The iOS 17.1 update that Apple is set to release in the near future addresses an issue that "may cause display image persistence," according to Apple's feature notes for the software.
Since the launch of the iPhone 15 models, there have been sporadic reports of severe screen burn-in impacting the new devices. There was speculation that it might be a hardware issue with the OLED display, but based on the iOS 17.1 update, Apple has found and addressed a software problem that mimicked screen burn-in.
Image via MacRumors reader Josh
While most of the reports of display problems were coming from iPhone 15 users, there were also some users with iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro devices that saw similar issues, which is likely why Apple's release notes do not mention the iPhone 15 specifically.
Those who have noticed "burn-in" on their iPhones should update to iOS 17.1 to ensure that it solves the problem.
The iOS 17.1 update also addresses a number of other bugs. It fixes an issue that could cause the Significant Location privacy setting to reset when transferring or pairing an Apple Watch for the first time, plus it addresses a bug that could cause custom and purchased ringtones not to appear as options for a text tone.
There is a fix for an issue that could cause the iPhone keyboard to be less responsive, and Apple says that it has added crash detection optimizations for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models to further refine how the iPhones respond when a vehicle crash event is detected.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker.
According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found.
Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future.
"I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports.
In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta.
Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre.
Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
Weird, I was assured by so many on these forums that this was an existential problem for Apple that would prompt a massive global recall and be the end of the company.
you can't fix "burn in" with a software update lmao. it's obviously an issue with the graphics processor (if it's really been fixed).
It could very well be a software bug that is not related to the graphics processor. Modern OLED displays utilize software algorithms to mitigate screen burn by essentially keeping track of how long individual sub-pixels are lit, and at what intensity. This allows them to adjust nearby pixel luminance to account for the degradation that the pixels have encountered from normal use, and continue to produce a clean image on a display that would otherwise have screen burn. My guess is that there was a bug in the display driver firmware that caused these algorithms to overcompensate for the amount of usage that these screens were seeing, essentially causing it to over adjust the luminance of certain pixels resulting in what looked like real screen burn when these compensation values were utilized by the display driver.