Identifying & Correcting the 7 Typical iPhone Display Troubles: A Step-by-Step Fix Guide

Even with all of its impressive features and capabilities, the iPhone is not without flaws. Most hardware issues people experience with their iPhones are display-related.

You may likely encounter display issues at least once throughout the life of your phone, and when you do, it’s important that you know what exactly the problem is and how to deal with it.

We’ll help you identify some of the most common iPhone display issues and teach you how to fix them.

1. Black Screen of Death

The black screen of death is the most common display issue reported by hundreds of iPhone users worldwide. This problem is characterized by a complete loss of display on the iPhone screen. This is different from when your phone dies and doesn’t turn on.

In case of a black screen of death, you can tell that your phone is turned on and functioning just fine since you can hear sounds and feel vibrations. However, you’d still see a black screen on your phone that won’t respond to your touch, identical to when your phone is powered off or in sleep mode.

There are several reasons why an iPhone may suffer from the black screen of death. More often than not, the problem is software-related, which includes system glitches, malware attacks, and compatibility issues with third-party apps.

You can try to fix it by force restarting your iPhone , but if that doesn’t work, you’ll need to boot into recovery mode and factory reset your iPhone with iTunes or Finder.

However, faulty hardware can also cause a black screen of death. So, if your iPhone has been subject to a hard drop, been the victim of an accident, or suffered water damage that compromised its hardware components, it’s time to take it to a nearby Apple Store.

2. Frozen Display

A frozen display is another common display issue among iPhone users. Your phone’s display may freeze while you’re using an app or get stuck on the Apple logo when turning it on.

This can happen when your iPhone is overburdened with heavy-duty apps that tax the CPU and GPU. Or it’s possible an unoptimized app caused your iPhone to freeze.

Your iPhone’s display could also freeze if the device is running an outdated version of iOS. So, make sure you update your iPhone because Apple is quick to fix minor software bugs with subsequent updates.

Fortunately, you have multiple options to fix a frozen iPhone before you decide to contact Apple.

3. Black Dot on the Screen

If you see a black dot appear on your iPhone’s screen, chances are that your iPhone has suffered physical damage. A black dot usually appears when a specific part of your screen contains dead pixels, or obstacles are blocking the screen’s backlight.

In most cases, the black dot is due to dead pixels on the screen and hence is impossible to fix yourself manually. So, you’d have to seek professional help. Even then, the damage is sometimes irreversible and cannot be fixed. And you’d have to get the entire display panel replaced.

However, if you think the issue isn’t dead pixels, it’s worth removing your screen protector and cleaning the display with a microfiber cloth to see if that fixes it. Also, restart your phone and see if that makes a difference. There’s a very slight chance that these fixes will work for this issue, but it’s still worth trying them out just to be sure.

4. Touchscreen Not Responding Properly

Often, when your iPhone gets too hot , the storage is too full, or there’s water on the screen, your touchscreen may stop working properly. The first thing you should do is rid your fingers of any moisture and then wipe your phone’s screen with a dry cloth. Dirt and grime can also be a culprit here. Use isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth to clean your screen.

On the other hand, if your iPhone keeps hanging due to low storage, free up as much space as you can and restart your device. And lastly, if your iPhone’s too hot or cold, set it aside and wait till it returns to a normal temperature before you use it again.

5. Flickering Screen

If your iPhone screen keeps flickering, an outdated application or a buggy iOS update may be to blame. In some cases, the problem can also be due to the Auto-Brightness option on your phone, which has gone rogue and caused your screen to flicker. Turning it off might solve the issue.

If the problem only occurs when using certain apps, uninstall and reinstall them to see if the flickering stops. Other more tedious fixes include force restarting your iPhone or factory resetting it. You can also use a third-party repair tool like Fonelab to diagnose and fix the problem.

If none of these things solve the issue, then the problem is likely hardware-related.

6. Ghost Touch Bug

Ghost touch bug is a frustrating issue that can occur on any iPhone model. It refers to a situation where your phone’s screen behaves erratically without your input.

For example, you may observe random apps opening and closing or text messages being sent without your knowledge. The device starts operating by itself when you haven’t even touched it, as if a ghost is using it. That’s where the bug gets its name from.

This problem can be caused by various factors, such as hardware damage due to accidental drops or water exposure, software glitches resulting from updates or installed applications, faulty display components, etc.

Fortunately, you can follow some basic troubleshooting steps to fix ghost touch on your iPhone .

7. Screen Discoloration

Color distortion on any screen is almost always caused by a fault in the device’s LCD or physical damage to any of the hardware components of the screen. In rare cases, it can also be a glitch that goes away when you restart your iPhone or update it to the latest iOS version.

If your iPhone’s display does not have color distortion but has a yellow tint, you’re in luck, because there are several ways to fix the yellow tint on your iPhone .

Take Care of Your iPhone’s Display

Your iPhone’s screen can run into several problems due to hardware damage or software malfunctions. In case of hardware-related issues, there’s not much you can do besides taking your iPhone to a nearby Apple Store.

However, before doing that, it’s worth examining if the issue is caused by software glitches and can be fixed manually by force restarting, updating, or factory resetting your iPhone.

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