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Dealing with Mysterious Issues in Vision Pro Systems: Practical Tips for Handling Unanticipated Breakdowns

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

If you spent $3,500 on Apple’s Vision Pro headset (or $5,000 for a maxed out version ), you’re probably doing everything you can to treat it with care. But what if it breaks completely on its own?

Apparently, that’s happening to some users, as reports spread about the device developing a crack in the front glass despite not being dropped or bumped. For most of these users, it’s the same story – the device was tucked away in its case charging, and when it was removed, there was an inches-long crack running from the nose bridge.

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On the Vision Pro subreddit , user inphenite wrote, “Like a few others, I just discovered a long crack in the front glass of my Vision Pro. It’s been sitting neatly in the Apple travel case, and it’s been subject to very light use a couple of hours a day - I haven’t dropped it or similar.”

User dornbirn posted a similar story: “Last night I polished the front of the headset, packed it away with the cover on, and when I woke up this morning, I see this crack. No drop, no shuffling in the case.”

Overall, at least a dozen users have reported the issue – just on Reddit.

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So what’s happening?

So far, Apple hasn’t offered up any answers. Some people speculate it’s due to the headset being charged while in a case , causing the glass to overheat, expand, and eventually break. Others theorize that the impacted users are tightening the strap too tight, bending the surrounding frame and breaking it at the nose.

What should you do if your screen cracks?

Also: My 5 biggest takeaways from iFixit’s Apple Vision Pro teardown

If you paid the extra $500 for Apple Care , you shouldn’t have much of an issue getting a replacement, provided you pay the deductible. If you didn’t, things may be a little more difficult. One Reddit user reported that Apple initially wanted him to pay $800 out of pocket for a repair, but eventually relented and replaced the device for free. Still, others are reporting that Apple isn’t offering any help at all.

However, given that users are reporting exactly the same crack in exactly the same place – all without reason – this seems like an issue that’s not the user’s fault.

Either way, contacting your local Genius Bar seems to be the place to start.