A second Apple Store was evacuated in as many days after an iPhone battery exploded and filled the floor with smoke, raising questions on whether iPhone owners should start to panic.
The incident, which happened in an Apple Store in Spain, follows a similar event in an Apple Store in Switzerland, where an overheating iPhone battery emitted smoke.
Apple Store In Spain Evacuated After iPhone Explodes
According to the Spanish news outlet Las Provincias, three firefighters and several police officers responded to an incident at the Apple Store in Calle Colon, in Valencia, Spain.
The incident involved another faulty iPhone battery. According to sources, the upper floor of the Apple Store was filled with smoke. Fortunately, the firefighters did not have to intervene as the store's employees quickly opened the windows for ventilation and threw dirt on the burned battery to control the situation.
The employees and customers were able to evacuate the Apple Store without any sustained injuries from the incident.
What happened at the Spanish Apple Store is similar to an incident in an Apple Store in Switzerland, where an overheating iPhone battery emitted smoke and forced the evacuation of customers and employees.
However, in Switzerland, the worker removing the battery from the iPhone 6S Plus suffered minor burns, while six other people received medical care for inhaling smoke. The incident was simply a battery overheating and creating smoke though, while in Spain, the battery apparently exploded.
Should You Still Replace Your iPhone Battery?
The two incidents in the Apple Stores in Switzerland and Spain are seemingly related to Apple's $29 iPhone battery replacement program. Apple took $50 off of the regular $79 price as an apology to the company's controversial throttling of older iPhones with degraded batteries.
iPhone owners, however, should not panic and think that all battery replacements will lead to explosions. If they are eligible to receive a $29 battery replacement, customers should avail the offer for a considerable improvement in battery life and performance. The two incidents in the Apple Stores, despite happening in quick succession, should still be treated as isolated cases.
Apple stands to lose $10 billion in iPhone sales due to the program, as one of the top reasons for upgrading to a newer iPhone model is to improve battery performance. Making matters worse for Apple are the siege of legal actions filed against the company over the matter, including a lawsuit that seeks nearly $1 trillion in damages. Even governments have started investigating Apple over the iPhone throttling issue, starting with a French prosecutor.
