iPhone 8 Plus Screen Showing Horizontal or Vertical Lines? Here’s How to Fix It
If your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus suddenly starts flashing vertical or horizontal lines — even though you haven’t dropped or damaged it — it can be a sign of a glitch, a firmware issue, or in some cases, hardware failure. Whether it’s flashing red lines briefly or the screen is flickering randomly, here’s what you can try to fix it.
1. Force Restart Your iPhone
This is the first thing to try when your screen starts acting weird. It can clear up minor software bugs.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
Let the phone boot up fully, then check if the lines appear again.
2. Factory Reset Your iPhone (Erase All Content & Settings)
If the issue is software-related, a factory reset might help.
Note: This will erase all your data. Back up your iPhone first using iCloud or iTunes.
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
- Enter your passcode if prompted, then confirm the reset.
Once the phone restarts, set it up as new. Avoid restoring from backup until you’ve confirmed the issue is fixed.
3. Perform a DFU Restore
If a standard reset doesn’t help, go for a deeper restore through DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. This will completely reinstall iOS and firmware.
Here’s how:
- Connect your iPhone 8 Plus to a computer using a Lightning cable.
- Open iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later).
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up, then Volume Down.
- Now press and hold the Side button until the screen goes black.
- While still holding the Side button, press and hold the Volume Down button for 5 seconds.
- Release the Side button but continue holding Volume Down for 5–8 more seconds.
If the screen stays black and iTunes/Finder detects your iPhone in recovery mode, you’re in DFU. Follow the prompts to restore your device.
4. Contact Apple Support
If you’ve done all the above and the lines still keep flashing or appearing randomly, it could be a hardware issue — most likely a screen assembly defect or internal display connector problem.
- Contact Apple Support.
- Book a Genius Bar appointment to get your phone physically checked.
- If your iPhone is still under warranty or AppleCare, you might be eligible for a free repair or replacement.