Touch screen not working on my iPhone after iOS 18 update

(1) Try and Force Restart your iPhone EXACTLY as shown below and see whether that resolves the issue:

• Press and quickly release Volume UP button
• Press and quickly release Volume DOWN button
• Press and Hold the SIDE button until an Apple logo appears and then release the Side button (Can take up to 20 seconds. (DO NOT release Side Button when invited to Slide Power OFF). 

(2)  If that does not help, then contact 👉 Official Apple Support OR you can always get your iPhone examined at the Apple Store 👉 Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options or at an Authorized Service Center for further diagnosis and evaluation.

Axel F.

Its happening to my phone too. Its def not a hardware issue. They just lie to you to get you to get a new phone. Mine is se 2022 and it usually is fine after I turn it off and on. Bugs like these happen all the time with updates. They usually fix on its own over time

I also encountered the same issue with my iPhone 14. After trying multiple solutions, including a force restart and even restoring the device through iTunes (which meant sacrificing my data), nothing worked. Frustrated, I visited a nearby Apple Store where they informed me it was a hardware issue, not software-related. They recommended replacing the display, which is quite costly since my warranty expired just last month. This whole experience has been extremely frustrating and disappointing.

Here's my issue post - iPhone Touch Screen not working after upd… - Apple Community

I am in the same situation as you. After upgrading my iPhone to iOS18, it was working fine overnight. Then the touch screen wasn't working the next day. Later, I went to a repair store to check the problem. Finally, the reason was that my iPhone screen was malfunctioning. Removing my screen and changing to another screen will be okay. But my insurance has expired, so I must buy a new screen individual to fix my touch screen.

Is anyone in the same situation as me? The solution is also to replace the screen. Good job Apple, brilliant iOS version.

The exact same thing is happening on my 16 Pro Max. I’m pretty sure it’s not to force an upgrade as I’ve got the latest model and it’s still happening. It sounds like it’s a bug in IOS 18. My screen becomes unresponsive, especially when typing. Prior to the update I didn’t have any issues on my old 15 pro max until I updated to iOS 18 on that also.

I’ve encountered the same issue with my iPhone 14 Pro Max running iOS 18.0.1 (JP model). Last night, while using the Mail app, the screen suddenly froze and became unresponsive. I tried closing the app through Siri, which worked, but the touch screen remained unresponsive. I attempted multiple reboots using the button combination, but the issue persisted. I even tried installing a patch via recovery mode, but there was no improvement. As a last resort, I performed a factory reset, but the problem still wasn’t resolved.

I visited my nearest Apple Store, where they told me it was a hardware issue and replaced the display. Unfortunately, that didn’t fix it. In the end, they said I’d need to replace the entire iPhone, claiming it was still a hardware issue. I find this hard to believe, as it seems more like a software issue. It’s extremely disappointing that Apple is trying to pass this off as a hardware problem for a quick fix.

Since my childhood i have a strong desire to buy an iPhone like everyone. So With my first salary i bought a new iPhone 14 pro max and took utmost care while handling the mobile till date. Apparently, here came a rising update from apple i.e., IOS 18., which made me feel like exciting at first later then on i realized that updating to iOS 18 is the worst decision i have taken. This drastically made me to think why apple has got that much brand image with this kind of updates which made my mobile to stop functioning and their way of attempt in solving the issue.

Let me explain the scenario i have faced:

i have upgraded to iOS 18 On sept 19 2024 On sept 21st 2024(Saturday) i went to have a cup of chai and just wanted click a snap of it and i snaped it and just locked the mobile from then till now(23-09-2024). The touch of my iPhone 14 Pro max is not functioning it got freezed not even responding to any Swipe gestures and all. I as an customer of apple and also a human being have many things like job calls, messages, important meetings, orders ecommerce, mobile numbers, important data base. every thing related to day to day life is being directly linked to that only one mobile which i have that to i am using E- Sim(WHICH IS ALSO A GREAT INITIATIVE BY APPLE). So i had a panic whether what happened to my mobile and how can it be sorted out. At first i Thought that it is some kind of hang. so i haven't disturbed it a while later on after switching off and restarted i didn't understand what happened and on the next day 20 sept 2024 i.e. Sunday i immediately rushed to apple store Aptronix. they said like since it is Sunday there is no service and my wait has came to one day long and i am unable to call any of my contacts and answer most important calls that might cause a severe effect on my job as well due to this issue. And today 23-09-2024 i waited from 10.30 AM in the morning at apple store to know about the condition of my mobile and the store has got opened at 11.00 AM And had a huge rush over different kind of issues and then i was surprisingly shocked to hear their response i.e., It takes 1000/- Rupees to let us know what the issue is and they have also said this mobile might have touchscreen/hardware issue so that the display should be replaced costs about 39900/-beyond the warranty period and then for some period of time i am awestruck with their answer. So i asked why this kind of issue has came and replied like it comes like that sometimes due to some unforeseen reasons but till now i haven't used my phone too rough and i wont play games either the only thing i do is to use WhatsApp, Instagram and calling. for this kind of usage im literally surprised to hear those statements. until iOS 18 came into picture i didn't have any single complaint With my mobile from the past 2 years because i know the value of price i kept for this mobile and i am unable to understand why would i use that much carelessly? and they also mentioned this iOS 18 problems have been noted and already they are replacing 13pro and 13pro max models display at free of cost for their green screens as they received a policy for that models. but what about the later models. This is serious issue which has to be looked into from apple side. Apple should definitely answerable to this Complaint Addressal.

Furtherly i also made a call to the customer support of apple their answer is also the same like within the warranty period only they are going to provide free service/replacement but we didn't asked for the update that caused my mobile dead and i wont even update if i had known these kind of issue arises earlier. Everyone will expect that if they are buying a premium product which is costing around 1+ lakh it is reliable for at-least 5 years. but apple failed to accept that and also says simply that you are out of warranty and they are not even giving any support form their side not even thinking how a customer is struggling this hard.

Still im not having any option to answer the calls , read otps office calls , And also importantly the opts for the pickups from ecommerce sites like flipkart, snitch, myntra. etc where i made a shopping also needs the otps to receive or cancel the purchases i made . this it self nearly made around 8K- loss for me due to Apple products inefficiency and their service.

Man I wish I would have seen this thread before I did my update last night. My iPhone 13 mini is having same problem. did update last night and now screen is not responding. *SIGH*.

My 14 pro touch and hold lock screen hasn't worked since the iOS 18 update, even with the iOS 18.01, nothing helped, I still can't edit my lock screen by touch and hold on the lock screen. Its frustrating.

Im also having major problems following the ISO18 update. I have no cell service and when I look at the Cellular diagnostics on my iPhone, there is an "issue with the cellular connection". Apple is now indicating it is problem with my hardware and I need to book an appointment to get it fixed. This is complete BS because I had no problems with hardware or anything prior to this specific software update. I am now seeing this same problem with most people who have done the iso18 software update. I don't even have the option to look at my carrier network to see if there are any carrier updates and this was one of the "Apple Tech" solutions among other things "if I had that option even available on my phone anymore". I am so upset because Apple has release what is the worst software update. I suspect they will try to have me by a new phone as I have an iPhone 12.

I’m experiencing a similar issue with my iPhone 14 Pro Max after updating to iOS 18. On September 20th at around 11 PM Sri Lanka time, my screen became unresponsive. I updated on the 19th and didn’t customize anything afterward. Everything else is working fine—calls, notifications, buttons—but the touch screen won’t respond. I’ve tried force restarting and re-updating through iTunes, but no luck. It’s frustrating since my phone was perfect before the update. Now I can not event access my email. Have you found any solutions yet?

I have a 16 pro and am having issues intermittently. For instance when my phone is on lock and I get a message I can’t always touch the message to open up my phone to open straight to the notification. It’s completely unresponsive. I have to swipe up to open and go find the message. There are other times randomly where the screen goes unresponsive and I have to close down whatever application I am in and start over. After getting my new 16 and immediately getting iOS 18 there seems to be many quirky irritating bugs. I am not sure if it’s my new phone or the iOS?!

The same issue is happening with my iPhone 12. I tried several forced restarts, but they didn’t work. Next, I attempted an update via iTunes with the phone in recovery mode, but still no luck. I even resorted to restoring the phone to its factory settings, losing all my data in the process, yet the touchscreen remains unresponsive.

I went to Apple, and they suggested replacing the screen for €300—almost the price of the phone itself.

This morning, I left the phone at a trusted repair shop so they can inspect the issue. Now, I’m waiting for their feedback.

Strangely, just five hours earlier, I told my wife, "I’ve been using this phone for three years now, and I don’t plan on replacing it anytime soon."

I have the same problem.. so many hardware fault.. it is impossible... after ios 18 and some days touch screen don't work the same anymore