Instagram being blamed for iPhone 15 overheating issues

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS edited September 2023

Hot takes on social media about Apple's iPhone 15 overheating problem are starting to point fingers at Instagram for causing the issue.




The launch of the iPhone 15 range has been marred by claims the smartphone is overheating when under load, such as at times it is recharging or being used for intensive gaming. However, it seems that using it for Instagram, a more pedestrian usage of the devices, could also trigger overheating bouts.

As part of his review for the iPhone 15 Pro, Marques Brownless aka MKBHD took time to discuss battery usage and overheating, confirming that he did encounter the latter, "but not what I would expect."

Recounting using the iPhone during hot weather to record footage at a golf event, MKBHD says the iPhone worked fine. However when flying back, with Spotify running as well as flicking through Instagram, the YouTube personality encountered a five-minute period when the iPhone got hot and went through approximately 5% of battery.

"There almost seems to be no rhyme or reason why it does this randomly once in a while," Brownlee offers, alongside a screenshot of the Battery section in Settings. The image shows Instagram as the top battery user at the time the screenshot was taken, with Spotify in second with 15% usage.

Brownlee goes on to propose that bug fixes and app updates could fix the issues in the short term.

Tech reviewer Faruk of iPhonedo also found a similar situation with Instagram on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. He tested the theory by monitoring an iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and iPad Pro that had all been updated to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, and ran Instagram on them all.

In testing, with Instagram running and "almost doing nothing" with the app, it was found to drain the battery by about 10% over the course of ten minutes.

While the iPhoneDo tests seem to have uncovered a smoking gun, namely Instagram on iOS 17, it isn't a problem affecting all users. The YouTuber admits the issue affects a "small group of people," rather than it being a more generalized problem.

Instagram and parent company Meta have yet to address the new claims.

Read on AppleInsider

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 34
    darkvaderdarkvader Posts: 1,146member
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    williamlondongrandact73
  • Reply 2 of 34
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,104member
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    The problem is specific to Instagram.  What to you think is the logical cause? 

    Apple does note code their app for them.  If there was an issue, Meta should have found it in the months iOS 17 was in Beta  


    williamlondonbaconstangdanoxcorradokidkillroyAlex1NFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 34
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,668member
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    You have ZERO basis upon which to make that claim. 

    It's absolutely possible that Insta was accessing system libraries or APIs in a way that didn't conform with proper or documented usage specifications, but worked just fine until Apple changed something. This might not even be on purpose; might just be a bug that didn't show any consequences before (though Insta has always eaten battery like crazy on my phones). 

    We saw that many years ago when Apple switched their laptops' Firewire hardware to a newer version of the Agere chipset, and a bunch of audio interfaces broke. People immediately pointed at Apple and screamed bloody murder. 
    …except that a bunch of interfaces, whose programmers had properly followed spec in their drivers, worked just fine. The others got driver updates eventually and started working with the new 'Books. 

    TL;DR: we don't know whom to blame, at this point. 
    edited September 2023 williamlondonkillroyAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingamFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 34
    mayflymayfly Posts: 385member
    Ooh, Ooh! I know the answer, teacher! Call on me!

    Take Instagram off your iPhone. TWO problems solved:
    1. No more overheating
    2. No more brain damage from addiction to mindless cat memes!

    maltzdee_deebaconstangcorradokidappleinsideruserkillroyAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingamradarthekatdarkvader
  • Reply 5 of 34
    Stabitha_ChristieStabitha_Christie Posts: 554member
    spheric said:
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    You have ZERO basis upon which to make that claim. 

    It's absolutely possible that Insta was accessing system libraries or APIs in a way that didn't conform with proper or documented usage specifications, but worked just fine until Apple changed something. This might not even be on purpose; might just be a bug that didn't show any consequences before (though Insta has always eaten battery like crazy on my phones). 

    We saw that many years ago when Apple switched their laptops' Firewire hardware to a newer version of the Agere chipset, and a bunch of audio interfaces broke. People immediately pointed at Apple and screamed bloody murder. 
    …except that a bunch of interfaces, whose programmers had properly followed spec in their drivers, worked just fine. The others got driver updates eventually and started working with the new 'Books. 

    TL;DR: we don't know whom to blame, at this point. 
    Zero basis for claims is pretty much their brand. I don’t think anyone is buy stock in dark’s comments. 


    williamlondonAlex1Nroundaboutnowwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 34
    king editor the grateking editor the grate Posts: 662member
    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. 
  • Reply 7 of 34
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,123member
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    Have you always been this inept, or was it an acquired trait?
    williamlondontmaycorradokidkillroyAlex1Nsphericroundaboutnowwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 34
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,105member
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.

    Where did you read that? In this article, it plainly stated that .........

    >Tech reviewer Faruk of iPhonedo also found a similar situation with Instagram on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. He tested the theory by monitoring an iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and iPad Pro that had all been updated to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, and ran Instagram on them all.

    In testing, with Instagram running and "almost doing nothing" with the app, it was found to drain the battery by about 10% over the course of ten minutes.<

    So earlier iPhones do have the same problem, when they are updated to iOS 17. If iOS 17 is the problem, then it's the developers that should had tested their apps on iOS 17, using the Beta versions available to them, months before iOS is released. If there's a problem, they should had reported it to Apple so they can determine if the problem is common with other apps and fix it or the developer  should update their apps to run on iOS 17. Either way, it's up to the develops to see that their apps runs on the new iOS if they are the only ones having a problem. It's not up to Apple to see that iOS 17 runs every app that ran on iOS 16 (or earller iOS versions). If this were the case, iOS will soon be the bloatware MS Windows is.

    Or maybe you think an app that drains the battery by 1% a minute, while doiing almost nothing, is not a problem at all.  
    danoxAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingamroundaboutnowwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 34
    crleecrlee Posts: 3member
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    Nope... it's on Facebook.   Google "Negative Testing Facebook", and you can see the story behind what's going on.  It's a test they do to measure app performance on mobile devices.
    killroywilliamlondonroundaboutnowwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 34
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,146member
    Well, scanning and tagging everything on your phone to train Meta AI is bound to use some juice...
    danoxAlex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 34
    CheeseFreezeCheeseFreeze Posts: 1,334member
    Clearly on Apple. The operating system should prevent this from happening.
    williamlondondarkvader
  • Reply 12 of 34
    M68000M68000 Posts: 853member
    red oak said:
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    The problem is specific to Instagram.  What to you think is the logical cause? 

    Apple does note code their app for them.  If there was an issue, Meta should have found it in the months iOS 17 was in Beta  


    So,  Meta had a production or pre production iphone 15 for “months” before the public?
    edited September 2023
  • Reply 13 of 34
    big kcbig kc Posts: 141member
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    Wrong. And delusional. 
    edited September 2023 Afarstarkillroywilliamlondonroundaboutnowwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 34
    big kcbig kc Posts: 141member
    [img] https://media0.giphy.com/media/S9KptvnhkUNi4L58xZ/giphy.gif?cid=2154d3d7a9b453ad13dfab450015868fedfe7173fdc1ddc2&ep=v1_user_favorites&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g[/img]
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 34
    killroykillroy Posts: 282member
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.

    When I look at logs showing programs that are running with function calls that are no longer used, kind of wondering if anything works at all.

    Alex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 34
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,105member
    M68000 said:
    red oak said:
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    The problem is specific to Instagram.  What to you think is the logical cause? 

    Apple does note code their app for them.  If there was an issue, Meta should have found it in the months iOS 17 was in Beta  


    So,  Meta had a production or pre production iphone 15 for “months” before the public?

    One don't need an iPhone 15 to run iOS 17 or any Betas of iOS 17. The guy in the article easily found the same same problem while running Instagram on an iPhone 14 that was updated to iOS 17.  So no excuse for Meta for not knowing of any potential problem with Instagram on iOS 17.

    If it's a hardware issue with the iPhone 15, then it's on Apple to fix it. But hardware issues usually affects way more than a few or just one app. AFAIK, apps don't have direct access to the hardware. They must still go through the OS (or at least suppose to) to access any of the hardware functions.

    Of course there are always the software bugs that pops up only under certain conditions that are difficult to test. Like only if a combination of certain apps happens to be open at the same time. It is impossible to test for all combinations. 
    muthuk_vanalingamFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 34
    jellyapplejellyapple Posts: 116member
    It’s so heat that i thought it’s going to burn, in the midnight of nowhere. No app was running, everything synced. 100% charged. Why? 

    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”. 

    darkvader
  • Reply 18 of 34
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,424member
    Great article, thanks!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 34
    CheeseFreezeCheeseFreeze Posts: 1,334member
    big kc said:
    darkvader said:
    So, the same version of the same app isn't a problem on earlier iPhones or iOS versions.

    But it's somehow that app's fault?

    Nope.  This is on Apple.
    Wrong. And delusional. 
    You’re the one that’s “delusional”.

    Apple designs and builds the SoC, the thermal system, the outer casing, the operating system, the APIs, and is the gatekeeper for every application that runs on an iPhone – and yet the company still blames third party developers?

    How is it even possible that any of these applications can cause unexpected overheating in the first place, and how, if the App Store review process is put in place to protect users, did nobody at Apple catch this during the review process?

    No, this is on Apple and not a third-party developer.
    muthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondonAlex1Ndarkvader
  • Reply 20 of 34
    lowededwookielowededwookie Posts: 1,163member
    This is very reminiscent of the old Microsoft Exchange issue. If you had Outlook or Apple Mail connected to a Microsoft Exchange account your battery would disappear super quick after an update.

    I had this issue and when I disconnected the Exchange account my battery was fine.
    Alex1NdarkvaderFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
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