Right now
The iPhone 7 (left) and iPhone 6S (right) have a new problem with phone call functionality freezing.... [+]
Once again credit goes to users on Apple’s official Support Communities website who have done a sterling job in bringing the issue to light. Having contacted me directly, one affected user drew my attention to problems the iPhone 7 currently has making calls due to the Phone app repeatedly freezing.
Reports of this problem are all over the Support Communities forum and predominantly feature the iPhone 7, though some iPhone 6S and 5S models are affected too (Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 among many others). User BingoBones describes the issue:
“I have the new iPhone7. The Phone APP often freezes and requires me to "hard-close" the app by double clicking the home button and swiping up. Is this a known issue? Does anyone know how to fix? My software is up to date iOS 10.1.1”
And it was quickly jumped upon by other users in that thread, as it has been on many others:
Apple Support Community posters have been quick to confirm problems with the Phone app on the iPhone... [+]
It is notable other Support Communities threads also point out the Phone app crashes during calls over Bluetooth headsets, when in Phone app settings, Recent calls and more. Soft resets and full restores with iTunes have not helped. Moreover Apple has yet to acknowledge the bug:
“I am having this issue also. I have soft reset, factory data reset and completed an online chat with Apple. There is no fix and I am going to have to get a warranty exchange,” said user marinegamet.
Various unofficial fixes have been proposed by users, including getting carriers to perform a formal network reset while turning off Exchange contacts has been widely touted, but nothing has been a silver bullet. Furthermore they’re not exactly convenient:
“Someone upthread said the same thing, but I'm sorry to Apple - turning off Exchange contacts for most companies using enterprise mail servers isn't exactly an option. I don't see my boss being thrilled when I tell him not to sync well over a 1000 contacts to his phone in order to stave off it's freezing,” said linkjc75.
It is notable that this issue with the Phone app is different to the widespread carrier signal problems many iPhones experienced on iOS 10. Apple did address that bug in iOS 10.1.
Solution In Sight?
Right now affected users are pinning their hopes on iOS 10.2, which has reached beta 5 and is expected to be formally released in the next few weeks. To date affected users who have installed the beta have not seen any improvement, but there’s still time for it to be crowbarred in.
In fact it is notable that bugs I’ve drawn attention to over the last six months (including lost Health app data in iOS 10.1 October and ‘batterygate’ in iOS 10.1.1 last month) have all either been fixed in the next release of iOS or at least publicly acknowledged. So Apple is clearly responding quickly to issues that are thrown into the spotlight.
Fingers crossed the same response will mean these iPhone 7 Phone app freezes are addressed before someone adds #gate onto the end of it...
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