Last week, Apple began rolling out the iOS 18.2 update to iPhones, marking the company’s first significant move into artificial intelligence with the Apple Intelligence suite. However, some iPhone owners have reported overheating issues when using certain features from the suite, which may affect the overall performance of the devices.
Overheating Problems with Generative AI Features
A few days after the release of iOS 18.2, iPhone users started sharing their experiences with the update, and not all of them were positive. Some users reported that when using generative AI features, such as Image Playground, their devices began to overheat. This feature allows users to transform images in their gallery by applying various styles, turning portraits into 3D models or drawings, or adding objects to images. Unfortunately, many users reported that the devices started heating up quickly when using this feature, leading to concerns over performance and battery life. We’ll keep you updated as more integrations become available.
Issues with Specific iPhone Models
While overheating appears to be a common issue across devices, some problems seem to be more specific to certain models. For example, Reddit users mentioned that the Genmoji feature, which generates emojis from user images, caused performance issues and lags in the user interface, particularly on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Interestingly, users of the iPhone 16 reported no such issues, with the function working as expected. However, even on the iPhone 16, some overheating was reported when using the Photos app, and many users noticed a decrease in battery life after the iOS 18.2 update.
Possible Causes and Future Considerations
Although Apple has not provided any official comment on the issue, the root cause seems clear, notes NIX Solutions. Android devices often run similar AI-powered features from the cloud, but Apple decided to handle these tasks locally on iPhones, in line with its commitment to privacy. This approach may be contributing to the overheating and battery drain issues, as the local processing demands could be straining the device. It may be time for Apple to consider incorporating cooling systems into future iPhone models, as this has already become a common feature in Android devices.