Remove a case or screen protector that presses on the display, dry the screen and restart the device. Test whether one app or the whole touchscreen is affected. Use the model-specific restart controls below; a factory reset should wait until important data is backed up.
Differential
Likely causes of “Apple iPhone with USB-C touchscreen does not respond”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The palm and edge-touch bug in early iOS 18
What separates it The screen freezes when skin rests on the edge of the display
How to confirm Update to the newest iOS; Apple fixed it in iOS 18.0.1
- 2
A case or protector pressing on the edges
What separates it Ghost taps along the border
How to confirm Remove both and test
- 3
A software hang
What separates it The screen is frozen but the phone is on
How to confirm Force restart: volume up, volume down, then hold the side button
- 4
Moisture or grease on the glass
What separates it Taps drift
How to confirm Wipe the screen with a clean dry cloth
- 5
A display or digitizer fault
What separates it Touch fails in a part of the screen after every software step
How to confirm Book Apple for a touch responsiveness test
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the freeze happens when a palm touches the edge
- The iOS version
- The case and protector
- Whether a force restart clears it
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedUpdate iOS
ReversibleSettings, General, Software Update; the palm bug was fixed in iOS 18.0.1.
Force restart
ReversiblePress and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo.
Take the case and protector off
ReversibleTest the screen bare.
Clean the glass
ReversibleWipe with a dry, clean cloth.
Check Touch accommodations
ReversibleSettings, Accessibility, Touch: a Touch Accommodations setting can change response.
Book Apple
ReversibleIf the touch fails after all this, ask for a touch responsiveness test.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max screen or touch input is not working correctly
- The iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best-documented touch bug of the family. Soon after launch, owners of the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max found that the touch screen could freeze if part of the palm or another area of skin rested on the edge of the display, and some suspected the new Camera Control button's accidental-touch handling while others pointed at palm rejection. Apple fixed the unresponsive touchscreen in iOS 18.0.1, so a Pro Max that still freezes should be on the newest iOS. The remaining checks are Apple's: restart, remove the case and protector, clean the screen, and if the phone still ignores touches at the Genius Bar a touch responsiveness test can lead to a swap. Ghost touches and an unresponsive screen after later updates are a different problem from the palm bug.
- The 16 Pro Max display
- A 6.9-inch ProMotion OLED display; the touch layer is the same as the 16 Pro.
- The fix
- iOS 18.0.1 resolved the unresponsive touchscreen reports.
- How to tell the old bug from a new one
- The launch bug froze touch when skin rested on the edge of the display and was cured by iOS 18.0.1; if your Pro Max is on iOS 26 and still freezes, it is not that bug, and a screenshot of Settings, General, About with the iOS version helps Apple triage it.
- Camera Control and the edge
- The Pro Max has a Camera Control button on the right edge, and owners who suspected it tried the setting that turns it off under Settings, Camera, Camera Control; if that changes nothing, the cause is not the button.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If a Pro Max on current iOS still freezes, book Apple for a touch test
- !A cracked screen should be repaired promptly
- !Back up before service
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Checks for a screen that is too sensitive or responds intermittently.
The force restart sequence.
The palm and edge-touch freeze and its fix.
Palm rejection as the suspected cause.
A Pro Max owner describing the touch problem.
Battery capacity and ProMotion display for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does my iPhone 16 Pro Max freeze when I hold it?+
Early iOS 18 had a palm rejection bug that froze the screen when skin touched the edge. Apple fixed it in iOS 18.0.1.
Is the Camera Control button to blame?+
Some owners suspected it; others said the bug affected the whole screen and pointed at palm rejection.
How do I force restart an iPhone 16 Pro Max?+
Volume up, volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo.
Will Apple replace the phone?+
Staff can run a touch responsiveness test and, if it fails, swap the device.
Can I turn off Camera Control to test the touch problem?+
Yes, under Settings, Camera, Camera Control you can disable it or change its behavior, which tells you whether the edge is involved.
Does Touch Accommodations affect responsiveness?+
It changes how long a touch must be held and can make the screen seem slow or over-sensitive; check it under Settings, Accessibility, Touch.
screen touch: model differences
Also covered: Apple iPhone 16 family.