iOS 18 Touchscreen Issues: iPhone Users Report Intermittent Responsiveness Problems

iOS 18 Touchscreen Issues: iPhone Users Report Intermittent Responsiveness Problems Some iPhone users running iOS 18 have reported intermittent touchscreen responsiveness issues, with some devices seemingly ignoring taps and swipes. The problem appears to affect a variety of models, including the new iPhone 16 series, and older devices dating back to the iPhone 14

iOS 18 Touchscreen Issues: iPhone Users Report Intermittent Responsiveness Problems

Some iPhone users running iOS 18 have reported intermittent touchscreen responsiveness issues, with some devices seemingly ignoring taps and swipes. The problem appears to affect a variety of models, including the new iPhone 16 series, and older devices dating back to the iPhone 14.

Users on Reddit report areas on the screen becoming unresponsive, resulting in missed taps, ignored swipes, and difficulty scrolling or typing. The issue is said to be particularly noticeable when interacting with the virtual keyboard, which could lead to input errors.

While initially thought to be exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro models, further user reports suggest the problem is more widespread and likely software-related.

The root cause appears to be an overly sensitive touch rejection algorithm in iOS 18, designed to ignore accidental touches. With the thinner bezels on the new iPhone 16 models, accidental contact with the edge of the screen may trigger the system to temporarily ignore all new touches, potentially exacerbating the issue and making it easier for users to inadvertently trigger the rejection mechanism when holding the device.

The problem appears to emerge only when the device is unlocked and in use. Some users have reported specific issues around the new "Camera Control" button, however, it's unclear if this is directly related or a separate problem.

A demonstration posted by user KhaosTian on Mastodon shows how to reproduce the problem, further supporting the notion that the issue is software-based. If so, Apple is likely to address the problem through a future update, although Apple has yet to comment on the issue.