Why iOS 11.3 is Breaking iPhones

If your iPhone has a replacement screen in it, you should stay away from iOS 11.3. Apple’s latest iPhone update is breaking touch functionality on iPhones with replacement displays and there are other annoying issues tied to this.

There are several problems all tied to replacement parts. Some of these are limited to aftermarket parts, but other issues are present even if you use an official Apple part.

The biggest issue that users are complaining about on iOS 11.3 is the touch sensor failing on aftermarket displays, rendering the iPhone unusable since there is no way to control it without touch.

Even with Apple parts once you swap an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or X screen it auto brightness no longer works and True Tone is disabled. Another problem is that the Battery Health feature will not communicate with aftermarket iPhone batteries.

In the video above, Michael Oberdick of iOutlet walks through a variety of repair and replacement scenarios, showing exactly what is broken on iOS 11.3. In the video we get a look what does and doesn’t work on iOS 11.0.2 and iOS 11.3.

Auto brightness does not work on iOS 11.0.2, even with original refurbished parts, but the inability to use touch controls is new with iOS 11.3. With multiple tests we can see that this problem is with the use of aftermarket displays.

Some aftermarket displays do work with iOS 11.3, while others don’t. This is a problem, but it lines up with iFixit’s claim that this is not a malicious action by Apple, but a major iOS 11.3 bug.

The iOS 11.3 update is breaking iPhones. This video shows that it is a software issue.

Oberdick believes that the software is looking for something from the touch controller that is not being passed. This comparison highlights what is happening with iOS 11.3 and iPhone touch screen problems.

Given the tests performed Obberdick, who is also a board member of Repair.org, believes that this is a software problem. This is a good sign that Apple can deliver iOS 11.3.1 to fix this problem.

In the video we see that FaceID and the auto brightness don’t work once you swap screens, even with an original Apple screen from another iPhone X. We saw error 53 and broken Touch ID support when repairs were made to the iPhone 6 in 2016. Apple fixed that problem with a software update.

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