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iPhone XR Back Glass is too fragile

Has your XR back glass cracked like this through normal use?

  • Total voters
    38
A

Appleuser1234

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 16, 2019
2
1
Cracked black glass.jpeg
I have only had my iPhone for three months with a case on it and I noticed the other day that I am getting micocracking around the camera and the bottom side of the glass that is on the back of the phone. It appears as if many others are experiencing the same same problem. I went to the Apple store and they told me it was going to cost $400 to fix it.
 
Appleuser1234 said:
View attachment 848572
I have only had my iPhone for three months with a case on it and I noticed the other day that I am getting micocracking around the camera and the bottom side of the glass that is on the back of the phone. It appears as if many others are experiencing the same same problem. I went to the Apple store and they told me it was going to cost $400 to fix it.
Click to expand...

So what are you suggesting that’s causing this problem? Obviously it doesn’t just spontaneously crack, so I’m guessing you you dropped the phone or somehow or mishandled it, where the crack is near the camera module. Also, you mentioned ‘many others are experiencing this’, who are these many others, cause I have hardly read of anyone experiencing this concern on this specific site.
 
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You've got a thin TPU case with little corner protection. Those cases aren't meant for drops or bumps. They're designed to protect the phone from minor scratches.
 
Actually the case is said to protect it from a 10 foot drop and it hasn't even seen more than a two foot drop onto carpeting from a coffee table and your saying that should cause this type of cracking. Thats bs. I am wondering if heat expansion has caused it. It's a little naive to think that only dropping it would cause such things. It could be a bad type of glass that was chosen. It could be the manufacturing process that was used. It could be a bad supplier. It could be a great number of things. I expect apple to make products that for $750 shouldn't just crack under normal use. And in terms of others with the same problem you can read about it here. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250031002
 
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Appleuser1234 said:
Actually the case is said to protect it from a 10 foot drop and it hasn't even seen more than a two foot drop onto carpeting from a coffee table and your saying that should cause this type of cracking. Thats bs. I am wondering if heat expansion has caused it. It's a little naive to think that only dropping it would cause such things. It could be a bad type of glass that was chosen. It could be the manufacturing process that was used. It could be a bad supplier. It could be a great number of things. I expect apple to make products that for $750 shouldn't just crack under normal use. And in terms of others with the same problem you can read about it here. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250031002
Click to expand...

Those marketing claims are meaningless because they're not reproducible. Thin TPU cases don't protect against drops. You need a hard layer outside and soft inside. Otherwise, dual-layer cases and products like OtterBox wouldn't need to exist.

Expansion cracks carry straight across the glass and don't spider in the corner like your example
 
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Appleuser1234 said:
Actually the case is said to protect it from a 10 foot drop and it hasn't even seen more than a two foot drop onto carpeting from a coffee table and your saying that should cause this type of cracking. Thats bs. I am wondering if heat expansion has caused it. It's a little naive to think that only dropping it would cause such things. It could be a bad type of glass that was chosen. It could be the manufacturing process that was used. It could be a bad supplier. It could be a great number of things. I expect apple to make products that for $750 shouldn't just crack under normal use. And in terms of others with the same problem you can read about it here. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250031002
Click to expand...

10 foot drop with that cheap case? LOL!

There are few cases that would protect your phone on a 10 foot drop, your case is not one of them.

If this where happening to others, you can bet that it would be reported here.
[doublepost=1563354121][/doublepost]
teknikal90 said:
take it to the apple store. see what they say. they might replace it.
Click to expand...

Did you read the original post?
 
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I always see/hear this kind of stuff that the glass cracked during “normal use”.

Few posts/moments later it always turns out it was just a “small drop”.

It’s not the height, it’s the angle and the millions of different variables in play when you drop your phone.
 
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Appleuser1234 said:
Actually the case is said to protect it from a 10 foot drop and it hasn't even seen more than a two foot drop onto carpeting from a coffee table and your saying that should cause this type of cracking. Thats bs. I am wondering if heat expansion has caused it. It's a little naive to think that only dropping it would cause such things. It could be a bad type of glass that was chosen. It could be the manufacturing process that was used. It could be a bad supplier. It could be a great number of things. I expect apple to make products that for $750 shouldn't just crack under normal use. And in terms of others with the same problem you can read about it here. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250031002
Click to expand...


You’re right - it could be a lot of things, but heat expansion? I don’t think so. I think it’s far more likely that the cracks were caused by either dropping it or keeping the phone in a tight pocket. I wouldn’t spend $400 to fix it either. It sucks that it happened but these devices are literally everywhere we go and things like that happen. I’d just leave it the way it is.
 
I have a X bought at launch that I’ve used without a case. No such cracking. I have used iPhones without cases since the 4. The only time I have had damage was on the 5. Lost a small bit of aluminum after dropping it out of my chest pocket onto concrete.
 
Please don't blame the case especially if you mentioned you've dropped your phone in the past, even if it was two feet high. I've been caseless with my Xs Max since day 1 and not a scratch on it. It's all about how you use it and from the looks of it, it was def dropped multiple times. My co worker shattered the back of her iPhone 8 with a case on from one drop.
 
Appleuser1234 said:
Actually the case is said to protect it from a 10 foot drop and it hasn't even seen more than a two foot drop onto carpeting from a coffee table and your saying that should cause this type of cracking
Click to expand...

Regardless of a ‘case drop rating’, that’s not a guarantee, that’s merely a specification in which that phone was tested to be dropped from. You dropped the phone at some point, and obviously that’s where the crack happened. Falls are based on a few things, [angle/impact/surface type], that’s all that you need to know when it comes to dropping your phone, not the actual height.
 
Its really disturbing to have an all glass back on a device that could costs as much as 1500€.The iphone 5 back design was the best ever with metall and glass.
 
Scream And Fly said:
For wireless charging, the glass back is required. It probably should be stronger though.
Click to expand...

It is stronger on the XS/max.

Apple advertises XR as “strongest front glass on a smartphone” and XS as “strongest front and back glass on a smartphone”

Higher priced models get better glass on back and front, XR just the front while dealing with last years glass for the back. Shame it’s a more expensive repair to replace the back :rolleyes:
 
Geoko78 said:
Its really disturbing to have an all glass back on a device that could costs as much as 1500€.The iphone 5 back design was the best ever with metall and glass.
Click to expand...

I’m not sure what’s disturbing about it, 99% of iPhone users seem to be using cases as it is. I mean, we live in a world where people use common sense when it comes to protecting a smart phone, even though it’s not guaranteed to stop the phone from breaking when dropped, I’d still say a case doesn’t change consumers minds when it comes to a glass back or not when buying an iPhone.
 
I don’t know. I put a silicone case on nine minutes after unboxing it and I don’t dare take it off! The big heavy phone + glass sandwich feature of the XR is something I don’t love (yet I love the inductive charging which this all enables, so...).
[doublepost=1563776189][/doublepost]I don’t know. I put a silicone case on nine minutes after unboxing it and I don’t dare take it off! The big heavy phone + glass sandwich feature of the XR is something I don’t love (yet I love the inductive charging which this all enables, so...).
 
Most phone makers tend to make the glass on the front of the phone a lot more durable than the back for some reason. There are companies that use the latest gorilla glass on the front and the previous gen gorilla glass on the back. I am not sure if iphones do the same as I have never broken my iphones, but have broken other glass back phones due to not using a case on those phones as they are my secondary phones.
 
put a good case on it and you should be fine
When a say a good case I mean a solid case
 
yash.sharma said:
Wish they'd stuck with the metal design from the iPhone 7 days and this would be more durable
Click to expand...

Nah. I have used both the aluminum frame and glass design, both are plenty durable. It depends how you treat your phone and if you’re using an appropriate case or not.
 
Aluminum back would be preferable to me because it’s lighter. That said I have never cracked a glass, front or back on any of my phones. I do keep my phones in a case... If my Apple Care+ was expired and I cracked the back I would likely just forgo the repair and keep it in the case until I eventually replaced my phone.
 
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