Incident: iPhone X Screen Unresponsive in Cold Weather - Apple's Response

Published Date: 2017-11-09

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of the iPhone X screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather happened in November 2017. [Article 65012]
System 1. iPhone X's touchscreen functionality in cold weather conditions [Article 65012]
Responsible Organization 1. Apple [65012]
Impacted Organization 1. iPhone X users [65012]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident reported in Article 65012 was related to the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather. Apple acknowledged that the issue was due to the screen becoming temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment, and they mentioned that it would be addressed in a future software update [65012].
Non-software Causes 1. Exposure to cool outdoor temperatures causing the iPhone X screen to become unresponsive [Article 65012].
Impacts 1. Some iPhone X users experienced unresponsiveness of the touchscreen in cold weather conditions, affecting their ability to use the device outdoors [65012].
Preventions 1. Conducting thorough testing in various environmental conditions, including cold temperatures, during the development phase to identify and address potential touchscreen responsiveness issues [65012]. 2. Implementing proactive monitoring systems to quickly detect and respond to user complaints or reports of touchscreen unresponsiveness in real-time [65012].
Fixes 1. Apple is working on a software fix for the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather, which will be addressed in an upcoming software update [65012].
References 1. Reddit users [65012]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) In the provided article [65012], Apple acknowledged a software failure incident related to the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather. This incident is specific to Apple's iPhone X product, indicating a software issue within the organization's product line. (b) There is no information in the provided article [65012] about a similar incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article as Apple acknowledged that the unresponsiveness of the iPhone X screen in cold weather is a result of the device's susceptibility to chilly conditions. Apple mentioned that this issue will be fixed in a future software update, indicating that the problem is related to the design of the device and will be addressed through a software fix [65012]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted in the article through user complaints about the iPhone X screen becoming unresponsive when exposed to cool outdoor temperatures. Users reported that the touchscreen did not recognize input in cold weather conditions, even within the recommended operating temperature range provided by Apple. This indicates that the failure was experienced during the operation of the device in specific environmental conditions, leading to the unresponsiveness of the screen [65012].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in Article 65012 is related to the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather. Apple acknowledged the issue and mentioned that it is a result of the iPhone X screen becoming temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment. This indicates that the failure is within the system, specifically related to the device's touchscreen functionality [65012].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The software failure incident with the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather was attributed to the device's susceptibility to chilly conditions. Apple mentioned that the screen would become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment, but it would become fully responsive again after several seconds. Apple stated that this issue would be addressed in an upcoming software update, indicating that the failure was due to factors related to the device's design and environmental conditions rather than human actions [65012]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: There is no information in the provided article to suggest that the software failure incident with the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather was caused by human actions. The issue was acknowledged by Apple as a temporary problem related to the device's response to cold temperatures, and the company stated that it would be resolved through a software update. Therefore, the failure was not attributed to human actions [65012].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The article mentions that some iPhone X users experienced an unresponsive screen issue when exposed to cool outdoor temperatures, indicating a hardware-related problem [65012]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - Apple acknowledged the issue and stated that the iPhone X screen becoming unresponsive in cold environments will be fixed in a future software update, indicating a software-related fix for the problem [65012].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather is categorized as non-malicious. This issue was not caused by any malicious intent but rather by the phone's susceptibility to chilly conditions, as acknowledged by Apple in their statement. They mentioned that the unresponsiveness is temporary and will be fixed in a future software update, indicating a non-malicious nature of the failure incident [65012].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather does not seem to be a result of poor decisions. Apple acknowledged the issue and mentioned that it will be fixed in a future software update, indicating a proactive approach to address the problem [65012]. (b) The software failure incident appears to be more aligned with accidental decisions or unintended consequences rather than poor decisions. The unresponsiveness of the iPhone X's screen in cold temperatures was not a deliberate choice by Apple but rather an unexpected issue that arose after the product was released [65012].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not evident from the provided article [65012]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the article [65012] where Apple acknowledged that the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather was a temporary issue caused by the rapid change to a cold environment. This indicates that the failure was accidental and not intentional.
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the iPhone X's screen becoming unresponsive in cold weather is described as temporary. Apple acknowledged that the unresponsiveness is temporary and will be fixed in a future software update. They mentioned that after several seconds in a cold environment, the screen will become fully responsive again, indicating that the issue is not permanent [65012].
Behaviour value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is not related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. (b) omission: The software failure incident is not related to omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing where the system performs its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident is related to the value option, where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly. The iPhone X's screen becomes unresponsive in cold weather, leading to a failure in its intended function of recognizing input on the touchscreen [65012]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident is related to a specific environmental condition (cold weather) causing the system to malfunction, which is not explicitly covered by the options provided.

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence The consequence of the software failure incident related to the unresponsive screen issue on the iPhone X in cold weather did not result in any severe consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, or delays. The issue was acknowledged by Apple, and they mentioned that the problem was temporary and would be addressed in a future software update. Therefore, the incident falls under the category of "no_consequence" as there were no real observed severe consequences of the software failure [65012].
Domain information (a) The failed system in this incident was related to the information industry as it involved the iPhone X's touchscreen becoming unresponsive in cold weather, affecting users' ability to interact with the device [65012].

Sources

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