New iPhone 15 Pro overheating reports: Still too hot after iOS 17.0.3 and fresh issues arise after the update
After publishing my thermal images of the iPhone 15 Pro before and after updating to iOS 17.0.3 -- which has resolved the overheating issue when fast-charging -- I have received reports from iPhone 15 Pro users who are still having problems with their phones getting too hot, even after updating to iOS 17.0.3.
Also: iPhone 15 Pro overheating: Thermal photos before and after iOS 17.0.3
None of the reports have involved overheating during fast-charging, so that issue does still appear to be fixed. However, people have reported problems with their iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max overheating when making phone calls, playing games, keeping their phone in their pocket, playing music, using the camera.
Reports: Overheating continues after iOS 17.0.3
These reports have come through social media, so it's not possible to fully verify all of them. However, one of them comes from a former colleague I trust and the most severe report came from a source I was able to follow up with who did provide convincing evidence of their overheating issue.
On the left, you can see the screen burn-in issue on this iPhone 15 Pro Max from the wallpaper image on the right.
That's Gabriel Suchowolski, a graphic designer in Madrid, Spain, who bought an iPhone 15 Pro Max. He upgraded from an iPhone 13 Pro, which he reported only ever got a little warm when he was on a very long phone call or playing a graphics-heavy game. After getting the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he said it would get hot -- "not hot that burns, but hot like toast ... in the area to the right of the [camera] lenses and on the side near the volume buttons." He said this happened specifically when making phone calls longer than a minute and when taking 4-5 photos or more in a row. And it continued to happen consistently even after he updated his phone to iOS 17.0.3.
Suchowolski provided a photo of a thermometer he used to measure the temperature of his iPhone 15 Pro Max when it was overheating. The thermometer clocked the temperature at 42 degrees Celsius. That's 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit -- very similar to the 107.1 F reading I got during my testing of the phone when fast-charging, before iOS 17.0.3.
In addition to overheating, Suchowolski also experienced some odd screen burn-in, as shown in the photo on the right (similar to an issue reported by a Twitter user). The combination of these two problems could mean that this particular phone has quality control issues. Suchowolski has AppleCare+ on his iPhone 15 Pro Max and has an appointment at an Apple Store to give Apple Support a chance to look at the device and rectify the situation.
My former CNET colleague, César Concepción Salza, also reported that he has had overheating issues, even after updating to iOS 17.0.3. He reported experiencing parts of his screen freezing as well.
On Twitter/X, I received reports from a number of people who were still experiencing heat issues after iOS 17.0.3. For example:
- @Tehosc reported, "My 15 pro max is still over heating even after the update. I just listen to music w/ my AirPods on. (Phone in pocket) and it gets really hot."
- @nickjemetta reported, " iPhone 15 pro max gets hot when in my pocket. Never had an issue with my iPhone 11. Should have stuck with that."
Reports: New overheating issues after iOS 17.0.3
Sam Harman, an engineering team lead in the UK, reported that he didn't start having overheating issues until after he updated his iPhone 15 Pro Max to iOS 17.0.3. Since then he's started experiencing overheating when using the camera to take photos and shoot video.
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Similarly, user TotalMacMove on the MacRumors forums reported having an overheating issue with their iPhone 15 Pro during a MagSafe fast-charging session on the popular Belkin 3-in-1 BoostCharge Pro. They reported that they've used the charger for three years with no issues and didn't have any issues charging the iPhone 15 Pro during the first two weeks with it.
But, after updating to iOS 17.0.3, they reported, "I woke up yesterday morning with my phone at 68% and multiple alerts saying charging has been paused due to temperature and the phone was extremely hot. Last night I turned off standby mode and tried charging via magsafe again and it got the same temperature warning after 30 minutes so I just plugged it in with a 20W apple charging cable/block. It was still hotter than normal this morning but charged to 100% without any warnings."
Reports: Overheating issues resolved by iOS 17.0.3
I've also received plenty of reports from people whose overheating issues were resolved by iOS 17.0.3. One example is a long-time industry colleague, Dwight Silverman.
Silverman reported, "The update solved my issues. For a few hours after installing it, the phone seemed warm, which likely had to do with the usual post-update iOS optimization. But now it's running cool, maybe even cooler than my iPhone 14 Pro Max did. And battery life seems better, too. I also updated the latest version of Instagram, which apparently was a big trigger for the iOS bug."
What should you do?
Apple continues to stand by its recent statements about iPhone overheating. Here's a quick summary:
- The new titanium frame and aluminum substructure actually offers improved heat dissipation.
- Third-party apps can overload the CPU and cause the phone to run hotter than normal, and Apple is working to identify those and collaborate with software developers on fixes.
- Using a charger over 20W will result in the iPhone temporarily increasing in temperature but it's normal and not dangerous.
- All iOS devices have overheating safety protections in place that won't allow the devices to heat up to the point where they could become an injury or safety risk.
We'll see whether Apple amends any of those statements in light of these latest overheating reports, or if these are simply a handful of quality control problems with certain batches of manufactured iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models.
If you are still experiencing overheating issues, I'd recommend downloading the Apple Support app to your iPhone and filing a report on the issue. This will allow you to share the details, text with a support rep, and/or make an appointment to have your device looked at by an Apple technician.
If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max and you are not having problems with overheating, limiting fast-charging (over 20W) to only the times when you truly need it is still a good idea because it can protect your phone's long-term battery health.