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After a video was released by a Square Space blogger on the ease of bending a new iPhone 6 Plus - which received more than 22 million views in two days - the Internet quickly lost its mind, and virtually every major news source began reporting on "bendgate" and "bendhazi" as these phrases quickly took over Twitter.
Now that the entire world knows that the new iPhone 6 Plus has a bit of a bending problem at the top of the device, many are quickly wondering if Apple plans to replace the damaged devices. Immediately, bloggers, customers and news sources reached out to Apple to find more information on the "bendgate" problem.
Some new light to the warranty
The Next Web, an international technology news source, said it contacted the Apple support department to see if the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus would be covered under the warranty for signs of bending and if it would grant a full replacement.
"That is 100 percent up to the Genius [worker] you speak with at the store," the Apple support representative told The Next Web. "There is a test called a Visual Mechanical Inspection that the device will have to pass. If it is within the guidelines, they will be able to cover it. If not, the replacement would be a paid one."
The blog website iClarified recently got a hold of a 2012 Visual Mechanical Inspection handbook for employees, which states the conditions workers must follow when replacing a new iPhone.
"The iPhone warranty covers failures caused solely by manufacturing defects," the handbook stated, according to the source. "Catastrophic damage caused by abuse and interoperability caused by installation of unauthorized software is not serviceable."
Questions linger
Still, the answer leaves some questions regarding whether the device will be fully covered under the company's warranty program. According to Business Insider, the replacement will likely only be viable if the phone was bent during what is considered "normal use," which can be constituted as putting the device in a pocket and sitting. However, with the new bend test video surfacing the Internet, many customers are taking the test into their own hands by seeing how much their devices can bend with applied pressure.
For instances like this, the Apple store is unlikely to replace any devices where there's evidence of intentional damage, Business Insider reported. According to The Next Web, the Apple support worker said the issue would be passed on to higher-ups as the problem seems to be a major topic for the company as of late.
"Turns out, we're looking into this with an insane amount of detail," the Apple employee added, according to the source.
No official statement yet
Apple has yet to make an announcement about the bending problems with the new iPhone 6 Plus, but this isn't its first time dealing with an issue like this. According to Slate, when Apple released the iPhone 4, there were several customer complaints about a weakened signal when the phone was held a specific way, which became known as "antennagate."
While there are still no guarantees for a full replacement with the new iPhone, personal insurance could protect users from damage, theft or lost devices.