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10 Years of Weird iPhone Smells

Let's pause to recall the strange aromas people have said they've noted coming from their iPhones in the last decade.

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It's crazy to think that it's been a decade since Apple unleashed its little pocket-sized super gadget. Not only has the iPhone cemented Apple as the world's most powerful brand, it's fundamentally changed the way society functions. That's not an oversell.

Apple review, Apple commentary, Apple news... Everything Apple The first-generation iPhone marked the beginning of the modern, ubiquitous connected mobile era. Suddenly the Internet was no longer a thing that plugged into the wall in your house, it was a thing that followed you out onto the streets and into your daily commute.

The iPhone also also introduced consumers to the concept of a multi-touch interface. No longer was the virtual world something you accessed through the medium of a mouse and keyboard; it was something you could literally reach out and touch—not to mention, pinch, tap, and swipe.

By any metric, the iPhone has been nothing short of revolutionary. And, as is the case with any revolutionary notion, there can be a steep learning curve for the masses. Consumers didn't know quite what to make of this crazy new product. What kind of things are normal? What kind of things should we expect?

So, it's perhaps not so surprising to find that users took to the official Apple "Discussion" forum to talk about the odd smells and aromas emanating from their magical little future slab (be they real, imagined, or outright fakes). Let us take an alternate retrospective by remembering past generations of the iPhone with some of the confusing aromatic experiences users had at the time!

Note: We found these by searching the phrase "iPhone smells like" on the discussion board. The vast majority of the query returns had to do with burning smells, which we didn't include.

1. "Glue they use on braces"

(iPhone 3GS)

iPhone smell

2. Nail Polish

(iPhone 4)

Note: A nail polish aroma was a common complaint in the iPhone 4 era.

iphone smell four

3. Bubble Gum

(iPhone 4)

iPHone five

4. Strawberry and Battery

(iPhone 4s)

iPhone smell

5. "Strange smell by the power button" after dropping in the toilet

(iPhone 4s)

iPHone smell 8

6. Mold

(iPhone 5)

iphone smell two

7. Body Odor

(iPhone 6 leather case)

iPhone smell six

8. Cigarettes

(iPhone 6 leather case)

iPhone smell 7

9. Moldy Cheese

There was no official suggestion from Apple on this one, but I feel like this one probably has an easy fix.

iPhone smell 9

Bonus! U2 Album

Apple irked iTunes users in 2014 when it gave all users a free digital copy of Songs of Innocence, U2's latest album at the time. That seemed like a cool idea until it was discovered that Apple automatically placed Songs of Innocence into iTunes users' accounts. Naturally, this caused quite the stir; people weren't too keen on having content forced in their accounts without their consent.

iPhone smell u2

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About Evan Dashevsky

Features Editor

Evan Dashevsky

Evan Dashevsky served as a features editor with PCMag and host of live interview series The Convo. He could usually be found listening to blisteringly loud noises on his headphones while exploring the nexus between tech, culture, and politics. Follow his thought sneezes over on the Twitter (@haldash) and slightly more in-depth diatribin' over on the Facebook.

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