Bendgate and Beyond: The History of iPhone Scandals

In case you hadn't heard, the iPhone 6 Plus has a bending problem.

Some users have found their top-of-the-line iPhone contorted after carrying it in their suffocating front-pockets.

It has been dubbed #bendgate, but it's hardly the first time Apple has come under fire for its signature smartphone.

Inspired by an Apple Spotlight article, here are the notable iPhone scandals and how they compare to bendgate (aka bendghazi).

Crackgate – iPhone 3G

A small minority of iPhoners on Mac forums had photographic proof of growing cracks in the 3G's casing. It didn't really break the internet.

Overheatgate – iPhone 3GS

A handful of 3GS owners claimed the phone would get really hot, so hot that the white plastic at the back of the phone would start to go brown.

PC World's then-senior editor Melissa Perinson said: "Toasty doesn't even describe how surprisingly hot it got. It was too hot to even put the phone against my face."

A considerably bigger deal than crackgate, the hot phone scandal didn't reach bendgate levels of hysteria.

Antennagate – iPhone 4

Apple's only official –gate, according to Wikipedia. Signal reception was atrocious for the iPhone 4 when holding it in a certain way, blocking off the antenna.

Calls were dropped, tears were shed. This went beyond forums, beyond the media, and almost became a legal issue.

Some users were coaxed into preparing a lawsuit against Apple for concealment, negligence, misrepresentation, and for making a bad iPhone.

Handholding tips were given, as were free phone cases, and the problem just petered out. Still, a bigger deal than bendgate.

Yellowgate – iPhone 4S

Some screens were a bit yellowy. It wasn't much of scandal.

Two gates in one gate – iPhone 5

There was a problem with the camera wherein a purple haze would creep on screen. Apple said you're just holding it wrong.

The other issue was with scratching; the model 5 more vulnerable to scrapes, according to forum frequenters.

Neither of these problems were especially problematic, but together the iPhone 5 came under some criticism.

Bendgate – iPhone 6 Plus

You know the story: people put a big, thin phone in their pocket and it comes out all wonky.

Social media, a much bigger player these days than just a few years ago, leaps on these 'rare' bent iPhones and uses them to beat up on the company already hurt by iCloud hacking, iOS 8 bugs and a myriad of littler things.

The uproar is almost as loud as antennagate, but the claims are less serious and widespread. We'll see how it plays out.