iPhone users have been complaining for the past few days on various online forums of overheating issues brought by the iOS 18 update. This issue seems to be affecting a large range of iPhones including iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15. They are also complaining about slow performance and battery drain issues which they never had before. If you are having overheating issues after upgrading to iOS 18, read on to find the fix.
Fixing iPhone getting hot after iOS 18 update issue
While it might be tempting, don’t stick your phone in the freezer to cool it down. The Apple community boards have lots of warnings about the damage you can do to your phone by putting it in an icebox. Follow these tips to fix iOS 18 overheating issue instead.
Wait for the iPhone to finish its background tasks
A lot goes on during and after installing an update, and tasks such as reindexing photos can consume a lot of processing power, which in turn can temporarily cause the iPhone to heat up.
Wait for the iPhone to finish its background tasks. If problems persist then it’s likely a bug in the update and the solution is going to have to come from Apple in the form of another update.
Install the Latest iOS 18 Software Update
Update your iPhone to the latest iOS 18 software available. A bug in the iOS 18 could be causing overheating issue you are experiencing, so make sure your software is up-to-date.
Head over to the Settings menu and open General > software update and download the latest iOS 18 update.
Make Sure Your Apps Are Up To Date
After a major software update like iOS 18, app developers release updates to to fix bugs. Software bugs can cause your iPhone to overheat. Luckily, the developer may have released an update that include bug fixes, which may address iOS 18 overheating issue.
Open the App Store and tap your Account Icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Scroll down to see if there are any app updates available. Tap update next to any app you want to update, or tap Update All to update every app at once.
Close apps
Fully close apps when not using them. The more apps running simultaneously (especially in the background), the harder your phone works, resulting in increased heat.
If your iPhone has a touch ID, double-click the Home Button, and swipe each app (except this one, if you’re reading on your iPhone) off the top of the screen.
If your iPhone has a Face ID, open the app switcher by swiping up from the very bottom to the center of the screen. Swipe your apps up and off the top of the screen to close them.
When you’re done, tap on Safari and come right back to this article!
Restart your iPhone
Sometimes, a simple restart can work wonders. It might resolve minor software glitches that may be causing overheating.
If you have an iPhone SE (2nd or 3rd generation) model, press and hold the power button until "slide to power off" appears on the screen. If you have an iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15 or newer model, press and hold the side button and either the volume up or volume down button simultaneously until "slide to power off" appears. Then, use your finger to swipe the power icon from left to right across the screen.
It’s normal for your iPhone to take 20 or 30 seconds to turn all the way off. To turn your iPhone back on, press and hold the power button (iPhone SE 2nd generation and newer) or side button (iPhone XR and newer) until the Apple logo appears on the screen, and then let go.
Avoid demanding apps
Refrain from using resource-intensive apps or playing games with intricate graphics. That includes massive mobile video games like PUBG Mobile or streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu.
Reset All Settings
If you’ve tried the troubleshooting steps above and your iPhone’s still getting hot, Reset All Settings by going to Settings > General > Transfer Or Reset iPhone > Reset -> Reset All Settings.
Tapping Reset All Settings erases and restores everything in the Settings app to factory defaults. This reset clears out Wi-Fi passwords (so make sure you know yours before you do it), resets your wallpaper, forgets your Bluetooth devices, and more. It doesn’t delete any of the data on your iPhone. I’ve seen it fix overheating problems after iOS update.
By this point, your iPhone is no longer overheating. You can now continue enjoying the new iOS 18 features on your iPhone.
I wish you all the best and I look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to post any questions and I’ll do my best to help out along the way.