If you've owned an iPhone, has your glass cracked?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

We're contemplating an iPhone for DD for Christmas, but I feel like the majority of the ones I've seen--even carried by people I don't even know when I've seen them in public--have glass that's visibly damaged in some way. Several of my friends have had to have their glass replaced more than once, and youngest DD's iPad glass has cracked twice. By contrast, none of our Blackberry or Android phones has ever had glass trouble (and I drop my phone constantly  :blushing: ). 

 

I know the iPhone is very high on DD's Christmas list, but I'm leery of investing in something that I feel is likely to get damaged fairly quickly. 

 

I'd love to hear others' experiences with this. (And as a side note, if you have strong anti-iPhone opinions for some other reason, please feel free to share.)

 

Thanks!

[vonfirmath]

I owned an iphone 4s for 2 years and a iphone 5 for 1 yr. No glass cracking/breaking problems yet.

 

The 4s was in an Otterbox case. But the 5 has not been, with no ill effect.

 

I owned an ipod Touch before the 4s for 2 years as well. The glass on that never broke either.

 

(I chose to get an iphone despite my Dad and sister being a big Android person because of that ipod Touch. I had apps for the apple system I already liked using and didn't want to have re-buy/re-research.  Somehow, since I got my 4s, my Mom, Dad, and sister all have iphones now!)

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2015 by vonfirmath

[Night Elf]

My iphone is 3 years old and has never cracked. All my immediate family have iphones and none of them have cracked. I can't say I prefer an iphone over an android, and I've had both. I've never had any problem with any of my phones and they work the way I need them to. My oldest dd had one android phone that started going wonky after a couple of years. I think it had the word Evo in the name. She hated that phone. Of all the phones we've owned in 20 years, that phone was the only problem phone.

[Southern Ivy]

I have a 5s and the screen has not cracked.
I do have it in an Otterbox Defender though. My dd3 likes to play games on it and I'm exceptionally clumsy sometimes.

[umsami]

No.  DH has owned an iPhone 4S since they came out...no cracking.  I've had an iPhone 6 for about a year without any cracking or other issues.

[Pawz4me]

No.  And that includes --

 

2 iPods

1 iPhone 4s

1 iPhone 5

4 iPhone 5s

1 iPhone 6

 

We do use Otterbox cases for all of our devices.

[skimomma]

I am on my third iPhone over the past 8 years and have never had a crack.  My 12 yo dd has an old one that she uses as an iTouch that has been in her possession for the last 4 years and it has also not cracked despite being dropped too many times to count.  We do have simple cases on them.  

[Annie G]

I've had iPhones for years and never had a cracked screen. I use no protector on mine- I like the thin, clean look. I live dangerously. g

 

Dd's iPhone screen cracked a year ago when she dropped it down a flight of stairs at school.  It was in a case, but not an Otterbox. 

[Sara in AZ]

I'm on my second iphone. My last one did end it's life shattered and useless. But that's because after my Otterbox fell apart I didn't have a case on it at all for a while and it got dropped on tile several times. If you have a good thick case with screen protection on it you should be fine.

[Guest]

I have had four iPhones since they first shipped. I keep them in a rim case for grippiness. No glass cover. Carried in a separate pocket of handbag. Never a crack; on the last phone, which I had for 3.5 years, I got a teeny , shallow scratch. I know people who have broken the glass by whacking the phone instead of tapping. Ummm,...don't do that. :0)

[HSmomof2]

I had a 3gs for 3 years, and I've had my 4s for 3 years. No cracking or screen damage at all. Both of my phones have been in Otterbox Defender cases and have been dropped multiple times with no damage. Dh also has a 4s with the Otterbox commuter case (the 'thinner' one). His phone fell from his pocket while on a 15-ft. ladder onto concrete. No damage.

[Spryte]

iPhone 4 and 6 - I don't update often and use them till they are unusable for some reason. No cracks. I don't use the screen protectors, only the case.

 

We have multiple iDevices. Only DS has cracked a screen from dropping it with no case repeatedly.

[T'smom]

We have had iPhones for a few years and no cracked glass. Our phones have been in otterbox cases although my new one is in a different brand- it is still pretty heavy duty. My iPad has a griffin survivor case and has survived being used and dropped a lot by toddlers- it is several years old.

 

I'm sure if you require her to keep it in a case, it will be fine.

[WTMCassandra]

I have had an iPhone 2, 4, and now, 6. I have had just a silicon case, but with my newest phone I treated myself to a Pad and Quill case that looks like a book. I also typically use screen protectors--on this one I have a glass one. I am careful with my phone, so perhaps I'm not the best person to ask, but I have never had my glass crack or shatter.

[Scarlett]

Mine is cracked. But I dropped it with no case on it. In all the years I have had iPhones (5) this is the first I've broken.

 

I am about to replace this cracked 4s with a 6s....and I will get an otterbox. I highly recommend a good full case.

 

I love my iPhone and my iPad.

[prairiewindmomma]

In our family experience of 5 iPhones, anything not in a super duty case cracks.  I have had two case cracks with less expensive cases.  Everything in an Otterbox has been great!

[madteaparty]

Every single one. But it's user error. I dropped this one at a shakespeare festival parking lot (grass), it was run over at least once, and the screen looks like a mosaic, it is so cracked it's humorous. This was August. It's now approaching the point where I should maybe do something about it

[SebastianCat]

We've owned 4 iPhones and 2 iPods.    The only one we've ever cracked was in a very slim case (not Otterbox or other "protective" case) and DH dropped the phone from about shoulder height onto a concrete driveway.   We've had no issues whatsoever with phones in protective cases.   I tried the Otterbox Defender and hated it because it hurt my ear when I talked on the phone, but I now have an Otterbox Symmetry case on my iPhone 6 and love it.   Prior to that, I also liked the Trident Aegis case.

 

We also buy Apple Care for our iPhones now when we buy them new.   For a $99 one-time fee, you get extra support and a replacement phone ($79 deductible) if the phone ever gets damaged within the first two years of owning it.   That was very reasonable compared to other phone insurance plans I've found.

[Jaz]

No.

 

Iphone 4s still using it

Iphone 5

Iphone 6 still using it

[abcmommy]

never.  and I have owned 4 iPods and multiple iPhones (mine and kids).

 

[Ali in OR]

No problems here with a 4s, 5, and 6 in the house. All have cases, but two of those don't have a cover over the screen.

 

I will say that I hear through my dd that many of the phones owned by her soccer teammates have fallen, some cracked, some broken (all different brands of phones). Seems to be a risk of adolescent phone ownership. When my 15 yo got her phone we went with a slim case without a screen cover because as she pointed out, she's not one to drop phones. If your daughter is at all klutzy, I would get a good case.

[Joker]

We have three iPhones, an iPad, and one Samsung Galaxy phone. The only one that has had a cracked screen is the Samsung and only because it wasn't in a case like all the others. One dd drops her iPhone almost every week for the past two years but not a single crack. We use Otterbox cases.

[amsunshine]

I have an iphone 5c with a Spigen case and fiberglass screen protector on it.  I recently dropped it and the glass cracked underneath the screen protector.  It still works fine and the crack is not noticeable unless you look at the phone from a certain angle.  Weirdest thing.  Next phone is getting an otterbox or lifeproof case.

 

My dds both have ipods and theirs are in griffin survivor cases which seem to be very sturdy and neither of them have cracked glass.

[KarenNC]

My daughter is still using my old 4, which is several years old. I kept it in a combo rubber/hardball case (not Otterbox) with a thin glass stick on protector.

[Arcadia]

My iPhone 5 is in otterbox and survived many drops at parking lots by my boys. My ancient ipod touch is in a leather holster and never cracked either.

 

My DS9 dropped his fire phone which doesn't have a screen protector and it cracked.

[meena]

Yes, but due to careless kids.

 

1 iPad screen cracked by a Beyblade spun too close which ended up hitting it

1 iPad screen cracked from dropping it out of a parked car while trying to get out

1 iPhone back screen cracked after being dropped and the case wasn't protective enough. Same phone front screen cracked while in an Otterbox when a child set it on the snare during drum practice and then hit it while playing

 

All of this after being cautioned how to treat devices. Sigh... DD recently bought an iPad mini but part of the deal was she had to have enough money to buy an all-inclusive warranty that covers drops and cracks as well as a heavy duty case.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Between my husband and I, we've had 4 iphones and an iPad.  The only time we had a broken glass issue was when my daughter dropped my iPad, which was not in a case, onto my parents tile kitchen floor.  The phones usually live in an Otterbox, which we've found to be well worth the money (twice, I've broken an Otterbox case, only to have the phone inside be safe and sound--this is a reflection of my clumsiness and not a good measure of how an Otterbox will hold up under typical use, haha!).  Two of those iPhones have been handed down to our kids, who use them like iPod touches, and still no broken glass.  

Edited December 3, 2015 by Forget-me-not

[Ailaena]

 

I broke my 4s so often that the guy that fixes it for me finally just gave me a case. And then I cracked it again...

 

I have a 6 now and it has hit the floor numerous times - with and without a case - and it is still intact. I had a case, but gave it to my daughter when I bought her the 6s and forgot to buy her a case :/. It was just the thin $30 from Apple, but I seems to work just fine. I mentioned this to the guy at the apple store the other day and he said that the 6/6s are much less fragile, especially since they don't have glass on the back.

[AK_Mom4]

We have had many iPhones - no broken screens.

 

Currently I have the Tech Armor ballistic glass on all our iPhones (2 sixes, one 6 plus) with the Tech Armor sports case. DH is hard on phones and has yet to break one.

[Pink and Green Mom]

We have 4 iphones (a 4, two 5s and a 6) and none have ever cracked.  Including the one the teenager carries in the waistband of his basketball shorts :ack2:

[Stratford]

We've had 4 iphones and an ipad, so far only one phone has had cracked glass (and it was completely my fault.  Took it out of the lifeproof case and dropped it on the floor.)

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I'm on my second iPhone, and both my teens have iPhones, and my son has an iPod Touch.  We've never had a cracked glass on any of them.  I do pay about $7.00 for a glass cover.  I like the ones made of glass themselves because they don't get bubbles and don't peel off.  I also get a case that is grippy, both on the back and the front (wrapped around the front edge of the phone) so that the phone doesn't slide off tables or laps.  Keeping it out of the back pocket is also important.  It's too easy to lean back on something that breaks the glass.

[momacacia]

Get an Otterbox. It will save the phone. :)

[Petrichor]

I've had an ipod touch, iphone 4s, and now have a galaxy s6. DH had iphones at 2 different points in time. None have cracked. I drop my phone a lot, but I always have a screen protector on it, and a case (I get cheap cases from amazon for a few dollars each, I just check that the case will cover the corners so the glass doesn't chip if I do drop it.

 

The ipod touch survived a toddler throwing it at walls. On multiple occasions. The screen only got messed up when I dropped it in the snow, and didn't realize it for a few hours (the neighbors kindly returned it).

 

I too prefer android phones to apple now that I've had one for a while. 

 

[lexi]

Nope. I have a case for mine.

Each of my kids has an iPod. Nothing is cracked. They have to keep them at home but we do have tile and wood floors.

My hubby has iPhone with no case and no cracks.

[freesia]

I have a 4s. It is cracked, but only b/c my then 8 year old swung his arm and let it go (by accident). It went flying through the air in an arc, landing on the pavement. And then it was just a line across the top. We have 2 other i-phones(older ones we use for apps), one i-phone 6 and an i-pod touch in the house that have never been cracked.

[Ausmumof3]

We're contemplating an iPhone for DD for Christmas, but I feel like the majority of the ones I've seen--even carried by people I don't even know when I've seen them in public--have glass that's visibly damaged in some way. Several of my friends have had to have their glass replaced more than once, and youngest DD's iPad glass has cracked twice. By contrast, none of our Blackberry or Android phones has ever had glass trouble (and I drop my phone constantly :blushing: ).

 

I know the iPhone is very high on DD's Christmas list, but I'm leery of investing in something that I feel is likely to get damaged fairly quickly.

 

I'd love to hear others' experiences with this. (And as a side note, if you have strong anti-iPhone opinions for some other reason, please feel free to share.)

 

Thanks!

Get an otter box case and you will be fine. My kids cracked iPad glass and after replacing it we got an otter box. They've used it for two years with no issues. It's also somewhat protective against water etc.

[SKL]

Yes, even though I paid extra for a protective screen, the original glass is cracked.  But it still works., so I guess the extra screen was useful.

[Lady Florida.]

No, but I know a number of people who have had that problem.

 

Dh had a 3G, then all three of us each had an iPhone 4 for several years. None of us ever had a problem. 

 

My niece had both a 3G and a 4 and her 3G screen cracked. It fell out of her hand in a parking lot and fell face down. With a case on it. The screen shattered. Ds' girlfriend had an iPhone 5 and her mother had a 6, and both had screens that cracked. We know a few other people with later models who had their screens crack as well. With the exception of my niece's 3G, most of the people we know with iPhones whose screens cracked have either a 5 or the 6 (regular 6, not 6S).

[MomtoCandJ]

My phones have hit the ground a lot and my iPhone 4 not my iPhone 5c has had a cracked screen. Now dh's Nokia lumina (not sure of version) has a cracked screen and actually died. The most important thing is a case that has a rubber lining that cushions the phone when it falls. I currently have a speck case for my 5c and I don't remember what I had on the 4.

[texasmama]

My dh, college girl, and I have had iphones for years.  We have never cracked the glass.  Dh dropped and damaged his, but the glass did not crack.  College girl dropped hers in the toilet.  I have never killed an iphone, may the record show.  Dh uses an Otterbox, but I have a cheap (but sturdy) case I got from amazon.

[Guest]

I've had iPhones and iPads since they came out. I have never damaged the glass on ANY of them.

 

First, I always use a case. A drop resistant one.

 

Second, I always use a screen protector.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Arctic Mama

[Pamela H in Texas]

I break EVERYTHING (glasses, for example). I drop everything.  I have a ton of little kids causing me to drop things and dropping my stuff.   I have never had even the slightest scratch on my iphone though.  I do use an OtterBox.  

Edited December 3, 2015 by Pamela H in Texas

[Guest]

My favorite cases hands down are Zoogues. I've dropped my phone off our second story staircase with no damage. Check out the YouTube videos of those things in action. They're cheap and slim, too!

 

http://www.zoogue.com/iphone-6-6s-case-social-pro/

[Laurel]

I've had iPhones since they came out and I've only had two cracked screens. (And I do mean ONLY as I am hard on my phones and drop them all the time.) The first screen cracked when it fell off the counter, less than two weeks after I got my first iPhone. (I just about cried.) Apple actually replaced it free of charge, and I think they began making the glass screens more durable after the first batch. The second time I dropped it (no case) on a concrete driveway. Oops.

[Katy]

Never had glass crack and my family has had a dozen iphones over the last 5 years.  We mostly use Otterboxes.  They're expensive but worth it because if you drop the phone, the case catches the surface before the glass does.

[Lolly]

We have 5 in the family. Never a glass crack. We all do use cases. Two just Otterbox. Three have Lifeproof.Lifeproof has been very good about replacing them when they fail, which is very often. All have had their cases replaced multiple times. Ds has to have his replaced every few months. Personally, I think they are sending substandard cases at this point...But, the phones are all just fine (And I wouldn't ger a LIfeproof..).

[zoobie]

I cracked my screen today for the first time in owning an iPhone for 7 years. I've dropped it a thousand times, but apparently crushing it on a roller coaster was a bit too much. It has survived 3 toddlers. Highly recommend Otterbox Defenders! Mine did not have one on today. Also, AppleCare.

[Plink]

On my third iPhone - never cracked a screen

[BlsdMama]

Nope and we dropped it crazy often. But it was in the Otter box Defender before I ever turned it on.... slippery phone!