Even the best smartphones in the market have their bad days. But when the smartphones have their issues there are now very effective solutions. And for those who are impatient to get the repairs done there are plenty of options to get an upgrade, a newer model as well. iPhones always hold a special place in the smartphone market. The iPhone 7 was one of the most successful models in the recent times. But given that most of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices are almost out of their warranty period, it makes perfect sense to discuss those common issues that lead to high repair expenses. One such issue that has caused several iPhone 7 and 7 Plus owners to rush to the service centers is what is popularly called “loop disease”.
How do you know whether your iPhone has a loop disease?
- While in the call screen, does the speaker icon appear grayed out?
- Have you found that your iPhone freezes for no reason on rare cases?
- Has the voice memo icon grayed out on your iPhone?
The above are some of the early signs of the possibility of your iPhone having what the experts call the loop disease. As the issue progresses, if it is not rectified on time, then you might reach a stage where the phone freezes with the Apple icon on screen and calls for a reset to start working.
What is this loop disease all about?
It is one issue that occurs with aging in iPhones. But the issue is a little tricky to be fully understood. The loop disease is where one of the chips, the audio chip, on the motherboard of the iPhone gets loose. So the audio related functions take a hit- both input and output audio functions. This is a chip that lies close to the SIM card tray.
Why does this issue occur?
Though we have still not heard from Apple there have been different theories behind the possible cause of the issue-
- London based iPhone repairs expert Federico Cerva believes that if there are minor drops during the use of the iPhone these might lead to possible loosening of the chip which, in the long run, then falls off.
- The brain behind the iPadRehab website, Jessa Jones believes that the occasional bending of the iPhone might lead to the chip issue.
So what should be done?
According to both the microsoldering experts the issue can be easily solved in any reliable Apple service center or by a microsoldering expert who is experienced in iPhone and iPad repairs. All it takes is careful extraction of the audio chip as the first step. The chip then has to be re-soldered. A microjumper might be required along with reballing of the chip’s location on the board. As this issue simply concerns the single audio chip, getting this fix should solve the problem in most cases.
No word from Apple yet!
Apple has not released any official comment about this issue. There has not been any answer about the real cause of the issue. The company has not come up with a solution either. The issue occurs mostly with iPhone 7 and 7 Plus that are old. Now that there are already 3 new iPhones and a few more pipelined for the coming year, it is less likely that Apple might provide a free resolution to fix the loop disease. If you notice a symptom that possibly indicates of a loose audio chip, then it would be a good idea to get the iPhone repaired before the situation worsens.
