How to fix Apple iPhone XS Max screen color issues, screen burn-in, green lines [Troubleshooting Guide]

Display issues in mobile devices are often associated with hardware defects like damaged screen or other relevant components. Aside from flickering screen, green lines and screen burn-in emerged among the common screen problems in iPhones.

Tackled in this post are display issues including the colloquially known screen burn-in or ghost image, and the unusual green lines on an iPhone XS Max. Screen burn-in is described as a permanent discoloration across any part of the display panel. It can take a form of text or image outline, fading colors or other visible patches or patterns on the screen.

This could denote a possible issue with the physical display components but can likewise be attributed to software errors. Before rushing to service center, you can try some tweaks to rule out software-related factors from the underlying cause. Read on to find out the potential solutions.

For those who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this phone. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, contact us anytime through our iPhone issues questionnaire.

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First solution: Soft reset/force restart.

If this is the first time you notice the screen burn-in or green lines on your iPhone XS Max display, then that could probably just a random glitch either on the app you’re currently using or the iOS itself. The easiest possible solution to random glitches would be a soft reset or force restart. If you haven’t already, then try performing a soft reset on your iPhone XS Max. Consider this as your first workaround:

  1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
  2. Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears and then drag the power off slider to the right.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the phone reboots.

Alternatively, you can force restart your iPhone XS Max if the screen problem persists after performing a soft reset. A force restart does the same job as soft reset does when dealing with minor software errors and glitches but carried out in a different manner. In case you wish to give it a try, simply refer to these steps:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Then, press and hold the Power button on the side of the phone and then release when the phone enters the boot-up sequence.

Both a soft reset and force restart are effective in terms of clearing minor software errors that caused any unusual behaviours and symptoms on your iPhone without deleting any personal information.

Second solution: Adjust screen brightness and auto-lock feature.

Making adjustment to some of your iPhone’s display features can also help clear these symptoms. According to some iPhone owners who have dealt with the said screen color issues were able to find remedies by adjusting the screen brightness and auto-lock feature on their iOS device. If you wish to give it a try, then here’s how it works:

  1. Tap Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Next, tap on Display & Brightness.
  3. Drag the Brightness slider to the right to increase the screen brightness. Otherwise, drag the slider to the left.
  4. Tap the Arrow left on the top-left of the screen to go back to the Settings menu.
  5. Scroll down to and then tap General.
  6. Select Accessibility.
  7. Tap Display Accommodations.
  8. Toggle the Auto-Brightness switch to turn the feature ON or OFF. If it’s on, then turn it OFF, otherwise, turn it ON.
  9. Slide your finger upwards starting from the bottom of the screen to go back to the Home screen.

Enabling Auto-Brightness feature on your iPhone prompts it to automatically adjust the brightness level of the display based on the surrounding light conditions.

Aside from screen brightness, turning auto-lock feature on also help clear out the unusual green lines and screen burn-in symptoms. Here’s how to access and configure this feature on your iPhone XS Max:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Select Display & Brightness.
  3. Tap to enable Auto-Lock.

Then set the auto-lock timer to 30 seconds or 60 seconds to trigger the phone display to lock after 30 seconds or 60 seconds of inactivity (idleness).

Third solution: Install new iOS update available.

Should this be a system bug, installing new update to iOS will likely fix it. New firmware updates aren’t only bringing in new features but also offer fix patches to get rid of any existing symptoms and problems caused by system bugs and malware. If your iPhone has stable Wi-Fi access, then you can check for any pending iOS update to download and install over-the-air. Here’s how:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Tap Software Update.

If a new update is available, you will be prompted with an update notification. Before updating, back up all critical data you saved on the internal memory for safekeeping. Once you’re all set, select the option to download and install new update.

Your phone must have fast and stable Wi-Fi connection, ample of memory space and battery life to complete the update.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings.

Invalid settings or customizations on the phone can also be among the possible triggers. To rule this out, try deleting all customized options on the phone and then restore the default or original values. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
  4. Select Reset all settings from the given option.
  5. Enter your passcode when asked to continue.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm all settings reset.

Performing this reset does not affect any saved data on the phone memory, thus creating backup won’t be necessary. When the reset is finished, your iPhone should reboot by itself and then loads up the original or default options. After it boots up, you can enable individual features including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for you to use them again.

Fifth solution: Restore factory default settings on your iPhone.

Your last resort would be a system reset or iOS restore. This will help clear out complex system errors that caused the problem to persist. All your apps, saved contacts, and other critical data saved on the device will be wiped out in the process though, so be sure to back them up beforehand. After backing up files to iCloud or iTunes, you can carry out a factory reset through your iPhone settings with these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings. Doing so will wipe everything from your iPhone system including customized settings, saved contacts, downloaded apps and other files stored on the internal memory.
  5. If prompted, enter your passcode to proceed.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm factory reset.

After the reset, your iPhone will restart automatically. Wait until it boots up then proceed with the initial setup process.

If that still failed to fix the problem and your iPhone XS Max is still having screen burn-in or green lines, then you can try restoring iOS in iTunes either via recovery mode or DFU mode restore.

Other options

Any of the aforementioned solutions should be able to solve the problem if it’s attributed to software errors affecting the phone’s display system. But if the problem persists, there is a higher chance that your iPhone has obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage from prior bumping incidents or liquid exposure. In that case, the screen repair would be necessary. You can take your device to the nearest Apple-authorized service center and have it assessed by an iPhone technician. To prevent voiding your iPhone warranty, talk to your carrier and avail for warranty before having your iPhone repaired.

For further assistance and other recommendations, contact your device carrier and report the issue. Let them know exactly of what happened or how screen color issues like burn-in or green lines instigated.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone XS Max smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone XS Max. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

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