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iPhone screen dims in sunlight

When Auto Brightness is turned off, the phone screen dims in the sun. In the shade, it does not return to normal over time. To restore the original colors, you need to turn Auto Brightness on and off or reboot the phone.


Happens mostly when the phone's brightness is turned to maximum when there is no Auto Brightness turned on. Black colors seem to turn gray.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]


iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 16

Posted on Jun 6, 2023 3:26 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 6, 2023 6:28 AM

None of these are factors. It's a bug in the software somewhere. And it's very annoying. Auto brightness off, night shift off, and true tone off, and it still dims to like 50% brightness when I am in the sun.


Why won't you guys believe us that this is a bug in the software? We know how to work the phone. We know not to leave it in a hot car. No one said, hey, my phone is blazing hot and the screen dims. No... we go outside or get out of our cars, and the screen dims for no apparent reason.

51 replies

Jan 25, 2024 11:36 PM in response to relsson

This just started happening to me this week after I plugged my 13 pro into my new MacBook Air and some update was required. I had Auto-Brightness and True Tone off in the Display & Brightness section. But as srbwanderer

mentioned there are 2 places to turn it off.


1) Go to Settings > Displays & Brightness > Appearance. Turn Automatic off.

2) Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Turn Auto-Brightness off.


What did it for me is under #2, there is another option to "REDUCE WHITEPOINT" which seems to be a new feature and automatically switched on. I turned it off and its back to normal finally.

Mar 23, 2024 12:35 PM in response to relsson

After trying every step mentioned in this discussion thread, I continued to have the same issue. On a whim, I turned off the Zoom feature <Settings>, <Accessibility>, <Zoom>, <Off>. The screen immediately flashed and went to full brightness. Apple - what does Zoom have to do with screen brightness? Sounds like Apple has a software glitch! Hope this simple setting change works for some of you out there experiencing the same frustration.

Jun 8, 2023 7:37 AM in response to relsson

Hello relsson,


To help continue troubleshooting the issues with brightness, check your display preferences. This process may explain why you're noticing the differences. Here's how Use display and text size preferences on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support


Additional display accommodations are explained below:


  1. "Go to Settings  > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
  2. Adjust any of the following:
    • Bold Text: Display the text in boldface characters.
    • Larger Text: Turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes, then adjust the text size using the slider.

This setting adjusts to your preferred text size in apps that support Dynamic Type, such as Settings, Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Messages, and Notes.

    • Button Shapes: This setting underlines text you can tap.
    • On/Off Labels: This setting indicates switches turned on with “1” and switches turned off with “0”.
    • Reduce Transparency: This setting reduces the transparency and blurs on some backgrounds.
    • Increase Contrast: This setting improves the contrast and legibility by altering color and text styling.

Apps that support Dynamic Type—such as Settings, Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Messages, and Notes—adjust to your preferred text size.

    • Differentiate Without Color: This setting replaces user interface items that rely on color to convey information with alternatives.
    • Smart Invert or Classic Invert: Smart Invert Colors reverses the colors of the display, except for images, media, and some apps that use dark color styles.
    • Color Filters: Tap a filter to apply it. To adjust the intensity or hue, drag the sliders.
    • Reduce White Point: This setting reduces the intensity of bright colors.
    • Auto-Brightness: This setting automatically adjusts the screen brightness for current light conditions using the built-in ambient light sensor."


This information is from Adjust the display and text size on iPhone - Apple Support.


Take care.

Jul 3, 2024 9:29 AM in response to relsson

I have tried all the fixes on this thread with no luck. My 13 pro dims randomly, it doesn’t matter the temp or amount of light. I’m sitting in my house with the lights off to write this so that I can see my screen and it has been this way since I got up this morning. I’ve only had this phone a month as it replaced the 13 pro I had for a year that was killed by an update. Despite working fine until the update I had to pay $600 to replace it. We pay way to much for iPhones to have them not work due to software bugs that apple wont take accountability for. I can not afford to replace another phone this soon so I haven’t even bothered to go have it looked at but since I agree with the majority here that it’s a bug I guess I’ll go in so at least the numbers will start to back the issue and maybe they will fix whatever bug or issue is causing this. If anyone has any new fixes I’ll try anything at this point.

Jul 10, 2024 7:16 AM in response to chaz124

it is an indoor mobile phone like my 15pro !

cannot use in bright light (even snow turns it dark) no use for photos because I cannot see what ist on the screen, no use as a navigator in the car.

recently I had do to a call from outside - I could not succeed as the display was too dark.


frustrating - my old iPhone SE (first gen) does all the job ....



Aug 19, 2024 8:45 AM in response to relsson

I think I figured this out.


I had the screen dim a couple of months ago while I was watching something on Apple+ in my home. The phone has a case on it and felt warm. I took the case off and the phone itself was hot. about 5 - 10 minutes later, the phone felt cooler and the screen brightened back up.


I've been watching for the screen dimming on its own and the phone was fairly hot each time.


The phone's heat dissipation properties are probably not engineered to consider the various types of plastic or silicone cases we're using. They are essentially insulation that impairs the phone's ability to stay cool.


The solution here may very well be to remove the case when you need brightness all the way up and the screen has dimmed on its own for no apparent reason.


Hey Apple! Maybe you could let us know if this is the case and, if so, make this feature more public. Like: "The phone screen will dim if the phone overheats. Phone cases can impede the phones ability to stay cool".


Love to know what everyone else has discovered. When this happens, take it out of the case. Is the case hot? Does the screen brighten back up after the phone cools off?

Oct 12, 2024 7:48 AM in response to relsson

I have the same issue through multiple phones now, I asked someone at apple and they give me the same tips I read here, tried everything and nothing works, I just got the iPhone 16 hoping it might be a phone problem but I have the same issue now, I compare my screen with my husband’s phone, he has a 15 and his screen is brighter under the sun, with the exact same settings I have. It’s really annoying and nobody seems to have a solution for this!!!

Oct 14, 2024 9:23 AM in response to relsson

Posted on Oct 6, 2023 6:28 AM

None of these are factors. It's a bug in the software somewhere. And it's very annoying. Auto brightness off, night shift off, and true tone off, and it still dims to like 50% brightness when I am in the sun.


Why won't you guys believe us that this is a bug in the software? We know how to work the phone. We know not to leave it in a hot car. No one said, hey, my phone is blazing hot and the screen dims. No... we go outside or get out of our cars, and the screen dims for no apparent reason.

Aug 17, 2024 11:17 PM in response to relsson

Two things come to mind.

  1. When you are in bright sunlight, your pupils contract to make everything darker. Unless you've put drops of belladonna in your eyes, but I do not recommend that as a solution (so to speak).
  2. The glass on the display is probably reflecting something bright, like the sky, which is mixing with the image on the display and reducing the contrast.


So it is not 100% a hardware or software issue, but it is suspicious if it gets worse after iOS updates.

The only kind of display I've seen that works well in bright ambient light is the e-ink displays on e-readers.

iPhone screen dims in sunlight

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