Apple Issues Fix for Overheating iPhone 15s

Apple’s newest iPhone may be a hot commodity, flying off the shelves during preorder time, but when users got their hands on the phone, they reported that it overheated quickly, proving too hot to handle without a case. 

Apple released a fix for the overheating issue on Wednesday with iOS 17.0.3, its newest update. In addition to the standard bug fixes and security upgrades, the update tackles the elephant in the room, or "the issue that may cause iPhone to run warmer than expected,” according to its release page. 

Apple said on Monday that some iPhone 15s overheated due to an operating system bug and issues within popular third-party apps like Instagram, Uber and the video game Asphalt 9. The apps overloaded the iPhone 15's system when in use.

Users were concerned about their new iPhones overheating. One YouTuber, BullsLab, measured the surface temperature of an iPhone 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max with a thermal camera. Both models heated up past 46 degrees Celsius, or 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Another customer on X said that the iPhone 15 Pro Max in blue titanium got “extremely hot” to the point where they couldn’t use it and pointed out that their previous iPhones “never experienced this level of heat.”

The heating problem did not impact the phone’s long-term performance, according to Apple, nor did it pose an injury risk. Apple said that the issue did not have anything to do with the phone’s new USB-C port or the titanium material used in the high-end iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. 

It’s not unusual for iPhones or iPads to get warm, especially when they’re first set up or when processor-intensive apps are used. Apple has a page dedicated to telling users what to look out for with temperature changes and when to be alarmed.