Apple iPhone X screens unresponsive in cold weather - but a fix is coming

Just a week after its launch, iPhone X users are already experiencing a major issue with the new OLED display.

As first revealed on a Reddit forum, the touchscreen displays on the new iPhone X are unresponsive in cold weather. Users say only about 20% of touches are recognised, particularly when someone goes from inside to outside.

Apple has acknowledged the issue and said they are working on a software update. "We are aware of instances where the iPhone X screen will become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment. After several seconds the screen will become fully responsive again," Apple told The Loop. "This will be addressed in an upcoming software update."

Original feedback on the forum revealed it would take extremely low temperatures (-20 degrees) to trigger the fault. But one UK resident noticed a three-second delay when heading into the cold on Thursday (9 November). "UK here. I have noticed this as well and it's hardly below freezing, just quite cold outside compared to the warm inside. I was hoping it was just spotify glitching but it looks like a much more widespread issue.." the post by nicebill8 reads.

Another Reddit user in the UK noticed the same issue at about 3 degrees and said the touchscreen would only respond to about half of touches.

Apple does warn owners not to use their iPhones in temperatures lower than 0 degrees (or higher than 35 degrees). It says that cold could shorten the battery or force the phone to turn off.

iPhone X users must also be wary of screen burn on the new OLED display. "With extended long-term use, OLED-displays can also show slight visual changes," Apple said on its website. "This is also expected behaviour and can include 'image persistence' or "burn-in", where the display shows a faint remnant of an image even after a new image appears on the screen."

Apple iPhones include a one-year warranty as standard, which will cover manufacturing damage.