Apple has released iOS 11.3.1 for iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch, and the update fixes the problem which many users faced with third-party screen replacements.
With iOS 11.3, some users found that their iPhone display stopped responding to touch completely. According to many of the affected users, the displays would turn on, but wouldn’t register any inputs at all, rendering it useless for the most part.
According to Apple, iOS 11.3.1 “addresses an issue where touch input was unresponsive on some iPhone 8 devices because they were serviced with non-genuine replacement displays”.
It’s worth noting here that just about all users who reported the issue say that they had their display panel replaced from a third-party repair shop rather than from an Apple-authorized outlet. Many believed that the company was intentionally trying scare tactics to discourage people from getting iPhones repaired by non-official third parties.
It would have been another blow for Apple in terms of customer satisfaction hands after the Batterygate issue which is yet to see its day in court. In fact, Apple has been trying to make changes to end the so-called ‘Right to Repair’ which could ban users from using any third-party service for repairs or parts replacement, so it’s not entirely surprising that many were questioning Apple’s motives with the unresponsive screen bug.
While Apple has now fixed the issue with its latest update, the company continues to advice its customers to use genuine spares. According to the company, “Non-genuine replacement displays may have compromised visual quality and may fail to work correctly. Apple-certified screen repairs are performed by trusted experts who use genuine Apple parts”.
Apple last month released iOS 11.3 after a prolonged beta-testing period that started in January. It is a major update that brings a whole host of changes, including an improved implementation of ARKit for an enhanced augmented reality experience.
