Is it possible to explode smartphones and laptops remotely?

About 4,500 people have been injured as a result of explosions of communication devices that took place in Lebanon. It was Hezbollah members' pager devices that started blowing up first on September 17. The following day, explosions continued, although it was not just pagers, but walkie-talkies, laptops, radios, smartphones, fingerprinting devices and solar-powered units that started exploding.

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Israel was not the first state to have used remote detonation of communication devices. In fact, a description of such a technology can be found in Pentagon documents from 50 years ago. Israel previously used remotely detonated communication devices in its military operations. For example, one of the leaders of Hamas movement, Yahya Ayyash, received a phone with an explosive planted in it.

The devices that exploded in Lebanon were from a new batch

These and other cases have one thing in common: the devices that exploded in Lebanon on September 17 and 18 had explosives installed in them in advance.

The exploded pagers came from a new batch that arrived in Lebanon about six months ago. According to sources that Reuters, The WSJ and other media referred to, the devices were purchased after the Hezbollah leader ordered to refuse from the use of smartphones. The pager attack led to very serious injuries. If it was for overheated batteries, one would expect less serious injuries and fires, former CIA employee Edward Snowden wrote on X.

Arabic channel Al-Mayadeen said that the explosives that had ben planted into the devices could not be detected by scanners at customs or airports. Moreover, the explosive was developed specifically for the operation.

Can lithium-ion batteries explode spontaneously?

Most cases of explosions of communication devices that did not contain explosives are associated with the ignition of their outdated or defective batteries, physicist Alexander Shirokorad believes. Oftentimes, such explosions are not dangerous. Any device, including large household devices, such as refrigerators or microwaves, may overheat and catch fire.

"If a hacker can cause a short circuit in a lithium battery, it can explode, but only in this particular case. A battery fire without explosives is an unpleasant situation, but it is unlikely to kill anyone," Alexander Shirokorad believes.

The danger of mobile devices is not about a possibility for them to explode. It is about their ability to spy on the user — track their geolocation and all information that the user may transmit while using their phone.

Modern smartphones are protected from self-detonation

According to Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, the batteries used in modern gadgets — iPhones or Android smartphones — are highly reliable. It is very unlikely that such smartphones may spontaneously explode.

"Cell phone batteries have many protective circuits, from temperature sensors to special materials that prevent them from igniting. Hence the conclusion — it is almost impossible to explode a phone or tablet battery, at least not the standard battery that the manufacturer used when creating the device," Eldar Murtazin said.

To avoid a situation similar to the one that happened in Lebanon, one should purchase mobile devices from trusted suppliers and given for repair to certified services.

Details

A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li⁺ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. In comparison with other commercial rechargeable batteries, Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, higher energy density, higher energy efficiency, a longer cycle life, and a longer calendar life. Also noteworthy is a dramatic improvement in lithium-ion battery properties after their market introduction in 1991: over the following 30 years, their volumetric energy density increased threefold while their cost dropped tenfold.