Apple Fixes Overheating And Zero Day Flaws With New iOS Update
When Apple released its statement about iPhone 15 Pro overheating issues earlier this week, the company indicated that an iOS update would be able to partially address that issue. That update has arrived today in the form of iOS 17.0.3, an update that claims to address “an issue that may cause iPhones to run warmer than expected,” as well as patching a pair of security exploits.
Apple also said that specific apps like Instagram and Uber were also causing phones to heat up and that it was working with developers on fixes. The iPhonedo YouTube channel recently demonstrated that version 302.0 of the Instagram app running on iOS 17 could also make iPhone 14 Pro phones and even an iPad Pro run hot, confirming that the issue wasn’t unique to the new phones.
Initial reports claimed that the iPhone 15 Pro’s new Apple A17 Pro chip, its new 3 nm manufacturing process, and/or the phone’s new titanium frame could be causing or exacerbating the heat problems. Apple has denied these claims. Even after the fix, you can still expect a new iPhone to run a bit warm during and immediately after initial setup, as it downloads apps and data and performs other background tasks.
The security updates include one patch for a kernel flaw (CVE-2023-42824) that Apple says is being actively exploited but requires local access to your device. A second vulnerability residing in WebRTC also received a patch. Tracked as CVE-2023-5217, the vulnerability originates with libvpx, a code library created and maintained by Google and incorporated into WebRTC and hundreds of other apps. Last week Google warned that attackers were exploiting the critical code-execution flaw.
This is the third minor update Apple has released for iOS 17 in the last three weeks. Version 17.0.1 also patched security flaws, while version 17.0.2 resolved a bug that could cause problems for people transferring data from an older iPhone to a new iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro. The 17.0.2 update was initially only released for the iPhone 15 models, but Apple released it for all iPhone and iPad users a few days later.
It’s common for new iPhones to get specific iOS fixes in rapid succession since the new phones and new OS ship around the same time every year. Older devices also get more thorough vetting during the months-long developer and public beta programs, which Apple has made even easier to use in recent releases.
The first major update to iOS 17, version 17.1, is currently in beta testing. So far, it mostly seems to refine a few of iOS 17’s new features, including the StandBy smart display mode—MacRumors has a good roundup of the changes. If Apple follows its usual schedule, the 17.1 update should roll out for all iPhone and iPad users within the next few weeks.
Update: We’ve added more information about the WebRTC bug that Apple patched in iOS 17.0.3.
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