Apple looking into reports iPhone 7 exploded while owner was asleep 

Apple is looking into reports that an iPhone 7 spontaneously caught fire after videos surfaced online. 

Twitter user Brianna Olivas posted a video of a smoking iPhone 7 Plus, which caught fire after not working properly for a couple of days. Olivas was asleep when smoke began to stream from her phone.

"I was asleep with my phone charging next to my head when my boyfriend grabbed the phone," Olivas told Mashable. When the phone began to make a squealing noise Olivas' boyfriend threw it into the bathroom.

Exploded iPhone 7 
Twitter user Brianna Olivas said her iPhone 7 started smoking when she was asleep  Credit: Brianna Olivas/Twitter

"As soon as he threw it in the restroom it blew up, and more smoke started coming out of the phone," she said.  

The incident occurred a day after Olivas had taken her phone to the shop where she purchased it because it wasn't working properly. Employees at the Sprint store told her it "looked weird when it turned on" but returned the device after running tests. 

Apple has replaced the device and said it is "looking into it". Olivas said employees at Apple's Genius Bar said they had "never seen anything like this". 

Warning: Contains foul language

It is not clear what may have caused the problem, but the news will fuel concerns about the stability and safety of lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used to power smartphones. Faulty batteries were found to have caused the problem with Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phone. 

Incidents of iPhones overheating are rare, although there have been some. Just weeks after the iPhone 7's release a Reddit user posted pictures of a fire-damaged iPhone 7 Plus and said it had exploded in its packaging while being delivered in the mail.   

Exploded iPhone 7 
A Reddit user said their co-worker's iPhone 7 Plus exploded in its packaging in the mail  Credit: Reddit

Other Apple customers have complained of a similar problem on Twitter. 

Apple last year said it was investigating claims that at least eight iPhone 7 phones had caught fire or exploded in China after a consumer watchdog said it had received the complaints. 

Samsung was forced to recall its Galaxy Note 7 phone after reports that scores of devices overheated or exploded around the world. The company didn't confirm how many phones had been expected but it is estimated that nearly 100 incidents were reported in the US.

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