How to fix iPhone X screen issue: blinks and turns black quickly

Hello Apple fans! Welcome to our new #iPhoneX troubleshooting article. In today’s post, we discuss two common issues about iPhone X screen problems and what you can do as an end user. We hope you’ll find this post helpful.

Before we proceed let us remind you that you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page. When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:

Problem #1: What to do if iPhone X screen becomes black and won’t turn on

I bought an iphone x. It’s just three days old now. I was operating it and the screen suddenly went black but the phone is still on. I can hear notifications come in and vibrations but the screen is totally black. I have tried all the hard reset method. I have tried resetting it via iTunes yet to no avail. There was no physical damage or liquid damage. is it possible the screen may have gone bad?

Solution: A brand new iPhone X is not expected to have a malfunctioning screen less than a week after purchase. The device is either unresponsive, or has a defective hardware. To see if it has simply become unresponsive, you can try to force reboot it.

A hard reset or force restart is another way of restarting your device that is recommended to deal with software malfunctions causing the iPhone to get stuck, frozen, or become unresponsive. In this state, the usual restart procedures could not be done so you’ll have to force your device to restart instead.

Aside from the new name assigned to some controls, Apple also modified that process in carrying out force restart on the new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. In fact, double pressing and holding of button combinations will now activate Emergency SOS on the device. This therefore denotes that the reboot had to move to a more complicated button combination.

Here’s how exactly a force restart is done on your iPhone X:

Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
Then quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
Finally, press and hold the Side button.

Yes, it’s just a three-step pattern but for first timers, getting it done somehow requires a little struggle. Similar to a soft reset, a force restart won’t affect any data stored on your iPhone so it’s definitely safe.

If the phone screen stays black, or if the device won’t restart at all, you can assume the screen has been damaged or malfunctioning. Bring the device to your local Apple store or service center so they can examine the hardware. In this situation, the most likely solution is repair. Be ready to lose access to your device for days while repair is on-going.

Problem #2: How to fix iPhone X screen issue: blinks and turns black quickly

I have an iPhone X. Many times when I am using the phone, it will blink and go to a black screen. It looks as if the phone is almost off. However it will then blink back and the screen will be lit up again. Very frustrating as I am usually in the middle of using the phone and have to keep starting and stopping whatever I am doing. Particularly frustrating when trying to put an event in my calendar or send an email.

Solution: The one you’re experiencing is not normal iPhone X behavior so it’s probably a product of hardware malfunction, or a sign of an on-going bug or software glitch. We suggest that you reset all settings of your device and see what happens. Here’s how to do that:

From the Home screen, go to Settings>General>Reset.
Tap Reset All Settings.
If presented, enter the passcode.
Tap Reset All Settings to confirm.

It may take some moments for the reset to complete so just let the phone finish the job.

If you reset all the settings, you are basically just forcing the phone to delete customizations that happen after it was unboxed. This process won’t delete your personal data such as photos, videos, etc. so it can be done safely. We still recommend that you back everything up though before doing it.

Should nothing work after resetting all settings, you can then go ahead and do a factory reset. This will help you check if the problem is caused by bad software or not. Here’s what you need to do:
Create a backup of your personal data.
Open Settings app.
Tap General.
Tap Reset.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
If prompted, enter your passcode.
Tap Erase iPhone.

After you return your iPhone’s software information to their defaults, set it up as a new device and observe what happens. Try to use the phone in this state (don’t add any apps yet) for at least 24 hours. If the annoying black screen won’t show, that means that one of your apps may be to blame.

If you want to identify which of your apps is causing the bug, you have to use the process of elimination. You can do that by installing apps one by one and observing how the screen works after every installation. This can take time if you have lots of apps but this is the only way to pinpoint the cause of the problem.

Engage with us

If you happen to have a problem with your own iPhone, let us know about it and we will do our best to post them and their solutions in our upcoming articles. You can use this link to contact us for assistance. We can’t guarantee an answer to every question but rest assured that we will exhaust everything on our end to help you.

Be as detailed as possible when describing your problem to help us diagnose your issue easily. If you can include error messages, popups, attempted troubleshooting steps, and circumstances leading to the problem, that would be very helpful.