Users Say iPhone X Doesn't Work Right in the Cold, But Apple Promises to Fix It

APPLE

Just in time for winter, some users discovered a software bug causing the iPhone X to freeze up in cold weather. Yeesh, for 1000 bucks, you'd think your phone would work in a little chill. 

"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 reportedhaving the same problem: The iPhone X works fine indoors, butsuddenly goes unresponsive when taken outside into cold weather. One user reported Face ID failsoutside 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 it outside that temperature range might "cause the device to change its behavior." 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 ]