Modern iPhones have OLED screens making the colors and pixels pop, giving users an immersive screen experience. And behind this is a delicate LCD technology. Speaking of delicate LCD, a simple bump or fall could easily cause damage to your iPhone’s or iPad’s screen. This leads us to the topic of iPad or iPhone black screen.
As we all know, the iPhone is Apple’s exclusive brand of smartphone. iOS is arguably far better than Android because of its easy-to-use interface and secure capacity to store information, decreasing the likelihood of hacking and theft. However, the problem arises when your iPhone’s screen suddenly blacks out, an issue that is aptly termed “the screen of death.” What, then, can you do to fix a sudden iPhone black screen?
Inside This Article
What Is the iPhone Black Screen of Death?
An iPhone black screen or “screen of death” is a system error that causes the screen of an iPhone to go black, making the smartphone unresponsive. The phone’s screen suddenly freezes and eventually fizzles out. It may seem like it was simply switched off, but pressing the power button does not turn it back on.
The usual problem behind this is its firmware crashing. Don’t worry, as it is only a minor problem; however, if your iPhone has severe hardware issues, this is caused by physical damage or liquid. To further determine what’s causing the black screen on your iPhone, it might be good to inspect it thoroughly. Doing necessary troubleshooting measures on your iPhone is likely the best way to deal with the problem before taking it to the shop.
What Causes iPhone Black Screen?
It can be extremely frustrating to suddenly find out that you cannot switch your phone on. When smartphones are increasingly evolving into primary necessities, especially with the advent of the novel coronavirus and its accompanying need for social distancing, it is essential to ensure that you have your iPhone ready for various communication and news update purposes.
Nonetheless, there are several reasons for the sudden iPhone black screen. Users may find comfort in knowing that the said issue is not uncommon, even when your iPhone is working correctly. Listed below are some of the factors that shut down your phone.
1. Battery
Brand new iPhones come with brand-new batteries. However, due to the usual wear-and-tear cycle, your iPhone may become repeatedly exposed to dirt and moisture. Water may enter your phone and reach the battery that should be securely lodged inside. Dirt may also create damage as it may block various circuits, causing an error to the battery’s dedicated connection with the rest of your phone. For older iPhones, however, an iPhone black screen can indicate that the battery needs to be replaced.
2. Charging Port
Various substances like moisture and dirt can obstruct your phone’s charging port. As it is with your battery, you need to make sure that your phone’s charging port remains clean and dry all the time. This enables your data cable to connect with the battery through the said dedicated port properly.
3. iPhone Charger and Data Cable
It is always best to use the official iPhone charger and the data cable that comes along with your iPhone. This is because they are intended to be compatible with your iPhone in terms of charging capacity, connectivity, and design. When incompatible or fraudulent chargers and data cables are used, an iPhone black screen may occur.
4. Internal Hardware
Improper use and handling of your phone can cause an iPhone black screen as well. Accidentally dropping your phone, having it get wet, or improperly replacing its screen can cause severe damage.
Because it is a smartphone, it is admittedly more fragile than older mobile phone models. You need to bear in mind that your iPhone has various small parts that are interconnected by tiny filaments of wire inside. The components and wires may get disconnected when your phone gets dropped as the shock produced by the impact can disarrange its methodical, albeit fragile, architecture.
Water and other liquid substances can seriously damage your iPhone, too. Remember that your smartphone is a gadget that is operated by electronic circuits. These circuits are highly sensitive to liquid, which can destroy their connections with just a few drops of it.
The improper and hasty replacement of an iPhone screen can also cause a black screen. The phone’s LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is highly fragile as well. Microscopic cracks on the screen can cause damage to the phone’s overall display. These cracks may worsen, resulting in dead pixels and, ultimately, a black screen. Bear in mind that the LCD, for it to function, must be appropriately connected to various circuits inside your phone. Hence, if these connections are not placed correctly during screen replacement, it can result in an iPhone black screen.
5. Damaging Software
It can be fun to install various applications on your iPhone. The App Store contains thousands of games and applications that can keep you busy and occupied. You can interact with family and friends across distances as it is easy to maintain connections via the iPhone’s exclusive feature, FaceTime.
During this current COVID-19 pandemic, having your iPhone with you helps keep you updated and entertained. It is very easy to download social networking, chat, and game apps as many of them are free of cost. You need to remember, though, that not all apps are secure. Some of the apps available can be highly malicious. They may contain viruses, worms, and other damaging codes that can eventually cause an iPhone black screen issue.
Newer apps should be checked for available reviews. Looking up recommendations before installing any app can prove highly beneficial for you as this precautionary measure minimizes the chances of phone damage.
6. Unofficial Firmware Updates
Apple sends out continuous updates for various iPhone models. When your iPhone is intact—meaning, it has never undergone any kind of jailbreaking; it can easily use the sent firmware update without any glitch happening. Official iOS updates are essential as these further improve your iPhone’s performance capability. However, improper and unofficial jailbreaking, especially when done via fraudulent means, may cause an iPhone black screen, aside from the loss of its warranty validity.
If you want to know more about official iOS updates such as iOS 13, check out our article on the topic. You can also learn how to jailbreak iOS by reading our guide.
How to Fix iPhone and iPad Black Screen?
Below are several ways to fix an iPhone and iPad black screen.
1. Restart Your Device
The first thing you can do is switch on your phone via the normal reboot process. Press your device’s Sleep-Wake button together with its Home button. Holding down those buttons for at least 10 seconds should do the trick. When you see the Apple logo on the screen, you can simply continue as before. Bear in mind, though, that data can be lost, especially when the iPhone or iPad black screen happened while you were doing something on your device.
A. Resetting Newer iPhone Models
However, for a newer model, there are minimal differences to take note of when attempting to fix its black screen.
- iPhone 7 series black screen – press the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously. Wait until the Apple branding appears on the screen.
- iPhone 8 – press the Volume Up button, followed by the Volume Down button, and lastly the Power button. Wait for the Apple icon to appear.
- iPhone X – press and hold the Volume Up, Down, and Side buttons. As usual, you will need to wait for the logo to appear.
B. Rebooting or Restarting the iPad
If your iPad is experiencing a black screen and does not respond to touch, well, there are different troubleshooting measures you can do to get your iPad to work again.
Press and hold the sleep button until you see the Apple logo. This method forces the iPad to turn off and override any glitches in the software that has been causing the issue.
2. Restore the Factory Settings
If you have already tried rebooting and the iDevice doesn’t start up, try to restore its factory settings. Remember that this process erases everything on our phone, restoring it to its original settings. Hence, essential data that includes your apps (and the apps’ corresponding data), contacts, and calendars are removed. You can, however, restore the same information by connecting to your iCloud account once your iPhone restarts.
Don’t forget to connect your device to your desktop or laptop. Open the iTunes app and find the “Restore Phone or Restore iPad” button on your iTunes screen.
3. Use iTunes to Fix iPhone & iPad Black Screen
- If you do not have the latest iTunes version on your computer, download the software via your browser. Once downloaded, run the program and initiate installation.
- After you install iTunes, sign in with your iTunes or Apple ID and password.
- Use your official iPhone or iPad USB or data cable to connect your iPhone to your computer.
- iTunes will detect your device.
- Once iTunes detects your phone; a restore option is provided for you.
- Click on the “Restore” option.
- A pop-up window would appear on your screen and ask for confirmation regarding your device’s restoration.
- Once the restoration is done, you will be given the option to restore backup information.
- Tap “Set-Up” to finish the restoration process.
- Your iDevice is, then, restored to its original settings.
It is essential to note that your Apple ID and password are crucial to the successful restoration of your phone and tablet. Thus, remember to keep a separate note that indicates both of them. Keep the note somewhere safe.
4. Charge Your Device
One problem with why your iPhone or iPad presents a black screen is battery-related issues. If the battery is depleted or too low to support your phone or tablet’s screen, it does not have enough power to display the charging symbol.
An iPad’s battery is larger than the iPhone’s. So, charge your iPad and make sure it is plugged in a 12 or 10-watt charger. Remember this as it may lead to your iPad demanding more time to charge. If you feel that the battery’s health is no longer adequate, consider replacing it.
Charge your iPhone or iPad overnight or for at least 20 minutes with no interruptions. Note that if your device is too cold or hot, it will not charge. Also, if your iPhone or iPad has been exposed to hot or freezing temperatures, take your device to a place with room temperature and then plug it in for charging.
5. Check Your Device’s Apps
If you encounter a battery discharge problem, then a rogue app may be the one causing it. All you have to do is go to Settings > Battery and navigate down to check your power usage. Applications that use the most battery are usually displayed at the top along with their percentage on the side.
Try to uninstall apps that also contribute to your battery draining faster than normal or slow down your device’s performance.
6. Check Your Device’s Charging Port
A dirty charging port can hinder your iPhone or iPad from getting enough power supply when charging. Dirt or dust could potentially be the number one culprit to this issue. How do you fix it? Try to use a non-conductive tool to clean it out. Dislodge the dirt and try to charge your device once more.
7. Adjust Your Device’s Screen Brightness
Try checking if your device’s screen brightness is too low. If you were able to activate Siri, then ask it to increase the brightness of your screen. If this does not work, you can just adjust the brightness manually in a dark room.
8. Burp Your iPad
Burping your iPad means realigning any cables that have gone astray. Here is a step-by-step guide on you how you can burp your iPad:
- Turn off your iPad
- With a towel, cover the front and back parts of your device for at least 60 seconds or so
- Uncover or remove the towel from the iPad
- Turn it on
If this method addresses your iPad’s issues, then chances are, it is suffering from a most likely hardware problem, in most cases, will happen again. Take your iPad to the Apple store if this is the case.
9. System Update
Updating your operating system to the latest patch can also help you remedy your device.
What you will need: a computer installed with the latest iTunes version.
- Connect your charger to your iPhone or iPad and computer
- Open iTunes from your computer
- Press and hold the Home button on your iPhone or iPad
- After the logo appears, continue to hold both buttons
- A Restore or Update option will appear; chose Update
If this technique fails after 15 minutes, your device will revert to having a black screen.
10. System Restore
This method is the last option you have if all else fails. Take note that this step will delete all your data on your iDevice. If you have backed up your data via the cloud, then all the erased data will return after the system restore is completed.
How to perform this step:
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using its charging cable
- Open iTunes from your computer
- Press and hold the Home button on your device.
- After the logo appears, continue to hold both buttons
- A Restore or Update option will appear; choose Restore
11. Contact Apple Support
As always, there are no better people to reach out to than Apple Support experts when none really worked. Apple Support offers extensive support on any Apple device troubles that you may have.
Why Repairing Your iPhone on Your Own Is Not a Good Idea
Have you noticed that your iPhone has two star-shaped screws next to the charging port? Well, they are there for a reason. However, only trust experts to open your iPhone or iPad and fix what needs fixing. There may be outstanding guides on how to fix your iPhone’s black screen; however, the risks are fatal.
If you believe that the reason behind your iPhone’s black screen is a dislodged LCD cable from the logic board, then repairing it would be a breeze; that is if you are knowledgeable and have the right tools to address this issue. If you are tech-savvy and want to save money, then fixing your iPhone is better than taking a trip to the Apple store.
Replacing components in your iPhone demands precision and is very tedious. Why? Because a phone comprises dozens of parts, it requires professional experience to fix it. We highly discourage doing a DIY because you can easily break something and just spend more on a new phone.
Why Should You Fix the Black Screen?
It is essential to fix your iPhone’s black screen because not doing so can further damage your device. Similar to other electronic devices, your iPhone’s internal connections operate because of electricity. For the iPhone, the battery acts as its source of power or energy. Moreover, leaving an iPhone black screen for a long time could cause more damage than you may already have. This can result in a dead iPhone.
This is because, like any other electronic device, a kind of “infection” can happen. The small, damaged part can affect all the different parts of your iPhone. A small crack can get wider; a disconnected wire can further get displaced, or a small portion can transfer places inside your iPhone. Thus, it is best to fix your iPhone black screen issue as soon as possible.
