‘Touch Disease’ Hits iPhone 6 Plus, Literally.

You’re going to have to pay for it, though.

Apple has launched a new repair program for its widely reported iPhone 6 Plus hardware malfunction sardonically referred to as “touch disease”. The malfunction renders the touchscreen useless and unresponsive and manifests as a thin grey line flickering at the top the display.

According to Apple however, this flaw is caused by dropping the phone repeatedly. The company says it will not cover the cost of a repair and will ask those affected by the issue to pay $149 to have it fixed via a newly launched a “Multi-Touch Repair Program”.

This did not not sit too well with the affected iPhone owners who filed class action lawsuits against Apple over the malfunction and Apple’s insistence of the user paying for the repairs.

In August 2016, repair guide website iFixit published a blog post detailing what it and other repair companies described as a growing number of complaints about a touchscreen issue among iPhone 6 Plus and some iPhone 6 users. iFixit blamed it on hardware malfunction, which it dubbed “touch disease”, and was brought to Apple’s attention through its own support forums online and via retail stores.

iFixit originally claimed the problem wasn’t the screen but rather the two touchscreen controller chips, or Touch IC chips, on the logic board inside the phone.

“Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device. If your iPhone 6 Plus is exhibiting the symptoms noted above, is in working order, and the screen is not cracked or broken, Apple will repair your device”. The last three words thus imply that the company will not cover the cost of a repair whatsoever.

What if you already paid for a repair?

Apple said those who have already paid for a service repair are eligible for reimbursement equal to the difference between the original service repair cost and the new $149 program price. It has begun contacting iPhone 6 Plus customers who went through an Apple retail store or Apple technical support in the past for a repair related to the issue and ultimately paid for a fix.

How does the repair program work?

Apple is giving iPhone 6 Plus users three service options: contact an Apple authorized service provider, go to an Apple retail store, or contact Apple technical support. Apple said that the iPhone will be examined prior to any service to verify that it’s in working condition and is eligible for the program.

There’s no word on any such issues on the smaller iPhone 6 phones.

Originally published at Chip-Monks.