A number of iPhone 6 Plus users have reported an issue in which the phone inexplicably crashes or enters a reboot loop, prompting many to take it in to Apple for service, where it is usually swapped out for a new unit. Some owners are on their fourth replacement 6 Plus.
Multiple owners have reported identical crashing problems on Apple's Support Communities forum, with one thread now standing at more than 9,000 views and 60 replies.
The exact trigger has yet to be discovered, though 6 Plus owners posting to the thread claim to have nailed down a few commonalities: 128GB iPhone 6 Plus is the most affected model; apps installed number at more than 700; and crashes can occur without user interaction. Some pin the trouble on hardware as Apple's recent iOS 8.1 update did not fix the issue, though others believe software is to blame.
At first, it was thought that restoring from a previous iPhone image carried over faulty app settings or incompatible apps, but this theory was seemingly debunked after multiple attempts to restore phones as new before adding on apps manually failed. This does not rule out individual app incompatibility with iOS 8, but with so many apps in question, testing and cross-checking results would be extremely difficult.
Some forum members and AppleInsider readers have taken their 6 Plus in to an Apple Store for assessment. In some cases, Geniuses exchange the non-functional unit, while others have been told to hold on to their phone as their repair ticket escalates up the tech support chain of command. Few have reported success with new iPhone 6 Plus replacements.
As for workarounds, some are seeing varying success in restoring the phone as new, then manually installing each previously purchased app one-by-one. However, as mentioned above, a good number of owners have tried this tactic to no avail. Manually reinstalling purchased apps is a time consuming process and seemingly does not provide a surefire solution to the problem. In fact, some forum members say the fix only lasts for a few minutes before the phone once again enters into a crash cycle.
Interestingly, others have found that turning on the Display Zoom function sometimes helps alleviate crashes, but the method is far from a proven fix.
As of this writing, the number of owners affected by the crashing issue is unknown. The number of views on each Support Communities thread suggest the issue is not widespread. However, if current speculation is correct and the problem is linked to 128GB iPhone 6 Plus owners who have expansive app libraries, the relatively low number of reported cases may not be indicative of the issue's severity.
Apple has not yet officially commented on the matter and does not have policies in place to deal with incoming repairs at Apple Stores. AppleInsider has reached out and will update this story when a reply is received.