...
🔍

iPhone XS Problems: The #1 Biggest Reported Issues

Whenever a new iPhone launches, two things happen. First, it is proclaimed as The Best iPhone EVER by tech sites the world over and legions of Apple lovers.

Shortly afterward, the various minor (and sometimes major) problems associated with the hardware come out of the woodwork, gaining considerable column inches in both the specialist and mainstream press.

MORE: Find Out What The #1 Best iPhone is Right Now (For Value For Money)

If you’ve got yourself a beautiful iPhone XS – and you’ve spent a ton of money on it – it is very annoying when things go wrong. Apple makes great phones. But even the iPhone XS range has its problems. And right now, the three biggest problems affecting iPhone XS handsets are as follows.

iPhone XS Problems: The Most Common Issues Affecting XS/XS Max Models

iphone-xs-problemsPin

#1) iPhone XS Charging Issues

First, we have perhaps the most irksome problem – iPhones that won’t charge when plugged into a Lightning cable. Some users are saying their phone will begin charging if woken, while others are reporting that the phone won’t charge with the cable at all.

Given the tender age of the iPhone XS – and the fact that this issue seems to be random when it comes to impacting different users – there’s a high chance it could be related to a software bug.

Even so, it’s hardly the kind of ‘feature’ you want when you’ve just spent £1000 on a new phone.

#2) Antenna + Wonky 4G & WiFi Connections

Another BIG issue affecting the iPhone XS is to do with reception. Specifically, owners are getting worse reception than they did with their previous model; some are even saying that their connection drops out entirely at points where previously it was rock-steady on an older device.

MORE: iPhone X Review: Apple’s First (And Now Cheapest) OLED iPhone… 

We’re even seeing people complain that WiFi connectivity is impacted, which might suggest a design fault. However, it’s perhaps too early to say if this is hardware or software-related.

#3) Beauty-Gate (STATUS: FIXED)

At the minor end of the scale, users are finding that the iPhone XS’ camera appears to have some kind of skin-smoothing effect applied that makes people look super-youthful.

This isn’t a new feature by any stretch of the imagination; many Chinese phones come with this functionality. However, iPhone XS users are complaining that this is happening without any kind of warning, and some are assuming it is related to the phone’s new Smart HDR feature.

It is believed that this function – which takes several exposures and overlays them for better contrast – is the reason why flesh looks so darn smooth. However, the video below appears to contest this and states that the smoothing happens no matter what you do. Eek.

When Will These iPhone XS Problems Be Fixed?

iphone-xs-problemsPin

We’d imagine that all three of these issues will be dealt with sooner rather than later, as Apple is usually pretty good when it comes to tackling these kinds of problems.

But then again, there are some issues that simply cannot be fixed with an update – remember the iPhone 4 and AntennaGate?

Hopefully, this is simply a case of multiple problems stacking up all at once, rather than a serious flaw with the way the iPhone XS is made. As of right now, the only issue that has been totally fixed is the one that was affecting the iPhone XS and iPhone XR‘s selfie cameras; the over-smoothing issue was fixed in the iOS 12.1 update.

As for the antenna issues and wonky charging, well… we’re still waiting.

 

Damien McFerran

Damien McFerran has been covering phones and mobile technology for well over a decade. An Android specialist, as well as an expert reviewer of phones, Damien is one of the best technology journalists working today. He is also editorial director over at the excellent Nintendo Life.

Scroll to Top