Report: Apple Will Replace Some Bent iPhones After A “Visual Mechanical Inspection”

Bending on purpose = no replacement (Unbox Therapy)

There’s some good news for people who may have accidentally bent their new iPhone 6/6 Plus phones — emphasis on “accidentally” — Apple will reportedly replace those devices after a Genius conducts a “Visual Mechanical Inspection” to judge whether the phone is bent or not.

This, according to a support chat The Next Web had with an Apple customer service representative (keep in mind this is one conversation, and Apple has yet to officially confirm replacements):

“So does a bent enclosure occurring during normal use fit under warrant?” TNW asked.

“That is 100% up to the Genius that you speak with at the store,” the chat rep reportedly explained. “There is a test called a Visual Mechanical Inspection that the device will have to pass. If it is within the guidelines, they will be abel [sic] to cover it. If not, the replacement would be a paid one.”

As to what those guidelines actually are, the chat rep didn’t divulge that information. But it does seem like things are afoot at Apple during #BendGate:

“Something told me to throw your symptom in the big chat room,” the chat rep added, after TNW passed on a chance to escalate to a supervisor. “Turns out, we’re looking into this with an insane amount of detail.”

Hear that? INSANE.

“Normal use” would likely be things like sticking the phone in your pocket and sitting on it — accidentally! — but would not include say, trying to bend the iPhone 6 on camera just to see if you can do it (spoiler alert: you can). If you find your new iPhone isn’t perfectly on the level, it’s worth checking with Apple to see if you can replace it for free.

Apple support says bent iPhones must pass a visual inspection to qualify for warranty replacement [The Next Web]