Steve.gibbs5

Q: iPhone 6 Plus screen freezes after iOS 9.3.1 update

I'm usually pretty lucky with iOS updates, but as the thread title states, straight after the recent 9.3.1 upgrade on my iPhone 6 Plus, the touchscreen now freezes at random times. I'm a medium to heavy user and this annoying screen freeze happens at least twice a day, sometimes as much as 7 or 8 times with only the hard buttons (home, power, volume) that still function. This never happened before the update, and the only way out is the soft reset (home+power buttons) option. This is not just localised to a couple of apps, but seems to be anything touchscreen related.

 

This is becoming a real pain in the neck, especially when writing an email or text message with no way to save what is already written using copy and paste, as I obviously need the touchscreen to do so. Is anybody else facing the same issue after the iOS 9.3.1 upgrade, and are there any possible fixes to this, although I strongly suspect it's a software issue that only Apple can sort out with an update fix?

 

Thanks.

iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 9.3.1

Posted on Apr 23, 2016 5:59 AM

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Q: iPhone 6 Plus screen freezes after iOS 9.3.1 update

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  • by Alaskanmama,

    Alaskanmama Alaskanmama May 27, 2016 9:41 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    May 27, 2016 9:41 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5

    SOLVED! After a second replacement phone, as we were erasing my data at the Genius Bar, my broken phone froze and apple employee took the opposite corners (I think top left and bottom right) and put a slight bend into the phone. The screen miraculously worked. I was shocked. He said he just confirmed that the problem is a loose connection on the logic board to the display module.

     

    so happy to have an answer!

  • by Steve.gibbs5,

    Steve.gibbs5 Steve.gibbs5 May 27, 2016 10:29 PM in response to Alaskanmama
    Level 1 (22 points)
    iPhone
    May 27, 2016 10:29 PM in response to Alaskanmama

    @Alaskanmama seems to have found a solution for her phone which obviously had a hardware issue, which is great news. But for the rest of us, this screen freezing issue which all evidence points to a software issue, is still UNSOLVED. In regards to pressing the Sleep/Power button when a freeze occurs which was suggested in a previous post, it still seems to be working as a workaround, although the screen sometimes will only respond for a few seconds, and other times work okay for hours.

     

    PRessing ing the Sleep/Power button also says to me that this is a software issue, not hardware like Alaskanmama has. If it was a loose connection, then the screen would still not respond after pressing the Sleep/Power button or doing soft resets, or even just leaving the phone sit for a while unused until the screen responds again which apparently sometimes happens.

     

    Anyway, STILL waiting for the wonderful people from Apple to respond to this thread. I say again. I know Apple employees monitor and respond to these boards, as I have seen this and been told as much from Apple customer support. So what's the problem. Why has no one responded yet to this apparently growing issue?

  • by Alaskanmama,

    Alaskanmama Alaskanmama May 29, 2016 9:29 PM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    May 29, 2016 9:29 PM in response to Steve.gibbs5

    Actually that is not true. I have had similar success with using the sleep button, hard resets, removing the sim card and doing a hard reset, turning off the fingerprint scanning, turning off blue tooth, turning off wifi, and doing a full restore. ALL of these methods worked off and on for the past eight months. None of them fixed my problems over the long term.

     

    I can't argue that it could also be a software problem, but even with a phone replacement the problem repeated itself, even with a full restore. The first replacement took a few months before the problem started again. My husband has had NONE of these issues and he's also on a replacement phone due to shattering the screen. That would lead us to believe it was a software issue that is somehow connected to my settings/account. Except I've had apple do a full restore twice, with their own diagnostic tools and not had the problem resolve. There could possibly be a short with that physical connection, that creates a software error - like feedback. After all of the trial and error and replacement phones it's the only thing I can conceivably think is true. I saw the problem instantly disappear when he tweaked the exterior of my phone - no other method seemed to work as successfully as that.

  • by Steve.gibbs5,

    Steve.gibbs5 Steve.gibbs5 May 29, 2016 11:53 PM in response to Alaskanmama
    Level 1 (22 points)
    iPhone
    May 29, 2016 11:53 PM in response to Alaskanmama

    Quote:

    "Actually that is not true."

     

    What is not true, exactly?

     

    Quote:

    "I can't argue that it could also be a software problem, but even with a phone replacement the problem repeated itself, even with a full restore. The first replacement took a few months before the problem started again."

     

    If all of these replacement phones are running on iOS 9.3.1 of 3.2, then that kinda proves my point that it is a software/operating system bug which was exactly when my problems, and others, started, emediately after the 9.3.1 update. It may not effect every phone, as previous iOS upgrade bugs have also had effected a "number of users" as stated in the iOS upgrade release notes. I've personally upgrade my iPhone's in the past with security and improvement iOS upgrades and never had any of the reported problems the update patches were made to fix. Maybe it has something to do with certain settings as mentioned, or it has something to do with certain phones with specific factory batch numbers. It is very possible that alaskanmama's phone issue was a hardware issue with similar symptoms' and not related to what the rest of us are having. Just a thought.

     

    Anyhow, I for one am pleased that alaskanmama has her issue resolved. It would just be nice if there was a fix for the rest of us or at least an omition from Apple that the problem does exists in their eyes,make its being looked in to.

  • by smiles911,

    smiles911 smiles911 Jun 20, 2016 9:18 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jun 20, 2016 9:18 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5

    As of today, I'm still having the same problem.  I've done everything that has been listed in this thread with no luck.  In fact once I turned off the fingerprint option the screen froze up immediately.  Has there been any update on what can be done to fix this problem?  I would hate to give up on the iPhone all together. 

  • by Steve.gibbs5,

    Steve.gibbs5 Steve.gibbs5 Jun 20, 2016 10:21 AM in response to smiles911
    Level 1 (22 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 20, 2016 10:21 AM in response to smiles911

    Not that I am aware of. I have a new phone now that does not freeze, it's the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge running on Android. I AM DONE WITH APPLE AND IPHONE. Because of the **** poor response from Apple, and after being one of the first people to have one of the first ever iPhones in the UK, I have now ditched Apple and iPhone completly now. Besides which, iOS has become a bit stale and boaring now with very little change over the years. Much happier with my new phone and operating system now. Apple, you had you're chance to respond to this issue, and failed to do so. So you have now lost my own, my companies, my family, friends and some acquaintances of mine, custom because of the way you treat some of your customers, and if you contuinue to carry on with your current buisness model the way you are doing so now, your profit margins will contuinue to fall as they hqve done over the past 2 years.

     

    It's been a fun ride for the most part, but I have now moved on to a better and fresher operating system and fantastic new handset. Good luck everyone else, and I hope Apple pulls their finger out of their back side and get things sorted.

  • by Mark Burgess1,

    Mark Burgess1 Mark Burgess1 Jun 22, 2016 6:44 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (64 points)
    Jun 22, 2016 6:44 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5

    AGREED. APPLE WILL YOU PLEASE SORT THIS OUT, IT'S REALLY, REALLY ANNOYING...........

  • by RussB22,

    RussB22 RussB22 Jul 11, 2016 6:03 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jul 11, 2016 6:03 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5

         This is evidently a common enough problem that Apple has a detailed, step-by-step DIY process [https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht201412] for reloading iOS 9.3.2 (after a full back up),  After the iOS update is completed, you have the option of restoring to an earlier point in time or treating your phone as though it was new, manually reinstalling applications and data as you choose.  (By the way, when the steps lead you to the black iPhone screen that shows [from the top] the iTunes logo above an upward pointing arrow above a lightning connector, the dialogue box that follows appears on iTunes on your Mac -- not on our iPhone.)

         I followed this procedure, with initial success (about half-a-dozen times), but I found that this "fix" only worked for a limited time -- from a day or so to only a few minutes.  Finally, I got an appointment at the Genius Bar in my neighborhood Apple Store, where Giovanna analyzed my phone and took me through the process of reinstalling iOS 9.3.2 and treating my 6 Plus as a new phone, building it up as though it was just out of the box.

         She was terrific, and for a couple of days, that process seemed to have really fixed the problem, which she thought may have been caused by corrupted software, probably wither a third-party or an indigenous application.  I only loaded my most critical (and long-working) applications back on the phone, but Sunday the problem was back, and just a frustrating as ever.  I've made another Genius Bar appointment for 11:30 this morning, to which I'll bring several pages of similar reports (and their "solutions').  I'll report back on actions taken today.

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht201412

  • by marymary28,

    marymary28 marymary28 Jul 12, 2016 12:47 AM in response to RussB22
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Jul 12, 2016 12:47 AM in response to RussB22

    I am at my wit's end and have been suffering with this same problem.  I have been dealing with my phone freezing upwards of 100 times a day (yes, I use it ALL day).  I have used every "trick" everyone has outlined.  Holding down home, pressing power, deleting apps, resetting the phone, completely restoring the phone, etc.  Nothing works for more than a few minutes now.  This phone freezes about every 20 seconds now.  Everything, everything, started after the last iOS update.  Please help!!  T-Mobile is unwilling to do anything... it's all of my apps or my music or my work, etc.  You need to send out a new iOS update that fixes this for everyone! 

  • by erikfromhialeah ,

    erikfromhialeah erikfromhialeah Jul 12, 2016 2:20 PM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 12, 2016 2:20 PM in response to Steve.gibbs5

    I am having the exact same problem. Bought the phone in February. After the update in spring I can hardly use it. Constantly freezing, letters printing on the screen when I haven't tapped them, writing letters at random, keyboard freezing up. Constantly having to lock then unlock the phone to use the touchscreen for another 30 seconds before it freezes. Apps opening up when I haven't selected them. Not being able to turn the phone off because it won't respond when I try to swipe it off. I am resetting the phone over and over, every day, at least a dozen times a day. I am extremely frustrated by this. I am sick and tired of resetting the phone several times a day, of not being able to type a simple text message or email. Of not being able to use Siri. Why should I have to shut off Siri or other features to get this phone to work properly? I bought this phone because of those features.  I feel as if I have been ripped off by Apple who have let standards and quality control slip to an unacceptable level. My next phone will be a Samsung. This is an intolerable situation. It's the most expensive paperweight I've ever owned.

  • by Freeky1976,

    Freeky1976 Freeky1976 Jul 18, 2016 5:52 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 18, 2016 5:52 AM in response to Steve.gibbs5

    I have this issue for a while now and I currently live overseas. Taking it to a third party maintenance showed that they know jack **** of what is going on. My phone is out of warranty and I am SOL.

     

    Previously, I bought apple products with no questions asked regarding the quality. I bought it blindly without waiting for the phone reviews and what users think of it. Now, my stance is changed and will treat apple products same as Samsung with skepticism of their quality. Wait until enough people have reviewed the product (maybe after one year) and purchase accordingly.

     

    Apple lost my trust and lost many others trust. Now I can say that it is really evident that Steve Jobs is Dead. His Legacy is fading through time.

  • by kepagk,

    kepagk kepagk Jul 21, 2016 11:52 PM in response to Freeky1976
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 21, 2016 11:52 PM in response to Freeky1976

    Mine started doing it today and i had 9.3.2.  annoying is right.  I upgraded to 9.3.3 and it still does it.  I DID have good luck with the top left corner bottom right corner gently bending though, so we'll see how long it goes.  Initially whenever it went to sleep, when awake it would stick, and when bending worked right away, so far everytime.  So we'll see how long that lasts...because now its been working continuously for the last 10 minutes and i cannot replicate the freeze.

  • by kepagk,

    kepagk kepagk Jul 27, 2016 11:17 PM in response to kepagk
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 27, 2016 11:17 PM in response to kepagk

    I can confirm that the twisting does fix it -- at least for me. In fact, if you gently do a quick twist, the top of the screen will flicker and then it will be engaged.  It is a hardware problem, at least for me.  Since the above post, my screen has frozen countless times, and every time it had been re-engaged when I do that twist.  I have gotten so good at it, that I do it until I see the screen corner flash/flicker then I know it is probably good to go...doesn't seem or sound good at all to keep doing it, but it tells me its hardware and I could if I wanted, get it fixed by getting it reattached properly, but until then I'll keep the however many expensive buck$ in my pocket. Still annoying though for such an expensive piece of crap.

  • by Mark Burgess1,

    Mark Burgess1 Mark Burgess1 Jul 27, 2016 11:17 PM in response to kepagk
    Level 1 (64 points)
    Jul 27, 2016 11:17 PM in response to kepagk

    That's kind of worrying then, given that so many of us are experiencing it.

  • by life.artist,

    life.artist life.artist Aug 1, 2016 8:57 PM in response to Steve.gibbs5
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 1, 2016 8:57 PM in response to Steve.gibbs5

    Well this is so disappointing. I, too, am having same problems and like another user, have always bought Apple products no questions asked. This is the first time since 2007 I'm considering having to move to another product and I'm really frustrated. But I use my phone all day long for work and personal and it's just too hard to use now. I've done all the resets/restores/etc many times and nothing works. I even had a hard time signing in to this site because I had set  up two step verification (which I will never do again) and you can't use that because your touchscreen on your phone has to be working in order to use second step. Have an appointment with Genuis Bar THREE DAYS from now!!! I don't think I can take off from work for 3 days (we don't have a land line anymore). Ugh. Obviously, I'll have to come up with some other solution.

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