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klex

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 28, 2007
144
0
I've been experiencing issues with my phone lately and wanted to hear if anyone was having similar issues. My screen will lag when it's cold. For example I'll slide to unlock but won't see the slider actually slide. Instead the screen just changes to the homescreen. Also, sometimes my edit button in iCal won't react and I'll have problems moving around screens in safari. The issues usually starts when the weather is cold but will persist even after I've moved inside. For those of us with apple laptops we know that some issue are "within specks" and I was wondering whether this issue is within specks as well
 
how cold is it? well below the "normal operating conditions"?

I have that problem occasionally and I live in Southern California so you can imagine how cold, or not cold, it gets here (even though it's been raining for the past week and it's been in the 40s at times).

Usually I get that or the screen isn't very responsive but I've found it's caused more by the phone being on for a week and a simple restart resolves it.
 
I'm here in East TN and the weather definitly effects the phone. It seems to slow down and not respond as well to the touch screen.
 
I'm here in East TN and the weather definitly effects the phone. It seems to slow down and not respond as well to the touch screen.

I'm starting to think, could it have something to do with you (the user) rather than the phone? The screen works on your touch and your fingers are affected by the cold. I know technology can be affected by the temperature but in the case of the iPhone/iPod Touch your fingers being cold could be the bigger problem.
 
I'm starting to think, could it have something to do with you (the user) rather than the phone? The screen works on your touch and your fingers are affected by the cold. I know technology can be affected by the temperature but in the case of the iPhone/iPod Touch your fingers being cold could be the bigger problem.

Maybe, but the system still seems to run a little bit slower.
 
I know cold weather messes up Ipods so i would be suprised if it did bother the Iphones as well
 
If anyone would like to send me an iPhone for field tests, I can test it out here (in Kazakhstan), but you better hurry, as it is getting warmer. Recently, it has been -15C/5F during the day, and -25C/-13F when the sun goes down.

I will return your phone honest ;)
 
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I was JUST thinking about whether or not the cold could affect the iPhone, since I picked it up this morning and it was like ice. (I have it charging it near a window, where cold has been seeping in a lot).

So far...no problems. But I was wondering if continuous exposure to cold could eventually mess it up? Anyone know?
 
I was having an unrelated issue with my iPhone and inquired about this exact issue when I was on the phone with a product specialist b/c I had noticed the same cold weather issues. Apple has acknowledged that this can happen from time to time, but there is really very little that can be done to prevent this minor problem in very cold conditions. While certainly not unique to an iPhone, it is most noticeable on devices like this because of the manner in which it is used, i.e., input via a large touch screen.
 
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I was JUST thinking about whether or not the cold could affect the iPhone, since I picked it up this morning and it was like ice. (I have it charging it near a window, where cold has been seeping in a lot).

So far...no problems. But I was wondering if continuous exposure to cold could eventually mess it up? Anyone know?


If I were you, I would definitely find somewhere new for the phone.
 
Last year in Baotou, Inner Mongolia when the temperature was around -15C/5F, I thought my camera on the iPhone was about to die when the screen starting flashing red and yellow. Decided to wrap it up and put it back into my bag.
 
The temps vary but on average I'd say 38-45. I know it's not my fingers, because as I said, the problem will persist even after I've been inside for a while. I guess I'm not the only experiencing this. I was going to go to a store, but would hate to go all the way just to have some Genius tell me it's "within specks". Also, I might not be able to recreate the issue, which is another reason why I'm hesitant to go all the way to a store.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences though.
 
The temps vary but on average I'd say 38-45. I know it's not my fingers, because as I said, the problem will persist even after I've been inside for a while. I guess I'm not the only experiencing this. I was going to go to a store, but would hate to go all the way just to have some Genius tell me it's "within specks". Also, I might not be able to recreate the issue, which is another reason why I'm hesitant to go all the way to a store.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences though.



hey sorry I know Im a bit late and youve probably solved your problem but for any one else who is wondering or if you still are, your not the only one whose iphone does this. mine does too when it goes below 0 degrees celcius. to fix this all you have to do is this simple step: (my sister found out)
hold the sleep/on/off button and the middle button to go to home at the same time for a couple of seconds (10-20). then continue as normal.

this resets it without deleting anything!
hope it helps:)
 
LCDs will slow down as it gets colder, due to the "liquid" part of their name.

Because of this, for enterprise field apps we sometimes use custom handhelds with heaters built into the display.

I don't think consumer LCDs will actually freeze solid until about -40 (C or F), but they'll be pitiful to use long before that.

---

As for worse cold weather touch response, I've been working with touchscreens for almost two decades, and I have my own theory about capacitive types in the cold:

Capacitive touchscreens work due to all the conductive blood vessels just underneath our skin. Essentially, we're the capacitive equivalent of a six foot skin balloon filled with water.

When your hands get cold, the blood retreats away from the surface of the skin, causing your fingers to be less conductive. I believe that's why the screen will get "less sensitive", especially depending on the person.
 
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Well I'm in Ontario, Canada -20 C is not rare and I haven't experienced any problems due to cold on any of my iPhones. Then again it's so cold it's really only used for short uses in those temps or you'd end up with frostbite on your bare hand.
 
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