IPHONE owners have been warned not to use power banks from a popular brand after they were recalled over a “fire risk”.
The firm has urged users to dispose of the products by official routes and not to simply throw them away.
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Chinese electronic company Anker has recalled several of its flagship charging banks as a result of a defect with the battery.
The devices use a lithium-ion battery pack, which can become unstable if damaged or incorrectly insulated.
It is effectively a small version of the batteries used in electric cars, which were blamed for a number of serious fires last year.
Anker has admitted that the batteries in its 334 MagGo Battery, Power Bank and 334 MagGo Battery PowerCore 10k models is liable to overheat.
This can cause “melting of plastic components, smoke, and fire hazards.”
The manufacturer insists that only a small number of its batteries are likely to be affected.
According to the recall notice, the fault has been narrowed down to batteries produced between January 3 and September 17 of this year.
However, the company has widened the recall to all of its customers “out of an abundance of caution”.
Owners of the three products listed are advised to check the serial numbers on the bottom of their gadgets.
These can be entered into a free checker tool on the Anker website to determine whether they are affected by the recall.
If your device is one of those with a potential fault, you should move it to a “safe location” and avoid trying to dispose of it by throwing it in the bin, returning it or dumping it in commercial recycling.
Instead, UK owners should visit https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-locator and find the suitable recycling centre that is nearest to them.
Similar links are available on the Anker website for users in France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, the US, Canada and Australia.
And, of course, if you believe your device to be affected you should stop using it immediately.
Anker has blamed the issue on a previous battery supplier and has emphasised that it has now switched providers “to prevent future occurrences”.
The recall notice read: “We have discovered that some of the lithium-ion batteries used in our Anker 334 MagGo Battery (PowerCore 10K), Anker Power Bank and Anker MagGo Power Bank may pose a fire risk due to a manufacturing defect.
“The lithium-ion battery in the affected powerbanks can overheat, potentially causing melting of plastic components, smoke and fire hazards.
“Although only a small number of batteries (a batch used in the products from January 3, 2024, to September 17, 2024) may be affected by this issue, out of an abundance of caution, we are reaching out to all customers to begin a Recall program.”
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