It’s been just three days since Apple’s new iPhone 16 went on sale, packed with new AI capabilities, camera upgrades and a boost in battery life.
But people are already encountering an ‘annoying’ issue affecting the £999 iPhone 16 Pro – one of four iPhone 16 variants now on sale.
According to users, the device’s display is becoming unresponsive when they tap and swipe at the screen, but many are unsure why.
Essentially, it’s because the bezel – the metal frame around the edge of the device – is so small that users don’t know their palm is touching the screen.
When this happens, the iPhone automatically stops registering any other skin contact, reportedly due to an oversensitive ‘touch rejection algorithm’.
An iPhone Pro screen becomes unresponsive when the user is even slightly touching a small section of the screen near the capture button (bottom right)
The issue has been demonstrated by a Mastodon user in short video and was first reported by 9to5Mac.
The iPhone screen becomes unresponsive when the user is even slightly touching a small section of the screen near the capture button (either accidentally or deliberately).
Accidentally touching this area is common, largely due to the phone’s ultra-thin ‘bezel’ going around the edge of the device.
And for users holding the phone in their right hand, it’s where the bulky muscle below the thumb always seems to come into contact.
A Reddit user posted: ‘If one’s skin accidentally touches the area next to the new camera control button first, the whole screen becomes unresponsive until released,’ said a Reddit user.
The Reddit user added that this space near the capture button ‘is the only area that causes the issue’.
People are already encountering an ‘annoying’ issue affecting the £999 iPhone 16 Pro – one of four iPhone 16 variants now on sale
According to users, the device’s display is becoming unresponsive when they tap and swipe at the screen, but many are unsure why
A man holds an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max ahead of the launch of sales of the new iPhone 16 series smartphones in a store in Moscow, Russia
This was corroborated by ZDNet, which also reported that the problem was more likely to occur if the phone didn’t have a case.
Other users took to Reddit to complain, with several calling it ‘annoying’.
Another said: ‘I knew I wasn’t tripping out when I was typing and sometimes my key strokes were not going thru.’
Someone else posted: ‘Is this a serious issue ? Asking if I should wait before buying a new phone and maybe even skip this gen.’
Yet another said: ‘Damn, let’s hope it’s just a software bug.’
9to5Mac claims it is in fact a software bug rather than a hardware fault and so should be fixed with an upcoming iOS update.
It’s unclear if any of the other three iPhone 16 models are affected; MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment.
Any users affected by the issue should install any software updates and make sure they are not touching an extra part of the screen with their palm.
The capture button – located on the edge of the phone to the right of the screen – needs to be pressed once to bring up the camera app to take photos
Apple’s new capture button to the right of the screen is arguably the most exciting feature of the iPhone 16 family.
A solid push of the capture button – located on the edge of the phone to the right of the screen – immediately brings up the camera app, while a second push snaps 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 comes as the iPhone 16 Pro Max – the most expensive variant costing a whopping £1,200 – fails the dreaded ‘scratch test’.
This is a durability test performed by a YouTuber called JerryRigEverything, who scratches new devices with pointed tools of various hardness.
Footage reveals the iPhone Pro Max’s new Camera Capture button grazing easily, despite being lined with sapphire crystal – a hard, scratch-resistant material.
Thankfully, the iPhone 16 Pro Max fared better in the dreaded bend test, unlike its predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
