Apple acknowledges iPhone X becoming unresponsive in cold weather, promises software fix

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited November 2017
The iPhone X can temporarily lose touch functionality in cold weather, Apple admitted on Thursday in response to owner complaints.




"We are aware of instances where the iPhone X screen will become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment," a spokesperson told The Loop. "After several seconds the screen will become fully responsive again. This will be addressed in an upcoming software update."

Apple didn't offer a timetable for the patch.

On Wednesday a Reddit thread emerged on the topic, with the original poster complaining that his iPhone became unresponsive just seconds after stepping into cold weather. Some other commenters reported similar issues.

Officially iPhones, iPads, and the iPod touch are only built to run in ambient temperatures between 32 and 95 Fahrenheit. Going beyond those limits can cause a device to "change its behavior to regulate its temperature," the company says, even shutting down completely.

Many Apple customers live in places that regularly become colder however, and the issue is particularly critical with the iPhone X, which doesn't have a physical home button to fall back on.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 56
    jdgazjdgaz Posts: 404member
    ColdGate has arrived. Buy the dip.
    fmalloyAnilu_777racerhomiesdw2001almondroca
  • Reply 2 of 56
    AlexanderHCAlexanderHC Posts: 6member
    Thank God! I thought I was about to have an iPhone with intermittent problems which I can never get fixed! Phew! Let's hope they find that software fix and release it soon rather then later. 
    netmage
  • Reply 3 of 56
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,925member
    This is nothing new - living in MN, my wife and I routinely have our iPhones go unresponsive and shut down if they get cold. Bring them inside and warm them up and they comeback to life. I think the processsor must be a reptile.
    russwStrangeDaysnetmageracerhomieSoliben20almondrocapscooter63jony0
  • Reply 4 of 56
    KuyangkohKuyangkoh Posts: 838member
    Apple is quick in fixing issues unlike some phone Co....new kid in the block usually stumble a bit, hehe don’t worry you are protected by a trillion (almost) company, hehe
    Soli
  • Reply 5 of 56
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    AlexanderHC said:
    Thank God! I thought I was about to have an iPhone with intermittent problems which I can never get fixed! Phew! Let's hope they find that software fix and release it soon rather then later. 
    I thought you were being sarcastic. I have never owned an iPhone where this did not happen. The iPhone 5s would last minutes in cold weather. I am talking really cold but it would shut down regardless of charge. I'd get a few pictures taken and that would be it. The 6s is marginally better but by no means great.
    Soli
  • Reply 6 of 56
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Doomed! 

    Odd bug. 
  • Reply 7 of 56
    king editor the grateking editor the grate Posts: 646member
    "Many Apple customers live in places that regularly become colder however, and the issue is particularly critical with the iPhone X, which doesn't have a physical home button to fall back on."

    Southern Illinois gets both far colder and somewhat hotter, although days over 100 are mercifully scarce. Loads of summer humidity though. Haven't experienced electronics issues, however.
  • Reply 8 of 56
    Anilu_777Anilu_777 Posts: 526member
    This is the same for all touchscreens I’ve ever used. For two of them, the BlackBerry Z10 and Z30, touch was crucial as there was no home button (sound familiar?). So it’s not new. But I’m glad Apple will do something about it as the X’s reputation (and presumably that of subsequent models) depends on it “just working”. 
  • Reply 9 of 56
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    Apple: "We tested it in Silicon Valley California all summer and found it worked great."
    anantksundaramnetroxtallest skildysamoriagatorguySolikipowskypscooter63
  • Reply 10 of 56
    greginpraguegreginprague Posts: 484member
    mike54 said:
    Is this an issue with LCD screens?
    Can't be, the iPhone X doesn't have an LCD screen...
  • Reply 11 of 56
    levilevi Posts: 344member
    jdgaz said:
    ColdGate has arrived. Buy the dip.
    May be now I won’t get called at $170
  • Reply 12 of 56
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,913member
    Which screen tech is better against much colder and much warmer temperature/weather ? LCD or OLED ? That is the Question !!
  • Reply 13 of 56
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,404member
    These sorts of ball-drops -- even if minor -- are getting to be a tad annoying. One would think this sort of thing was basic quality control. 
  • Reply 14 of 56
    tshapitshapi Posts: 370member
    I don’t think it’s a “bug” the “touch screen” senses the heat from your fingers that’s how it works. If the weather is too cold the. Your fingers get cold too. So I suspect it has to do with this.  Apple just needs to adjust something related to the sensor in the phone I would guess. Probably how heat sensitive it is if I had to guess 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 15 of 56
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    suddenly newton said:
    Apple: "We tested it in Silicon Valley California all summer and found it worked great.”
    That’s how I feel about a lot of these things. Tesla works great! As long as you don’t live anywhere cold. Self-driving cars? Sure! Except for darkness, rain, snow, fog…
    baconstangpscooter63
  • Reply 16 of 56
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Weird that they can fix this in software. 
    netmagedysamoriapscooter63
  • Reply 17 of 56
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,105member
    Maybe they were factoring in global warming  ;)
    entropysStrangeDaysSoli
  • Reply 18 of 56
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member
    anantksundaram said:
    These sorts of ball-drops -- even if minor -- are getting to be a tad annoying. One would think this sort of thing was basic quality control. 
    It works in the recommended temperature range and it’s the same issue on most touchscreen phones.
    StrangeDaystallest skil
  • Reply 19 of 56
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member
    tshapi said:
    I don’t think it’s a “bug” the “touch screen” senses the heat from your fingers that’s how it works.
    Back to school for you. Capacitance, not heat.
    dysamoriaStrangeDaysmike1Solipscooter63apple jockey
  • Reply 20 of 56
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,302member
    Anyone concerned about this issue might want to enable AssistiveTouch from the Accessibility menu--it will create a visual home button.
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