iPhone 12 Pro Overheating

I've been in touch with apple support who were very helpful. A new software update was applied on Thursday and the problem has gone away. I am now using software version 14.2.

As far as the comment above about it taking hours or days to index data and this is a cause for the overheating. Not sure I agree with that, I would suggest there is something wrong with the indexing code if that were the case.

Anyhow 14.2 appears to have fixed the issue, all my data is there and the phone runs as it should and feels cold to the touch.

If you hold your breath waiting for a recall/replacement, you'll turn blue and pass away.

I've now had my 12 Pro Max for 2 days. NO unusual warmth at all. The battery life is excellent. It fully indexed my multiple thousands of photos while I slept last night and she's been running cool as can be all day, with streaming music, while doing assorted other activities.

Have you gone to Settings > Battery and looked at what is taking the most charge. I suspect you have something running in the background which you may not be aware is.

Also, have you Force Restarted the phone since you got it? If you haven't, you should do so immediately. Here's how:

• Press and quickly release volume up button
• Then press and quickly release volume down button
• Then press and keep holding the side power button (keep holding past the swipe to power off) until you see the Apple Logo, then let go

Lastly, make sure you have updated to iOS 14.2 on your new phone.

Had the same issue with my iPhone 12 Pro Max, was about to return it. I tested turning off 5G in mobile data options (Use 4G only mode). Phone has not overheated since then. Hopefully Apple can fix this issue in next software, really annoying to purchase a flagship phone and cannot use the 5g option. Hope this helps others for now.

Hello,

I think the issue might actually be 5G. My phone was having the same overheating issues constantly with minimal use. As soon as I turned off 5G and went back to LTE my phone cooled down immediately. Hope that helps!

Same thing with my daughter’s phone. She was not using or charging and it was so hot she checked it with a forehead scanning thermometer. It was 103 degrees. I told her to try changing from 5G to LTE in cellular settings and it’s not getting hot any more. Apple’s new 5G phone that you can’t use 5G with is fantastic.

It would be worth calling Apple Support prior to going in to a store if you do not want to wait for a replacement. Over the phone, you can ask them to perform remote diagnostics, which may be able to give you further insight into your battery settings. You can also ask them to share your iPhone screen and show them your battery settings, as well as your app usage.

If this still doesn't satisfy your issue, you can take it to a store and possibly get it replaced under hardware warranty if verified in some way in person.

Generally, if you are a light user, your phone typically shouldn't experience heating issues.

Yes. I agree. It’s a bad situation. I was on chat with Apple today for a long time. At one point a new person came on and tried to begin a whole new conversation. They told me to send back the phone and a replacement will deliver January 7. Today is December 5. I suggested they allow me to pick a replacement up from an apple store and turn this one in then so I have a phone to use. Problem is the Apple store won’t hold them and honestly only 1 store in all Florida had my phone configuration and it would have been a 3 hr drive one way. Frustrated I tried so many things. Uninstalled reinstalled apps. Deleted accounts reloaded. Finally going through every setting possible I turned off the 5G Auto. It worked. No more over heating. All this today. I’m tired and disappointed that if apple doesn’t fix the issue with an update we just bought a very expensive 4G phone.

I’ve had this problem before with my iPad. I set it up from a backup, and even when just looking through photos, it would overheat. I spoke to an advisor while in line at an Apple Store, and to save time, he told me that this is a problem from the back up. When you set up a device from backup, there may have been an issue in the backup and so that issue was brought to your device when you set it up from backup. He told me I should reset it and set it up as new, which worked. I saved any data I needed in iCloud and took the time to download the apps myself. However, you could also try “Reset All Settings” instead of “Erase All Content and Settings”, the first which should fix the bug. If it doesn’t work, try the latter and set it up as new. You can find both of those by Settings>General>Reset.

Then I would suggest waiting for it to cool down, boot it back up, and follow my previous instructions to reset it and then set it up as new. Do NOT restore from back up. If the issue persists, talk to online Apple Support instead of going to the store first.

With my iPad, I had the same discussion with them where they ran diagnostics and gave me steps to lower battery consumption. It was not very effective, and my iPad would overheat for no reason. I decided to book an appointment at the Apple Store to see if they would fix the problem or replace the battery under warranty. While I was waiting in line, an Apple Genius was trying to save time because it was almost closing time and there were lots of people. He asked me some questions, I told him I set up my iPad from a previous backup. He told me that there may be a problem with the backup, something isn’t done downloading or isn’t syncing properly. I told him that doesn’t seem to be the case. He then told me that the problem may be from a bug or problem that existed with the backup, so when I brought it over to my iPad, the problem came with it too. He told me to completely reset my iPad and set it up as new. The iPad has now been working on peak performance for quite some time with no unreasonable heating or draining issues. I suggest the same be done on your iPhones.

Oh yes! I have just remembered something and thank you @lobsterghost1 for reminding me. I remember reading on Apple’s website and on Bell’s website both concerning the iPhone 12 and 5G connectivity, and they said that you would need to request from your carrier a new SIM card that will be able to run 5G. I am not an expert on SIM cards or on 5G so I’m not sure how it works (although I kind of remember a similar thing happened when there was a switch from 3G to 4G). Whether or not your device is running 5G, if the SIM card is incapable of that feature, it will cause issues with the phone, this is because if the device detects a SIM card and sees the carrier validity (again, not sure how it works), it will keep checking for 5G signals wherever you may be, and if the SIM Card is incompatible, this is what causes the issues. This explains why there are reports that show a very long battery life without a SIM Card as compared to with SIM Card. Simply call or got to your carrier, inform them that you have gotten the iPhone 12, a 5G capable device, and request a new SIM Card as per your plan. Another option I’ve heard of, although unsure if it’s the same case with the iPhone 12, is to use the eSim provided by Apple with your device and somehow there is a way to work it with a new plan or transfer over your current plan (not sure about the latter, but definitely see if you can anything about it).

So, the problem turned out to be the SIM CARD.

This is not the website I initially found, but it is also helpful.

Use 5G with your iPhone - Apple Support

Today Apple sent me a message on this forum to Their support page.

after filling in a few questions they phoned me, ran a test on the phone and said they had quite a few people reporting the same issue.

They have recommended updates to 14.3 And given me a phone number and reference to ring if i have any more problems over heating.

Hopefully it will be ok,

But will i ever be able to trust this phone won’t catch fire and burn my house and family.

I now have to have it in my pocket all the time, charge it in daytime so i can keep a eye on it,I also have to take it upstairs each night and place it on a tile in the bedroom just incase it catches fire.

Fingers crossed it will be ok.

[Edited by Moderator]

I’ve been having the overheating issue since I got my 12 pro max and finally solved it. The phone would always be warm, even more so when I was actually using it but nothing showed up in the battery history significant. I restored a few times and reset all setting but after a lot of digging I discovered a bit with I cloud, particularly I cloud for windows creating a sort of never ending sync, so I turned off iCloud for safari, deleted the local bookmarks, uninstalled iCloud for windows and then turned iCloud for safari back on and no more hot phone, works for me, so hopefully it may help some of you.

I can confirm that on my 12 pro max the overheating issue was due to 5G network. I have notice the problem while playing CODM when the phone was litteraly burning , other apps worked just fine on 5G. On 4G or WiFi the phone was just warm on CODM. Backround app refresh off, iCloud backup for the game off. No heating while fast charging 18/20W.

Hi I got a new iPhone 12 Pro on Jan 16, 2021.

Problems:

1) PHONE GETS HOT WHEN SETTING UP - My phone also got very hot to the touch during set up. I was told by the Apple representative who was guiding me on the phone that this was normal. (I remained suspicious cause it was TOO HOT.)

2) PHONE GETS HOT WHEN ON FACEBOOK - My phone would get hot when I watched some videos on Facebook ... so HOT that I would feel the burn on my hands even one hour later. When I stop using the phone, the phone would cool down.

3) DROPPED CALLS - Then I noticed when people call me ... I would answer by pressing the green button, but I couldn't hear the caller (whether on speaker or not) and the caller couldn't hear me, yet it would show the call is connected. Then a few seconds after being connected, the call would just drop. Then I had to call the caller back and we would be connected. This happened for all callers who called me.

4) HOT PHONE SOMETIMES WHEN CHARGING - Sometimes the phone would get hot when charging, sometimes not

5) AREA ON THE PHONE WHERE IT WOULD GET HOT - Back of phone ... A) top corner opposite the camera B) mid section of the back of the phone.

SOLUTION

1) I phoned Apple and the representative did some diagnostics ... battery health was ok she said. Then she did another diagnostic and asked to go to General > Reset > and click on "Reset Network Settings". After doing this, I could receive and hear the callers (on speaker or not) as normal.

2) After doing the "Reset Network Settings", I then went back to watch the Facebook videos that made my phone SUPER HOT (gets super hot by 1 min and 50 seconds of watching the video before doing resetting) ... and luckily after the resetting, the phone remained cool (well it was slightly warm as would be expected from a working machine) ... but at least it didn't get super hot. I watched the videos 20 plus times just to make sure, and yes, the phone didn't get hot.

3) When I charge my phone, it was no longer getting hot ... it remained somewhat cool ... at least the times that I checked.

NEW PROBLEM

1) So when I am speaking on the phone AND someone texts me or sends me a photo via text ... then boom ... the phone gets hot again ... but the heat is in the mid section of the phone, not so much heat in the top corner opposite the camera. Again this heat makes me feel like I'm holding a hot plate, causing a very UNPLEASANT sensation on my hand ... and then the battery seems to drain very quickly.

I am not sure what the solution is to the NEW problem. What I have done the 3 to 4 times in which this has happened in the since Jan 21 (it is Jan 28 today), I go and do the "Reset Network Settings" ... from doing this the phone seems to remain more cool and the battery doesn't seem to drain as fast (so it seems).

However, I SHOULD NOT have to go and "Reset Network Settings" all the time!!!!

SO APPLE ... I HOPE YOU FIND A SOLUTION TO THESE PROBLEMS AND TELL US HOW TO FIX THEM. We pay a considerable amount of money to use your Apple phones ... so please give us tested and quality products ... please fix the problems. I hope Apple staff reads this stuff. Thanks.

Anyway for those who have the hot phone issue ... please try "Reset Network Settings" and let me know if it works. You will have to re-enter your Wifi Password though. But all the other PW remains unaffected if you do "Resent Network Settings"

Hope this works!!!