) between the backside of the Touch ID chips and the backside of the display panel, to improve heat dissipation provided by the conductive sponge (which may have deteriorated when the sponge flattened over time). It solved both Touch problems for me!
My iPhone 6+ has touch disease and I have only had it for a month. I have only dropped it once, and I have a life proof case. I am very annoyed at apple and I think they should fix my phone for free.
My iPhone 6+ has touch disease and I have only had it for a month. I have only dropped it once, and I have a life proof case. I am very annoyed at apple and I think they should fix my phone for free.
Never dropped mine and I have it. Also in a Otterbox defender case.
yep this has just happened to my sons phone.. never dropped, over 2 years old and suddenly flickers and lost tis touch, repair shop replaced the touch screen and still nothing fixed. i think i have the same mother board issue.. I don’t want a brand new phone..they don’t make them anymore like they use to
Thank you to iFixit for bringing this out in public. I have just had my 2011 Mac-Cooked Pro die for the 5th time. There are no longer any replacement motherboards, so it’s bricked. My iPhone 5c is working just fine, but in any case the problem will always be Apple’s insistence on customers replacing their phones every year or two and their computers about every 3 years. And the Apple product is as flimsy as their customer support is arrogant. So, asking people to plunk down $1000 to buy a new phone now, with rumours already out there about production line problems, I wonder how many people in this thread would buy or recommend a new iPhone?
@Christopher – I tried the Fonz trick and it worked. We’ll see how long it stays. At least I hope to be able to back up my data and wipe the phone before getting a new one. I have to decide which phone to get – I am tempted to go to Samsung. Fwiw this is the second iPhone 6+ that has suffered from this problem, so I definitely will not be getting another one of those.
I have a 6. My touchscreen stuff isn’t working more than it’s working. It freezes, and locks up. I have backed it up and done a factory reset/restore several times, and my issue still isn’t corrected. If my phone has this disease, and it’s a manufacturer error, then I don’t feel that I should have to pay for it to be fixed, dropped phone or not. And mine has always been in an otter box style case. I have tried hitting it with my hand, and beating it on counters and other hard surfaces makes it work again temporarily. My problem started right around the iOS 11 update.
Why Apple get away with comedic actions like this. In its place of holding them absolutely answerable for screwing you at your own expense, you just state you’re going buy iPhone the next.
Finally found some information about this issue. Went to Apple’s Genius and no one mentioned anything about this! We lost our time and now we’re stuck with a defective IPhone 6. In reading more about the issue we found a fix which clearly shows that this is a hardware issue. Our workaround is to add small pressure in the centre of the top bar and voilà, touch now works. Hope this helps someone. Apple’s solution is unacceptable.
same problem here from Thailand
my phone never dropped,
touch disease after normally call
Apple center of Thailand Ayutthaya not support anything.
Say to pay for fix it 5,500฿ and not guarantee result of repair.
I’m very unhappy that Apple need customer Pay for the repair
Happens in Malaysia too. I was offered a replacement but I was asked to pay RM1,600.00 for it. I could purchase a new phone for less than that. Below is the phone offered for sale at RM1,290 in Lazada. The “multi touch issue” described by Apple happened just this week. Bought Apple, the most expensive iphone hoping for trouble free use. Such a great disappointment.
” Apple iPhone 6 64GB Mobile Phone
Starting from
RM1,290
Product Overview
The Apple iPhone 6 64GB gives more with a lot of new features. Its 4.7” Retina HD display allows users to view more and navigate the phone better. It has the most powerful A8 chip with M8…… more details”