For the past week, the jubilant iPhone 15 launch has been somewhat overshadowed by widespread reports of overheating. According to many users on X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and Apple’s forums, the new handsets can get so hot as to be hard to hold. Apple has finally responded and assures a fix is on the way.
In a statement to media outlets, Apple is confident that the issue is related to software rather than the A17 Pro chip or titanium enclosure. The company has targeted three possible reasons for the overheating in some iPhone 15 Pro models:
- Apple says iPhones “may feel warmer during the first few days after setting up or restoring the device because of increased background activity.” That’s a fairly common issue with new smartphones but appears to have been exasperated with the iPhone 15 launch.
- Some apps (including Instagram and Uber) that were recently updated to support iOS 17 have been overloading the A17 Pro chip’s CPU. Apple says it is working with affected developers on fixes that are in the process of rolling out.
- A bug in iOS 17 that is “impacting some users” will be addressed in a future software update.
Apple insists that the overheating issues aren’t related to the A17 Pro processor, iPhone 15’s titanium chassis, or its updated internal design. The company also squashed a report from Ming-Chi Kuo that it could limit performance to keep the system-on-chip cool under heavier loads, saying it “will not be lowering the performance of the A17 Pro chip” as part of the planned fixes.
Apple began testing iOS 17.1 on Wednesday, though a fix could come as part of an iOS 17.0.3 update as well.