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iPhone 11 Owners Experiencing Unusual Green Tint on Display

It's unclear what's causing the green tint to appear, but an iOS update seems to be the most likely culprit.

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

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Ever since Apple released the iOS 13.4.1 update, some iPhone 11 owners have encountered a new and unusual problem with their phones. For a few seconds after unlocking their handset, the entire screen suffers from a uniform green tint.

As MacRumors reports, the tint can occur on any of the latest generation of iPhone with an OLED display, so the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max are all susceptible. Some iPhone X owners are experiencing the same problem, too. Thankfully, it isn't permanent and disappears quickly after an unlock. However, other users have experienced it happening when the screen brightness is at its lowest settings or Dark Mode and Night Shift are enabled. Even those who experience it after a phone unlock state it's not every time, and although iOS 13.4.1 seems to be when the green tint first appeared, iOS 13.5 doesn't solve the problem.

According to Forbes, Apple has accepted this is a hardware fault in some cases and approved a display replacement be fitted under warranty. There also doesn't seem to be a time frame after which the green tint appears, with some users stating it happened on brand new iPhones that were being powered on for the first time. One MacRumors forum user states the display was replaced on his iPhone, but the green tint remained, which adds to the evidence this is being caused by a software problem.

For now, it remains unclear what the underlying cause is, but Apple is aware of it and hopefully is working to track down the fault. If you're experiencing the green tint, there's very little you can do other than be patient seeing as even a new OLED panel might not stop it from happening again.

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About Our Expert

Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

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