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IMPORTANT: Don't buy Touch cases with Magnets in them!!!
- Thread starter Johnny Backer
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Have been using a DLO flip case with magnets for nearly a year now. Have not encountered any problems at all.
Gear4 iPod Touch Case & Screen Crash
I have the Gear4 iPod Touch Case (iPod Touch First Generation, 2.2 Software Not Jailbroken) and whenever i leave the ipod in the case for any length of time and clip it on and then take it off again the ipod seems to freeze, not any freeze but the screen has lots of different colours flashing and changing, (you know like when you do a screen check on a pc moniter) and its as if the drivers for my ipod screen fail! I can't repeat this but it happens not freqently but every now and then. I've had my ipod for about 6 months and this is a first!
Here is my case......
![gear4_ljtch.jpg]()
It has two magnets on the ipod side (when its open) that are always either side of the home button when the ipod is in the case and there are two that match up with them in the flip lid.
If anybody else has this problem please post here and quote me cos i think it might just be my ipod
Thanks
I have the Gear4 iPod Touch Case (iPod Touch First Generation, 2.2 Software Not Jailbroken) and whenever i leave the ipod in the case for any length of time and clip it on and then take it off again the ipod seems to freeze, not any freeze but the screen has lots of different colours flashing and changing, (you know like when you do a screen check on a pc moniter) and its as if the drivers for my ipod screen fail! I can't repeat this but it happens not freqently but every now and then. I've had my ipod for about 6 months and this is a first!
Here is my case......
It has two magnets on the ipod side (when its open) that are always either side of the home button when the ipod is in the case and there are two that match up with them in the flip lid.
If anybody else has this problem please post here and quote me cos i think it might just be my ipod
Thanks
my leather wallet for mine is most similar tp the above, with 2 magnetic 'dots' in the corners to hold it closed. my ipod's spent more time in it than out of it and has always given me perfect service since i bought it a year ago.
I've had the same problem with my iPod touch freezing only my screen goes completely white. I have the same configuration(32 gb iPod Touch First Generation, 2.2 Software Not Jailbroken) It has been swapped out three times at the Apple Store, I even sent it to Apple, but they couldn't replicate the problem. After reading these forums I realized that my problems coincided almost to the day with my switching to my Griffin Elan flip case which has magnets. Up to that point my iPod had worked perfectly for five months.
I got the last iPod from the Apple Store this past Wednesday, have not put it into that case and so far have not had one freeze or white screen.
I don't know why some iPods have problems in these cases and some don't, but I do know I have had three iPods behave exactly the same way in exactly the same circumstance. I changed the circumstance (threw away that case) and the problem went away.
magnets
I had the exact same problem that is described above. took it back to the apple store and the guy said it was probably the magnets in the case, but he replaced it for free, since we couldn't replicate the problem at will. basically it would force me to reset the thing, and sometimes restore it to factory settings, losing all my stuff each time.
for the guy above who allowed himself to get so "scared" and confused by this thread, take it easy and lose the nerdy attitude. someone's just trying to warn people about a possible equipment problem and you're just being hostile (and a bit of a dork) in response.
IT IS IMPORTANT that you actually test your claims and actually have some evidence of this effect. I HAVE DETERMINED that you are just blowing a lot of wind and have no proof of this at all.
Seriously, why the long-winded post that proves nothing yet scares everyone?
- what test did you perform to determine your result?
- what does the manufacturer say about it?
- how many others have this problem?
I had the exact same problem that is described above. took it back to the apple store and the guy said it was probably the magnets in the case, but he replaced it for free, since we couldn't replicate the problem at will. basically it would force me to reset the thing, and sometimes restore it to factory settings, losing all my stuff each time.
for the guy above who allowed himself to get so "scared" and confused by this thread, take it easy and lose the nerdy attitude. someone's just trying to warn people about a possible equipment problem and you're just being hostile (and a bit of a dork) in response.
8gb iPhone
Hiya,
I registered to share my experiences with magnetic cases and the iPhone.
I had the 2g iPhone and had that in a hardcase with no problems at all for over a year (it is still going stong).
My 3g phone however would not fit in that case and so I had to buy a new one. I bought a leather case with a belt clip and magnet seal. The magnet sits about central on the phone. Its quite powerful as it will easily pick up and keep coins attached to it, but it was designed for the iPhone, so I assumed it was okay.
Anyway, some time after getting the phone I noticed the battery was draining pretty quickly and I would find the iPhone dead and requiring a hard reboot. It would then often be found to have almost no battery life left and be warm to the touch. I put this down to a battery cell issue and returned the iPhone as it was getting pretty constant.
Next iphone had a similar problem from almost the start (much sooner). Its the new design (black case and not silver) and may be more suseptible to this sort of thing, who knows. Anyway, it locked up pretty quickly and I removed all applications and carried it around with no applications as a vanilla iPhone. I noticed that it would work fine when plugged into my mac, so I wondered if it was another battery issue. What I hadnt thought was the fact that it wasnt in its case when it was plugged into the mac.
Anyway, I took it into O2 to make sure that I wasnt doing anything dumb (I'm a computer consultant and a qualified telecommunications engineer so I hoped not, but I dont know everything). I had noticed a couple of times that the screen would suddenly flash jumbled characters and then sit there on a blue screen requiring a reboot. This happened only when it was in the case (which it tended to be when I was walking about or it was on my desk at work).
So, the third iPhone turned up yesterday and I patched the software up and restored the phone from a backup and it was all looking good. I poppped it in the case this morning and headed to work. An hour later I popped it out of my bag and saw that the screen was white and the phone was unresponsive. I needed to reboot it again. It was at this point that I thought about the magnet and hit google.
So this is where I am at the moment. I will carry out some trials and let you know the result. I may have just been unlucky and it may have been a co-incidence. I have a case for my Blackberry which I will carry the iPhone around in and if it is good for a week or so then I will put it back into the magnetic case and check again. As I say, this is a fairly strong magnet which can pull a 2 pence coin off a desk from an inch above. However, its "supposed" to be designed for the iphone.
Hope this helps. Thus far it has not crashed again but its only been an hour.
Hiya,
I registered to share my experiences with magnetic cases and the iPhone.
I had the 2g iPhone and had that in a hardcase with no problems at all for over a year (it is still going stong).
My 3g phone however would not fit in that case and so I had to buy a new one. I bought a leather case with a belt clip and magnet seal. The magnet sits about central on the phone. Its quite powerful as it will easily pick up and keep coins attached to it, but it was designed for the iPhone, so I assumed it was okay.
Anyway, some time after getting the phone I noticed the battery was draining pretty quickly and I would find the iPhone dead and requiring a hard reboot. It would then often be found to have almost no battery life left and be warm to the touch. I put this down to a battery cell issue and returned the iPhone as it was getting pretty constant.
Next iphone had a similar problem from almost the start (much sooner). Its the new design (black case and not silver) and may be more suseptible to this sort of thing, who knows. Anyway, it locked up pretty quickly and I removed all applications and carried it around with no applications as a vanilla iPhone. I noticed that it would work fine when plugged into my mac, so I wondered if it was another battery issue. What I hadnt thought was the fact that it wasnt in its case when it was plugged into the mac.
Anyway, I took it into O2 to make sure that I wasnt doing anything dumb (I'm a computer consultant and a qualified telecommunications engineer so I hoped not, but I dont know everything). I had noticed a couple of times that the screen would suddenly flash jumbled characters and then sit there on a blue screen requiring a reboot. This happened only when it was in the case (which it tended to be when I was walking about or it was on my desk at work).
So, the third iPhone turned up yesterday and I patched the software up and restored the phone from a backup and it was all looking good. I poppped it in the case this morning and headed to work. An hour later I popped it out of my bag and saw that the screen was white and the phone was unresponsive. I needed to reboot it again. It was at this point that I thought about the magnet and hit google.
So this is where I am at the moment. I will carry out some trials and let you know the result. I may have just been unlucky and it may have been a co-incidence. I have a case for my Blackberry which I will carry the iPhone around in and if it is good for a week or so then I will put it back into the magnetic case and check again. As I say, this is a fairly strong magnet which can pull a 2 pence coin off a desk from an inch above. However, its "supposed" to be designed for the iphone.
Hope this helps. Thus far it has not crashed again but its only been an hour.
I have the DLO case and have never had a problem. With the iPod. I have had these weak little magnets trash various magnetic cards. Hotel room keys and possibly even a credit card once, although the latter I'm not positive about and don't feel like testing any further. I simply don't keep such cards in the case's pocket anymore. Or even next to the case in a shirt pocket.
This is a great thread, sounds like a lot of people have problems with specific cases. Just as another datapoint, I've been using a DLO leather flip case for over a year now with a 1G Touch without any problems.
It would be great to know if this is specific to only certain Touches or just the case? Has anyone followed up with Apple? I'm afraid to buy a new Touch now.
It would be great to know if this is specific to only certain Touches or just the case? Has anyone followed up with Apple? I'm afraid to buy a new Touch now.
I don't see how that follows either the discussion in this thread or the rest of your post. The problem is clearly linked to a certain external iPod case, has nothing to do with the Touch. If you have the cash and are ready to buy, this is one of the greatest products ever.
Update
Okay. Its been a week now and in that time I have not used my magnetic case at all. I've had not had a single problem with my iPhone in all that time. I've had all apps on it (3 pages worth), and used all functionality. Not once has it crashed or bugged out.
As promised, I put it back in its case at 2:25pm (GMT). I checked it 5 minutes later and it was fine. 20 minutes later when I checked it, it had crashed with the same error as I had with the previous phones. So, I think in my case at least, its my case that is and has been causing the problems. I will ring Apple about it later and get their take on it. If they say it shouldnt happen, then they can take it back and they can keep taking it back until I get a phone that works (unlikely) or they admit defeat, if they say its something that they are aware of, then I will let you know.
Okay. Its been a week now and in that time I have not used my magnetic case at all. I've had not had a single problem with my iPhone in all that time. I've had all apps on it (3 pages worth), and used all functionality. Not once has it crashed or bugged out.
As promised, I put it back in its case at 2:25pm (GMT). I checked it 5 minutes later and it was fine. 20 minutes later when I checked it, it had crashed with the same error as I had with the previous phones. So, I think in my case at least, its my case that is and has been causing the problems. I will ring Apple about it later and get their take on it. If they say it shouldnt happen, then they can take it back and they can keep taking it back until I get a phone that works (unlikely) or they admit defeat, if they say its something that they are aware of, then I will let you know.
Update Again
Apple Support have agreed that given my symptoms and the checks I have carried out, that the case is at fault. However, I have progressed this with Apple via their feedback form to make them aware that there is an issue with some cases so that they let people know. If they dont agree that there is an issue, then I will be sending an awful lot of phones back until they do so.
Anyway, in the unlikely event they reply and if I figure out anything further, I will let you know.
Apple Support have agreed that given my symptoms and the checks I have carried out, that the case is at fault. However, I have progressed this with Apple via their feedback form to make them aware that there is an issue with some cases so that they let people know. If they dont agree that there is an issue, then I will be sending an awful lot of phones back until they do so.
Anyway, in the unlikely event they reply and if I figure out anything further, I will let you know.
I don't have a Touch or iPhone, but based on the described symptoms, I'd guess that it comes down to a bad combination of manufacturing tolerances. Likely, something that is effected by magnetic fields (even just a little) is being pulled oddly, causing a bad connection somewhere or something like that. It would explain why some people have the problem and others don't, as well as why it's so hard to reproduce. Could be as simple as the magnets pulling on the switch mechanism in the home button such that it acts like it's been held down for a long time, or some such.
While googling about iPod problems I found this forum, so I decided to register and share my experience with this issue.
HW: iPod Touch 8Gb, second gen, fw ver 2.2 (5G77a), NOT jailbroken AFAIK it is not possible yet.
I installed few freeware apps from iTunes store (eReader, Sudoku, TicTacToe, Chess)
This is my first Apple product ever but when I saw it at my cousin I decided to buy it. Main purpose is to watch movies while travelling to work in company bus. I am kind of technogadget freak, so I also bought CaseLogic case to protect iPod. Everything was working fine until I started to watch my first movie in bus while travelling to work. Suddenly, few minutes after start my iPod freezed for a moment and Apple logo appeared on screen. There was nothing else I could do, so I had to do hard reset. When I came to work I put iPod to run the same movie and, of course nothing happened, I drained battery to less than 10% with all kind of video that I had in iPod but I could not freeze iPod again. So I was thinking, software can freeze somethimes, no big deal. I continue to watch/test at home....nothing, iPod was working perfectly. Until next working day....
So I came into bus, started to watch movie.....I increased volume... pufff.... iPod was freezed again. ???? I was starting to belive that something in the bus was causing it. Then I realized that when I am in the bus iPod was always ON CASELOGIC CASE WHICH HAS MAGNET INSIDE.
So I decided to buy new case without magnet inside. I am 100% sure that magnet interach with metal part inside iPod or small but enough EM induction is causing this kind of problem.
Regards, Pogi
PS. english is not my native language, but I belive you understood the point.
HW: iPod Touch 8Gb, second gen, fw ver 2.2 (5G77a), NOT jailbroken AFAIK it is not possible yet.
I installed few freeware apps from iTunes store (eReader, Sudoku, TicTacToe, Chess)
This is my first Apple product ever
but when I saw it at my cousin I decided to buy it. Main purpose is to watch movies while travelling to work in company bus. I am kind of technogadget freak, so I also bought CaseLogic case to protect iPod. Everything was working fine until I started to watch my first movie in bus while travelling to work. Suddenly, few minutes after start my iPod freezed for a moment and Apple logo appeared on screen. There was nothing else I could do, so I had to do hard reset. When I came to work I put iPod to run the same movie and, of course nothing happened, I drained battery to less than 10% with all kind of video that I had in iPod but I could not freeze iPod again. So I was thinking, software can freeze somethimes, no big deal. I continue to watch/test at home....nothing, iPod was working perfectly. Until next working day....So I came into bus, started to watch movie.....I increased volume... pufff.... iPod was freezed again. ???? I was starting to belive that something in the bus was causing it. Then I realized that when I am in the bus iPod was always ON CASELOGIC CASE WHICH HAS MAGNET INSIDE.
So I decided to buy new case without magnet inside. I am 100% sure that magnet interach with metal part inside iPod or small but enough EM induction is causing this kind of problem.
Regards, Pogi
PS. english is not my native language, but I belive you understood the point.
I've been unable to get anyone at Apple to admit they have a problem with the iPhone and magnetism (I think they would be a bit dumb to do so to be honest), but I've now had 4 with the same problems. All work fine out of the case and all fail in the (iPhone) case. My Blackberry works fine in the case.
So my latest iPhone has a smal scrath on it, so I will send it back for a new one with a note explaining that apparently my phone should work within a magnetic case (as apply deny its a problem) and will ask for a new one. I guess they are happier replacing the odd one than admitting to a major design flaw.
I can imagine that the redesigned case is more susceptible to EMF as its been designed to have greater reception for 3G. For that reason, if RF can get out easier, then magnetic waves can get in easier. Volatile RAM is switched by very low and very fast electric charges to a 1 or 0 as required. It would be very easy for insufficiently shielded RAM or CPU or data bus etc to be affected by magnetic waves that would change the charge on a single transistor and crash it.
I dont know enough about modern battery technology to understand why the batteries are getting drained by magnetic fields, but I do know plenty about computer design to know a magnetic field is not a good thing to have near rapidly switching unshielded semiconductor devices.
So my latest iPhone has a smal scrath on it, so I will send it back for a new one with a note explaining that apparently my phone should work within a magnetic case (as apply deny its a problem) and will ask for a new one. I guess they are happier replacing the odd one than admitting to a major design flaw.
I can imagine that the redesigned case is more susceptible to EMF as its been designed to have greater reception for 3G. For that reason, if RF can get out easier, then magnetic waves can get in easier. Volatile RAM is switched by very low and very fast electric charges to a 1 or 0 as required. It would be very easy for insufficiently shielded RAM or CPU or data bus etc to be affected by magnetic waves that would change the charge on a single transistor and crash it.
I dont know enough about modern battery technology to understand why the batteries are getting drained by magnetic fields, but I do know plenty about computer design to know a magnetic field is not a good thing to have near rapidly switching unshielded semiconductor devices.
Different Cases, Different Magnets
I've had the LLG Case (picture below) with a magnet for months and have haven't had any problems.
![41GwH067ucL._SL250_.jpg]()
Perhaps as has been mentioned. It has to do with the placement of the magnet, the thickness of the case, and the strength of the magnet. Some magnets may be fairly strong while others might be quite weak (just a guess though).
I did some research a while back about magnets and the impact (or lack thereof) on USB devices and came across a funny explanation(wish I had the original link): It would require a magnet with the strength to pull the Tin Man through a key hole to wipe data or affect a USB key.
My 2 cents.
I've had the LLG Case (picture below) with a magnet for months and have haven't had any problems.
Perhaps as has been mentioned. It has to do with the placement of the magnet, the thickness of the case, and the strength of the magnet. Some magnets may be fairly strong while others might be quite weak (just a guess though).
I did some research a while back about magnets and the impact (or lack thereof) on USB devices and came across a funny explanation(wish I had the original link): It would require a magnet with the strength to pull the Tin Man through a key hole to wipe data or affect a USB key.
My 2 cents.
Well that was scary....
I bought this cheap case based on the glowing reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014Z113U
And it is quite nice for such a low price.
However my new 16gig touch shut down hard when I put it in the case.
Took me about 30 min to get it to turn back on after I removed it from the case so I could try all the different forms of chargers I had. I thought the battery had just died or something...
When I got it turned back on I saw the battery was fully charged and decided I must have pushed the power button or something when I put it in the case.
This time I was very careful but when I closed the case or push the magnets tight against the touch, the screen rasters, turns white and the ipod immediately reboots. If I leave it in the case the touch shuts down hard and is difficult to wake..
I immediately pulled it out and was able to get it to turn back on in about 5 min.
I bought this cheap case based on the glowing reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014Z113U
And it is quite nice for such a low price.
However my new 16gig touch shut down hard when I put it in the case.
Took me about 30 min to get it to turn back on after I removed it from the case so I could try all the different forms of chargers I had. I thought the battery had just died or something...
When I got it turned back on I saw the battery was fully charged and decided I must have pushed the power button or something when I put it in the case.
This time I was very careful but when I closed the case or push the magnets tight against the touch, the screen rasters, turns white and the ipod immediately reboots. If I leave it in the case the touch shuts down hard and is difficult to wake..
I immediately pulled it out and was able to get it to turn back on in about 5 min.
Are you serious? You have tried 4 iPhones to avoid this problem instead of replacing the case?
Update: I had posted on this board last year about this problem with my 8 gig Touch. I had gotten a Griffin leather case with magnets in it that would cause my iTouch to fail within a few minutes of being in it.
Anyway; that was a year ago. I haven't had the problem for several months now. I'm not sure why. I think it may have stopped after one of Apple's software updates; I think maybe it was 2.0, but can't remember.
Why a software update would fix it, I don't know, since I figured it was a hardware problem. Maybe the changes in the magnetic field induced an emf that messed up the processor, but apple was able to code in preparation for these glitches. One other thing I have noticed with the software updates is that my battery doesn't get drained when doing a reboot. This was something else that had been a problem when the Touch would bug out: after the reboot, what was a full battery was now almost dead. At first I thought it was because of the magnets, until I did a cold reboot on my own (hold down power and home button) and saw the battery charge get cut in half. This doesn't happen anymore either, so maybe Apple has quietly improved management of the hardware in their updates. I don't know; I'm not an electronics engineer, so I'm just guessing.
Anyway, if anyone reading this is thinking about getting a Touch, but are unsure, just go for it. The problems highlighted on this board seem to have been worked out (at least for me) and the newer models might not have this problem at all (plus they have an external speaker and volume keys! yargh). It might not be perfect, but it's a great little device that I've found to be incredibly useful. And that's coming from someone who thinks Windows is just as good as OSX
Anyway; that was a year ago. I haven't had the problem for several months now. I'm not sure why. I think it may have stopped after one of Apple's software updates; I think maybe it was 2.0, but can't remember.
Why a software update would fix it, I don't know, since I figured it was a hardware problem. Maybe the changes in the magnetic field induced an emf that messed up the processor, but apple was able to code in preparation for these glitches. One other thing I have noticed with the software updates is that my battery doesn't get drained when doing a reboot. This was something else that had been a problem when the Touch would bug out: after the reboot, what was a full battery was now almost dead. At first I thought it was because of the magnets, until I did a cold reboot on my own (hold down power and home button) and saw the battery charge get cut in half. This doesn't happen anymore either, so maybe Apple has quietly improved management of the hardware in their updates. I don't know; I'm not an electronics engineer, so I'm just guessing.
Anyway, if anyone reading this is thinking about getting a Touch, but are unsure, just go for it. The problems highlighted on this board seem to have been worked out (at least for me) and the newer models might not have this problem at all (plus they have an external speaker and volume keys! yargh). It might not be perfect, but it's a great little device that I've found to be incredibly useful. And that's coming from someone who thinks Windows is just as good as OSX
Anyway, if anyone reading this is thinking about getting a Touch, but are unsure, just go for it. The problems highlighted on this board seem to have been worked out (at least for me) and the newer models might not have this problem at all (plus they have an external speaker and volume keys! yargh). It might not be perfect, but it's a great little device that I've found to be incredibly useful. And that's coming from someone who thinks Windows is just as good as OSX
I just had this problem on a brand new ipod touch which had the latest point release loaded on it before it ever saw the case which caused the problem.
I have however been able to work around the problem since I like the case.
I cut a strip of flexible refrigerator magnet with a cutout for the home key.
I placed this inside the case between the touch and the magnets with double sided tape to keep it from sliding around.
This soft, flexible, easy to cut material, effectively short circuits the magnetic field and the touch has not had a problem since.
I decided on this path as it seemed that the situation was worse when the case was closed. The flap I have has one flat piece of metal so it created a larger magnet field when it connected the two dot magnets together. By connecting them with the thin magnet on the other side it pulls the field up out of the inside of the touch.
Other magnetic cases may not have the problem for several reasons. Magnets on the flap and metal next to ipod, extra padding between magnets and ipod, weaker magnets, perhaps two pieces of metal instead of one which doesn't allow the field to be connected and magnified, etc.
The solution for this problem is not going to be a software fix, but a design change with better shielding inside the touch or guidelines for case designers to eliminate the destructive field. Since existing ipods won't be changed if you like the case design give this a try and post your results.
Why bother to spend money to achieve the exact opposite of Ives's design? I hate flip cases because 1) makes iPod thin = iPod thick 2) bulky and big 3) expensive. Buy something else other than a flip case with magnets. There's stuff like more-thing.com cases, belkin plastic sliders, etc.