iOS 17.1 Update Includes Fix for Purported Screen Burn-in Bug, Fixes Significant Location Privacy Bug: Report

iOS 17.1 is expected to arrive next week as the first notable update since iOS 17 was rolled out to users in September. The iPhone maker has also rolled out the release candidate for the update to beta testers, ahead of the release. Aside from new features coming to Apple’s mobile operating system, the company is also introducing fixes for two issues that were present on iOS 17 and are affecting customers. An image retention bug that affected some iPhone models has reportedly been resolved, while Apple’s default iOS keyboard will also be much snappier after the update.

MacRumors reports that the iOS 17.1 update will fix a bug that “may cause display image persistence,” citing the feature notes for the release candidate (RC) for the next software update that is now available to test via the public beta channel. The company is expected to roll out the iOS 17.1 update to eligible iPhone models on October 24.

Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Reddit

Users have reported screen burn-in issues on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models — on various platforms, including Apple’s forums and Reddit — weeks after the phones were launched. While it was suggested that the iPhone 15 models could be impacted by a hardware issue that was causing the alleged burn-in issue, it appears that the next software update will contain a fix for the issue.

Apple’s next iOS 17.1 update will also resolve a privacy issue that was previously flagged by security researchers that affects the Significant Locations setting. iOS 17 reset the location-related setting to default when pairing an Apple Watch or transferring data from Apple’s wearable, according to the MacRumors report. This issue has reportedly been resolved, along with issues affecting the default keyboard on iOS 17.

Earlier this month, Apple fixed a bug that affected the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max that could cause the phone to overheat while it was in use. At the time, the company acknowledged that there was a bug that could allow the iPhone 15 Pro models — that are equipped with Apple’s latest A17 Pro chip — to get warm, while some apps like Uber and Instagram, that were not optimised for the new chip and iOS 17, could exacerbate the issue. These issues have reportedly been resolved with the recently released iOS 17.0.3 update.