Tim Cook was proud to announce the iPhone 7 for 2016 at San Francisco, but after the handsets were finally delivered to its fans, the downsides of the flagship smartphone are slowly coming to light. From the missing headphone jack to its waterproof body and the new Home button to the unusual hissing sounds, Apple seems to disappointing a few too many. Well, though the iPhone 7 has a lot to offer, the few downsides can still give a huge blow on the consumer, especially when he has managed to shell out a huge amount of his savings for the phone.
Apple may have definitely released one of its most powerful offerings in the smartphone segment, but since the release of the iPhone 7, users have pointed out flaws that can disappoint you. We take a look at a few of the issues faced by owners of the iPhone 7 till date.
Headphone jack: Apple had probably managed to ruin the experience of its fans by eliminating the headphone jack. While some welcomed the new change, many were disappointed with Apple’s new move. Well, Apple did manage to achieve a little more by removing the headphone jack—additional space for more components inside the chassis. The new headphones will also operate directly from the Lightning port, which helps users achieve superior audio quality as the headphones can contain an audio chip for better audio processing. However, Apple fans were disappointed with the move since now they cannot use their personal third-party headphones with a 3.5mm jack and will have to make so with Apple’s bundled earphones. However, Apple did throw in a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter for those who want to use existing analog headphones. However, users found it an issue to listen to music or watching a movie when they were charging the handset simultaneously.
The Lightning port was used up, forcing the user to use a Bluetooth headphone or opt for Apple’s wireless AirPods, albeit for a hefty price tag. Keeping aside the compatibility issue, a new finding reveals that Apple is presently working on a fix that causes the new Lightning EarPods, which are designed for the iPhone 7, to stop responding properly. An occasional bug causes the remote portion of the accessory to stop responding—the audio works, but you cannot control the music via the in-line remote. You cannot take calls, access Siri or even control the volume. Apple is working on a software fix for the issue. Another problem reported was with Beats headphones which also has a non-working remote issue when used with the Lightning adapter.
Hissing iPhone: Users have recently reported about a weird hissing sound emanating from their iPhone 7, even when idle. The sounds were prominent and loud enough to be heard even when left idle on a desk. The hissing sound was emanating from the area where the Apple logo is located on the rear panel. One Redditor who also reported a similar issue at the Apple Store during purchase was given a replacement immediately.
While Apple has not yet commented on the reason for the hissing sound, it could be due to the high-capacity performance of the new Apple A10 chip. The hissing sound could be defined as ‘coil noise’ or ‘coil whine’ which is caused due to improperly dampened high-frequency electronic equipment. The problem is said to arise when the iPhone 7 was under ‘heavy performance’.
Home button: Since the iPhone 7 does not have a physical button and now works with a pressure sensitive capacitive button along with a haptic feedback, there is no way you can actually use the Home button with a glove. So if you are living in a cold country, using the Home button with gloves is almost useless. Previously, you could not unlock an older iPhone with a glove, but now, you cannot even use the Home button.
This is because new Home button registers direct skin contact which senses a press only when the Touch ID scanner is activated. Applying any amount of pressure won’t register as a click. Users who want to use the iPhone 7 with gloves have only one option—use your nose—or tweak the settings in the Accessibility options to add a button on the home screen.
No service: This is a recent findings where some users have reported that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus result in loss of cellular services after they return back from the Airplane Mode. Though this could be an issue with the modem chips used by Apple in different regions—Intel and Qualcomm—it isn’t clear if the problem is associated with the said chipsets. Apple, on its support page, says that if a consumer has this issue, they should restart their device or remove the SIM and reinsert it again. And if the problem is still not resolved, one would even need to restore the device—which is painful.
Design: While Apple did warn users about the Jet Black iPhone 7, users seem to have ignored the statement. Apple’s iPhone 7 Jet Black version has a high glossy rear panel which is susceptible to scratches and abrasions. One needs to take additional care with the device, or else end up with a tarnished iPhone in their hands. Apple did mention about the issue and also said that one should use a protective case in order to prevent such an episode.
In addition to the high gloss rear panel issue, Apple also mentions that the iPhone 7 are waterproof, but they will not be entitled to warranty in cases of liquid damage. Apple mentions on its page that the iPhone 7 models’ waterproof body is prone to get weaker with regular wear and tear and that they will not honour any warranty in case of liquid damage to the internal parts.
