Apple confirms iOS 17 fix for overheating iPhones is on the way

AppleInsider

The iPhone 15 overheating issue is being worked on by Apple, the company has confirmed, with an iOS 17 bug and third-party apps blamed for some of the hot iPhone reports.

iPhone 15 Pro

Following the launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lines, Apple has had to face claims and reports about the new smartphones overheating in various situations. On Saturday, the iPhone maker has confirmed it is aware of the reports, and it's working to solve the problem.

In comments received by Forbes on the matter, Apple states "We have identified a few conditions which can cause iPhone to run warmer than expected." During the first few days of setting up or restoring a device, Apple advises some warmth can be expected "because of increased background activity."

This activity can include the iPhone redownloading apps and bought content, as well as a lengthy period of indexing all files for Spotlight search.

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Apple brings up software as a second port of call for the heat issue. "We have also found a bug in iOS 17 that is impacting some users and will be addressed in a software update," Apple says without specifying what the bug actually is.

"Another issue involves some recent updates to third-party apps that are causing them to overload the system," Apple continued. "We're working with these app developers on fixes that are in the process of rolling out."

One prominent example of third-party app problems is Instagram, with it claimed to not only overheat the iPhone but to also heavily consume the battery for brief periods of time.

Testing via YouTube personalities determined that there were occasions when using Instagram triggered overheating for up to 10 minutes at a time.

While reports from the public focused on Apple's latest smartphone launches, it seems at least for Instagram that it affects other models too. Some iPhone 14 generation devices had the same heat issues as their iPhone 15 counterparts, again using Instagram and after updating to iOS 17.

Speaking to CNet, Apple also added to the list of affected apps, mentioning Uber and Asphalt 9 as overloading the A17 Pro's CPU. As for Instagram, an update was released on September 27 to combat the issue.

Apple also touched on charging, confirming that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max support any USB-C adapter that is compliant with the USB-C standard, along with USB Power Delivery. Apple also said it caps charging to a maximum of 27W, and that a warming of the iPhone can occur when charging beyond 20W.

Apple didn't advise when it would issue a fix for the situation, but there's a chance it could be incorporated into iOS 17.1.

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kpom

It’s good to get an official response. It sounds like the fix won’t affect performance. 

chasm

I’m glad for the quick work from Apple, though to be fair it seems that Instagram and the other listed programs were running into an iOS 17 bug Apple accidentally created, rather than themselves being the problem — UNLESS they were working around some API restrictions, of course, in which case I’m sure Apple will be quick to (rightfully) name and shame in the near future.

edited September 2023

eriamjh

kpom said:  

It’s good to get an official response. It sounds like the fix won’t affect performance. 

Shouldn’t be a big deal if it’s all background stuff.  Apple will realize they should limit the chip to t tasks instead of 10 at setup.  

phoenix1386

Not that "inconsistent" and "temperatures within spec" now, eh Malcolm?  

edited September 2023

toortog

They will probably take a page from the IBM OS2 game book.  Apple will dial back performance of their chip to reduce heat on the chip that was suppose to run cooler.  Then like OS2 they will crank up the screen IO to make things appear to the user as still speedy.  I'd say Apple and TSMC has pushed out the 3nm chips before they are ready for prime time. 

ericthehalfbee

Toortog said:

They will probably take a page from the IBM OS2 game book.  Apple will dial back performance of their chip to reduce heat on the chip that was suppose to run cooler.  Then like OS2 they will crank up the screen IO to make things appear to the user as still speedy.  I'd say Apple and TSMC has pushed out the 3nm chips before they are ready for prime time. 

Ridiculous. Apple would have had 3nm sample processors a long time ago for testing/verification. Issues would have shown up then. If 3nm wasn’t ready Apple would have stuck with 4nm.

sdw2001

I doubt it since every phone I’ve had since the iPhone 6 has the dimming screen “feature” when the phone starts to heat up. That can just be from normal use…. not even in direct sunlight.   have it in sunlight on a summer day, and it becomes illegible.  Some have been better and some have been worse but my iPhone 14 Pro Max still does it. So I have my doubts about their heating “fix.”  

jellyapple

Hands-on experience shows that iphone 15 is not actually faster than iphone 14 if it’s not over-clocked. But over-clocking means heat, excessively. After the launching hype, just turning off over-clocking, temperature returns to normal and so called “fixed”. 

edited September 2023

9secondkox2

jellyapple said:

Hands-on experience shows that iphone 15 is not actually faster than iphone 14 if it’s not over-clocked. But over-clocking means heat, excessively. After the launching hype, just turning off over-clocking, temperature returns to normal and so called “fixed”. 

It’s not overclocked when it’s designed to operate at that speed. 

At 3nm, there’s plenty of overhead. 

Software bugs and malicious code can and do drive CPUs crazy regardless of how well designed. 

king editor the grate

I got first message today that iPhone 15 Pro Maxxx needs to cool down while recording voice memo and shooting RAW pics in sun in 73-degree weather using Series 9 as remote. Wonder if I should have gone with lighter color than blue. Got it launch day so background activity should be moderate.

m68000

Toortog said:

They will probably take a page from the IBM OS2 game book.  Apple will dial back performance of their chip to reduce heat on the chip that was suppose to run cooler.  Then like OS2 they will crank up the screen IO to make things appear to the user as still speedy.  I'd say Apple and TSMC has pushed out the 3nm chips before they are ready for prime time. 

OS2 ?   Wow there is some nostalgia.   Let me look for the 13 floppy disks used to load windows 95 version A that i used to use.  Wait, threw those out like 20 years ago.

hammadmurtaza

Not only Iphone 15 heating up 
My iPhone 13 is also heating up

davidw

chasm said:

I’m glad for the quick work from Apple, though to be fair it seems that Instagram and the other listed programs were running into an iOS 17 bug Apple accidentally created, rather than themselves being the problem — UNLESS they were working around some API restrictions, of course, in which case I’m sure Apple will be quick to (rightfully) name and shame in the near future.

Not so sure about Instagram. It seems Instagram put out an update several days ago to deal with the heat problem created by their app (on some iPhones running iOS 17). If the heat problem was caused by an Apple iOS 17 bug, then one would think Instagram (Meta) would have waited for Apple to fix their bug, with an update to iOS 17.  

Maybe Zuckerberg owed Cook a big favor and decided to fix the problem in Instagram, instead of letting Apple having to deal with it in iOS 17.  

Of course, maybe Instagram was working around some API restrictions and their update got rid of it.  And the was their fix. 

y2an

Why is iOS not taking action on excessive energy use by apps and giving warnings, or slowing them down? That is, after all, why we have operating systems. 

thrang

That it seems to be a handful of third party apps out of all available and that Apple identified them fairly quickly is quite positive..

Of course, to those who want third party app stores without the same integration into and oversight by Apple's ecosystem... how do you think that picture will look if such App Store are permitted??

eightzero

https://daringfireball.net/2023/10/overheatgate_nothingburger

melgross

Toortog said:

They will probably take a page from the IBM OS2 game book.  Apple will dial back performance of their chip to reduce heat on the chip that was suppose to run cooler.  Then like OS2 they will crank up the screen IO to make things appear to the user as still speedy.  I'd say Apple and TSMC has pushed out the 3nm chips before they are ready for prime time. 

No, that’s not happening. There’s nothing wrong with the hardware. These types of software issues crop every time a new model is released, for other manufacturers as well.

i’d say you’re just blowing smoke.

melgross

davidw said:

chasm said:

I’m glad for the quick work from Apple, though to be fair it seems that Instagram and the other listed programs were running into an iOS 17 bug Apple accidentally created, rather than themselves being the problem — UNLESS they were working around some API restrictions, of course, in which case I’m sure Apple will be quick to (rightfully) name and shame in the near future.

Not so sure about Instagram. It seems Instagram put out an update several days ago to deal with the heat problem created by their app (on some iPhones running iOS 17). If the heat problem was caused by an Apple iOS 17 bug, then one would think Instagram (Meta) would have waited for Apple to fix their bug, with an update to iOS 17.  

Maybe Zuckerberg owed Cook a big favor and decided to fix the problem in Instagram, instead of letting Apple having to deal with it in iOS 17.  

Of course, maybe Instagram was working around some API restrictions and their update got rid of it.  And the was their fix. 

Someone in YouTube said that he found YouTube to be a problem for him and he has a temp. work-around. I’ve been reading elsewhere that it’s a problem. Remember all the problems with Messenger?

melgross

y2an said:

Why is iOS not taking action on excessive energy use by apps and giving warnings, or slowing them down? That is, after all, why we have operating systems. 

Because the OS can’t tell if it’s excessive or not. It doesn’t know exactly what the apps are doing. But. You can check the actual battery usage of each app and get some idea.

edited October 2023

xed

Kuo sank Apple's stock almost 3% with BS post that jumped to a conclusion about titanium over SS. It makes me wonder who really benefited from his news.