Some Common Problems about iPhone Series

Apple’s iPhone lineup is powered by iOS, which is known for a number of things. While a few buggy initial launches might lead you to believe otherwise, iOS is actually one of the most stable widely available software platforms in the world. But stable though it may be, there are still some common problems that can be incredibly bothersome if they affect your iPhone, so we do our best to show you how to fix your phone and enjoy smooth sailing whenever possible.

First and foremost is excess battery drain, which is easily one of the biggest iPhone gripes. Besides, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be a major battery drain. Turn them off in your device’s settings when you are not using them, so that you can extend battery life. The three main items of note are adjusting apps that can use background processes, stopping certain apps from being able to access your location, and looking over your apps within Settings to see which ones are causing the most battery drain.

A few complaints have come in that the iPhone 5 touchscreen is randomly dropping touch input when a finger is dragged forwards and backwards diagonally across the display. Some people have even reported a completely unresponsive touchscreen or the screen going blank for a few seconds. There have also been complaints about the touchscreen registering touches when the user hasn’t touched that part of the display. While this doesn’t seem to be a widespread issue it is clearly a pretty extreme problem. There could be more than one issue here, some tests suggest the quick swipe failure is an iOS issue, but the more severe unresponsive or wrongly registering touches problems are likely to be hardware related.

Solution: If your problem is severe then take your iPhone 5 to an Apple store and show them the issue and you’ll get a replacement. You could try resetting or restoring your iPhone 5, but this is probably a hardware problem and you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a replacement. If you are experiencing the quick swipe problem then you may just need to wait for an iOS update.

A lot of people have run into problems with the physical Home button not working. For some iPhone 5 owners it has been flaky and increasingly unresponsive from the start, for others it has gradually worn out through use.

Workaround: If you’re planning to get your iPhone fixed or replaced, but you still need to use it in the meantime, then there is a good workaround for an unresponsive Home button. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Assistive Touch and turn it on. You’ll see a small circle on screen and when you tap it you’ll have access to Home, Siri, More, and Favorites, which allows you to bypass the button.

Solution: If it is still under warranty then you should be able to get a replacement from Apple. If you’re able to visit an Apple Store then that will be the fastest way to get it dealt with; they’ll probably repair it on the spot or get you a replacement. If you can’t get to an Apple Store then contact Apple or your carrier and ask about your options.