Apple's iPhone 16 launch came with a handful of novelties that older models do not possess. While the changes are more than a welcome addition, some of them are causing issues with registering taps and swipes on the display. It has been recently reported that iPhones running Apple's latest iOS 18 update could be causing intermittent touchscreen responsiveness issues, including the new iPhone 16 Pro models with slimmer bezels.
iPhone users are reporting touch issues on various models after iOS 18 update
The issue seems to be affecting a wide range of devices ranging from the iPhone 14 to the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models. Users took to Reddit to share their complaints of unresponsive areas on the iPhone's screen, an issue that is causing annoyance among users, especially when it comes to typing. Users are having a hard time scrolling on display, as swipes are ignored, and it is difficult to press buttons.
The issue is very noticeable when users type on the iPhone, as various keystrokes are missed, leading to typos. 9to5mac initially shared that the issue was exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro models, but it appears widespread across various models. On the iPhone 16 Pro, slimmer bezels could be the reason why the display is acting up and not registering taps and swipes.
Due to the slimmer bezels, sometimes the palm of your hand touches the display, rendering the rest of the screen unresponsive. The issue is not really unsolvable at this stage, and Apple could implement some palm rejection or accidental touch rejection system. However, this poses a concern for the industry as bezels are on a roll to get smaller each year on all flagship smartphones. On the rest of the devices, the cause of the issue could be the overly sensitive touch rejection algorithms in place in iOS 18, which accidentally reject intentional taps and swipes. It was also recently reported that the iOS 18 is causing refresh rate issues on iPhones, but the two issues appear to be different in nature.
Some users have also stated that the issue stems from the Camera Control button, but it is unclear at this stage how the two aspects are related. In any case, the issue comes into play when the iPhone models are unlocked and in use. A user posted the demo on Mastodon, highlighting that the issue can be intentionally triggered and appears to be related to the software.
Apple will possibly release a new software update soon which will come with a handful of fixes for the touch issues on the iPhone after the iOS 18 update. We will keep you posted as soon as the update arrives, so be sure to stick around for more details.
