Catégorie oBox : BuzzNews

Every now and then, people refer to an excellent piece of music as “fire.” But no matter how fiery a song is alleged to be, it rarely results in it making earbuds or headphones literally spark into flame.

One woman is going viral thanks to her boyfriend’s Apple earbuds literally “exploding” overnight. Now she’s asking Apple for answers.

‘Why did they catch on fire? Riddle me that’

In a video with more than 13,400 views, Makenna Stickler (@makstickler7) confronted Apple about her truly bizarre experience with her boyfriend’s AirPod Pros.

“Hi, good afternoon, I have a message for Apple,” Stickler said in her video. “… Listen closely, because I’m not happy, okay? You know what I woke up to this morning?”

Stickler then picked up a visibly battered AirPod Pro case and held it up for the camera. The case appeared burnt. She also panned the camera to reveal her vanity, which was covered in what looked like soot.

“These are my boyfriend’s AirPod Pros,” Stickler said, visibly irritated. “His AirPod Pros that caught on fire in the middle of the night.”

Stickler then went on to clarify that they “caught fire” while charging overnight—and yes, she was using an “Apple-certified charger.”

“Yeah, certified by you,” Stickler said while addressing the Apple company. “Funny. So why would they have exploded? Why did they catch on fire? Riddle me that … Why is there soot all over my vanity?”

Stickler ended her video by demanding “some compensation for the trauma that [Apple] put [her] through with almost burning [her] house down.” She expressed complete bewilderment as to how this could have happened and wondered if this was a common occurrence.

“Has anybody had this happen to them?” she asked. “Like these were fine, and they just caught on fire in the middle of the night. … They were melted shut. My boyfriend got them open, but like, are we being serious? I should sue you.”

Are people’s AirPods really catching fire?

Apple has issued multiple warnings over the years regarding safely charging its products. Essentially, Apple had previously stated that it’s safe to charge your electronics overnight, but only if they’re properly ventilated. Otherwise, they can overheat.

As reported by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Apple’s user manuals caution that “devices, cables and chargers can get warm and cause discomfort or even injury.”

“… ‘Do not sleep on a device, power adapter or wireless charger, or place them under a blanket, pillow or your body when they are connected to a power outlet,’” AARP stated. “Instead, keep the iPhone, power adapter and any wireless charger in a well-ventilated area away from the body when charging.”

Others’ experiences

As far as AirPod incidents specifically, multiple Apple customers have shared horror stories online of their AirPods or Apple chargers overheating, catching fire, or even exploding. One post in r/airpods had a picture of an AirPods case with a hole apparently melted through it. The post’s author said their “case was charging and outta nowhere [they] heard a pop and smoke. [They] look[ed] over and [their] AirPods case [had] just melted/exploded.”

Other Reddit users have shared similar pictures and testimonies that their “AirPods exploded/melted while charging.” One consumer even shared a picture of a melted AirPods case to an Apple community discussion board, saying that after only 10 minutes of charging their “bed was smoking and [their] AirPods were smoldering and melted into [their] mattress.”

But it’s not just random internet users reporting AirPod fires; Stickler’s own viewers littered her comment section with testimonies and warnings of their own.

“My old iPhone put a hole in my mattress,” commented one viewer. “It overheated.”

“One of mine melted in the case,” said another. A third wrote, “3 days ago I plugged mine in, as soon as I put them down it started sparking.”

“The battery in my phone started swelling so much that the screen was popping out,” wrote one commenter. “It got so hot to the touch that I couldn’t hold it for even a minute … [Apple] said I should BUY a new phone, but they didn’t have time to help me that day. I told them that it is fine and I will leave, but if my phone catches fire or burns me, I will file a lawsuit. Left that day with a free new phone.”

Buzz News has reached out to Apple via email and Stickler via TikTok comment.

@makstickler7 @apple what’s going on babe??? #apple #airpodpros #fire #fyp #foryoupag ♬ original sound – makennastickler

If there’s one demographic that sees the ugliest sides of humanity, it’s bartenders. Seeing people under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol adds to the experience. People really show others who they are when drunk.

One bartender is going viral for witnessing an extremely uncomfortable relationship dynamic, brought forward by a single check.

‘My boyfriend would never, ever say that to me’

In a TikTok that has more than 189,000 views, Boston bartender Val Pucino (@vpucino on TikTok) asked for “other people’s opinion.” A couple had just come into her bar who raised concerns for her. She started her video with a potentially controversial take.

“When a couple orders for me, I get the order through the woman. And then I look to the man to pay,” Pucino said. “‘Cause who the [expletive] else would be paying other than you, the man?”

Pucino recalled that the woman ordered a vodka soda for herself. Then she ordered a beer for her significant other. Pucino, not thinking much of it, told him the total was $30. That’s when things got messy.

“He’s like, ‘$30?’” Pucino said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, $10 for the beer, $20 for the vodka soda.’ Looks at his girlfriend and goes, ‘What the [expletive] is wrong with you, ordering a $20 drink? What kind of vodka did you [expletive] get?’”

Pucino said she interjected at this point. She explained that she’d used the cheapest house vodka available, and the amount was still $20. The man insisted his lady “shouldn’t have [expletive] ordered that” and continued “going off on her.”

“Maybe I’m spoiled, but my boyfriend would never, ever say that to me,” Pucino said. “Even if I ordered something that was like too expensive, he would be like, ‘Baby, come on, next time don’t order that,’ in private. What are you doing that in front of a million people for?”

Pucino said if she were in a similar position, she would’ve immediately turned to the people around her and “been like, ‘Who’s buying me ten vodka sodas right now.’” She called the encounter “mortifying.”

“You should dump that man,” Pucino said, finishing her video. “And you should never bring out a woman and ever do that. Literally ever.”

Response to Buzz News

In an email to Buzz News, Pucino said that the couple has not yet returned to her establishment—but that she sees these kinds of arguments “pretty often,” and has some words of advice for any couples finding themselves in a similar relationship.

“She seemed really embarrassed and taken aback when he started yelling,” Pucino wrote. “Definitely not a good look for either of them … You shouldn’t call someone out like that publicly over something small, especially when you’re already out. I think it gives people the opportunity to comment on relationships (ie my video) … Just chill out and talk about it later if it’s that serious to your relationship.”

When is arguing healthy or unhealthy in a relationship?

Pucino’s video is emblematic of an ongoing bit of relationship discourse that’s been litigated online and by experts for years. Namely, whether arguing is healthy for couples. Pucino’s viewers in her comment section seemed to overwhelmingly share her opinion on the argument. Many pointed out that the situation wasn’t about who should have paid, or whether the drink was priced fairly. It was about the way the man treated his significant other.

“Immediate divorce,” one commenter said. Another echoed, “Maybe I’m dramatic but that’s a relationship ending situation for me idc. So disrespectful.”

“My opinion is that that vodka soda should have been $10… The beer. should have been five bucks…. never would my husband though or my boyfriend ever embarrass me like that,” another viewer commented. “That would be the first and last time. my husband would literally just be like yo. maybe let’s do beers tonight. or he would simply ask me quietly if we could do beers instead since the prices are ridiculous.”

As far as experts are concerned, there appears to be a general consensus that “arguments can help strengthen a relationship”—depending on how they’re executed. Sex therapist Rosara Torrisi told Vice that disagreements are necessary, but as soon as one person starts being mean to the other, they’re crossing into unhealthy territory. She said that “whether or not it’s “healthy” to argue in front of other people is entirely cultural … and depends in large part on other people’s comfort levels.”

All in all, it’s important to be communicative in a relationship, even if that means some healthy conflict. But it’s probably not a good idea to demean a significant other, especially in public.

@vpucino pls share any and all opinions #fyp #bartender #boston ♬ original sound – val