South Korea's Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) said it is considering an investigation into whether some iPhone 6s devices experiencing unexpected battery shutdowns is a safety issue, according to The Korea Herald.

iphone6s
"The agency is well aware of recent iPhone issues and is taking a close look at it," an unnamed KATS official told The Herald. While KATS hasn't officially launched an investigation, it wants to make sure the problem isn't like the Galaxy Note 7 battery issue, which caused devices to randomly catch fire and start smoking. The agency is currently in talks with Apple Korea about the issue.

In November, Apple launched a repair program for iPhone 6s devices experiencing the unexpected shutdowns, saying that "a very small number of iPhone 6s devices" that were manufactured between September and October 2015 were affected. Apple said the problem was "not a safety issue."

On its Chinese website, Apple said the shutdowns were caused by a manufacturing error where some batteries were overexposed to "controlled ambient air," causing them to degrade faster than normal. In addition to its repair program, Apple now lets you check your iPhone 6s serial number to see if you're eligible for a new battery.

Top Rated Comments

skwood Avatar
117 months ago
Do I sense Samsung's hand in this?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
117 months ago
more like "we need to protect Samsung in such a fragile state"
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abe_lincoln Avatar
117 months ago
While I'm totally miffed my phone sometimes shuts down at frickin 40%, at least it hasn't burst into flames, even after 14 months of service!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pajamma Avatar
117 months ago
South Korea? Yeah, probably just a coincidence.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Admiral Avatar
117 months ago

"The agency is well aware of recent iPhone issues and is taking a close look at it," an unnamed KATS official told The Herald. While KATS hasn't officially launched an investigation, it wants to make sure the problem isn't like the Galaxy Note 7 battery issue, which caused devices to randomly catch fire and start smoking. The agency is currently in talks with Apple Korea about the issue.
There is nothing that pleases a Korean public official more than the opportunity to be seen to have vanquished a large foreign company.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alleggerita Avatar
117 months ago
Why does this reek of a salty South Korea/Samsung trying to find fault with Apple?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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