Some users discovered a software bug causing the iPhone X to freeze up in cold weather. Disappointing, but what do you expect from a phone that only costs as much as a few cups of coffee?
Photo: Gizmodo/Alex Cranz
“It literally takes 2 seconds from going inside to the cold outdoors and my screen stops being very responsive,” Reddit user darus214 wrote. “I try swiping on websites and it doesn’t register my finger.”
Within hours, the Reddit thread amassed more than 130 comments. Some users said they haven’t experienced the issue, while others reported having the same problem: The iPhone X works fine indoors, but suddenly goes unresponsive when taken outside into cold weather. One user reported Face ID fails outside as well.
Apple recommends that owners “Use iOS devices where the ambient temperature is between 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F)”. The company cautions that trying to use one of its gadgets outside that temperature range might “cause the device to change its behaviour”. Still, as users in the Reddit thread note, and as this blogger can anecdotally attest, using an iPhone outside in the winter usually isn’t a problem.
In a statement provided to Gizmodo and others, Apple assured users an “upcoming software update” will resolve the issue, seemingly confirming Reddit’s hunch that the problem is the phone’s internal software:
“We are aware of instances where the iPhone X screen will become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment. After several seconds the screen will become fully responsive again. This will be addressed in an upcoming software update.”
In the meantime, users have discovered a solution so simple it’s almost charming: Simply locking, and then unlocking the screen using the phone’s physical side buttons gets the screen to be responsive again.
[The Loop]