Apple’s latest iOS 17.1 update appears to have addressed the screen burn issue reported by some iPhone 15 Pro Max owners. Screen burn-in, which is when a faint image is permanently etched into the display, was an uncommon occurrence for OLED displays and unusual to happen so early in a device’s life cycle. However, Apple has addressed the problem in its latest beta update, iOS 17.1 RC, and early reports suggest that the issue may have been resolved.
Users on platforms like Reddit, Apple’s Community forums, and Twitter/X had expressed their frustrations about the problem, and some have now shared updated pictures after installing the iOS 17.1 update, showing that the screen burn issue appears to have been fixed. However, it is important to note that these reports are from beta testers, and the update is yet to be released to the general public. Thus, we will have to wait and see if other iPhone 15 Pro Max users experience similar success in resolving the image persistence issue.
It is unclear if the problem was actually screen burn-in or a display bug. Normally, image persistence is a hardware fault requiring a screen replacement. Manufacturers, like Apple, use high-quality OLED panels with longer-lasting LEDs to prevent burn-in, along with software algorithms that monitor pixel usage to reduce the risk of image persistence. It is unusual for this issue to occur within a few weeks of use, especially on a high-end device like the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Typically, it takes years for screen burn-in to become noticeable.
Ricky Panesar, founder of iCorrect, a repair specialist, suggests that the problem may not have been screen burn-in, but rather an issue with the algorithm responsible for resetting screen data. He compares it to clearing the screen of an Etch A Sketch. It’s impressive that Apple may have solved the problem through a software update if this analysis is accurate. Apple has not provided further details about the root cause of the problem, but more information may become available once iOS 17.1 is released to the public next week.
In addition to the screen burn issue, there are reports of another bug in iOS 17.0.3 that still persists in the 17.1 update. Some users have experienced their iPhone 15 models turning off and silencing notifications overnight, causing alarms to be missed. Users have also noticed gaps in battery usage data during the night, suggesting that the device has restarted. It is not clear what is causing this issue, and it seems to affect both iOS 17 and previous versions. Apple has not acknowledged these complaints yet, so affected users may have to wait for a future update to resolve the problem.
iOS 17.1 has also addressed other bugs, including keyboard responsiveness, issues with the incoming caller prompt not appearing during calls, and problems with screen time limits resetting randomly for children. Apple had claimed to fix the screen time issue in iOS 16.5 but users reported that it persisted in iOS 17. The 17.1 release notes indicate that this problem has been resolved, but only time will tell if it has been properly fixed.
Overall, Apple seems to have made significant strides in addressing various software bugs with the release of iOS 17.1. However, the true extent of the fixes and their effectiveness will become clearer once the update is widely available to the public.
