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- There have been numerous reports saying the new iPhone 15 Pro can encounter overheating issues.
- Apple confirmed that a bug in iOS 17 and various third-party app updates are contributing to heating issues.
- Apple said a software fix is in the works.
Apple said it will fix a bug it found in iOS 17 that is causing overheating issues in iPhones, and is working with developers to ensure their apps don't overload the devices.
There's been widespread reports from users saying the iPhone 15 Pro, which was released on September 22, has been overheating — in some cases, to the point where a customer feels the phone's too hot to even hold. There appear to have been similar complaints about the iPhone 14 Pro as well, but not at the same volume or severity.
Apple said in a statement to multiple news outlets they "found a bug in iOS 17 that is impacting some users and will be addressed in a software update."
The company also attributed the issue to normal overheating caused by increased background activity when setting up a new phone or restoring a device, as well as "recent updates to third-party apps that are causing them to overload the system." Apple says it is in the process of working with the third-party app developers on solutions to this which are currently being implemented.
Two Insider editors with iPhone 15 Pros said they noticed the phone was much warmer when charging, though they agreed that the temperature was still at a level where they could hold the iPhone. One of our editors noted, however, that the higher temperatures persisted off the charger when running games or intensive apps like Google Maps.
The Wall Street Journal previously conducted its own tests and found that their iPhone 15 Pro Max reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit while charging, and 112 degrees when charging and doing other intensive tasks. The publication also published a video showing its thermal tests on the phone.
Some iPhone 15 Pro owners have taken to social media sites in the US and China to complain about the issue.
One Twitter user posted a video of themselves taking a temperature reading of the back of their iPhone 15 — it hit 42 degrees Celsius, or about 108 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the video.
—Mohit Verma (@itz_mohitverma) September 25, 2023
In a discussion forum on Apple's website, one user complained that their iPhone 15 Pro got hot enough that it was uncomfortable to hold after just 10 minutes streaming videos over wifi with the screen at 30% brightness, noting that the battery also dropped by 15% in the same period of time.
Bloomberg reported that Apple tech support agents have been fielding complaints about iPhone 15 Pro models getting too hot and directing customers to an existing support page about what to do if your iPhone or iPad gets too hot or too cold. On the support page, Apple acknowledges that iPhones can feel hotter when you set up the device for the first time, restore it from a backup, wirelessly charge your phone, or play graphically demanding games or stream high-quality video.
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Notably, Apple has not attributed any of the overheating issues to the titanium frame on iPhone 15 Pro models, pushing back on a theory from noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo said in a Medium post that he believes any overheating issues are primarily caused by "compromises made in the thermal system design to achieve a lighter weight" related to the titanium frame. In other words, the titanium casing may make it more difficult for heat to dissipate from the phone, causing overheating.
Apple told CNET that the titanium frame and aluminum substructure aren't contributing to the issue, and actually dissipate heat better than the stainless steel used in prior Pro models. The iPhone 15 Pro is the first smartphone made by Apple that features a titanium frame.