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How long did it take for your battery to swell?


  • Total voters
    67

Jsee

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 29, 2021
41
11
Hi
Recently purchased an iPhone 13 and have been loving it so far. However with my previous android phone I practised cycling to preserve the battery. For those who don't know it pretty much means keeping your battery percentages between 20 - 80% to avoid excess wear on the battery. You can double or potentially triple it's lifespan by doing this practise. I used my old phone for 4 years and it still retained 86% of it's capacity which is super impressive, for reference most people would have hit 80% after 2 - 3 years, so it was clear I could have held on for another 5 - 6 years before I also hit the 80% figure.

However as I purchased more apple devices (I've converted entirely haha) with their own batteries I am beginning to realise this practise is too much effort, one phone that's okay, but an iPhone, Macbook, iPad, that's too much. So now I am for the first time using the device like a normal person (yay took me 4 years to realise) and not too worry about battery health. I now intend to replace the battery at around the 4 year mark as I am okay with shorter battery life and want to save money obviously. The only concern I have however is this.

As a battery ages it may swell which is a fire hazard, and even if it didn't explode the expansion may end up wrecking the internals of your device making it not worth repairing since now you have to also cover the other damaged components as well as the battery. Might as well get a new phone by then. So it's not going to be like I am going to wait till it swells then replace it, I should have already replaced it before swelling took place in the first place.

Hence why I ask this question, would like to ask long term iPhone users Did your battery swell at all? If so how long did it take too? And what where your charging habits? Bonus points if you also mention your iPad/Macbook too. One thing I definitively know is that leaving it plugged in 24/7 will swell up the battery, there are so many reports of people's MacBooks having swollen batteries within and most of the time it's because they used it docked. Some reports as soon as 1 - 2 years.

This was not previously a concern with my old phone since I took good care of it, but now that I'm using it normally I should expect a more rapid decline in battery longevity and hence wanted to ask a regular iPhone user their experience. Don't want to end up bricking device prematurely haha. Sorry for the long post and thank you so much for inputting. It will help determine how long I should replace the battery or if unavoidable, I might partially practise cycling if possible.


Edit/Conclusion:
I think my original concern at this point has already been resolved. Summarising the thread so far and the poll reports. Swelling on batteries are rare and pretty much an non existent issue even when keeping it at a 100% state of charge most of the time, so long that you still drain the battery from time to time and use it like a normal one.

As off now I have 22 votes for never in battery swelling with no votes in other categories.

The only reports of swelling batteries are the iPhone 5 (There were a few), but since the reports were specific to that model, it sounds like it was a design defect for that particular model or something. So it shouldn't be of concern for other iPhones since I haven't heard any reports. There was one (iPhone 6) but I understand any battery could swell so long as most people don't have issues it is fine.

There are even reports of people pretty much abusing the batteries with no issues aside from capacity degradation which is assuring, since I was only concerned about the battery swell.

But again thank you guys for the input and feel free to continue commenting with regards to your experience with battery health. Preferably more iPad reports too. More assurance is always welcome :)
 
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I had an iPhone 5 that I left plugged in continuously- I never unplugged it even while using it (I was unaware how bad that was to do way back then). The battery swelled up and pushed off the screen within 8 months. Ever since that school of hard knocks, I’ve learned more about lithium ion battery care - and I NEVER charge any of my iPhones to 100% ever and never leave them plugged in over night. Four iPhones since the 5 and no problems and very minimal battery degradation
 
My older 8+ is about four years in use and has 86% battery health even after not caring about charging types at all, randomly using fast charging and wireless charging.

Batteries are a lottery at times and one’s experiences won’t necessarily be those of the next person. For me, none of my iPhones ever had a swollen battery.
 
Never had a swollen battery in any iPhone. It can happen if they’re old and unhealthy, but personally it’s never happened.
 
I've had iPhones since the 3G and have never experienced a swollen battery in any of them. I charge my phone to 100% every night on a wireless charger, often discharge them well below 20% (sometimes into single digits and occasionally clear to shutdown), live in an environment where they're subjected to 100°+F degree heat on a daily basis from about May to October and sometimes shut down because of high temps when they're accidentally left in the sun, top off battery charge during the day as needed, leave it on the charger sometimes when I'm not using it, always have the phone in a case - basically all the things they say are death to batteries. When I got rid of my XS after three years, it was at 79% battery capacity and the battery was un-swollen.

Not saying it's never happened to anybody because obviously it has - but it's the rare exception rather than the rule.
 
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I had an iPhone 5 that I left plugged in continuously- I never unplugged it even while using it (I was unaware how bad that was to do way back then). The battery swelled up and pushed off the screen within 8 months. Ever since that school of hard knocks, I’ve learned more about lithium ion battery care - and I NEVER charge any of my iPhones to 100% ever and never leave them plugged in over night. Four iPhones since the 5 and no problems and very minimal battery degradation
Interesting. I’ve had my launch iPhone 7 for 5 years now and I’ve been using a smart battery case on it all of the time and the battery sits at 100% for most days and then I plug it in all night. Never had a problem with swelling! 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
All the iPhones that I have owned, 12 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max, are on a charger for a vast majority of the day and there has been no battery swelling which I did have on my Galaxy S10 Plus that was replaced. On the iPhones, I have optimized battery charging that slows the charging starting at 80% until it reaches 100%. I also use the Anker Nano Pro which adjusts charging based on level and temperature. I am trying to ween myself off the need to keep my battery fully charged even when not being used. After a year, my 12 Pro Max had 98 to 99% battery health.
 
I voted 'Never', but only because the problem I had was with one iPhone, the iPhone 5. My current iPhone 5 is my fourth. It was replaced three times, the second and third time because of battery swelling.

I also own an iPhone 3GS, a 4, a 4s, a 6s+, an HTC Touch Pro, a Pixel 3a XL, an iPad 6th gen and some crap LG tablet which was given to me. I have owned an iPad Air 2 and an iPhone 6+. Currently my iPhone 11 Pro Max is my main phone.

The iPhone 5 is the ONLY device I have owned that has ever had problems. About a year ago, my 5 started to swell again, so I left it off power entirely for a few months. The swelling resided and it's been working fine. I just make sure to let the battery deplete.

Every phone I've used as a primary phone has sat on charger over night as a bed side clock. It gets taken off charger in the morning and does not get power again (unless I need to) until I go to sleep. Right now, my HTC Touch Pro is plugged in all the time and being used as a clock. We'll see how that goes.

My iPad sits on power all day but gets used at night and left off power when I go to sleep. Again, never had a problem. I can't possibly use all these devices at once so my habit is to power them up from time to time, let them drain and then sit empty for a time. Maybe that isn't good, IDK, but I don't expect them to last forever.

Finally…I did have a swelling battery on my work issued 2015 MBP. It got replaced a few months back. I've taken to leaving it off power when not using it.
 
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My old iPhone SE is showing battery health at 92%. I don’t do anything to take maximise battery life. It’s been charged every night, all night and now occasionally during the day if it dies. I tend to keep both iPads and iPhones 4 or 5 years and I’ve never had an issue with batteries swelling. My mum has an ancient iPad 2 that the kids play on. It must be 10yrs old now and stays on the charger most of the time. It’s never had a battery replacement and has no sign of battery swelling. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it that long. I’d be worried about fire.
 
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The only concern I have however is this.

As a battery ages it may swell which is a fire hazard…
I’d be worried about fire.
The last time I had my iPhone 5 replaced (2017) because of a swollen battery, Apple had to order the phone to the store because they did not have one. I hesitated and explained my concern about 'fire' to the genius.

After he consulted with the Apple techs in the back it was explained to me that Apple iPhone batteries are encased in a special sleeve. The sleeve is designed to expand with any swelling and protect the battery from doing anything bad - like catching fire.

As long as nothing punctures that sleeve, it's safe. Does that mean you just ignore swelling? No, but because of the sleeve you don't have to worry about spontaneous combustion.

Now, if the sleeve IS punctured, then that's when you have problems. Typically, that happens when replacing a swollen battery - which is why DIY battery replacement of a swelling battery is discouraged by Apple. It's also why Apple replaces the entire device and not just the battery. The Apple stores do not have the technology (or the trained personnel) to deal with removal of a swollen battery. All devices with a swollen battery are sent to a special Apple facility that deals with this. That is where the trained personnel and proper equipment are located.

So, a problem to be concerned about yes, but not anything that is going to burn your house or apartment down.
 
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@eyoungren Thanks for that. It’s reassuring. I was in a house fire previously which has made me very risk-averse but it’s good to know apple take extra care with the batteries.

Can I just ask, when you say Apple replace the entire device, is that only if the battery is swollen? I’m sending my old SE in for battery replacement next week and I don’t want a different one.
 
I’ve had many (many!) iPhones since the original — I’ve owned essentially every model/series with the exception of the iPhone 5C, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone XS/XR and iPhone 12 series.

I’ve never once had a battery swell and I’ve never been gentle on the batteries. I’ve charged them fully each night and often topped off during the day when needed.
 
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@eyoungren Thanks for that. It’s reassuring. I was in a house fire previously which has made me very risk-averse but it’s good to know apple take extra care with the batteries.

Can I just ask, when you say Apple replace the entire device, is that only if the battery is swollen? I’m sending my old SE in for battery replacement next week and I don’t want a different one.
They only replace in two situations. 1, if the battery is swollen, or 2, if the tab that is connected to the battery breaks off. Swollen or not you do not want to puncture the sleeve and the tab breaking off makes it almost impossible to remove the battery without puncturing the sleeve.

I wouldn't worry though. Apple has plenty of experience in the mundane and everyday replacement of the average battery.

Even so, if a replacement does happen, you can expect the quality to be exactly the same as brand new. Replacement phones go through an even more rigorous quality check than new phones. Apple is not Assurion or Assurant.
 
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Never has happened in all the time I have owned iPhones. The only battery related thing that need to be done was replacing it when it reached 80% max capacity. iPhones don't need to be cycled.
 
Never had this and I keep a charger at work so I’m charging my phone while I’m at work as well as at night when I sleep.
 
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I voted 'Never', but only because the problem I had was with one iPhone, the iPhone 5. My current iPhone 5 is my fourth. It was replaced three times, the second and third time because of battery swelling.

I also own an iPhone 3GS, a 4, a 4s, a 6s+, an HTC Touch Pro, a Pixel 3a XL, an iPad 6th gen and some crap LG tablet which was given to me. I have owned an iPad Air 2 and an iPhone 6+. Currently my iPhone 11 Pro Max is my main phone.

The iPhone 5 is the ONLY device I have owned that has ever had problems. About a year ago, my 5 started to swell again, so I left it off power entirely for a few months. The swelling resided and it's been working fine. I just make sure to let the battery deplete.

Every phone I've used as a primary phone has sat on charger over night as a bed side clock. It gets taken off charger in the morning and does not get power again (unless I need to) until I go to sleep. Right now, my HTC Touch Pro is plugged in all the time and being used as a clock. We'll see how that goes.

My iPad sits on power all day but gets used at night and left off power when I go to sleep. Again, never had a problem. I can't possibly use all these devices at once so my habit is to power them up from time to time, let them drain and then sit empty for a time. Maybe that isn't good, IDK, but I don't expect them to last forever.

Finally…I did have a swelling battery on my work issued 2015 MBP. It got replaced a few months back. I've taken to leaving it off power when not using it.
Probs the most reassuring post since you owned so many devices so thank you so much! I've read quite a few reports about MacBook batteries swelling which doesn't seem too rare, hence I sorta got the impression that any lithium battery at some point will come to swell. But I haven't had a single person in this thread comment on swelling on iPhone or iPad even after 4+ years of use whilst on 100% for extended period of time so it doesn't seem to be of concern.

Only exception is the iPhone 5, but it almost sounds like a design defect lol since the three reports on this thread are specific to that model, hence it's not an issue for other iPhones.
 
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My iPhone 5 started swelling just short of 2 years, July 2014. (I remember this because I was getting my car inspected...noticed the screen bulging). Got the replacement, but ended up getting a 6 Plus in Sept 2014.

The 6 Plus battery started swelling again just short of 2 years old. Summer 2018.
I ended up replacing that battery myself with help from YouTube tutorial. Bought a real OEM online (I assume it was real?) Whatever the case, it worked.

Honestly, my original iPhone (June 2007) was pretty darn good -- for it's time. Heavy use, no bulge, no insane drain. Lasted until July 2010 when I upgraded to iPhone 4. I still have the original iPhone here...I connected it a few weeks ago, battery life, eh..maybe 2-3 minutes max. 😆
 
I had an iPhone 5S i used contstantly everyday and i plugged in mulitple times a day and used whilst charging. The battery swell up like 1.5 years into use and i could also see the backlight from the side lol. Now i don't touch my phones while they are charging.
 
My old iPhone SE is showing battery health at 92%. I don’t do anything to take maximise battery life. It’s been charged every night, all night and now occasionally during the day if it dies. I tend to keep both iPads and iPhones 4 or 5 years and I’ve never had an issue with batteries swelling. My mum has an ancient iPad 2 that the kids play on. It must be 10yrs old now and stays on the charger most of the time. It’s never had a battery replacement and has no sign of battery swelling. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it that long. I’d be worried about fire.
I voted 'Never', but only because the problem I had was with one iPhone, the iPhone 5. My current iPhone 5 is my fourth. It was replaced three times, the second and third time because of battery swelling.

I also own an iPhone 3GS, a 4, a 4s, a 6s+, an HTC Touch Pro, a Pixel 3a XL, an iPad 6th gen and some crap LG tablet which was given to me. I have owned an iPad Air 2 and an iPhone 6+. Currently my iPhone 11 Pro Max is my main phone.

The iPhone 5 is the ONLY device I have owned that has ever had problems. About a year ago, my 5 started to swell again, so I left it off power entirely for a few months. The swelling resided and it's been working fine. I just make sure to let the battery deplete.

Every phone I've used as a primary phone has sat on charger over night as a bed side clock. It gets taken off charger in the morning and does not get power again (unless I need to) until I go to sleep. Right now, my HTC Touch Pro is plugged in all the time and being used as a clock. We'll see how that goes.

My iPad sits on power all day but gets used at night and left off power when I go to sleep. Again, never had a problem. I can't possibly use all these devices at once so my habit is to power them up from time to time, let them drain and then sit empty for a time. Maybe that isn't good, IDK, but I don't expect them to last forever.

Finally…I did have a swelling battery on my work issued 2015 MBP. It got replaced a few months back. I've taken to leaving it off power when not using it.

Thank you for mentioning the iPad. I wanted to use sidecar as a wired connection to reduce network traffic and for performance reasons but as usual was worried about keeping the charge at 100% all the time, since I might use it as a second screen for most of the day, and hence keep it at full charge all the time.

Since you've had no issues charging it all night or keeping it plugged in all the time, then again I don't think it should be of concern to use a wired sidecar connection all day. Maybe just don't top it up overnight as a precaution but either case shouldn't be of concern for swelling even after years of use.

I think the TDLR conclusion I am getting from this thread is, as long as you don't keep it plugged in ALL the time and you let it drain and use it like a normal device. Charging to 100% is perfectly fine and you probably will never get swelling issues even years down the line.

Thanks again!
 
My iPhone 5 started swelling just short of 2 years, July 2014. (I remember this because I was getting my car inspected...noticed the screen bulging). Got the replacement, but ended up getting a 6 Plus in Sept 2014.

The 6 Plus battery started swelling again just short of 2 years old. Summer 2018.
I ended up replacing that battery myself with help from YouTube tutorial. Bought a real OEM online (I assume it was real?) Whatever the case, it worked.

Honestly, my original iPhone (June 2007) was pretty darn good -- for it's time. Heavy use, no bulge, no insane drain. Lasted until July 2010 when I upgraded to iPhone 4. I still have the original iPhone here...I connected it a few weeks ago, battery life, eh..maybe 2-3 minutes max. 😆
I had an iPhone 5S i used contstantly everyday and i plugged in mulitple times a day and used whilst charging. The battery swell up like 1.5 years into use and i could also see the backlight from the side lol. Now i don't touch my phones while they are charging.
You guys are the 4th and 5th reports for battery swelling with iPhone 5 in this thread It sounds like that was an issue specific to that device unfortunately :(. Swelling does not seem to be an issue for other iPhones. Thank you for the input anyways!
 
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Only battery swelling I've experienced on any device was the Apple watches. Both my 1st gen fell under that repair service Apple had at the time.
 
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I’ve had many (many!) iPhones since the original — I’ve owned essentially every model/series with the exception of the iPhone 5C, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone XS/XR and iPhone 12 series.

I’ve never once had a battery swell and I’ve never been gentle on the batteries. I’ve charged them fully each night and often topped off during the day when needed.
Same here. I’ve had many iPhones since the 4s (my family as well) - we’ve never had an iPhone battery swell. Most of my early iPhones (due to my ignorance) spent their entire lives mostly plugged in because of my desk job. Never had a problem!
 
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You guys are the 4th and 5th reports for battery swelling with iPhone 5 in this thread It sounds like that was an issue specific to that device unfortunately :(. Swelling does not seem to be an issue for other iPhones. Thank you for the input anyways!
It was a problem. I'm not surprised by that either. When the iPhone 5 launched we (forum users here on MacRumors) immediately encountered Scuffgate. Scuffgate was where the iPhone 5 was scuffed or chipped either right out of the box or shortly afterwards. It was a consequence of only surface anodization of the metal Apple used.

There was one MR user that went through about 10 brand new boxes in the Apple store looking for an unscuffed iPhone 5 before Apple finally stopped him. Couple of threads back in 2012-2013 that ran over 200+ pages.
 
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