Not all iPhone display issues like screen flickering on the new #Apple iPhone 7 Plus (#iPhone7Plus) handset are linked to a damaged hardware component. Sometimes screen problems especially those that are transpiring in new devices may denote a symptom of a software bug or corrupted applications. In this post, we will tackle a display issue on the iPhone 7 Plus, particularly on screen flickering. Thus, if by any chance, you are routed into this page while searching for possible fixes on a similar issue on the same iPhone then feel free to refer to this troubleshooting guide. Read on to learn how to determine the underlying cause of screen flickering on your iPhone and find ways to fix it without having to pay for a tech visit.
But before anything else, if you have other concerns with your iPhone 7 Plus, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with this new iPhone. If you need further assistance or if you can’t find what you’re looking for in that page, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s a free consultation service so you don’t have to worry about anything. Just give us more information about the problem and we’ll do our best to help you fix it.
What possibly causes screen flickering or other display issues to occur on your iPhone 7 Plus?
Officially rolled out in 2016 autumn, this new Apple flagship smartphone has fascinated millions of iPhone fanatics worldwide not just because of its sleek design but most importantly for a number of significant add-ons and new interesting features it embeds. But sad to say, this new iPhone 7 Plus handset is already manifesting early issues particularly on the display even just a few months after its official release. It is such a bummer because users are expecting a lot from such a hefty device but only to end up facing with such troubles.
Fortunately, the issue this time is not on the physical aspect of the phone but instead it is more likely inflicted by some software bugs or temporary program malfunctions. So this denotes that unless the iPhone was dropped or soaked in liquid, you as a user can still do something about it.
Apps Problems
Based on prior reports, random cases of screen flickering occurs on some iPhone 7 Plus models while using certain apps or phone features including the camera app. Users have purportedly noticed that their iPhone screen flickers or visible lines/gray bars are showing on the upper part of the display while switching between various camera modes on their new iPhone. Cases like this are usually isolated on certain apps, which is the camera app. Perhaps, the app has crashed or there are some corrupted files have affected the program functionalities, which resulted to this symptom.
Other owners of the iPhone 7 Plus have also noticed some flickering display when exposed to artificial light while using FaceTime in making video calls. Some have it that their iPhone’s front camera also flickers during the video recording.
Screen flickering or frozen display are not supposed to happen on such a highly powerful device but many experts have speculations that poor software optimization by Apple has somehow triggers such downsides to manifest on the iPhone. Just like what many users have complained on the iPhone 6s Plus model, which was said to utilize a hardware based downscaling algorithm instead of optimizing software. But then again, this must not be the case with the new iPhone 7 Plus considering the fact that it is the company’s latest model and so it must already have been refined.
Software updates are also named among the culprits. For some reasons, some firmware patches have caused similar problems to occur on some iPhone variants after implementation. Too bad in this case, you will have no other choice but to wait for Apple to release another update containing a fix patch to resolve the underlying cause. But if waiting is not your option, then you can try to experiment some workarounds available so as to obtain temporary solutions.
Memory Issues
Memory problems including insufficient storage space can also trigger the same symptoms to occur on your device. In fact, there have been several cases of iPhone freezing, not responding, or crashing issues which have been linked to a memory issue. While this may sound bizarre considering this device is new, it is still worth noting to check your phone’s current memory status and manage memory storage, if necessary.
Hardware Issues
Other users have experienced the issue on screen flickering that is accompanied with an issue on the touchscreen that is not working or unresponsive. Most cases like this however, screen flickering on an iPhone was linked to a hardware problem especially when the phone had been dropped or wet, thus resulting to screen damage. The iPhone’s logic board might have been damaged from a hard impact. Meanwhile, unresponsive touchscreen on an iPhone can indicate a potential damage to the touch IC from a drop or liquid exposure. If this is the case on your end, contact your device carrier or Apple Support for your options, especially if your iPhone is still under warranty. Otherwise, you can take it to an authorized technician for service.
Possible Fixes for Screen Flickering and other Display Issues on your iPhone 7 Plus
Considering that there are no damages components on the device and screen flickers or lines appear on screen, screen gets blue or white when you are using certain apps, you can give the following workarounds a try to fix the problem on your end. Try to isolate the problem and determine if it is inflicted by a software or hardware issue.
Important Note: In order not to waste time and effort, you may skip troubleshooting should you suspect that the problem is triggered by a faulty hardware, especially if the onset follows a hard drop or liquid exposure on the iPhone, then you should consider taking your iPhone to an Apple Genius for hardware check-up and or repair. You may also avail of service warranty or unit replacement if necessary. Otherwise, you may proceed with any of these methods.
Step 1. Perform a soft reset
A soft reset is another term used for restarting devices. It is a widely used workaround used to fix minor software glitches that are causing inconsistencies on certain device functionalities including unresponsive touchscreen, apps lagging, crashing or freezing. Just like with computer programs performing a soft reset or a restart can help rectify random program malfunctions as depicted by similar symptoms. It is inevitable for programs or apps to experience problems from time to time. And should that causes your iPhone 7 Plus screen to flicker or act weird this time, performing a soft reset is worth a try.
For starters, here’s how to perform a soft reset or restart your new iPhone:
- Press and hold the Power button until the red slider appears.
- Drag the slider to turn your iPhone completely off.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button again until you see the Apple logo.
If the iPhone 7 Plus screen is frozen or the touchscreen is unresponsive, you can force your device to restart instead.
- To force your iPhone to restart, just press and hold both the Power and Volume Down buttons on your iPhone for at least 10 seconds and release both buttons when you see the Apple logo.
Your iPhone should then reboot and hopefully erased the symptoms.
Step 2. Enable Reduced Transparency
For some users who have experienced the same issue in which the iPhone 7 Plus screen flickers or shows white lines or huge white boxes while pulling down notification, they have resorted to a temporary workaround which is to enable the Reduced Transparency feature on their device. To do so, head over to Settings-> General-> Accessibility-> and then toggle the switch to turn on Reduced Transparency.
You too can use this workaround while waiting for Apple to officially rollout a fix on the next iOS update for this software issue. Other iPhone 7 Plus owners who have encountered the same problem on their new iPhone screen were able to obtain temporary fix by changing the font size to any other size except for the smallest. So you might as well consider giving this trick a try on your end.
Step 3. Disable iCloud Sync for iWork on your iPhone
If the screen problem occurs while using certain apps on your iPhone including Pages, Numbers or Keynote, then you may try to disable iCloud Sync for iWork on your device. Other users reported that their iPhone crashes, shows blue screen and reboot when they pressed the Home button while editing a document using any of these apps. As temporary solution, they have resorted to disable iCloud from synchronizing with iWork apps on their iPhone.
Should you want to give this workaround a try and see if it will fix the problem on your end, head over to your iPhone Settings -> iCloud-> Documents & Data-> scroll to Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, and then toggle the switch to turn the feature OFF.
Step 4. Restore your iPhone to factory settings via iTunes
A system restore often resolves problems that are triggered by software bugs or glitches. This method will erase all data on your iPhone and restore it to factory settings. That being said, just be sure to create a backup of your iPhone before you begin. To proceed with this method, you will need a computer with the latest version of iTunes installed. Then, continue with these steps:
- Connect your iPhone to the computer using the supplied USB cable.
- Open iTunes on the computer.
- In the iTunes Summary panel, select the option to Restore.
Once the restore process is complete, your iPhone is set up as new and see if the problem is now gone. You can manually bring data back to your iPhone using iCloud or iTunes but as much as possible, do not restore from the previous backup because there is a higher chance that the issue may re-occur especially if it was due to some corrupted files or contents.
Step 5. Use alternative solutions to restore your iPhone
There are a lot of well-known freeware like ReiBoot, which you can use to fix system issues in an iPhone device including those that are manifested by screen flickering and unresponsive touchscreen symptoms. Before you take your iPhone to a technician, you might as well consider giving this a try on your end. These freeware tools are generally designed to manually hard reset or restore your iPhone 7 Plus and hopefully fix the problem with just a click. Be sure to use a freeware that is highly compatible with iOS 10 or higher versions so as to obtain high success ratio in recovering the iOS system and fix the problem on your iPhone.
How to fix screen flickering problem while using the iPhone 7 Plus camera app?
Here are a few recommended workarounds you can try on if your iPhone screen flickers while using the camera application.
Step 1. Turn off Portrait Mode
For optimal results, try to keep your subject as simple as you can, given the Portrait Mode is still in beta. Head over to your iPhone Settings-> Photos & Camera, and then scroll down to enable the option to Keep Normal Photo. Turning off Portrait Mode will reduce the flicker sensor factor while focusing on people face and object borders in video calls.
Step 2. Disable 60 FPS video recording option
Generally, an iPhone records video at 30 FPS (frames per second) by default. But newer models like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus support video recording at a silky smooth 60 FPS at 1080p (full) resolution. With this option set on your iPhone 7 camera app, you can expect a very smooth high frame rate video output. But for some reasons, some units are showing screen issues while activating this option. As temporary solution, you can try to disable this high frame rate video capture mode to deal with the flickering problem while waiting for a definite fix from Apple.
Step 3. Update to iOS 10.2
The latest iOS version available to date is iOS 10.2 beta. If you haven’t yet updated your iPhone 7 Plus iOS, then you may do it now. Aside from new add-ons and performance enhancements, the most recent iOS version also contains fix patches to certain bugs found in the existing platform.
Get More Help from Apple Support
If all these workarounds have failed to resolve the underlying cause and that screen flickering or other display issues persist on your iPhone 7 Plus, then you should contact and escalate the problem to Apple Support for further assistance and other recommendations.
Engage with us
If you have other issues with your Apple iPhone 7 Plus, we are always willing to help. Contact us through our iPhone issues questionnaire and provide us with all necessary information about your problem so we can find a solution to your issue.