If you have an iPhone, then probably you’ve come to appreciate the dependability that these devices afford for the consumer. User feedback is generally positive, which is why they consistently remain worldwide bestsellers. However, as with any electronic devices, software and hardware issues sometimes come up, and when they do, you must deal with them. An example of that would be if your iPhone’s screen is showing white lines on it. In this article, we’ll go over what this problem most likely signifies, as well as what you can do to solve it.
Why Might Your iPhone Screen have White Lines on It?
With some cases of a problem with your iPhone, it’s exclusively an issue with either hardware or software. White lines appearing on your screen does not fall into that category, as it could be either one of those things that’s the culprit.
There are a few different potential software problems that might cause white lines. In the case of hardware, the most likely scenario is that the phone’s LCD cable has gotten detached from the logic board.
First, let’s talk about some options for white lines that are being caused by software problems.
Restarting Your iPhone Might Get Rid of those White Lines
A minor software glitch that’s causing the appearance of white lines on your screen might be counteracted by restarting the phone. It’s easy to do and not at all time-consuming.
If you own an iPhone 8 or an earlier model than that, you’ll need to press and hold the Power button. After a few seconds, a Slide to Power Off slider will appear on the screen. Slide it to the right, turning off the phone. After a couple of seconds have elapsed, press the Power button again until you see the Apple logo. This indicates that the device is restarting.
If you have the iPhone X or later, then you must simultaneously press the Side button and either one of the Volume buttons. The Slide to Power Off slider will come up. Slide it to the right, turning off the phone. Then, press your Power button until the Apple logo appears, and the phone will restart.
Now, you can see if the white lines have gone away.
An iPhone Hard Restart Might Get Rid of White Lines on the Screen
If the white lines obstruct the screen so severely that you can’t see anything, then you might want to try a hard restart instead. This is a maneuver that abruptly turns the iPhone off and on again. The way that you do this varies depending on which generation of the device you have.
If you have an iPhone 6 or an earlier model than that, you’ll need to press and hold your Power button at the same time as the Home button. The Apple logo will flash on the screen if you have done it correctly.
If you’ve got the iPhone 7 or 7Plus, then you have to press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button. Again, you’re looking for that distinctive Apple logo.
If you have an iPhone 8 or one of the newer models than that, you should quickly press and release your Volume Up button. Next, quickly press and release your Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button. When an Apple logo comes up, let go of your Side button.
It can take a couple of tries for you to get this right, but be patient and don’t give up. Once the hard reset is complete, it’s highly likely that the white lines will be gone if they were there because of a software issue.
Backing Up Your iPhone with iTunes and iCloud
If what you’ve done so far hasn’t worked, then a more severe software issue may have occurred. The one thing that remains is to put your phone in DFU restore mode. This is the most extreme restore that you can do for the device. Before you do that, though, you should back it up to be sure that none of your data is lost.
You can do a backup with iTunes if you like. Connect the iPhone to your laptop or PC by using an Apple-approved USB cable. Next, pull up iTunes and make sure that it is the most recent version. Under Devices on the upper left-hand side of the screen, you should see your iPhone. Where you see the option to back it up, do so. It might take a few minutes, but now you should be good to go.
If you want to back up the iPhone using iCloud, then you must open Settings on your device. Hit your name at the top of the screen, and then iCloud. Scroll down and hit iCloud Backup. Be sure that the switch is toggled to the green “On” position. Tap Back Up Now.
Using DFU Mode Might Fix those White Lines
Now, you’re ready to do a DFU restore for your phone. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update. This will erase and restore all of the code on your iPhone, effectively getting it back to its original factory settings.
Plug your phone into your laptop or PC with a USB cable. If you have an iPhone 6 or below, then you can press and hold your Sleep/Wake button and the Home button for 8 seconds. Then, release your Sleep/Wake button but continue to hold the Home button. iTunes should say that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. At that point, you can let go of the Home button. Your screen should be completely black. Your phone is now in DFU mode, and you can restore the backup version that you made.
If you have an iPhone 7 or 7Plus, then you have to hold the Sleep/Wake button for 8 seconds along with the Volume Down button. After 8 seconds, release the Volume Down button, but continue to hold the Sleep/Wake button. When you see the message about the device in recovery mode, you can let go of the Sleep/Wake button, and the device should be in DFU mode. Now, you can restore the backup version.
This last version is how you can put the phone in DFU mode if you have a generation 8 or later. First, quickly press and release your Volume Up button. Next, press and release your Volume Down button. Press and hold your Side button until the screen goes black. Once it does, press and hold the Volume Down button while still holding the Side button. After 5 seconds, release the Side button, but keep holding the Volume Down button. You will get the message about the phone being in restore mode if you have done it correctly. At that point, release the Volume Down button.
Since this operation is a little tricky, especially with the newer versions of the iPhone, you might not get it right on the first attempt. Try it a few times, and if you’re struggling with it, there are some excellent videos on YouTube that should get you pointed in the right direction.
What if Your iPhone Screen White Lines are Due to a Hardware Issue?
If the DFU restore failed to get rid of the white lines on your device’s screen, then that’s a strong indication that the issue is happening because of a hardware malfunction. As we mentioned earlier, the most likely thing to have happened is that the LCD cable is no longer hooked up to the logic board.
Rough handling of the phone might cause this to happen. If you dropped it at some point and it was out of its case, that might have done it. Exposure to liquid can also sometimes cause those annoying white lines to appear.
You’ll need to take the phone to an Apple Store with a Genius Bar so they can look at it. You probably should not try to fix it yourself, since that would require opening up the device and tinkering with it, which would likely void the warranty.
If all that is happening with it is that the LCD cable needs to be connected again, that’s a quick and easy fix. There might be something more serious happening with the phone, in which case replacement parts might need to be installed. If the device is still under warranty, then that should cover it. If the warranty has expired, you’ll have to pay for the cost of the fix. It should be worth it, though, since those white lines can render your phone virtually useless until you figure out how to get rid of them.
