Skip to main content

Apple investigates report of an iPhone 6 exploding while in hands of girl, 11

Apple is investigating a report of an iPhone 6 that exploded in the hands of an 11-year-old girl in California, partially burning her.

“I was sitting down, and I had my phone in my hand and then I saw sparks flying everywhere and I just threw it on a blanket,” Kayla Ramos told 23ABC. “I was right here on the bed and the phone managed to burn through this blanket and make these holes.”

Recommended Videos

Ramos said that she burned herself, but thankfully, it was the blanket and bed that sustained most of the damage. She said that she mostly only uses the smartphone to watch YouTube videos.

The iPhone 6, meanwhile, was charred and nearly unrecognizable. The device had partially disassembled, with the display panel separated from the body and burn marks everywhere.

Maria Adata, Kayla’s mother, called Apple Support the following day, and was instructed to send photos of the destroyed iPhone 6 and to mail it in. She was then told that Apple is investigating the incident, and that a new iPhone will be shipped to her as a replacement.

According to Apple, there are a few factors that may cause an iPhone to overheat and catch fire, as it did in this case. One is using unauthorized products with the device, such as third-party charging cables. Unauthorized repairs and external damage may also cause an explosion. Ramos, however, said that none of these applied to her.

The incident, however, has a silver lining for Ramos. “It hasn’t been that bad,” she said. “I mean I have been able to hang out with my sisters and my family more.”

The reason behind the iPhone 6 bursting into flames has not yet been identified, and Apple has not yet publicly commented on the incident.

The new case of an iPhone explosion follows similar incidents last year, including one in May when an iPhone was caught on surveillance video suddenly exploding and catching fire in a store in Las Vegas. In December, a three-week-old iPhone XS Max reportedly caught fire while in the back pocket of its owners’ pants, emitting green and yellow smoke while burning his skin.

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…
These three iOS 26 beta features are my favorite so far
The Liquid Design lock screen on the iOS 26 developer beta 1 running on the iPhone 16 Pro

For fans of the Apple ecosystem, it’s been an incredible week. Apple’s annual WWDC 2025 keynote revealed a whole new Liquid Glass design that’s unified across all its platforms. Also unified across all platforms is the numbering scheme, with iOS 26 designed to represent the year of release… plus one. 

The new platform doesn’t deliver one of the key things I asked for — multitasking, which is available on iPadOS 26 — but it does bring several new features that make the iPhone far more usable. 

Read more
Will my iPhone get iOS 26? Here’s every supported model
We've got the full list of iOS 26 supported devices - find out if you're getting the new iPhone update
iOS 26 features on a series of iPhone screens

Apple announced iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, and the new iPhone update comes with a fresh new 'Liquid Glass' look and plenty of features - and there are loads of iOS 26 supported devices, which is great news.

And no, you haven't missed a volley of updates since iOS 18 in 2024. Apple has skipped a bunch of numbers, so instead of giving us iOS 19 in 2025, we got iOS 26 alongside iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26. In short, Apple's brought its operating system numbering into line. Nice.

Read more
3 big iOS 19 changes that I hope Apple reveals at WWDC 2025
iOS 19 sample logo.

We’re less than two days away from Apple’s big WWDC 2025 keynote, where the company will reveal new versions of each of its software platforms. One of the biggest changes this year is the expected shift from iOS 19 to iOS 26, with new versions of macOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS also set to follow suit. We're also expecting to see the evolution of Apple Health, including a new AI doctor and Health subscription.

iOS 26, if it is to be named that, is expected to introduce one of the biggest evolutions in design for Apple software since the first iPhone was launched. Inspired by visionOS and the Apple Vision Pro, it’s expected to be a monumental redesign, but I hope that Apple also takes the time to make a few improvements.

Read more