iPhone 4 ‘cold weather defects’ under investigation

Finland’s Consumer Agency is investigating whether the iPhone’s warranty protects users against cold weather damage, following complaints from users that the device malfunctions at low temperatures.

The Consumer Agency told us that it has sent an information request to Apple, asking whether or not its staff properly inform consumers of the iPhone’s vulnerability to low temperature before they buy.

‘We are mainly trying to clarify whether the warranty of iPhone covers also the defects, which are apparently due to use in cold weather and how Apple and the sellers handle possible complaints,’ said legal advisor Jukka Kaakkola. ‘What kind of defects can be caused by cold weather and can the phone be repaired. We also want to know how buyers are instructed of the restrictions in use before the purchase is concluded.’

The iPhone’s instruction manual states that the device is designed to operate at temperatures between 0 and 35 degrees celcius and that ‘low or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause iPhone to temporarily stop working properly.’

Which? so far hasn’t received any complaints concerning any iPhone models malfunctioning in cold weather. Obviously this problem will be of more concern to Finnish users, given the country’s climate but (as we all know) the UK is no stranger to cold weather, so it will be interesting to see what the Finnish Consumer Agency finds.

Have you been affected by the iPhone’s vulnerability to cold weather? Let us know in the comments section below.