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All the biggest complaints about the iPhone 7

Published Sep 20th, 2016 11:11AM EDT
iPhone 7 Problems
Image: Apple Inc.

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Apple just released new iPhone models and we all know that there are certain inevitabilities each and every time that happens. First, it means millions of people will buy them. Second, it means people will flood the web with a fresh new round of complaints. Such is the case with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which were just released this past Friday. Apple’s announcement that pretty much none of the most desirable new models would be available in stores kept lines abnormally short last week, though there was still plenty of commotion around the world as millions of people got their hands on Apple’s latest and greatest.

Of course now that the new phones have made their way out into the world, the complaints are beginning to flood in. As a matter of fact, we might even already have our first “gate” scandal. In this post, we’ll run through all of people’s biggest complaints about Apple’s new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and we’ll also tell you how to address them whenever possible.

MUST SEE: iPhone 7 vs. Galaxy Note 7 speed test: This is just embarrassing…

3.5mm headphone jack

First and foremost, people are complaining about Apple’s decision to get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack. You can still use any pair of headphones with a 3.5mm plug, of course, since Apple included an adapter in the box. People are still upset though, and some of the complaints are valid. In particular, people can no longer charge their phones while wired headphones connected… unless they want to buy a ridiculous adapter.

https://twitter.com/zacharye/status/773972335275704324

New home button

Apple’s new capacitive home button on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are a stepping stone for the complete removal of the home button on next year’s new iPhone. Not everyone likes the new 3D Touch home button though, and it also doesn’t work when you’re wearing gloves — not even touchscreen-friendly gloves.

New unlock behavior

People don’t like having to press the home button to unlock their iPhones instead of just touching the home button and letting TouchID work its magic. Luckily, this is a function of iOS and you can adjust your settings if you prefer the touch-to-unlock behavior. This post will show you how.

Jet Black

Apple’s new Jet Black color is beautiful, but people are complaining that it’s impossible to find. And the few who have managed to get their hands on a Jet Black iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus have confirmed early reports that the Jet Black finish is very prone to scuffs and scratching. What’s more, it’s a magnet for grease and grime.

If you do decide to buy a Jet Black iPhone, you should absolutely plan on putting it in a case. And even then, it’ll likely still get scratched up a bit as dust and dirt works its way into the case.

Battery life

There were tons of complaints around the web over the weekend from people who said that the battery life on their new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus was worse than their comparable 6s model. This may indeed be the case… but only for the first day or two. We already explained why, and you can read all about it right here.

No service bug

Some users have found that after enabling and disabling airplane mode on their iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, they see a “no service” message in the upper left corner of the screen and are no longer able to connect to cellular networks. Apple has acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix. If this happens to you in the meantime, power the phone off, remove the SIM, reinsert the SIM and turn the phone back on.

EarPod control malfunctions

A number of users have complained that the volume controls and action button on the Lightning EarPods stop working after a few minutes of being plugged in. Unplugging them and plugging them back in seems to resolve the issue, though sometimes only temporarily. The good news is that Apple has acknowledged the problem and it says a software fix is coming in an iOS 10 update.

Hissgate

This is a peculiar one and for the time being, there’s no available fix. Some (many? most?) iPhone 7 Plus units emit a barely audible hissing sound while in use. You can hear it if you place the Apple logo on the back of the phone to your ear and scroll down any screen. While the sound on most phones doesn’t appear to be loud enough to be audible at a reasonable distance, some users report that the hissing actually is much louder when the phone is under a heavy load.

You can read more about it here.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.