iPhone 15: Apple reveals the reason for the overheating

Apple confirms reports of iPhone 15 (Pro Max) overheating. According to the company, the problems are due to software bugs in iOS 17, which should be fixed soon. Many users had previously complained that their new iPhone became unusually hot after just a few minutes.

Independent tests by tech experts showed that some – but by no means all – iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max actually run much hotter during use than previous iPhone models or smartphones from rivals such as Samsung or Oppo.

It was speculated that the titanium used in the case, the newly developed chip or a faulty cooling system could be responsible for the heat generated by the mobile phone. Apple denies this. Instead, the titanium housing should provide better heat dissipation.

Apple wants to solve the overheating problem with an update without reducing the performance of the processor. Future performance tests will have to show whether this is possible. Performance stress testing currently indicates that some new iPhone 15 models only reach peak performance for a short period of time before the CPU clock speed needs to be dramatically reduced to prevent overheating.

Apple blames Instagram and Uber

On the one hand, the problem is due to an error in the new operating system iOS 17. On the other hand, problems with some third-party apps such as Instagram, Uber or “Asphalt 9” caused the devices to become overloaded and warmer than normal. Instagram resolved the problem with an update at the end of September, Apple told financial service Bloomberg.

At the same time, the company pointed out that reconfigured iPhones may initially feel warmer overall because the electronics are working harder in the background.

Using power supplies with more than 20 watts could also make the new iPhone warmer. However, the competition has been offering much more powerful power supplies with over 60 watts for some time, which do not cause heat problems because the devices are cooled during charging.

Some users complained that the new iPhone 15 (Pro Max) becomes extremely hot while charging The charging process is partially aborted. Apple now assures that the new USB-C ports are not responsible for the overheating.

Excessive heat generation is not only unpleasant, it also damages the battery in the long term if the problem is not resolved. For example, with the iPhone 14 (Pro), numerous users complained about a rapidly aging battery after just one year. A possible cause is suboptimal temperature control.

The online news service heise.de provides some tips to get the temperature of your smartphone back under control:

According to the American company, overheating does not pose a safety risk and the performance of the affected models would not suffer from overheating. However, it remains unclear whether the problem really lies in Apple’s operating system and when an update can be expected.

Whether it is actually a purely software problem remains to be seen, the German tech magazine emphasizes.