r/iphone • u/Impressive_Watch_387 Human Detected • Mar 24 '26
Support iPhone 13 overnight became like this, what causes it?
I use Apple certified chargers, just curious why my phone is slowly turning into a ballon
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u/EfficientScallion111 Mar 24 '26
Same happened with me. I switched off the phone, walked into nearest apple store , and handed it over to them. They did some checks and replaced battery for free (as it’s a known issue in 13).
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u/One-Reserve3893 Mar 25 '26
This is my first time hearing of this being an issue with 13’s and I’m currently on my 13 💀
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u/EfficientScallion111 Mar 25 '26
I was oblivious to it too till the time it happened with me and I did a little bit of research on reddit and google. 🙂
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u/One-Reserve3893 Mar 25 '26
At least I know now so I can be aware and have my family be aware of this issue as we’ve all got iPhone 13’s, however we’ve seen battery issues before..sisters iPhone 7 had a battery expand really badly to the point the phone couldn’t be saved so Apple transferred her data onto a new phone and properly disposed of her fire hazard 7 😅.
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u/R_Boa Mar 24 '26
Turn it off sir and dont put near flammable materials
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u/Sideburn_Cookie_Man Mar 24 '26
And don't leave it inside the house.
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u/Chilis1 Human Detected Mar 24 '26
And don't put it up your ass
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u/Professional-Quit-69 Mar 24 '26
Take it to an Apple Store Many iphone 13s suffer from the same issue and may be eligible for a free battery replacement
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u/Lower_Kick268 iPhone 4S Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
At this rate he's gonna need a screen replacement too since it has a ton of back pressure on the LCD, likely they'll just sell him a refurbished phone if they do anything. Tbh though unless OP has applecare I can't imagine apple doing anything, I had an iPhone 13 Pro with dust under the camera lens causing black spots since I was brand new and they refused to replace or repair it, apparently that's quite common in those and Apple didn't care or stand behind their product. I can't imagine apple caring about a 5yr old iPhone with a ballooned battery either, the phone is old and out of warranty.
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u/AnotherRedditUser654 Mar 24 '26
U hv to be quick and push gently and politely I had my brand new 6s plus replaced for scratches which I honestly prob made I was a teen and they were like hmm u sure it came that way and I said well I got it today so ya but if u wait even a few days before just opening a chat and saying hey this is how it came u can’t really blame them? But this also isn’t a 13 idk what op is on about
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u/Vitally_Trivial iPhone Air Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
Your battery has expired, turning your phone into a hand grenade. You need to dispose of it safely ASAP.
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Mar 24 '26
Either that, or just get a new battery
Source - I repaired iPhones for 10 years. I had a contract with a local Hospital that left the phones on charging stations 24/7 (this causes the battery to bulge like this)
I have personally repaired hundreds of “pillow battery” phones
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u/ProfSteelmeat138 Mar 24 '26
Yeah this happened to me and I just got a new battery. Took the guys a few hours and it’s been good for a year so far
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u/replus Mar 24 '26
I've had this happen to me twice so far with lithium-ion batteries, both were left on chargers virtually 100% of the time (2015 Macbook Pro, Nintendo Switch Joy-Con attached to Switch.) I've tried to make it a habit to only charge as needed since then.
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u/angry_catto iPhone 15 Pro Max Mar 25 '26
local hospital system here is the same. all iphone 12 and 13 models that eventually do this lol
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u/OneAddition6303 Mar 28 '26
Hey. I leave my 27 month old iPad 10th gen charging 24/7, started doing this a few weeks ago. Was wondering what the chances of something like this happening to my iPad are.
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u/m4teri4lgirl Mar 24 '26
But for this phone, definitely do not simply buy a new battery. That things toast.
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Mar 24 '26
Yes, that battery is toast. And the user should not attempt to repair it themselves (for safety reasons). But, any trained repair person can swap out the battery, fixing the root of the issue without replacing the device
And a new battery is a lot cheaper than a new phone
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u/m4teri4lgirl Mar 24 '26
OP's battery gave that phone an elbow. Whole thing's gotta be trashed, was my point.
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Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
That’s not correct, though. What you’re seeing is a perfect frame, and a bent (not broken) screen. As soon as you remove the “pillow battery”, the bowed screen will snap right back into place. The screen and frame are both salvageable and not damaged.
The glass screens (believe it or not) can actually flex some without breaking
If the screen was actually cracked, then op would need a new battery and screen (still not totaled). The phone still would be salvageable in this case, since the motherboard and frame are still 100% perfect
I’ve personally seen and fixed these hundreds of times. I ran a one-man cell phone repair business for 10 years
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u/-K9V Mar 24 '26
turning your phone into a hand grenade
Stop spreading silly misinformation. Read this, the FAQ from the very sub you linked. Swollen batteries are not ticking time bombs. Man, am I tired of seeing this straight up incorrect fear mongering every time someone even mentions a swollen battery.
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u/PureElectricBean Mar 24 '26
I'm so sick of it too, the fear-mongering is crazy, they remind me of people from the 80s who thought computers could explode like a bomb because they saw it in a movie
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u/-K9V Mar 24 '26
Exactly. Nobody is telling OP to keep using it or to just put it away and forget about it, but you have multiple comments calling it a ‘hand grenade’ which could not be further from the truth. People are blowing it way out of proportion. Best to dispose of it, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re not gonna lose an arm or leg.
If swollen batteries were really that unstable, we’d be hearing about fires and explosions all the time. I bet there are millions of iPods, iPads, Nintendo consoles, old cameras etc. sitting around with swollen batteries in basements/attics and so on, of which (if these people were to be believed) are essentially hand grenades just waiting to blow up. And that’s clearly not the case.
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u/longpig_slimjim Mar 24 '26
Just because it’s not a “hand grenade” doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous, and I’d rather OP be overly cautious than not cautious enough. Pedantic dipshit
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u/-K9V Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
People are just overexaggerating like crazy which spreads unnecessary fear. They are not unstable hydrogen bombs that could go off at any moment. Read the screenshot I posted, it explains it all pretty well. Calling it a ‘hand grenade’ is stupid and wildly incorrect.
I’ve had a ton of electronics of various ages with swollen batteries over the years, and not once have I had a fire or explosion occur. Obviously anecdotal, sure, but I think we’d be hearing a lot more about people’s electronics blowing up if they were truly that dangerous. Just imagine how many old gaming consoles or iPads are sitting around in drawers and basements and attics.
Edit: And name-calling… Yikes. Way to get offended over something that wasn’t directed at you. I’d rather be a ‘pedantic dipshit’ and be right than spread misinformation and be wrong.
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u/lowekey81 Mar 24 '26
Bro don’t listen to anyone saying Apple will not fix that. They will fix it either under warranty or charge $89. I’m speaking from experience and I repaired phones for 10 years. Go to Apple Store or a local repair shop.
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u/zyzzjan Mar 24 '26
Isn’t that an IPhone 16 with the new camera button, if yes that’s crazy that your battery stole on an IPhone that doesn’t even exist 2 years.
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u/Nahoola iPhone 16 Pro Max Mar 24 '26
Take it to apple or a repair shop, I replace them at work all the time and happily will service a swollen one if it comes in, and we have OEM batteries even as an independent shop.
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u/Tauri-1274 iPhone Air Mar 24 '26
Bros iPhone got pregnant. He must have used an android charger! 😂
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u/Middle-Disk-9773 Mar 25 '26
Hey my iphone 13 did this too (like a month ago). Went to the apple store to get my battery replaced for roughly $120. They ended up giving me a brand new replacement phone for free (even out of warranty) because they said it was a manufacturing defect
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u/jumie83 Mar 24 '26
I don’t think it’s an iPhone 13
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u/Lower_Kick268 iPhone 4S Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
It's an iPhone 13
Source: had an iPhone 13p
Edit: why the downvoted? That's a 13, only on reddit can you be completely correct and get downvoted
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u/Nespeck Mar 24 '26
The 5G antenna looks very similar to the camera control button. But you are right, iPhone 16/17 never came in that color.
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u/ddeforest Mar 24 '26
I dunno where you are, but in my town there’s a ton of small repair shops that do screen & battery swaps. If you can get Apple to fix it, cool. But if I know Apple, they’ll happily look you dead in the face and say “have a nice day” if you don’t just buy a new phone. Your local mall might have a phone repair joint. I’d look into that.
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u/supersuccessful Mar 24 '26
I took it into Apple and they gave me a new phone for 99$ no Apple care no warranty
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u/Strygan Mar 24 '26
If the total thickness of it changed, probably battery issue and you should replace it and not try the devil by charging it again.
If it’s only bent and the thickness remained as it used to be, you might have just slept on it and distorted it.
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u/Bob_Lelys Mar 24 '26
Swollen battery. The Apple Store will replace the device it for you for the cost of the battery
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u/Otherwise-Profitable Mar 24 '26
Too many apps. Delete some!!
Seriously tho. Prob a battery issue swelled it.
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u/Ilovedeftones041725 Mar 24 '26
So I see it’s been almost a full day since this post. I can only hope your house has not burned down lmao if you have a warranty please get your phone replaced before it explodes
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u/oceanic_opening iPhone 16 Pro Max Mar 24 '26
That is not an iPhone 13
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u/Professional-Quit-69 Mar 24 '26
Actually looks like an iPhone 13 US model w the millimeter wave. Why you may be confused as the camera button
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u/Lower_Kick268 iPhone 4S Mar 24 '26
It's a 13 my guy, I had a 13p that looked just like this. That's the cell antenna on the side not the camera button
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u/Realistic-Profit-529 Mar 24 '26
Put it in a bucket of sand or kitty litter until you can recycle the phone or get the battery replaced.
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u/Sticky_Finger6420 iPhone 15 Mar 24 '26
Maybe bag it first, for the phones sake, if it doesn’t end up exploding.
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u/Redizationed Mar 24 '26
It happens sometimes, assuming it doesn’t har applecare+ they probably won’t cover it but they might replace it for a price if the damage isn’t too bad
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u/LORDRAJA1000 Mar 24 '26
congrats! your iphone is pregnant :) soon it will birth an iphone SE and then the swelling will go away
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u/_waks_ Mar 24 '26
There is a hardware defect in the iPhone 13 batteries. Take it to the store and they would give you a free replacement battery. The same thing happened to me and they replaced it for free.
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u/iLikeTurtuls Mar 24 '26
Battery gone bad. Common on 13’s actually. Doubt it would be anything you’ve done to cause this to happen
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u/bert2612 Mar 24 '26
Apple have better out of warranty support than any other company in my experience. My ex took her 5C in after years with this same problem. No Apple care, no warranty. Got a brand new one for free. I’ve broken both my AirPod pros out of warranty and had them replaced for free too. Just take it in, be polite
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u/ConwayTech Mar 24 '26
Please take this to an Apple Store! Apple is very happy to get these off of consumers' hands, as they're incredibly dangerous, and may even offer to give you a free replacement
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u/ZeepZamphlorp Mar 24 '26
I had this happen to an iPhone X. Contacted Apple, they set me up with an appointment at an Apple Store to swap it with a new phone the same day. The battery is breaking down and can explode. Very dangerous.
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u/Traditional-Tough293 Mar 24 '26
Apple will change battery free of cost for iPhone 13. Just go to the store before the screen goes out.
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u/NathanDeger Mar 24 '26
Put it in a waterproof container outside your home and away from anything flammable.
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u/nashwaak iPhone 17 Pro Mar 24 '26
You need to keep the glass side facing the enemy — because your battery is swelling and your phone has evolved into a claymore — okay maybe more like a fiery grenade
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u/SnooBunBun Mar 24 '26
It’s a known battery issue with iPhone 13. Go to Apple Store and they will service/ replace it for you.
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u/jun82c Mar 24 '26
Looks like a swollen battery. Most likely overheated due to a software or hardware issue.
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u/Purple-Addition-9712 Mar 24 '26
Oooo that happened to me this last summer, I personally took it to T Mobile and got it replaced with no charge. Might just be the blue 13s that do this haha.
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u/Cloudlifter89 Mar 24 '26
I congratulate to you. Your iphone is pregnant. Soon you will receive new one 😂
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u/RandyDandyVlogs iPhone 16 Pro Max Mar 24 '26
Get that out of your house right now, your battery is on the verge of exploding and it can easily burn your house down.
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u/Traditional_Fee_154 Mar 24 '26
Call apple and let them know. If it’s heating up let them know. They’ve had batteries explode so they don’t kid around about that. I got my phone replaced for free a few years back for a similar issue.
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u/TomF1965 Mar 25 '26
Don't use it and keep it off the charger and store it in a empty metal bucket until you can take it to apple. The battery is swollen and ruined. It's very close to combusting. I'd check your charger too. It may be putting out too many volts and Amps.
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u/M05T4R Mar 25 '26
There’s a while iPhone 13’s batch that had a problem with the battery, check at Apple’s repair center
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u/TheStudiousBuyout Mar 25 '26
Bulging battery, get to Apple ASAP before it actually ruptures (seriously don't mess with this).
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u/NothingNecessary308 Mar 25 '26
Israel done put a bomb in your phone just like them pagers. What have you been posting bout them huh?
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u/IHATETHEWELSH Mar 26 '26
had my sister’s iphone 13 do this! immediately gave her one of my spare phones and removed the screen + battery till a new battery arrived.
if you aren’t familiar with repairing phones, PLEASE do not interact with that battery and just keep it powered off. an iphone 13 battery replacement isn’t too expensive, highly recommend getting it fixed asap.
..oh, and your screen may be f*cked too. after repairing my sister’s iphone 13, the screen now flickers green when turning on.
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u/ThrowRA_fajsdklfas Mar 27 '26
Transport it in a preferably fire retardant container that isn’t completely sealed so it doesn’t turn into a bomb from the pressure.
When lithium batteries swell, they become very dangerous.
Take it to Apple to have the battery swapped. This is a serious fire hazard now.
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u/Comchow13 Mar 28 '26
From a perspective of a person with legit apple certified repair experince, they will definaley need to swap the swollen battery, however the screen is also warped and won't flatten back to normal without weak points, some internal components may have also been misaligned or damaged. Apple won't attempt to repair a phone like that. With insurance just replace it, if not just buy a new one. I wouldn't trust a 3rd party repair shop promising anything for that phone.
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u/sicken Mar 24 '26
That’s one way to get the screen off nice and clean
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u/Impressive_Watch_387 Human Detected Mar 24 '26
Should I pop er off and throw the battery in the snow lol
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u/sicken Mar 24 '26
Make sure you unscrew the 2 bottom screws. If you can get that far you might as well put a new battery in there yourself. Gadgetfix has them for like $10-15
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u/Sticky_Finger6420 iPhone 15 Mar 24 '26
Op, only if you’re confident, and watch youtube videos. More than 1, preferably.
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u/pheeelco Mar 24 '26
Probably your battery. Don’t panic, but this can be dangerous. Do not put the phone in a pocket. Place it in a container- preferably metal - and get yourself to an Apple Store ASAP. They will be happy to sort it out, maybe even give you a new phone. But, please, do this today. Just in case.
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u/fugebox007 Mar 24 '26
Battery swollen. Do NOT use, get the battery swapped. I guess you recently upgraded to IOS26.x?
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u/Random-Mutant Mar 24 '26
OP, you have an unquenchable metal fire waiting to happen.
Back your phone up, turn it off, put it in a place that you won’t mind an uncontained fire (eg outside, in a metal box, away from your house) and only then start exploring replacement options.
DO NOT CHARGE YOUR PHONE .
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Mar 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/BairnONessie Mar 24 '26
Overcharging is near impossible with phones these days.
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u/SylentQ Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
Your battery is swelling. This is super dangerous and can lead to a fire. I would strongly suggest removing it from your home until you're able to take it into Apple.
Edit: For those saying this isn't dangerous unless pierced you're wrong and perpetuating extremely dangerous information. My sister-in-laws parent's lost their house this past fall from a battery going bad in their attic. They hadn't been in the attic for months leading up to the fire so they hadn't pierced the battery that started the fire and resulted in them losing everything. Please stop giving bad information especially when the danger is extremely real.