Apple has finally acknowledged that there is a structural problem with its iPhone 6 Plus which causes the device's screen to freeze and become unresponsive.
The condition, which is accompanied by grey flickering bars at the top of the screen, was christened "touch disease" by the US-based iFixit repair advocacy group in August.
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Tech experts believe many more devices could be affected by the the well-known 'touch disease' defect in Apple's iPhone 6 Plus.
Although the existence of the issue had been known for months, Apple had refused to acknowledge that it was widespread or offer any solution beyond its standard out-of-warranty replacement service. The service involves swapping a damaged iPhone 6 Plus for a refurbished one at the cost $519.
Under a new policy announced on Friday, Apple will repair iPhone 6 Plus devices affected affected with the touch screen problems for a service fee of $228.95.
To qualify, however, the device needs to be in "working order" with a screen that is "not cracked or broken".
"Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device," the company said.
The company has also agreed to reimburse iPhone 6 Plus owners who paid for repairs related to the issue using Apple or Apple Authorised Service Providers.
iFixit co-founder Kyle Wiens previously told Fairfax Media that because of a design flaw in the iPhone 6 Plus, it was likely that many of the popular devices would eventually succumb to the condition.
![The iPhone 6 Plus.](/web/20161122064331im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/g/z/8/f/k/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gstbui.png/1479682773657.jpg)
The issue was caused by what Mr Wiens called "design anorexia" - the imperative to make smartphones ever thinner and lighter.
It relates to the 2014 "bend-gate" incident, when some iPhone 6 Plus owners found that their devices had been bent out of shape after carrying them in their back pockets.
![A grey flickering bar across the top of the iPhone screen is a symptom of the so-called "touch disease".](/web/20161122064331im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/1/e/9/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gstbui.png/1479682773657.jpg)
Bending or frequent dropping of the phone can cause the touch-screen controller chips to be dislodged from their mounts on the phone's logic board.
Apple subsequently upgraded the quality of the aluminium used for the casing on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in what was seen as a tacit admission that the material used in the earlier model was too flimsy.
![iFixit's co-founder and repair advocate, Kyle Wiens.](/web/20161122064331im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/y/c/d/p/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gstbui.png/1479682773657.jpg)
Earlier this year, a number of aggrieved iPhone 6 Plus owners in the US filed a class action suit, accusing Apple of fraud and violating California consumer protection laws and seeking unspecified damages.