TheiPhone 16 Proand iPhone 16 Pro Max are Apple’s latest flagship iPhones. The Pro models include the thinnest bezels of any Apple product, an even more powerful camera set-up, and a whole newCamera Control buttonto play with.
Understandably, people who bought an iPhone 16 Pro are excited about their new purchase, but many owners of these new iPhones are reporting continual problems with the touchscreens on their new devices.
5 reasons I picked the iPhone 16 Pro over the standard iPhone 16
You probably don’t need to go Pro. But if you want these features like I do, you may want to consider it.
Multiple posts across various online platforms complain that taps and swipes on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are being completely missed, forcing users to tap multiple times before the action is registered. Here’s what we know so far about the touchscreen issues on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
iPhone 16 Pro
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro line features a few notable upgrades over last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, including a dedicated camera button, a new A18 Pro chip, a bigger screen, and several AI-powered Apple Intelligence features.
Multiple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max users are reporting touchscreen issues
The new iPhones are failing to register taps and swipes
Significant numbers of iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max users aretaking to Reddit, Apple’s official forums, and other online discussion platforms to report persistent problems when using the touchscreen on their brand-new, state-of-the-art iPhones. Multiple users are reporting that their new iPhones aren’t registering some taps and swipes, forcing them to tap or swipe multiple times for the gesture to register.
One of the biggest complaints is that when trying to use the iPhone’s on-screen keyboard to type, taps on some letters fail to register, making typing anything a much slower and more painful process. Users are reporting that the issue is happening regardless of whether they have ascreen protectorinstalled on their devices.
The issue doesn’t appear to be affecting theiPhone 16and iPhone 16 Plus models, with almost all the reports relating to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The issue is most likely a software problem
Smaller bezels may be partly responsible
While this isn’t great news for people who have paid $1,000 or more for a new iPhone, there is some hope on the horizon. It appears that the problem is likely to be a software issue rather than due to faulty hardware. If this is the case, Apple should be able to fix it with a software update; a hardware issue would be much more problematic.
There is speculation that the problem is due to the smaller bezels on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. This means that when you’re gripping your iPhone, you’re more likely to accidentally touch the screen with the fingers holding the device, so when you touch the screen anywhere else, your iPhone registers two touches instead of one.
It appears that the problem is likely to be a software issue rather than due to faulty hardware. If this is the case, Apple should be able to fix it with a software update; a hardware issue would be much more problematic.
Apple may have used software to lower the touchscreen’s sensitivity at the edges to reduce the risk of accidental touches. However, the company may have tweaked things a bit too far, so legitimate touches near the edge of the screen aren’t being registered as they should. If this is the case, Apple should be able to apply a fix via a software update that will make the problem less likely to occur.
Some users are resorting to using QuickPath typing until a fix is found
Typing can be an issue, particularly for letters near the edge
Several users have reported that typing using the native keyboard on their iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been problematic, and that taps are often going unregistered, particularly for letters towards the edge of the screen. This does seem to tally with the theory that the problem relates to the smaller bezels and accidental touches at the edge of the screen; if Apple has turned down sensitivity at the edges, it would explain why some of the keys at the edge of the keyboard are less responsive.
Some users have found that by using QuickPath typing, they have been able to type using their iPhone’s keyboard without as many problems.
Some users have found that typing on their iPhone’s keyboard without as many problems has been easier by using QuickPath typing. QuickPath is a native feature on the iPhone keyboard that lets you type a word bydragging your finger from letter to letterwithout lifting it from the screen. If you’re having problems typing on the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, it may be worth trying this until a fix is found.
Increasing Tracking Sensitivity appears to help some users
It doesn’t solve the problem completely, however
Another potential solution suggested on some forums is to turn up the Tracking Sensitivity setting on your iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max. This setting is supposed to adjust how quickly the pointer moves on your iPhone when a device such as aBluetooth trackpadis connected to your iPhone. Some users have reported that changing this setting to the highest sensitivity has reduced the occurrence of missed touches and swipes, although your mileage may vary.
Apple’s launch is once again riddled with issues
Some devices are being completely bricked
The problems with touch sensitivity on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the latest in a long line of issues that have blighted Apple products at launch. Last year, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max both suffered withoverheating issues, with many users concerned about how hot their devices were getting when they first started using them. Apple took steps to improve the heat management in the iPhone 16 models, which don’t appear to have suffered from the same problem.
However, even with Apple trying to ensure that the overheating problem didn’t happen again, it’s a little awkward that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models have still been released with issues that are affecting a significant number of users.
With problems on multiple devices, many of the best features of iOS 18 missing at launch, and several of them not being released until next year, it’s fair to say that this hasn’t been Apple’s most impressive product launch of all time.
It’s not been the only problem, either. Some M4 iPad Pro users have also had theiriPads completely brickedwhen trying to update to iPadOS 18, causing Apple to pause the release of the software for those specific devices until it could find a fix. Apple has replaced bricked iPads for people who experienced the issue.
With problems on multiple devices, many of the best features of iOS 18missing at launch, and several of them not being released until next year, it’s fair to say that this hasn’t been Apple’s most impressive product launch of all time. Hopefully, the issues will be fixed in the next iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max update.
