Apple Launches £146 Service To Fix iPhone 6 Plus ‘Touch Disease’ Flaw

Apple has started offering a service to fix iPhone 6 Plus models blighted by ‘touch disease’, a flaw which makes the touchscreens of the smartphone become more unresponsive over time.

The problem stems from a manufacturing issue which means the chip that controls the touchscreen can slowly come loose from the main board in the phone causing the so-called disease.

Problem at the core

While some may claim that the problem is Apple’s responsibility to fix the problem, especially given the steep price of its handsets, the Cupertino company is charging iPhone 6 Plus users for the service. Available worldwide, UK owners of the iPhone 6 Plus will be charged a wallet-worrying £146.44 for the privilege.

Apple is charging for the service as it believes touch disease is brought on by butter-fingered owners dropping their iPhones, rather than any native problem with its first generation phablet phone.

“Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device,” the company said.

“If your iPhone 6 Plus is exhibiting the symptoms noted above, is in working order, and the screen is not cracked or broken, Apple will repair your device for a service price of $149.”

For businesses that may have rolled out the iPhone 6 Plus, looking to tap into an iPhone with a large and full high-definition display, the flaw and the cost to repair it could have them reconsidering if Cupertino’s finest smartphones are the ones they want for their organisation, particularly now that Google’s Pixel XL handset is on the market complete with Android 7.0 Nougat and the smart Google Assistant.

Gadget teardown website iFixit initially discovered the controller chip issue and noted that a few rough knocks could bring on touch disease, rather than a litany of user clumsiness.

The iPhone 6 Plus had a rather rough start to life after the so-called ‘bendgate’ where by the phablet was found to lack the rigidity of other smartphones, and issues in iOS 8 released on the device prompted users to downgrade their phone’s operating system.

What do you know about the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch?