Apple blames iOS 17 bugs and apps like Instagram for making iPhone 15s run hot

Apple has acknowledged user complaints that iPhone 15 and 15 Pro phones are overheating, reports Forbes, but said that contrary to speculation, it has nothing to do with the phone’s hardware design. Forbes noted an update to Instagram has already rolled out with version 302, released September 27th, to address some of the issues.

Bloomberg notes an unnamed Apple spokesperson specifically mentioning Instagram, Uber, and the game Asphalt 9 as examples of apps that could cause the devices to “run warmer than normal.”

Apple also says there is no safety risk in the thermal issues but that other factors, like USB-C power adapters with more-than-20W charging and background processing that occurs shortly after a phone is restored, can make a phone warmer than an iPhone user might be accustomed to.

The company further told Forbes that the fix, which should come with iOS 17.1, won’t result in throttled performance, which some, like Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, have said was a possibility.

Apple made some big changes with the iPhone 15 phones, including the new A17 Pro chip made from TSMC’s 3nm process, and the use of titanium in its frame’s construction. The chip and its new six-core GPU is supposed to be one of the big selling points of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max since it makes it possible for the game to run graphics-intensive games like Resident Evil Village, which is due out later this year, at near-console fidelity.