iPhone users have been complaining for the past few days on various online forums of overheating issues brought by the iOS 17 update. This issue seems to be affecting a large range of iPhones including iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iphone 13, iphone 14 and iPhone SE. They are also complaining about battery drain issues which they never had before. If you are having overheating issues after upgrading to iOS 17, read on to find the fix.
iOS 17 has introduced many new features and changes for iPhone users. However, whenever a major update to an operating system drops, there are bound to be issues and bugs. One of the common issues which many will likely encounter is related to iPhone getting hot. If your iPhone gets hot after updating to iOS 17, check out some possible fixes below.
In this article, we will provide tips on how to fix battery heating up issue that users are facing on their iPhone running iOS 17. These tips have helped our readers in the past to fix iPhone that is getting hot.
Troubleshooting iPhone getting hot after iOS 17 update
Install the Latest iOS 17 Software Update
The iPhone getting hot in iOS 17 may be due to a buggy build released by Apple. Thankfully, Apple is quick to release bug fixes via a firmware update. Head over to the Settings menu and open General > software update and download the latest iOS 17 update.
Update apps
It’s no secret that outdated apps are problematic. They tend to crash unexpectedly, freeze every once in a while, and play a key role in slowing down the device. Besides, their power-hungry nature works as a catalyst in triggering overheating issues after iOS 17 update. So, make sure apps are always updated to the latest version.
Launch the App Store and then navigate to Today > Your Profile > Update All.
Disable Location Services
If not used smartly, location tracking will drain a lot of battery on your iPhone. And due to the excessive battery drain, the iOS 17 device will eventually begin to overheat. So you may want to review which apps should have access to your device’s precise location all the time. The best way to address this is to first tweak location services for all the apps. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Privacy & Security > Location Services. You can either completely disable location services or even better, you can set ** ** so that an app will only use your device location when you open the app. This can be useful for apps like the App Store, which don’t need to be using location services all the time. You should also disable the Precise Location option that some apps may ask for. If you’ve accidentally disabled location services for an app that needs to use it, don’t worry, it will prompt you to give access to Location Services when you launch it.
Disable Background App Refresh
iOS includes smarter multi tasking that lets apps fetch content in the background. Although Apple has a lot of optimizations in place to ensure that battery consumption is minimal, it’s possible that a poorly developed app could be using this feature incorrectly which could cause your iOS 17 device to heat up.
To disable Background App Refresh head over to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off for apps like Facebook or other apps that don’t absolutely need to be updated all the time. Background App Refresh is a great feature for apps like OneDrive or Google Photos where you need to upload media in the background, but you don’t need it for every app. I would strongly recommend turning it off for the Facebook app as it is known to cause iPhone to heat up.
You have the option to enable Background App Refresh only when you’re on a Wi-Fi network. You could see if selecting just Wi-Fi reduces the battery drain on your iPhone or you may want to turn off completely. It will also help in saving mobile data on your iPhone.
Make Sure You are Using MFi Certified Charger
There are all sorts of reasons why you must always use MFi (stands for Made for iPhone, iPad, and iPod) certified chargers. First and foremost, certified chargers are fully compatible. Hence, they can charge your iPhone faster and with the needed efficiency. And second, the authorized chargers are better equipped to deal with threats like overheating, overcurrent, and short-circuiting.
On the contrary, fake or uncertified chargers deliver slow charging and are more prone to issues like overheating and short-circuiting. Not to mention, they are also the main culprits behind the “Accessory may not be supported” error. So, always stay away from uncertified chargers.
Use Low Power Mode
You can enable Low Power mode by going to Settings > Battery and tapping on the toggle. Low Power Mode temporarily reduces power consumption by turning off or reducing mail fetch, background app refresh, automatic downloads, and some visual effects. Apple states that the Low Power Mode mode can improve battery life by an additional 3 hours.
You will also get a prompt to enable Low Power Mode when you hit 20% battery remaining, and will automatically disable it when battery remaining crosses 80%.
Get Rid of the Faulty Case
Many cheap and bulky cases lack a heat dissipation design. As a result, they tend to cause overheating issues. So, make sure the case you are using features an improved heat reduction design to keep your iOS 17 device cool.
Be Sure to Force Quit Apps If You Aren’t Using Them
Some folks don’t have the habit of closing apps. Hence, they remain open in the background for hours and, in some cases, for days. These active apps drain the battery unnecessarily that often lead to overheating issue. Besides, it also becomes the wrecker-in-chief for rapid battery drain and sluggishness. Thus, it makes sense to force quit apps once you have used them.
Swipe up from the home bar and hold along the middle of the screen to access the app switcher. After that, swipe up on an app card to quit the app. Quit all the open apps.
General Tips
Please note that the tips under section are to highlight areas where you could disable things that are not applicable to you so you can prevent your iPhone from getting hot. We are not recommending or advising you to disable features just for battery life, as then there would be no point in using smartphones like the iPhone.
i. Widgets
You should review the widget list and remove the widgets that you don’t want to ensure they don’t consume battery life unnecessarily as some of them could be using Location services.
ii. Turn off Dynamic Wallpapers
Dynamic wallpapers bring subtle animations to the home and the lock screen. Unfortunately, the animations take up CPU cycles and consume more battery. So if you have set a dynamic wallpaper, and you’re having battery issues, go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose Wallpaper where you can go to either Stills or your set an image from your photo library as your wallpaper.
iii. Disable Motion effects, parallax
iOS comes with a number of animations and physics-based effects to the interface to help users understand the layered elements in the UI. Some of these effects even access gyroscopic data, which contributes further to the battery drain. You can disable these motion effects by going to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Reduce Motion and turn on the switch. However, please note that enabling Reduce Motion will disable the effects in the Messages app.
iv. Other tips
If you hardly use Bluetooth then turn it off (Settings -> General -> Bluetooth ) Set Auto-Lock interval so that your iPhone will turn off more quickly after a period of inactivity. To set the Auto-Lock interval, navigate to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and set the auto-lock interval to either 30 seconds, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 minutes.
You’re probably aware that using Wi-Fi drains iPhone’s battery, but perhaps you didn’t know that one of the most intensive processes that iPhone’s Wi-Fi chip has to do is search for the available network. So if this happens at regular intervals, it’s going to have a noticeable impact on your battery. To disable this feature, launch the Settings app, tap on Wi-Fi, and tap on the On/Off toggle for Ask to Join Networks to disable it.
Dimming the screen helps to increase battery life. You can either lower the default screen brightness based on your preference or turn on Auto-Brightness to allow the screen to adjust its brightness based on current lighting conditions. Launch the Settings app, scroll down and tap on Brightness & Wallpaper, and set Auto-Brightness to On.
- Avoid leaving your iPhone in your car on a hot summer day. Temperatures in a parked car can be intense.
- Avoid leaving your iPhone on warm or hot items like radiators.
- Avoid gaming while charging your iPhone (more so graphic-intensive games) or streaming.
- Avoid leaving your iPhone in direct sunlight.
- has your problem started recently? You may want to delete any apps you downloaded shortly before your iPhone started to hit up.
If your iPhone gets hot, or you notice a Temperature screen, here is how you can cool it down.
- Put your iPhone in a cooler place immediately. It’s recommended to place it in a shady place, away from direct sunlight.
- Turn on Low Power Mode. To do this, head over to Settings > Battery.
- Turn on Airplane Mode. To do this, head over to Settings > Airplane Mode.
- Take your case off, if you are using one. Removing it will help your iPhone to cool down quicker.
- Disconnect it from the power outlet, if it is connected.
- Lower the display’s brightness. Start the Settings app and go to Display & Brightness.
- Force quit all apps.
- iPhone XR or newer: Swipe up from the bottom of the display. This will bring up the app switcher. Swipe up on all of the apps.
- iPhone SE (Second generation) or newer: Double press the Home button. This will bring up the app switcher. Swipe up on all of the apps to close them.
- Don’t try to put it in a fridge or freezer. This might look like a clever idea, but do not do it. Just like heat, low-temperature conditions might damage your iPhone.
If your iPhone consistently gets too hot during normal use, there may be hardware or software glitch. But in most cases, the problem is software related. Here is how you can fix the problem:
It’s important to try the steps below in their order. After trying each step, use your iPhone a few days to test to see if your problem was fixed.
Reset All Settings
On your iPhone, head over to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings. This will restore default iPhone settings without deleting content. Your data will not be erased.
Network Settings
On your iPhone, head over to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will clear all of your network-related settings like your Wi-Fi passwords and VPN settings.
Reset Location & Privacy
On your iPhone, Start the Settings app and go to General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > reset Location & Privacy. This will erase all of your location and privacy settings.
Backup and then restore
If your iPhone is still overheating, try to back up your iPhone and restore it. It will only take you three steps.
- Backup: You can backup using iCloud by heading over to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Backup Now. Alternatively, simply use your computer to back up your iPhone. Build a connection between your iPhone and computer using a USB cable, launch Finder (Mac), or iTunes (PC) then click your device and select Back Up.
- Erase your iPhone. Start the Settings app and go to General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > then tap Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the onscreen prompts.
- Restore. Depending on your backup, you can restore your device from an iCloud backup or from a backup on your computer. When you erase your iPhone, you will see a Hello screen, As you setup your iPhone, choose Restore from iCloud Backup or Restore from Mac or PC. Then follow the onscreen prompts.
Contact Apple Support
If you are still experiencing problems and If your iPhone regularly and excessively gets hot under normal use, your device might be suffering from a hardware glitch. It is a good idea to make a Genius Bar reservation. You can also contact Apple by live chat.