Apple iPhone with unresponsive screens are making it hard to navigate and type messages, according to some users, who suggest the flaw is caused by the iOS 18 software update.
Posts about the problem on Reddit have accumulated thousands of upvotes and comments, and countless users have shared their frustration.
Most of the issues are linked to a specific area on the right side of the device near the bottom. This is where the new camera control button is located on the latest iPhone 16 range, which allows users to quickly access camera functions and settings.
According to user reports, if you accidentally touch this region first, the entire iPhone screen becomes unresponsive, with the exception of the home bar. Naturally, the issue is harder to trigger if your iPhone is housed in a case, making it trickier to touch the outer regions of the display.
The glitch is reproducible across several models including the iPhone 13, 12 Mini, and 16 Pro Max, leading some to speculate that it’s a software bug.
Multiple users have suggested that the flaw could be related to a technical feature known as “palm rejection”. This function is designed to ignore unintended touch inputs from the palm when using a stylus or pen on a tablet, allowing users to rest their hand on the screen while writing or drawing.
The theory being floated is that Apple may have implemented palm rejection technology on iPhones, especially with the introduction of new features like the camera control button.
While the cause is debated, many believe it stems from the latest iOS 18 update rather than hardware faults, as even older models are affected after installation.
We asked Apple for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
In a sign of just how rare this type of issue is on Apple’s devices, the last time so-called “dead spots” were reported by users was on the original iPhone in 2007. Back then, Apple apparently offered replacements to affected users as the problem was found to be a hardware anomaly.
This time round, if it does turn out to be iOS 18-related, expect Apple to release a software update with a fix.