iPhones are not bug-proof: 5 examples of iOS flopping big time
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
One way or another, the iOS software that iPhones run on has gained popularity throughout the years for being the more reliable operating system on the market. Of course, that notion wasn’t baseless. After all, it is easier to avoid bugs when you only need to optimize your OS for a few phones, rather than hundreds.
But while Apple has enjoyed the benefit of being known for its more stable software, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been instances—and even periods—of annoying and sometimes device-breaking bugs on iOS. In fact, in the last couple of years, it seems we are starting to see more and more issues, especially after the big annual updates.
September is knocking at the door, and Apple will soon be releasing its new iPhone 16 series alongside the iOS 18 update. So, here is a quick recap of some of the worst bugs that plagued iPhones during the last few years, and a reminder that rushing to update to the latest software version is not always a great idea.
Every now and then, we get an iOS update that can make our heads explode, filled to the brim with bugs that are not only numerous but also persistent. The iOS 13 update was exactly that, and it was a disliked update among many iPhone users. In fact, Apple didn’t even release iOS 13.0 as it was too buggy. It was only with iOS 13.1 that users got as the first public release.
One particular bug that drained users’ mobile data remained unfixed for months. The worst part about this bug was that its effects continued even though no apps were actively running. The amount of data being drained ranged from as little as a few extra kilobytes a day to gigabytes of data disappearing without a trace.
The problem seemed to be linked to a feature called "Uninstalled apps" in the iPhone’s settings. This was supposed to show you how much data is used by deleted apps, but it was clearly not working correctly.
Other bugs included ringtones not working properly, or the phone randomly hanging up during a phone call. All in all, not a great year for iOS users.
The iPhone 12 series was the moment Apple launched its first 5G capable iPhones, but one other issue then made everyone question Apple’s quality assurance. The iPhone 12 models experienced green and gray patches on their screens, especially at lower brightness levels. This practically ruined the benefits of the OLED displays, which were shared among all iPhone models for the first time.
The issue had been seen on the iPhone 11 Pro Max before the iPhone 12 series was released, and even though Apple was thought to have fixed it, it somehow still showed up with the newer models. Thankfully, Apple did follow up with a software update to address it.
Speaking of display problems, another bug that affected mainly iPhone 14 Pro models was horizontal lines that appeared momentarily upon powering on or unlocking the device. Apple, a company that usually remains silent about some issues, surprisingly acknowledged the problem publicly and confirmed it as a software-related issue.
Speaking of the iPhone 14 series, this was also the first time Apple switched to eSIM only in the US. Of course, it would have been a surprise if that controversial decision did not cause any turmoil, but it sure didn’t help that there was also a bug alongside it.
iPhone 14 models were showing a “SIM Not Supported” error message followed by device freezing, where you could not operate the phone and had to reboot it. Needless to say, that was one of those bugs that completely ruins the user experience. Credit to Apple again for fixing it quickly, but for this one we never figured out what caused it.
A recent bug that spread like wildfire had iPhone users missing wake-up times worldwide. The issue was that alarms did not go off at the time they were scheduled for.
While the issue was thought to be a simple alarm malfunction, Apple said the root cause lied in the “Attention Aware” feature, which mistakenly interpreted the user to be awake, silencing alarms prematurely.
This was one of the funnier iOS bugs, that’s for sure. Just imagine a ton of people being late for work or school at roughly the same time. Of course, it probably wasn’t that funny to them…
Not all bugs are equal. Some types are annoying, some are device-breaking, but undoubtedly the worst ones are those that put your personal information in jeopardy.
One example was not exactly iOS related, but it had to do with an update to the iOS 15 version of Safari. The bug exposed user browsing activity and potentially revealed personal information. The most concerning aspect of the bug: it didn’t require any specific user action to be triggered. It had the potential to expose a wealth of personal information, including profile pictures and potentially more sensitive data.
Another more recent example that turned out to be a false alarm showcased just how worrying even the thought of a security threat can be. Numerous iPhone users had reported encountering frequent and unexpected prompts to enter their Apple ID password. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit were filled with user complaints expressing confusion and concern over this issue.
Rather than simple annoyance, many users described feeling alarmed by the recurring password requests, and some had even reported panic attacks triggered by the unexpected prompts.
What prompted me to even think of this topic is that I have started to experience more and more iOS bugs during the past year. One of the latest issues I encountered had to do with my notifications, which kind of became an “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature” type of situation for me.
The problem was – and still is – that I would not receive the usual prompts for a new notification, no sound would play and the screen would not wake up. If I did check my phone manually though, the notification would be there.
Of course, I made sure that I wasn’t in any Focus and that all of my settings were set up so that I would be given a signal, but alas, the issue persisted. After failing to fix this in the settings, I opted to do a Settings Reset. This seemed to fix things, but after less than half a day, the bug came back again.
Another annoying bug that plagued me for days was my AirDrop not working properly. I tend to share a lot of files between my devices, and for some bizarre reason, sometimes things “just work” and other times they “just don’t”. This is also true for the ability to copy one thing (like text or an image) on the iPhone and paste it on a MacBook, for example.
At this point, Apple’s “it just works” slogan has become an inside joke in my friend group. I just hope there are less disruptive bugs with the upcoming iOS 18, especially with the big introduction of Apple Intelligence. Apple says it is all very safe and private, but we won't know for sure until we spend some proper time running the new software after its public release.
Moral of the story is, iOS is not without its problems. They even appear to be more frequent each year lately, so soon it might not be a reason consumers choose to go for an iPhone instead of an Android anymore.
September is knocking at the door, and Apple will soon be releasing its new iPhone 16 series alongside the iOS 18 update. So, here is a quick recap of some of the worst bugs that plagued iPhones during the last few years, and a reminder that rushing to update to the latest software version is not always a great idea.
Of course, there are many bugs to choose from throughout the years given we are at iOS 18 now. We will be looking at some of the more recent examples, as they fresher and more relatable.
Infamous iOS bugs throughout the last four years:
Just iOS 13 in general…
Every now and then, we get an iOS update that can make our heads explode, filled to the brim with bugs that are not only numerous but also persistent. The iOS 13 update was exactly that, and it was a disliked update among many iPhone users. In fact, Apple didn’t even release iOS 13.0 as it was too buggy. It was only with iOS 13.1 that users got as the first public release.
One particular bug that drained users’ mobile data remained unfixed for months. The worst part about this bug was that its effects continued even though no apps were actively running. The amount of data being drained ranged from as little as a few extra kilobytes a day to gigabytes of data disappearing without a trace.
Other bugs included ringtones not working properly, or the phone randomly hanging up during a phone call. All in all, not a great year for iOS users.
The screen problems
The iPhone 12 series was the moment Apple launched its first 5G capable iPhones, but one other issue then made everyone question Apple’s quality assurance. The iPhone 12 models experienced green and gray patches on their screens, especially at lower brightness levels. This practically ruined the benefits of the OLED displays, which were shared among all iPhone models for the first time.
Speaking of display problems, another bug that affected mainly iPhone 14 Pro models was horizontal lines that appeared momentarily upon powering on or unlocking the device. Apple, a company that usually remains silent about some issues, surprisingly acknowledged the problem publicly and confirmed it as a software-related issue.
“SIM Not Supported”
Speaking of the iPhone 14 series, this was also the first time Apple switched to eSIM only in the US. Of course, it would have been a surprise if that controversial decision did not cause any turmoil, but it sure didn’t help that there was also a bug alongside it.
iPhone 14 models were showing a “SIM Not Supported” error message followed by device freezing, where you could not operate the phone and had to reboot it. Needless to say, that was one of those bugs that completely ruins the user experience. Credit to Apple again for fixing it quickly, but for this one we never figured out what caused it.
Annoyances
A recent bug that spread like wildfire had iPhone users missing wake-up times worldwide. The issue was that alarms did not go off at the time they were scheduled for.
While the issue was thought to be a simple alarm malfunction, Apple said the root cause lied in the “Attention Aware” feature, which mistakenly interpreted the user to be awake, silencing alarms prematurely.
This was one of the funnier iOS bugs, that’s for sure. Just imagine a ton of people being late for work or school at roughly the same time. Of course, it probably wasn’t that funny to them…
Security-threatening iOS bugs
Not all bugs are equal. Some types are annoying, some are device-breaking, but undoubtedly the worst ones are those that put your personal information in jeopardy.
One example was not exactly iOS related, but it had to do with an update to the iOS 15 version of Safari. The bug exposed user browsing activity and potentially revealed personal information. The most concerning aspect of the bug: it didn’t require any specific user action to be triggered. It had the potential to expose a wealth of personal information, including profile pictures and potentially more sensitive data.
Rather than simple annoyance, many users described feeling alarmed by the recurring password requests, and some had even reported panic attacks triggered by the unexpected prompts.
Personal experiences
The problem was – and still is – that I would not receive the usual prompts for a new notification, no sound would play and the screen would not wake up. If I did check my phone manually though, the notification would be there.
Of course, I made sure that I wasn’t in any Focus and that all of my settings were set up so that I would be given a signal, but alas, the issue persisted. After failing to fix this in the settings, I opted to do a Settings Reset. This seemed to fix things, but after less than half a day, the bug came back again.
At this point, Apple’s “it just works” slogan has become an inside joke in my friend group. I just hope there are less disruptive bugs with the upcoming iOS 18, especially with the big introduction of Apple Intelligence. Apple says it is all very safe and private, but we won't know for sure until we spend some proper time running the new software after its public release.
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