When you reduce the brightness on your phone, does the screen still flicker? This issue may make your device practically unusable in low light. Most screen flickering problems may be resolved without expert assistance, which is good news. Try restarting your phone, updating your operating system, modifying display settings like blue light filters and adaptive brightness, examining problematic apps, cleaning your cache, operating in safe mode, or, as a last resort, doing a factory reset are quick fixes. Hardware flickering caused by physical contact or water damage may require expert repair. This blog will walk you through each fix so you can restore your phone to normal.
12 Ways To Fix Phone Screen Flickering At Low Brightness
Many smartphone users have problems with their screens flickering when the light is low. These flashing problems can hurt your eyes, make it hard to read, and worsen the whole experience.
Let’s look at all the possible fixes, starting with the easiest ones and working our way up to more complex ones.
1. Restart Your Phone
The easiest answer isn’t always the best one. Restarting your phone clears out temporary memory and stops all running processes. This can fix small software bugs that are making the screen flicker.
- Hold down the power button to restart most phones until you see the power option.
- Then, tap “Restart.”
- If your phone won’t do anything, you may need to force restart it by pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds.
- When you turn down the screen brightness after your phone starts again, see if the blinking still happens.
This quick fix works for many people to fix the problem.
2. Update The OS
Outdated operating systems often have bugs that cause the screen to flash or not work at all. Phone manufacturers regularly release updates that fix these well-known issues.
- Open the Settings app on your phone, scroll down to “System” or “Software Update,” and see if any changes are available.
- If there are, get them and put them in. Before you start the update, ensure your phone is at least 50% charged and linked to Wi-Fi.
- Once the update is done, restart your device and check the screen again in low light.
- Fixes for display problems are often included in new system changes.
3. Update The Apps
Screen flickering can occur only when using certain apps. It normally happens when an app isn’t optimized for your device’s screen or has bugs.
For Android:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Tap on the profile icon in the top-right corner.
- Select “Manage apps & devices.“
- Check for any app updates and tap “Update” next to the ones that need it.
For iPhone:
- Open the App Store.
- Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
- Scroll down to see available updates.
- Tap “Update All” or update individual apps as needed.
When you update system apps like your browser, keyboard, and any apps you see flashing the most, be extra careful. In-app changes, developers often fix bugs that affect the way things look.
4. Remove The App (If Flickering Limited To One App)
If you notice that the screen flickers only when you use a certain app, that app may be blamed instead of your phone’s screen.
To start, go to Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Storage > Clear Cache and clear the app’s cache.
If that doesn’t work, try briefly removing the app causing the flickering to see if that stops it.
You can always restart the app if you need to, or you can look for other apps that do the same thing but work better on your device.
5. Disable Adaptive Brightness
Many phones have functions called “adaptive brightness” that change the screen brightness based on how bright it is around the user. This feature can sometimes make the screen flash, especially when there isn’t much light.
On most phones, you can turn this function off by going to Settings > Display > Adaptive Brightness (or Auto Brightness) and flipping the switch.
After turning it off, set the brightness to a level you’re happy with.
Check if the flashing has stopped after you turn off adaptive brightness. Many users say this easy change stops the flickering for good.
6. Turn Off Blue Light Filter Apps
Blue light filter apps from outside sources may not work with your phone’s built-in display options, which can make the screen flicker. These apps work by adding a filter on top of your screen, which can sometimes make your screen less stable.
Check the downloaded apps and remove any blue light filters or screen-dimming apps you may have added. Instead, use the blue light filter already built into your phone; it works better with the system overall.
After removing these apps, restart your phone and see if the flickering still occurs in low light.
7. Turn Off Night Light Or The Blue Light Filter
Even your phone’s blue light filter (often called Night Light, Night Shift, or Eye Comfort) can make the screen flash with low brightness.
To turn it off, go to Settings > Display > Night Light (or a similar setting on a different phone type). If it was set to turn on by itself, turn off that plan for now so you can test it.
After you turn this feature off, dim your screen and see if it still flickers. Once the flashing stops, you may have to decide whether to use the blue light filter or have a flicker-free screen at low brightness.
8. Clear The Cache
Cached data can cause screen flickering. Clearing it may help resolve the issue.
For Android:
- Go to Settings > Storage > Cached Data and tap Clear Cache.
- For individual apps, go to Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Storage > Clear Cache.
For iPhone:
- Clear Safari’s cache via Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
- For app cache, delete and reinstall the app.
Restart your phone and check if the flickering is resolved.
9. Turn Off Developer Options
If your device has Developer Options turned on, some advanced settings could make your screen work less well.
You can turn off certain animation settings by going to Settings > System > Developer options (or Developer settings). You can also turn off Developer options completely by turning it off at the top of the screen.
Setting things like “Force GPU rendering” or custom animation scales can sometimes make the screen flicker, especially when the light is low.
10. Run In Safe Mode
Safe Mode temporarily turns off all third-party apps so you can see if a downloaded app is causing the flickering.
To get into Safe Mode on most Android phones, hold the power button and then hit and hold the power button until you see the “Safe Mode” prompt. This isn’t possible on iPhones, but you can try briefly turning off all newly installed apps.
If your screen flickers without you being in Safe Mode, it’s probably caused by a third-party app. To fix this, you can find the culprit, leave Safe Mode, and start removing newly added apps one by one.
11. Run Factory Reset
If none of the above options work, a factory reset may be necessary. This is the last thing you should do to fix software problems before getting help from a professional since it deletes all the data on your phone.
Back up all of your important data before you go any further. Go to Settings > System > Reset choices > Erase all data (factory reset) to turn off everything. Just do what it says to finish the process.
Set up your phone as if it were brand new (don’t recover from a backup immediately) and see if the flickering still happens. If it still happens, it may be a hardware problem.
12. Get Professional Help
If you’ve tried all the program fixes and nothing has worked, the flickering is probably due to hardware problems. Broken display controllers, LCD/OLED screens that don’t work, and display connections that are too loose are all common hardware problems.
Take your phone for reliable repair services. The trained staff there can diagnose the problem and fix the screen. If your phone is still under warranty, it’s especially important to get it fixed by a professional. Doing it yourself could void the guarantee.
Conclusion
It can be annoying when your screen flickers at low light levels, but as we’ve seen, there are many possible fixes. Before you try more drastic steps like factory restarts, try simple fixes first, like restarting your device, updating the software, and changing the screen settings. Most lighting problems are caused by software and can be fixed without hiring a professional.
However, if none of the software fixes work and your phone has been physically damaged or exposed to water, it’s time to get help from an expert. Tech City has skilled techs who can fix all kinds of screen problems. They can find and fix both software and hardware issues.
