iPhone 14/Plus iPhone 14 screen cracked on its own / out-of-box

[thewhitehart]

I was wondering if anyone else had this experience. I always noticed this fine line on my iPhone 14 glass that runs in a curve under the speaker ever since I bought it in April. It’s such a well-defined line running from the left of the screen all the way to the right, starting out level and curving up towards the speaker grill and level again to the right side of the screen.

It looked so well-proportioned, I thought it was a natural feature of the manufacturing process.

Just yesterday I noticed the glass starting fraying in a vertical curve on the right side of the line. The right side of the crack has now become slightly more noticeable.

I don’t have Apple Care, and it’s apparent I’ve been sold a lemon right out of the box. If I broke it I’d definitely pony up the cash to fix it. I don’t think they’re going to believe me at the Apple Store. There are no scuff marks on the phone edges indicating a drop. I’ll take a pic of it later to post here.

Do I have any recourse to get this sorted under warranty? Can they determine a glass defect from a drop?

 

[canuckRus]

I was wondering if anyone else had this experience. I always noticed this fine line on my iPhone 14 glass that runs in a curve under the speaker ever since I bought it in April. It’s such a well-defined line running from the left of the screen all the way to the right, starting out level and curving up towards the speaker grill and level again to the right side of the screen.

It looked so well-proportioned, I thought it was a natural feature of the manufacturing process.

Just yesterday I noticed the glass starting fraying in a vertical curve on the right side of the line. The right side of the crack has now become slightly more noticeable.

I don’t have Apple Care, and it’s apparent I’ve been sold a lemon right out of the box. If I broke it I’d definitely pony up the cash to fix it. I don’t think they’re going to believe me at the Apple Store. There are no scuff marks on the phone edges indicating a drop. I’ll take a pic of it later to post here.

Do I have any recourse to get this sorted under warranty? Can they determine a glass defect from a drop?

If not covered by warranty some credit cards might come to the rescue (2 years with mine).

 

[thewhitehart]

Here are two photos of the line. The line was always there as far as I know, but not so prominent as it is now. Although I didn't drop the phone, maybe I bumped it against something and made the problem worse at the right edge? The thing is there are no scuffs on the metal chassis around that crack on the right, and I always keep it in a thick silicon case. Because of the way the line looks, I always thought it was just some sort of interlock between panels of glass. I never examined it closely enough until now.

 

[JPack]

If it's a single hairline crack without an obvious point of impact, Apple may consider it a defect and repair it for free. But it looks like the right side has a big impact point.

Leaked Apple Document Outlines Apple's iPhone Repair Rules

A leaked Apple "Visual/Mechanical Inspection Guide" shared this afternoon by Business Insider provides some insight into how Apple's...

www.macrumors.com

Is that damage to the glass protector or the actual glass display?

 

[thewhitehart]

If it's a single hairline crack without an obvious point of impact, Apple may consider it a defect and repair it for free. But it looks like the right side has a big impact point.

Leaked Apple Document Outlines Apple's iPhone Repair Rules

A leaked Apple "Visual/Mechanical Inspection Guide" shared this afternoon by Business Insider provides some insight into how Apple's...

www.macrumors.com

Is that damage to the glass protector or the actual glass display?

View attachment 2245286

Thank you for this information! I think it's just damage to the glass protector. I'm not even sure how it occurred. There are no marks that I can notice on the housing, and I don't remember banging it against anything.

Actually, I didn't know there was a glass protector over the actual glass display. I always keep the iPhone in a silicon case with a lip that extends above that bit with the damage, and there's no damage I can detect on the case.

 

[LacrosseChic]

The phone does not come with a glass protector, so unless you installed one yourself this is damage to the actual screen.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Impact damage. If you installed a screen protector take it off and see what's underneath.. I'd say either way the phone had an impact on the right upper corner or the screen. Most definitely not a warranty issue...

 

[thewhitehart]

The phone does not come with a glass protector, so unless you installed one yourself this is damage to the actual screen.

It must be damage to the actual screen then. I wonder if just bumping it in the case caused the hairline to widen vertically at that point.

I wish I noticed this earlier. Maybe they’d have fixed it for free. The shape of the hairline made me think it was some sort of interlocking glass seam.

 

[Splitrail]

I was wondering if anyone else had this experience. I always noticed this fine line on my iPhone 14 glass that runs in a curve under the speaker ever since I bought it in April. It’s such a well-defined line running from the left of the screen all the way to the right, starting out level and curving up towards the speaker grill and level again to the right side of the screen.

It looked so well-proportioned, I thought it was a natural feature of the manufacturing process.

Just yesterday I noticed the glass starting fraying in a vertical curve on the right side of the line. The right side of the crack has now become slightly more noticeable.

I don’t have Apple Care, and it’s apparent I’ve been sold a lemon right out of the box. If I broke it I’d definitely pony up the cash to fix it. I don’t think they’re going to believe me at the Apple Store. There are no scuff marks on the phone edges indicating a drop. I’ll take a pic of it later to post here.

Do I have any recourse to get this sorted under warranty? Can they determine a glass defect from a drop?

It may be too late, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Did you buy it from an Apple Store?
Take it back to where you bought it from and explain the problem as you did here, no demands.
It may be that they've seen this problem before.
In any case, any time you suspect that a product has an issue in the first place (April), present it to the seller and document the visit and the decision. That way if it becomes a problem after a return period expires, you'll have evidence that it was an issue before that expiration.

 

[thewhitehart]

It may be too late, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Did you buy it from an Apple Store?
Take it back to where you bought it from and explain the problem as you did here, no demands.
It may be that they've seen this problem before.
In any case, any time you suspect that a product has an issue in the first place (April), present it to the seller and document the visit and the decision. That way if it becomes a problem after a return period expires, you'll have evidence that it was an issue before that expiration.

Yeah, I bought it from the Apple Store with Apple Card. I should’ve reported it right away when I first saw the curvature of the line under the speaker grill. I thought it was a feature of the glass because it was so faint. That had to be about a week or so after I bought it.

Maybe there’s a chance they’ve seen the issue before. If not I’ll just pay up and be more careful next time by just getting Apple Care. I’ve never had a glass break on an iPhone before, and I’ve been buying iPhones since the 3G.

 

[Andeddu]

You'll have to pay the out of warranty costs for a screen replacement as there is an impact point which proves accidental damage. It's quite pricey, unfortunately. Make sure you have a screen protector installed and a case on in future to ensure you give your phone the best chance of making it through its life unscathed.

 

[thewhitehart]

Just an update. Yeah, I’d have to pay full price for glass replacement because of the impact point. I must’ve hit the phone against a wall or something while it was in my pocket.

What I truly regret is that I did not report the existing hairline when I bought the phone. What may have been a slight bump caused the existing fracture to expand.

So Apple sold me a dud and now I have to pay to get it fixed. Live and learn I guess. AppleCare+ is a must to compensate for Apple’s shoddy “Ceramic Shield” glass. 😜

 

[Splitrail]

Just an update. Yeah, I’d have to pay full price for glass replacement because of the impact point. I must’ve hit the phone against a wall or something while it was in my pocket.

What I truly regret is that I did not report the existing hairline when I bought the phone. What may have been a slight bump caused the existing fracture to expand.

So Apple sold me a dud and now I have to pay to get it fixed. Live and learn I guess. AppleCare+ is a must to compensate for Apple’s shoddy “Ceramic Shield” glass. 😜

Why is it "shoddy"?
You suspected a problem right away and ignored it.
If it was a problem they would have fixed it.
How many phone would you suppose are out there with nothing wrong with the glass?
.................and why was there no mention or picture of the impact point in your opening post?

 

[ibookemo]

This reminds me of when I actually did drop my iPhone 5 (on concrete) many years ago when it was pretty new. I didn’t have Apple Care but took it to an Apple Store anyway and told them the truth. They gave me a new replacement iPhone on the spot.

Superb service…part of the reason I’m still with Apple.

 

[thewhitehart]

Why is it "shoddy"?
You suspected a problem right away and ignored it.
If it was a problem they would have fixed it.
How many phone would you suppose are out there with nothing wrong with the glass?
.................and why was there no mention or picture of the impact point in your opening post?

I didn't realize it was an impact point. I referred to it as fraying in a vertical curve. I do see now that it is an impact point that caused the existing hairline fracture to split. Being that I never dropped the phone, and that there's a hairline fracture extending all the way from one end of the glass to the other, I would have to assume the quality of the glass is pretty shoddy for that to happen if it weren't for the hairline fracture being there since April when I bought it. At the time, the fracture was so thin and in such a shape that I assumed it was some sort of glass jointing. So I didn't think it was a problem until I saw that the "impact zone" connected directly to that hairline. I believe the hairline was a defect in the manufacturing process. Unfortunately, because of the impact point, there's no longer a way to prove that.

I couldn't take a photo of the phone at the time of the original post, so I supplied it in the following post.

Please don't get me wrong; the Apple Store staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I regret not noticing the hairline for what it was when I bought the phone. If the impact zone didn't form, they probably would have replaced the glass free.

 

[thewhitehart]

In other words, I definitely admit it's an impact point. I believe I bumped the phone there as in the picture, and the stress caused the existing hairline fracture to expand into the impact zone from left to right.

I should've paid closer attention to the hairline fracture I mistook for a glass joint and reported it within the Apple Care period. I just wonder if anyone else has had defects like that in their glass on the iPhone 14.

I'm definitely going to pay to fix it because I want to sell it and get the iPhone 15.

 

[Andeddu]

In other words, I definitely admit it's an impact point. I believe I bumped the phone there as in the picture, and the stress caused the existing hairline fracture to expand into the impact zone from left to right.

I should've paid closer attention to the hairline fracture I mistook for a glass joint and reported it within the Apple Care period. I just wonder if anyone else has had defects like that in their glass on the iPhone 14.

I'm definitely going to pay to fix it because I want to sell it and get the iPhone 15.

Do you have any photographs of the phone prior to the impact point? I mean, you don't have to prove anything to me but I am highly skeptical there ever was a crack to begin with given that 99.9% of people would have spotted the defect at the first instance. For you to go on for months and months without noticing the abnormality was a cracked screen is borderline unbelievable given that you didn't even have a screen protector on so you would have been looking at the damage every time you had eyes on your phone. I also find it strange that you never asked for a second opinion as even a child could tell you that there was a hairline crack on your screen. You also never mentioned the impact point in your original post. If I saw minor damage on my phone and I wasn't sure if it was part of the design, I would have checked online and pulled up photographs for comparison or I would have asked about it on this forum.

Most people who cause damage to their property brainwash themselves into thinking that they're not responsible for causing said damage. Louis Rossman, who is a prominent YouTuber and tech repairman, said that very few of his customers ever admitted any wrong doing. They'd swear on their lives that nothing had spilled on their laptops and when he opened up their computers, he'd inevitably find extensive liquid damage. Same with cracked screens with many of his customers stating that the glass simply cracked itself when they had accidentally struck or dropped the device.

It's normal to make excuses when you've made a costly mistake so I am not trying to have a go at you, it is just that I find your story a little hard to believe.

Glad you're going to have Apple repair your phone though so you can trade it in for an iPhone 15. Just make sure you check over your phone extensively when you purchase it prior to placing on a screen protector and putting it inside a case.

 

[thewhitehart]

Do you have any photographs of the phone prior to the impact point? I mean, you don't have to prove anything to me but I am highly skeptical there ever was a crack to begin with given that 99.9% of people would have spotted the defect at the first instance. For you to go on for months and months without noticing the abnormality was a cracked screen is borderline unbelievable given that you didn't even have a screen protector on so you would have been looking at the damage every time you had eyes on your phone. I also find it strange that you never asked for a second opinion as even a child could tell you that there was a hairline crack on your screen. You also never mentioned the impact point in your original post. If I saw minor damage on my phone and I wasn't sure of the design, I would have checked online and pulled up photographs or I would have asked about on this forum, for instance.

Most people who cause damage to their property brainwash themselves into thinking that they're not responsible for causing said damage. Louis Rossman, who is a prominent YouTuber and tech repairman, said that very few of his customers ever admitted any wrong doing. They'd swear on their lives that nothing had spilled on their laptops and when he opened up their computers, he'd inevitably find extensive water damage. Same with cracked screens with many customers stating that the glass simply cracked itself when they had accidentally struck or dropped the device.

It's normal to make excuses when you've make a costly mistake so I am not trying to have a go at you, it is just that I find your story a little hard to believe.

Glad you're going to have Apple repair your phone though so you can trade it in for an iPhone 15. Just make sure you check over your phone extensively when you purchase it prior to placing on a screen protector and putting it inside a case.

No, I don't have any photos of the front of the phone prior to now. I don't doubt you for finding it hard to believe. I don't have very good eyesight, and you might notice that the most visible portion of the hairline crack is a curve under the speaker grill. I actually thought it was part of how the display connected together. Before the iPhone 14, I've only ever owned iPhones with TouchID, where the bezel around the screen is quite clear.

I definitely agree with Rossman about people brainwashing themselves into thinking they're not responsible for damage. I'm clearly responsible for banging the phone against something, and I said that in my post. I inspected it really closely, and had someone else look at it, and the line from the impact point runs right into the pre-existing hairline fault that I thought was a joint in the glass. It was then I realized it was a hairline fault. The line was fainter before whatever impact occurred.

If I had noticed it for what it was prior to suddenly seeing the impact zone on Friday, I would've taken it to Apple. And if I had dropped the phone on the floor and it shattered, I'd definitely just take it there and I'd be glad to pay for it. I'm just disappointed that I didn't realize there was a defect in the glass, impact point or not.

Honestly wondering... has anyone else had such a tiny impact on recent iPhone model glass cause such a thin line to extend without any other lines branching off, from one side of the phone to the other? I never imagined iPhone glass would react that way. Most screens I see shatter in a spiderweb-like fashion. The line was there for me from April, and I admit I was too stupid to realize it was a hairline fault. I couldn't see it well.

 

[okkibs]

I don't really doubt your story, but the fact is that additional damage occured to the display at which point a free replacement was unlikely. Even if you had brought it in before the additional damage and had it swapped out, and then hit it to cause the additional damage on the right side Apple still wouldn't have fixed that for free. So you'd still have a phone with a minor defect, just without the hairline crack.

Unless the display is actually defective now you could just keep using it the way it is. Since the hairline crack didn't bother you before, and it's above the actual display why not just use it like that. If it gets worse, you can always opt for the replacement later.

The minor downside is that you can never get the battery replaced on that unit since Apple will refuse a battery replacement without also fixing the display.

I'd just keep using the device as is for two years or so and then replace it with a new iPhone a little earlier than you would have replaced it otherwise. Then you won't need a new battery either. And you will get some money back selling it, as long as it fully works you can get some low triple digit amount back.

 

[Andeddu]

No, I don't have any photos of the front of the phone prior to now. I don't doubt you for finding it hard to believe. I don't have very good eyesight, and you might notice that the most visible portion of the hairline crack is a curve under the speaker grill. I actually thought it was part of how the display connected together. Before the iPhone 14, I've only ever owned iPhones with TouchID, where the bezel around the screen is quite clear.

I definitely agree with Rossman about people brainwashing themselves into thinking they're not responsible for damage. I'm clearly responsible for banging the phone against something, and I said that in my post. I inspected it really closely, and had someone else look at it, and the line from the impact point runs right into the pre-existing hairline fault that I thought was a joint in the glass. It was then I realized it was a hairline fault. The line was fainter before whatever impact occurred.

If I had noticed it for what it was prior to suddenly seeing the impact zone on Friday, I would've taken it to Apple. And if I had dropped the phone on the floor and it shattered, I'd definitely just take it there and I'd be glad to pay for it. I'm just disappointed that I didn't realize there was a defect in the glass, impact point or not.

Honestly wondering... has anyone else had such a tiny impact on recent iPhone model glass cause such a thin line to extend without any other lines branching off, from one side of the phone to the other? I never imagined iPhone glass would react that way. Most screens I see shatter in a spiderweb-like fashion. The line was there for me from April, and I admit I was too stupid to realize it was a hairline fault. I couldn't see it well.

Fair enough. It’s a lesson learned insofar that if you find some kind of suspected abnormality, you should do a little bit of digging to see it’s part of the design or if you’ve been sold a lemon.

Glass does break in the way you’ve experienced it. The hairline crack you had weakened the glass but it wasn’t a crack through the entire screen. That’s why there’s no spiderweb pattern. It’ll eventually degrade and crack and become even more noticeable if you don’t replace it. Gorilla glass is very strong however if any part of it is damaged, its strength will forever be compromised and bigger cracks will appear. It’s like when you have a chip on your car window. It’ll start off small then it’ll grow and grow due to water, ice, changing temperature, etc… You’ll see clean cracks on glass which will lead to a point of impact. That’s why I said that I was dubious of your claim that the damage was always there, because lo-and-behold when you posted the photograph, the hairline cracked lead us to an impact point with a spiderweb which proved you had accidentally dropped or struck it.

 

[Fat_Guy]

This reminds me of when I actually did drop my iPhone 5 (on concrete) many years ago when it was pretty new. I didn’t have Apple Care but took it to an Apple Store anyway and told them the truth. They gave me a new replacement iPhone on the spot.

Superb service…part of the reason I’m still with Apple.

They were probably in shock that you told them the truth, and decided to do you a fav.


Same thing with me on Saturday, go in to get the battery replaced and I wiped the phone (like you should) and they all looked at me like they had just seen “Big Foot” or the “Loch Ness Monster”, however I didn't get a free battery. 😑

 

[MacCheetah3]

Most people who cause damage to their property brainwash themselves into thinking that they're not responsible for causing said damage. Louis Rossman, who is a prominent YouTuber and tech repairman, said that very few of his customers ever admitted any wrong doing. They'd swear on their lives that nothing had spilled on their laptops and when he opened up their computers, he'd inevitably find extensive liquid damage. Same with cracked screens with many of his customers stating that the glass simply cracked itself when they had accidentally struck or dropped the device.

It's normal to make excuses when you've made a costly mistake so I am not trying to have a go at you, it is just that I find your story a little hard to believe.

Very true.

My recent and most expensive mistake (by a lot) was with my iPad Pro. To treat a sprained foot/ankle, I was soaking it in cold water to reduce swelling. Anyway, with my downtime, I decided to watch movies/shows. As I switched hands to get a sip of water, my iPad slipped from my hands and landed near the soaking bucket (onto carpet though that’s irrelevant in the end). I think, as I tried to catch the iPad, it was a splash that actually got it wet. At first, the problem was (as far as I could see) just a warning of liquid in the USB-C port. I turned the iPad off, allowed it to dry for several hours, then turned it on to the same message. Next, what I thought would be an okay idea, I briefly held the iPad over my air purifier (to get some drying airflow). Well, that was a bad idea, apparently. The next morning, half the iPad display looked like it was water color painted. 😫 Finally, a trip to Best Buy and a $500+ payment to get it replaced.

Fortunately, my two “whoopsies” prior haven’t (vastly) affected functionality and were to devices I intend to retire within a year. So, not a huge loss… I think.

iPhone X - fell out of the phone holder on my e-bike gong ~15 mph. Now I keep it my pocket while cycling.



iPad (6th generation) - flopped corner first onto tile floor. The cracks have continued to increased due to handling. Once compromised… Durability falls sharply. Nonetheless, even the camera still works.



Of course, I am very disappointed in these mistakes.

I don't have very good eyesight, and you might notice that the most visible portion of the hairline crack is a curve under the speaker grill. I actually thought it was part of how the display connected together. Before the iPhone 14, I've only ever owned iPhones with TouchID, where the bezel around the screen is quite clear.

I definitely agree with Rossman about people brainwashing themselves into thinking they're not responsible for damage. I'm clearly responsible for banging the phone against something, and I said that in my post. I inspected it really closely, and had someone else look at it, and the line from the impact point runs right into the pre-existing hairline fault that I thought was a joint in the glass. It was then I realized it was a hairline fault. The line was fainter before whatever impact occurred.

If I had noticed it for what it was prior to suddenly seeing the impact zone on Friday, I would've taken it to Apple. And if I had dropped the phone on the floor and it shattered, I'd definitely just take it there and I'd be glad to pay for it. I'm just disappointed that I didn't realize there was a defect in the glass, impact point or not.

Y-e-a-h… We all need to live, accept, and learn (hopefully). We aren’t flawless.