Apple’s Visual Inspection Guide Says Bent iPhone 6 Not Covered By Warranty

Though some are claiming that Apple may do warranty repairs on the new iPhones and their apparently bendable bodies, it looks like the actual manual that Apple provides to authorized repair centers indicates that a bent device is not covered.

A Consumerist reader who works at one of these businesses forwarded us the above image taken from the most recent Visual/Mechanical Inspection (VMI) guide for the iPhone. And right there in the “Out-Of-Warranty” section is “Bent enclosure,” with a photo that looks a lot like some of the images people have been sharing online in recent days.

Now, one might look at this and say that Apple obviously knew in advance that the device could bend before it shipped to consumers, but this VMI guide from 2012 also shows a bent, previous-generation iPhone. Of course, that device, with a more rigid frame, looks like it took a much worse beating than the newer ones:

The iPhone VMI guide from 2012 also shows that bent devices are not covered by warranty repairs.

Just because the VMI guide says it’s a non-warranty repair doesn’t mean the company can’t change its mind or choose to leave it up to the discretion of Apple Store “geniuses.”

Meanwhile, Apple is trying to downplay the prevalence of bent iPhones, telling Re/Code’s John Paczkowski that “through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus.”