Mike Peterson
A small but indeterminate number of iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro owners, and users of certain older model handsets, are reporting a bug that causes a green tint to display for a brief time after unlocking their devices.
The issue apparently primarily affects devices in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro lineup, though it may also be present on some iPhone X and XS models. Some reports indicate that the issue has been present since iOS 13.4.1.
According to user reports on Reddit (via MacRumors), the bug occurs when a user unlocks their device. The display will appear "washed out with a green tint" for a few seconds before returning to normal.
Considering both LCD and OLED screens are impacted, the problem is likely a software bug. There is a chance, however, that an issue could be present in Apple's hardware.
If the issue is software-based, then it's likely that Apple will patch the bug in an upcoming iOS release.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
16 Comments
A discoloration lasting a few seconds? Oh, the humanity!
A few seconds of startup visual noise? Hardly an issue.
The color of money?
I have an iPhone XS Max. I installed the 13.4.1 update right after it came out. The evening before last (i.e. well after and tons of normal unlocks after I had installed the update), the screen turned a washed-out green with tons of flickering, but mine wasn’t transient. It has done it non-stop since then. The phone also got very warm to the point where I got the thermal warning and it shut down (while I was working inside a very cool hospital). It ran the battery down in less than an hour whereas it usually lasts all day. I called Apple, who went over some diagnostic steps with me, finally having me wipe the phone and restoring. After I did this, while booting up, I had the Apple logo on the washed-out, flickering green background. They ended up mailing me an advanced replacement that I should get Monday. I wonder if this is the same problem as in this report and manifests this way for people with iPhone XS Max’s. If so, the heating up could be a potential danger (since it's the phone itself and not environmental heat causing this). If that's the case, they may consider this issue an extremely high priority. Then again, I'm not even sure I have the actual same problem described in the article; it could be a coincidence.
ADDENDUM: I will add that the issue of getting hot and running the battery down quickly was prior to me wiping/restoring with Apple. Also, this morning, the phone acted almost the same way. The screen still acted the same, and the battery was still running down fast, but not AS fast, and the phone was no longer getting hot. Go figure.