When the screen of an iPhone flickers, it is a frustrating experience. People with sensitive eyesight might create eye problems when it comes to this problem. It is often a software fault that is to blame for iPhone screen flickering or glitching; however, it may also result from hardware difficulties.
As proper iPhone usage is strongly related to the device’s functional display functionality, this article seeks to illustrate what to do if your iPhone’s screen is flickering or glitching. There are many approaches that may be used to resolve this problem.
- Basic Troubleshooting Tips
- iPhone Screen Flickering or Glitching due to Auto-Brightness
- iPhone Screen Flickering or Glitching When Using a Specific App
- iPhone Screen Flickering or Glitching after a Drop
- iPhone Screen Glitching Due to Software Problem
1. Basic Troubleshooting Tips
iPhone screen could flicker or glitch due to different causes in different situations. However, before we talk about the solutions to a specific condition, we would like to tell you 2 easy tips that may fix the problem.
1.1. Force Restart iPhone
Force restarting the iPhone will cause it to suddenly shut down and then restart, which can occasionally solve the problem because this will stop all the background processes of which some may lead to iPhone screen flickering or glitching. For different iPhone models, the steps to execute a force restart are a litter different.
For an iPhone 8 or a newer model: Press the Volume up button and then press the Volume down button, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo displays on the screen.
For iPhone 7 and 7 plus models: Press and hold the power button and the Volume down button together until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.
For iPhone SE, 6s, or previous model: Press and hold power and home buttons at the same time until you see the Apple logo shown on your screen. You may let go of the buttons when you see the Apple logo.
1.2. Remove The iPhone Case
Taking the phone case out will actually assist in knowing if it’s the phone case that has the problem because of the way the touch screen works: iPhone detects changes in the electrical current that the finger makes when it touches the screen because our bodies are conductive. After removing the case, wipe iPhone with a microfiber cloth. This will reduce any presence of electric charges on the screen that result from the phone case being too tight or made by an unsuitable model. If the screen protector is in bad shape, you might as well consider removing it because the phones are resilient to scratches.
2. iPhone Screen Flickering or Glitching due to Auto-Brightness
iPhone screen flickering might be a result of the adaptive brightness feature. When the phone has auto-brightness on and you are in a dark environment, the screen might flicker. Some people complain that the iPhone screen’s flickering point is at about 20% of the brightness bar if they slide the brightness bar down slowly.
The solution to this problem is disabling the auto-brightness feature on iPhone. Some people manage to stop iPhone screen flickering after they disable it. The following steps are followed to turn it off: first, open Settings, then tap Accessibility, thirdly go to Display & Text Size, then lastly toggle off the switch next to Auto-Brightness.
3. iPhone Screen Flickering or Glitching When Using a Specific App
We see some people share their experiences that their iPhone display is flickering or glitching when using WhatsApp, Youtube, or Twitter. If iPhone screen only flickers or glitches out when you are using a specific app, then the problem must be that app. This can be fixed by closing, updating, or uninstalling the app.
Closing the app can be the first step to see if the flickering is caused by a minor software problem. Closing the app requires opening the app switcher. It is necessary to press the home button for iPhone 8 or the preceding models. With iPhone X and subsequent devices, slide up from the bottom of the screen to the center of the screen. With the app switcher opened, close the app by swiping up the app interface to the top of the screen.
If this does not work, go to the App Store and search for the app that is causing the problem. When you see there is a new version, click Update to get the latest version. After that, check if iPhone screen is still flickering or glitching when you are using the app.
If the screen continues glitching out after you have updated the app, it is possible that deleting the program is the only option left. Press gently on the app until it begins to vibrate. A pop-up will come up on the screen that gives you the opinion to delete the app. Press it and then see if the problem is solved or not. For WhatsApp, you need to make a backup to iCloud before you delete it. Otherwise, you will lose all the messages and media files you currently have on your phone.
4. iPhone Screen Flickering or Glitching after a Drop
iPhone screen might flicker or glitch out after a drop, even though the screen is not damaged. Because of the drop, there might be some loose connections inside the phone, which makes the screen fail to connect to the logic board. The connections are mostly found on the upper right side of the screen, but to be accurate, google it for your iPhone model. Applying some pressure there by pressing down might fix the problem. However, you must be careful not to break the screen when pressing it down. If the problem continues, have the display assembly checked out at Apple Store or a service center authorized to do so.
5. iPhone Screen Glitching Due to Software Problem
If you iPhone screen has no hardware problems and you’ve tried the above solutions, this could be an iOS bug or some unknown problems with the software. First of all, check if there is any update for your device. Go to Settings > General > Software Update. If there is a new software version, click Download and Install to start the update.
If there is no new version for your device, try flashing your device using Recovery mode. Please note that it will not erase anything on your device. Follow the guide below:
- Launch iTunes and make sure it’s the latest to avoid problems from popping up.
- Connect the iPhone to the computer.
- Put your device into Recovery mode. Please note the screen of your iPhone is showing a cable connecting to a PC or iTunes when it is in Recovery mode.
- Putting your iPhone into Recovery mode is almost the same as force restarting the iPhone, but do not release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Keep holding them until you see the Recovery mode screen.
- When your device is detected by iTunes (a similar interface to the image below), you will see the options of Update and Restore. Choose Update and make the following confirmation needed.
After the update, the iOS of your iPhone will be flashed and it will restart automatically. You can now check if the iPhone screen flickering or glitching problem is solved or not.
