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Apple finally released the iOS 17.0.3 update to address the overheating issue in the iPhone 15 series. The Cupertino giant promised the update days ago as a response to speculations that iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium frames and A17 Pro chip were the culprits behind the problem.
Today’s release has a build number of 21A360. According to Apple, besides bug fixes, it also includes some security updates. Most importantly, it comes with a fix for the overheating issue.
“This update provides important bug fixes, security updates, and addresses an issue that may cause iPhone to run warmer than expected,” Apple said.
According to earlier user reports, the issue particularly affects the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which both sport the titanium frame material and the A17 Pro chip. Nonetheless, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the latter was not to blame, but the thermal system design compromises Apple made.
“My survey indicates that the iPhone 15 Pro series overheating issues are unrelated to TSMC’s advanced 3nm node,” Kuo reported in September. “The primary cause is more likely the compromises made in the thermal system design to achieve a lighter weight, such as the reduced heat dissipation area and the use of a titanium frame, which negatively impacts thermal efficiency.”
A Wall Street Journal partially echoed the claim, saying sources revealed that Apple made internal changes in the system. As we noted before:
The report specifically points to the new logic board in the iPhone 15, which is now redesigned. According to the “people familiar with the iPhone’s design” the report mentioned, the new logic board in the iPhone 15 has removed the gap made by the now-removed SIM tray on iPhones. To recall, Apple introduced eSIM in the iPhone 14 models in the US last year. This move has left a space where the SIM tray used to sit. Apple tried to fill this gap in the iPhone 14 using a plastic element and apparently took things further in the iPhone 15 by redesigning the logic board to consume this space.
“Adding a slot to the phone’s already-cramped interior creates additional challenges for heat dissipation,” the sources told the media outlet.
Apple, however, denied the matter, implying it was less serious and not permanent. In its statement, the iPhone maker said there was a bug in iOS 17, which was exacerbated by certain third-party apps (Instagram, Asphalt 9: Legends, and Uber) overloading the system.
Now, the iOS 17.0.3 should end all these troubles. Affected users who won iOS 17-capable devices (iPhone XS and later) can now go to Settings > General > Software Update. The screen shows the currently installed version of iOS and whether an update is available, which, today, should be iOS 17.0.3.
