Skip to main content

iPhone XS Max allegedly catches fire while in owner’s pants

A three-week-old iPhone XS Max allegedly caught fire while in the pants of its owner, who is considering legal action against Apple due to its apparently lackluster response to the incident.

Josh Hillard from Columbus, Ohio reported to iDrop News  that on December 12, while on lunch break at work, he noticed a strange smell coming from the back pocket of his pants. He then felt intense heat that burned his skin, followed by green and yellow smoke.

Recommended Videos

The heat and smoke were coming from his iPhone XS Max, but Hillard was forced to move to another room to take off his pants as there was a female co-worker in the break room at the time. An executive heard Hillard yelling, and used a fire extinguisher to take out the flames.

Hillard took the remains of the burnt iPhone XS Max to an Apple Store later that evening, but he was disappointed with how he was treated. He claims he spent 20 minutes answering questions by an Apple Store employee, and then waited 40 minutes after the phone was taken to a back room. After asking a manager to locate the employee and his phone, the employee returned with the device already packed. They reportedly told Hillard that the phone would be sent to the engineering team, and that this was the only way for him to receive a replacement.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Unsatisfied with the customer service in the Apple Store, Hillard took back his burnt iPhone XS Max and went home, where he called the Apple Care line. It was not until he followed up the next day that he was offered a new phone, but by that time, Hillard felt that Apple needed to do more for him, including compensation for his ruined clothes and the wireless service that he is unable to use.

Hillard is said to be thinking about launching legal action against Apple over the incident, according to iDrop News.

The authenticity of the incident remains in question, as there is no confirmation outside of the iDrop News report. If true though, an abused battery is likely not at fault as the iPhone XS Max is almost brand new.

Earlier this year, an iPhone 6S was filmed exploding and catching fire on a surveillance video from a store in Las Vegas. The fiery incidents involving iPhones, however, have never reached Samsung Galaxy Note 7 levels.

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…
The latest iOS update might have reactivated Apple Intelligence features
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Some iPhone users have reported that yesterday's update to iOS 18.3.1 reactivated once-disabled Apple Intelligence features on specific devices. Certain features, like Notification Summaries, had been shut off over concerns about accuracy. Now users are reporting that these features have been re-enabled following the update.

Devices that displayed a welcome screen after updating seem to have a higher chance of these features being re-activated. Reddit user u/Hanthunius reported the bug on their iPhone 15 Pro Max, while others saw the features make a comeback on Mac devices. MacRumors tested this theory, and while Apple Intelligence remained disabled on iPadOS and iOS in their tests, the Mac Mini was a different story.

Read more
Apple seeds critical update to guard iPhones from USB hacking tools
Installing iOS 18.3 update on an iPhone 16 Pro.

Apple has released a fresh software update for iPhones and iPads to plug a critical flaw that could allow bad actors to extract data even from a locked device. The company says if granted physical access, an attacker could break past the safety of USB Restricted Mode on the target iPhone or iPad.

The aforementioned guardrail prevents USB accessories from pulling data from an iPhone that has been sitting in a locked state for over an hour. It seems there was an authorization flaw within Apple’s Accessibility framework that could allow an attacker to disable the USB Restricted Mode safety net.

Read more
This Reddit user wrote a Shortcut to estimate iPhone charging time
Black Nomad Stand One Max charging stand on household table with iPhone, Apple Watch Ultra, and AirPods Pro docked and charging.

For a long time, iPhone users have requested an estimate for how much longer it would take their phone to charge, but Apple has yet to come through. Reddit user u/AlxR25 grew tired of waiting for the feature and decided to create one themselves, sharing it on the r/iPhone subreddit.

They created the Shortcut through a combination of commands and instructed it to run immediately upon connecting the iPhone to a charger. When enabled, a message pops up with an estimate for how long until the phone is fully charged.

Read more