If you have recently acquired a device from Apple's iPhone 16 series, particularly the 16 Pro or Pro Max, you may have encountered some touchscreen problems. Fortunately, you are not alone—numerous reports are emerging on various online platforms, especially Reddit, where many iPhone 16 Pro users are voicing similar concerns.
Touchscreen Unresponsiveness
The issues seem to be related to unintended touches, particularly on the right side of the screen where the new camera button is placed. Users have noted that any contact in this sensitive area can temporarily freeze the entire display, with only the home bar remaining responsive. However, 9to5Mac has pointed out that "the problem seems to affect all four screen edges equally."
More specifically, the problem arises when users inadvertently rest their skin on these sensitive regions, leading to system delays or total unresponsiveness. This makes it extremely difficult to swipe or tap, hindering navigation on the device.
Case Sensitivity and Software Design
Users on Reddit have observed that the issue is simpler to trigger when the phone is used without a case. Nonetheless, some individuals still experience the problem even when their device is protected, although it becomes less frequent. Others speculate that the software might have been intentionally developed in this manner to avoid unintended touches while using the camera button.
This situation suggests that a highly sensitive palm rejection algorithm might be responsible for the troubles, as noted by Khaos Tian on Mastodon. He demonstrated that when palm rejection activates, it locks out all touch functions on the iPhone 16. In contrast, he compared this to an iPhone 13 mini, which does not exhibit the same freezing, indicating that the problem may be unique to the iPhone 16 series. Interestingly, some users, like u/cl0ugh, reported that they could not replicate the issue on their iPhone 16 Pro running iOS 18.1 beta, while others have not encountered any problems.
Temporary Solutions and Future Updates
Currently, users are turning to temporary fixes, such as steering clear of the problematic area or utilizing their left hand for interaction, which can be quite cumbersome. Apple has yet to comment officially on the matter, but discussions in forums reveal that many users are hopeful for a prompt software update to resolve this bug.
To check if your iPhone 16 Pro is impacted by this issue, you can perform a touchscreen test similar to this one.
u/Known_Tap_1462 via r/iPhone and 9to5Mac
