It’s only been three days since Apple’s new iPhone 16 went on sale, packed with new AI capabilities, improved cameras, and longer battery life.
But people are already experiencing an “annoying” problem with the £999 iPhone 16 Pro, one of four iPhone 16 variants now on sale.
According to users, the device’s screen becomes unresponsive when they tap and swipe on the screen, but many do not know why.
That’s because the bezel (the metal frame around the edge of the device) is so small that users don’t notice their palm touching the screen.
When this happens, the iPhone automatically stops registering other skin contact, reportedly due to an overly sensitive “touch rejection algorithm.”
The screen of an iPhone Pro becomes unresponsive when the user touches even a small part of the screen near the record button (bottom right)
The problem has been demonstrated by a Mastodon user in short video and was first reported by 9to5Mac.
The iPhone screen becomes unresponsive when the user touches even a small part of the screen near the record button (accidentally or intentionally).
It is common for this area to be accidentally touched, mainly due to the ultra-thin ‘bezel’ of the phone.
And for users who hold the phone in their right hand, this is always where the thick muscle under the thumb makes contact.
A Reddit user posted: “If you accidentally touch the area next to the new camera control button with your skin first, the entire screen will become unresponsive until you release the button,” one Reddit user wrote.
The Reddit user added that this space near the record button is “the only place where the issue occurs.”
People are already experiencing an ‘annoying’ problem with the £999 iPhone 16 Pro, one of four iPhone 16 variants now on sale
According to users, the device’s screen becomes unresponsive when they tap and swipe on the screen, but many don’t know why
A man holds an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max ahead of the start of sales of the new iPhone 16 series smartphones at a store in Moscow, Russia
This was confirmed by ZDNetwho also reported that the problem occurred more often when the phone was without a case.
Other users went to Reddit complained, with several calling it ‘annoying’.
Another said, “I knew I wasn’t getting confused when I typed and sometimes my keystrokes weren’t being transferred properly.”
Someone else posted: ‘Is this a serious issue? I was asking if I should wait to buy a new phone and maybe even skip this generation.’
And another said, “Damn, let’s hope it’s just a software bug.”
According to 9to5Mac, this is actually a software bug and not a hardware error and should be fixed with an upcoming iOS update.
It is unclear whether this is one of the other three iPhone 16 models. MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment.
Users affected by this issue should install any software updates and ensure that they do not touch any additional portion of the screen with their palm.
The capture button, located on the edge of the phone on the right side of the screen, needs to be pressed once to open the camera app and take photos
Apple’s new record button on the right side of the screen is perhaps the most exciting feature of the iPhone 16 family.
If you press firmly on the capture button (located on the edge of the phone, on the right side of the screen), the camera app will appear immediately. Pressing it again will take a photo.
Users can also scroll their finger back and forth along the length of the button to zoom the camera in and out.
It’s because the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the most expensive variant which costs a whopping £1,200, fails the dreaded ‘scratch test’.
This is a durability test conducted by a YouTuber named JerryRigEverything, who scratches new devices with pointed objects of varying hardness.
Images show the iPhone Pro Max’s new camera button scratching easily despite being coated with sapphire crystal, a hard, scratch-resistant material.
Thankfully, the iPhone 16 Pro Max performed better in the dreaded bend test, unlike its predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro Max.