iPhone X: Apple to release update to stop new phone's screen breaking when it's too cold

An iOS update is incoming

The new iPhone X doesn't like the cold.

Numerous reports suggest that the brand new phone's brand new screen has trouble if the temperature is too low. That has led to a number of people going outside and finding their phone work for some time, before resetting itself and starting working.

Both Apple and other manufacturers warn that their phones might behave unusually if they're taken into extreme cold or heat, and that if they are the handsets might operate differently to regulate their temperature. Being in the cold, for instance, can cause phone batteries to temporarily reduce their life.

But the new problem, which has been recognised by Apple, appears to be new. And it says it will be fixing it soon.

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

The problems were first reported on Reddit by a user calling themself Darius 214.

"I’ve noticed that my iPhone X screen becomes very unresponsive as soon as I step outside," they wrote. "It literally takes 2 seconds from going inside to the cold outdoors and my screen stops being very responsive. I try swiping on websites and it doesn’t register my finger. It’s very noticeable. Is anyone else having this problem?"

It's not clear how cold the weather needs to be before the iPhone X starts having problems. Most people responded to the Reddit post to say their phone was working fine, both outside and inside.

The new iPhone X's "Super Retina" display uses an OLED screen technology that Apple has never used in a phone before. But the introduction of that new screen has passed mostly without event up until now, even as rival companies like Google face troubles with the same sort of tech.

iPhones and other handsets can also have problems with getting too hot. If they do, then they'll show a message and then shut down in an attempt to stop damaging themselves with the heat they're generating.