iPhone 8 plus - failed NFC chip

Chives

Chives

Chives

Soldato
Joined
17 Dec 2009
Posts
3,664
Location
Wales
Hi all,

Over the weekend the NFC chip in my iPhone 8 Plus has failed. Apple Pay and anything else reliant on the chip is no longer working. Spoke to Apple via live chat who took me through the troubleshooting and then advised me to take it into the Apple store. They promptly ran some diagnostics and the NFC chip is indeed faulty, despite my best efforts they refused to replace the phone without a hefty (£380) charge.

Do I have any other options? The phone is otherwise fine, but the NFC chip not working is a right pain.

Cheers :)
 
mrochester said:
Apple Watch?
Click to expand...

Would be an option if I just needed Apple Pay, but I also use the NFC chip to read my blood sugars levels (I'm T1 Diabetic) via a sensor on my arm. A quick google reveals Apple Watch can't (at least yet) do this.

Its a real quality of life thing that I'm already missing so may just have to pay out for a new phone, though very reluctant when the iPhone 12 is so close. I do have mobile phone insurance, so have submitted a claim and see what they say.
 
Alpherah said:
Where was it purchased?
Apple technicians are allowed to cover under 2 years as long as purchased from Apple directly.
Otherwise, similar to other companies, you need to make a legal claim and prove the fault was there from purchase and not of your making which considering impact (blunt impact, which won’t break glass) can cause this issue ...
Good luck with that one
Click to expand...

Apple, the original phone was stolen (replaced by insurance) and then that insurance phone was replaced by Apple (this was all within the 1 year warranty period) as it developed a fault.

I won't pretend I've not dropped it at all over the last two years :p but it has always been in a reasonably robust case, and I haven't dropped it recently that I can recall. I suspect I'm out of options then, insurance it is :p
 
For future reference, is there any way around that problem? The obvious answer is don't get your phone stolen :P

But should the worst happen again, do Apple/anyone else offer insurance coverage that maintains those rights?
 
I had a quick Google round, but no immediate result - warrants some further research I think.

Filed a claim with the insurance company, and after they saw the Genius Bar report they are happy to repair/replace the phone.

I'd probably rather a replacement, is the NFC chip repairable?
 
Understood. Will Apple mind me booking an appointment for that purpose? My question then is if the parts aren't genuine / its a boj-job, am I within my rights to push back and insist on a proper refurb?

Its with a fairly legit insurance company, so fingers crossed...

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated :)
 
Mm, not ideal! I will report back when I receive the replacement. If its bad, it might be new iPhone time when the new one is released.

Whats your job? :)
 
So just received my replacement. All seems well except a slightly worn down (88%) battery which I can sort in due course.

NFC seemed to be working just fine and I was able to read my blood sugars as normal using the app :)

However, having now placed the phone back in its case, its stopped working again :( I have no idea why - have spoken to the company who make the app/sensors for support and they're not sure so are escalating it. I should hear back tomorrow.

In the meantime I'm going to go through the usual (factory reset) troubleshooting to see what I can do. Any ideas welcome as i'm at a dead end with this!
 
It now seems to be functioning normally again - this is very strange. Is it possible for the case or something else (wireless interference?) to be impacting NFC?
 
I’ve binned the case - but it is still intermittently playing up, working one minute then not the next. V strange...
 
Not ideal at all. It works, but inconsistently at best. The proximity sensor isn't working properly either (screen doesn't dim when you hold the phone up to your ear on a call) and the lightning port is a bit dodgy.

Not impressed. I've complained to the insurance company so will see what they say. At this point I'm considering making-do with this one until the 12 comes out, selling this 8 plus and binning the insurance.
 
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