iOS 18: What can currently cause problems on iPhones
From touchscreen dropouts and disappearing widgets to shorter battery life: These problems plague some iPhone users after the upgrade.
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch)
How smooth is iOS 18? One week after the release of the operating system for iPhones, it appears that the upgrade is running smoothly in numerous instances. However, there are also areas that are causing trouble, at least on some devices.
These include the palm recognition feature, which has apparently been changed by Apple: if the right (or left) thumb touches the display, the touchscreen may be blocked to a certain extent. It then temporarily stops responding to inputs made with the other hand. Users report that this can easily happen when typing with two hands on the digital keyboard.
More display touches with iPhone 16 Pro
The new iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max models are particularly susceptible to touchscreen dropouts, as Apple has once again made the edges of the screen thinner –, making it easier for a finger to accidentally touch the display. However, the problem can also be observed on the iPhone 15 Pro and older models.
Under iOS 17, the screen was not blocked in this way for other touch inputs. It is therefore to be hoped that Apple will make improvements with an update in the near future. The use of an iPhone case usually reduces the problem if it prevents unintentional touches on the screen.
Reports of shorter battery life with iOS 18
There are also increasing reports of a perceived shorter battery life for iPhone 15 Pro (Max) and iPhone 14 Pro (Max) – several days after installing iOS 18. Immediately after installing the upgrade, it is normal for the operating system to be more heavily utilized by background processes, which reduces battery life. Meanwhile, iOS even displays a corresponding note in the battery settings. However, this should disappear within a few days.
There is no concrete remedy here. Users can only hope for bug fix updates from Apple and app providers or resort to very inconvenient and time-consuming workarounds such as a complete reset of the device – without importing a backup.
iOS 18 removes old widgets
Some users also complain about the sudden loss of certain widgets that still appear in the Today view up to iOS 17. The Today view can be accessed by swiping to the right on the lock screen or home screen. Apple has no longer supported these old, sometimes more powerful widgets since iOS 14, although they could still be used – iOS 18 is finally removing them without warning. Users should contact the app provider to find out what alternatives are available.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(lbe)