Apple Investigating iPhone 7 That Caught Fire and Blew Up

Just when the days of exploding phones seemed to be over, an iPhone 7 appears to have gone up in flames.

iPhone 7 Plus owner Brianna Olivas captured the dramatic incident on Wednesday (Feb. 22) in a Twitter video, which shows thick strands of smoke seeping out of the side of her rose gold handset. The video quickly blew up — no pun intended — as Twitter users all over tried to figure out the cause of the sudden explosion.

Brianna Olivas' iPhone 7 Plus after it exploded and started smoking. Credit: Brianna Olivas

(Image credit: Brianna Olivas' iPhone 7 Plus after it exploded and started smoking. Credit: Brianna Olivas)

According to Mashable, Olivas was having issues getting her phone to turn on the day before the incident. After taking the device to the Sprint store where she bought it in January and getting some assistance, everything seemed to be back to normal.

But the next morning, Mashable reports, Olivas boyfriend noticed that the phone had exploded and was emitting tons of smoke from atop her dresser. In Olivias' disturbing aftermath photo, the iPhone's side panels appear burnt, bubbly and busted.

MORE: $1,000? That's Not the Most Shocking iPhone 8 Rumor

Olivias turned her faulty phone over to Apple, who are currently investigating the situation.

According to Gizmodo, Olivas has only used the Apple charger that came included with her phone, and didn't have any issues with her iPhone 7 Plus until the day before the explosion.

"All of this has been causing me really bad anxiety," Olivas told Gizmodo.

This situation immediately brings to mind last year's Galaxy Note 7 debacle, in which Samsung's phone was ultimately recalled after multiple devices caught fire in the hands of users.

While this iPhone 7 incident seems like more of a one-off (Apple's phone has been out since September), it's not the only time Apple's handset has gotten too hot. Last October, an iPhone 7 reportedly caught fire in Austrailia and destroyed its owner's car, and may have exploded in transit in a separate September incident.

The big question that remains is what exactly caused Olivas' otherwise fine iPhone 7 to blow up. We'll be sure to keep you updated once we have an answer from Apple.

Michael Andronico

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.

Latest in iPhones
An image of an iPhone screen showing the Safari app icon in the center
I got tired of Safari revealing my web searches in iOS 18.4 — this setting fixes that
iPhone Flip Concept
Foldable iPhone delays — there’s a bigger problem going on at Apple
iPhone 17 Air render
iPhone 17 Air — new survey could be bad news for Apple's super thin iPhone
Render of the alleged design of the iPhone 17 Pro
New iPhone 17 Pro dummy leak highlights redesigned camera and part glass body
Siri in iOS 18 on iPhone
Users complain that Siri can’t answer even the most basic questions — here’s what we know
iPhone 16 next to samsung galaxy watch 7 and bose wireless earbuds on a composite image
Apple's walled garden is crumbling — EU orders iOS to open up to third-party devices
Latest in News
23andME box
23andMe has declared bankruptcy — here's how to keep your DNA from being sold
half-life alyx
Latest Half-Life 3 rumors point to a 2025 release — and maybe pigs will fly
NFL Sunday Ticket logo for YouTube
NFL Sunday Ticket 2025 pricing revealed — and it's bad news
Ben Mendelsohn in Andor season 2
'Welcome to the Rebellion' — new ‘Andor’ season 2 trailer teases a darker edge
Russian flag with padlock smashing through glass
47 VPNs could be axed from Google Play Store following Russian demands
ChatGPT on iPhone
ChatGPT was down — updates on quick outage