Touch drivers for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices could be experiencing specific bugs for some users.
Some users of iPhone devices released by Apple in 2014 are reporting touchscreen malfunction issues. Replacing the screen does not fix the problem. Are we facing a new "gate"?
The "TouchGate" of the iPhone 6
The problems with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus released almost two years ago, generally start with a small band that appears at the top of the screen of the affected devices. This is what some users have communicated in the Apple community support forums. As time goes on, this band sometimes extends beyond the top of the screen. And in any case, the response of the touch controls is getting worse progressively.
iFixit has compiled reports from different component-level repair shops that have seen the problem in the United States. One of these workshops claims to have repaired around 100 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices that had this same problem, Other workshops report dozens of similar cases.
AppleInsider He has spoken to a screen repair chain that does about a thousand device repairs a week. This chain confirms that it sees this problem with the touch control in "a few [iPhones] a week" that arrive at its stores presenting this failure.
Chip soldering could be the cause of the problem
Some third-party repair shops have traced the problem back to the chips that translate the user's touch into information that the iPhone is capable of using. Sometimes these controller chips are just failing. But in other cases they are the microscopic solder joints that connect each chip to the motherboard are breaking down, causing the failures to increase progressively.
The «BendGate» could be at the origin of this error
Although the exact and specific cause of this problem with the touch controls on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus has not yet been determined exactly, from Apple Insider they point out that perhaps this failure could be related to the famous "bendgate" that emerged in 2014-2015 after the launch of the larger iPhone.
Recall that this problem it arose based on the possible greatest weakness of the 6-inch iPhone 5,5 Plus. The fact that this device had a larger surface area, together with its thinness, made it possible for it to be somewhat more malleable under certain conditions. That is, it could be double by exerting a certain pressure on it.
Over time, the incidence of this greater bending could be responsible for the soldering of the chips responsible for the touch control of the screen breaking.
However, the problem also affects the 6-inch iPhone 4,7 so nothing is assured yet.
Was Apple aware of this touch problem when designing the iPhone 6s?
Apple may have been aware of the possibility of a touch controller issue arising when it designed and released the new models in the iPhone 6s family last year. On new devices released in Fall 2015, the touch controller has been moved to the display assembly unit. This factor, coupled with the greater strength of the device's structure, appears to be protecting the solder joints of the touch controller chips.
Before the arrival of the iPhone 6, touch controller chips were reinforced by a metal shield thus protecting older phones from the same problem.
If you are noticing this problem on your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, remember that you still have it under warranty because throughout Europe the minimum manufacturer's warranty is 2 years by law. So go to Apple. The most likely solution is that your iPhone will be replaced by another. Remember that if you go to a third-party workshop, although the problem will be solved, your iPhone will be out of warranty.
