iOS 17.1 will fix Apple's iPhone screen burn problem

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It will fix a problem Apple calls “display image persistence”.

iPhone 15 Pro Max
(Image credit: Future / Apple)
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iPhone users have been hit with a series of issues since its launch, but one of the biggest is screen burn and it seems like a fix is finally on the way. 

Many users have bought a brand-new iPhone only to discover their Candy Crush high score is permanently etched on the screen. Initially seen by some to be an issue with the new hardware, the iOS 17.1 release candidate has revealed a digital fix is on the way. 

The release candidate is a beta only available to developers and gives Apple a chance to test new features and bug fixes before pushing them out to the general public. In the release notes for the latest update, Apple says iOS 17.1 “Fixes an issue that may cause display image persistence”. Alongside this, iOS 17.1 also optimizes crash detection, solves an issue with the keyboard, and fixes a niche bug where caller names don’t appear when taking another call.

We haven’t personally verified if this fix works just yet but it is unlikely to make it into a release candidate without certainty it will be solved. If you have suffered some screen burn recently, install iOS 17.1 when it’s available. To do so, simply go into your settings, then into General, then over to Software Update where it will download the latest version of the software. 

We’ll get to it later — iMore’s Take

The launch of the iPhone 15 line has been filled with issues like overheating, screen burn-in, and phones shutting down overnight. While I’ve had a great experience with my iPhone 15 Pro Max, it is hard to ignore the multitude of problems consumers have been having many of which seem to be software, rather than hardware-based issues. This also means they’ve impacted other devices, with screen burn-in particular reported on some older iPhone models, too. 

Naturally, some of these problems will be played up because people like the idea of iPhones failing but there is reasonable criticism to levy at the launch of iPhone 15 and iOS 17 that we hope doesn’t continue into next year’s phone line. Of course, some issues are to be expected with the launch of a multi-million-selling phone but it's hard to accept that your $1300+ device doesn’t fully work out of the box. 

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James Bentley
James Bentley

James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person. 

With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer. 

As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.