Damaged iPhone? You are not alone

iPhone users may well be dedicated followers of fashion (or rather, of Apple products), upgrading their iPhone with every new release, but many users find their phone comes to a rather premature end - one that's unexpected and often leads the user to a state of utter despair. Yes, as many as a third of iPhones will be put to sleep permanently due to an accident, according to a report last year from SquareTrade.

So just why is iPhone damage so common? We managed the break the most common causes into two central themes:

1) iPhone users are careless

2) The iPhone itself is accident-prone

Which one sounds do you think is more likely? We have done some digging and published the most common reasons, take a look at our top 5 reasons and make up your mind.

1. Accidents in the Bathrooms

Yep. It's still the leading cause of death with most mobile phones. You can just imagine the scenario, you've finished washing your hands in the bathroom, your hands are still damn when you quickly check your messages before returning to your meeting, and just like that, the phone slips from your hand, and as you desperately fumble you end up diverting it into the toilet.

Although some phones, such as Sonim's XP1 are waterproof, the iPhone is not - the exposure it received from being submerged in the toilet, even if only for 10 seconds, is often enough to completely damage the phone beyond repair.

The only question we have about this is, what are people doing on the toilet with their phones?

2. Mr Satnav

Unusual but surprisingly common - many iPhone users drop their iPhone just when walking around, although text-walking (notoriously difficult to do on a touchscreen) is a culprit here, the iPhone's GPS abilities also contribute to drops, as users walk around transfixed on a 3-inch display in front of them, rather than other people or objects that may be coming towards them in the opposite direction.

It is hard not to laugh at this type of iPhone damage; after all, it was rather self-inflicted wasn't it? But with innovative new apps guiding users to tube stations, and augmented reality apps becoming ever more popular, it is only likely that phone-related collisions to get ever more common.

3. Slippages

This one isn't hard to imagine, the iPhone is a slim phone with a glass screen, and users of older mobiles may not instantly find they can naturally grip the iPhone. As with most glass items, moisture can cause it to slip right out of your hand, crashing down onto a hard floor beneath.

In today's culture of accessing email anywhere, it is not hard to see how this might happen, a typical scenario would involve standing at a busy bar, the moisture from a freshly served pint on the glass could reduce friction between your hands and the phone as you attempt to check.

4. On a bike

We found this hard to believe, but it happens. iPhone users tend to be young, urban, and athletic, and this also tends to be a demographic that is likely to commute by cycle. It's obvious to see what's wrong with this! In the case of using an iPhone on a bike, whether making a call or, finding directions, you should probably be more worried about damage to yourself than damage to your iPhone!

Nevertheless, if you do come tumbling off your bike with your iPhone in hand, you can certainly expect to find it broken if you do live to tell the tale.

5. Back of a cab

So not strictly damage but we just had to include this one - according to a London survey of taxi drivers almost 10,000 mobile phones are left in the back of London cabs every month, with recovery rates lower than two-thirds.

Think about it - even if your taxi driver is honest (and more importantly, the next customers!), your iPhone on a taxi seat is an accident waiting to happen - as the driver swerves and halts on his way to find the next passenger, your beloved iPhone is picking the ideal moment to ‘learn to fly'. Although insurance policies will often cover against accidental damages it's worth noting that if you do lose the iPhone not all insurance policies will cover against loss.

Sadly most iPhone accidents are not covered by manufacturer warranties (which protect against common defects in most cases, rather than actions caused by users), and the cost of replacement can be very high. Protect Your Bubble offers iPhone Insurance covering accidental damage, and, for as little as £7.99* a month, could be a lot cheaper than a premature upgrade.

* Prices correct at the time of publication