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My iPhone Screen Is Black! Here’s The Real Reason Why.

    David Payette
  • 6 years ago
    • Categories: Display

Your iPhone is on, but the screen is black. Your iPhone rings, but you can’t answer the call. You’ve tried resetting your iPhone, letting it run out of battery and plugging it back in, and your iPhone screen is still black. In this article, I’ll explain why your iPhone screen went black and what you can do to fix it.

Why Is My iPhone Screen Black?

A black screen is usually caused by a hardware problem with your iPhone, so there usually isn’t a quick fix. That being said, a software crash can cause your iPhone display to freeze and turn black, so let’s try a hard reset to see if that’s what’s going on.

To do a hard reset, press and hold the power button (also known as the Sleep / Wake button) and the Home button (the circular button below the display) together for at least 10 seconds.

On the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you perform a hard reset by pressing and holding the volume down button and the power button at the same time until the you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.

And if you have an iPhone 8 or newer, perform a hard reset by quickly pressing and releasing the volume up button, then quickly pressing and releasing the volume down button, and then pressing and holding the power button (iPhone 8) or the side button (iPhone X or newer) until that Apple logo appears.

If the Apple logo appears on the screen, there probably isn’t a problem with your iPhone’s hardware — it was a software crash. Check out my other article on frozen iPhones, which will tell you exactly what to do to fix your iPhone. If the Apple logo doesn’t appear on the screen, keep reading.

Let’s Take A Look Inside Your iPhone

iPhone Logic Board

A brief tour of the inside of your iPhone will help you understand why your screen is black. There are two pieces of hardware that we’ll talk about: Your iPhone’s display and the logic board.

The logic board is the brains behind the operation of your iPhone, and every part of your iPhone connects to it. The display shows you the images you see, but the logic board tells it what to display.

Removing iPhone Display

The entire display of your iPhone is removable, but it’s a lot more complicated than you might think! There are four major components built into your iPhone’s display:

  1. The LCD screen, which displays the images you see on your iPhone.
  2. The digitizer, which is the part of the display that processes touch. It digitizes your finger, which means it turns the touch of your finger into a digital language your iPhone can understand.
  3. The front-facing camera.
  4. The Home button.

Each component of your iPhone’s display has a separate connector that plugs into your iPhone’s logic board. That’s why you might be able to swipe across the screen with your finger, even though the screen is black. The digitizer is working, but the LCD is not.

The black stick is touching the display data connector

In many cases, your iPhone screen is black because the cable that connects the LCD to the logic board has become dislodged. This cable is called the display data connector. When the display data connector becomes dislodged from the logic board, your iPhone can be fixed by plugging it back in.

There are other cases where the fix isn’t so simple, and that’s when the LCD itself is damaged. When that happens, it doesn’t matter if the LCD is connected to the logic board or not — it’s broken and it needs to be replaced.

How Do I Know Whether My Display Is Dislodged Or Broken?

I’m hesitant to write this because it is by no means a hard and fast rule, but I have noticed a pattern in my experience working with iPhones. There are no guarantees, but my rule of thumb is this:

  • If your iPhone display stopped working after you dropped it, your screen is probably black because the LCD cable (display data connector) has become dislodged from the logic board.
  • If your iPhone display stopped working after it got wet, your screen is probably black because the LCD is broken and needs to be replaced.

How To Fix A Black iPhone Screen

The way you choose to proceed may depend on whether your iPhone LCD cable has become dislodged from the logic board or if the LCD is broken. You can use my rule from above to make an educated guess.

If the LCD cable has become dislodged, the Genius Bar at an Apple Store may repair it free of charge, even if your iPhone is out of warranty. That’s because the fix is relatively simple: They’ll open your iPhone and reconnect the digitizer cable to the logic board. If you decide to go this route, make an appointment with the Genius Bar before you arrive — otherwise, you could end up standing around for a while.

If the LCD is broken, that’s another story. It can be very expensive to repair your iPhone display, especially if you go through Apple. If you’re looking for a high-quality, less-expensive alternative, I recommend Puls, an in-person repair service that will come to you, fix your iPhone on the spot, and give you a lifetime warranty.

If you’d rather get a new iPhone than have your current one repaired, check out the UpPhone phone comparison tool. You can compare the prices of every smartphone on every wireless carrier. Carriers are eager to have you switch to their network, so you may find that you can get a new iPhone for roughly the same cost as repairing your current one.

Repairing Your iPhone Yourself Usually Isn’t A Good Idea

Star-shaped (pentalobe) screws keep your iPhone closed

iPhones aren’t meant to be opened by the user. Just take a look at the two screws next to the charging port of your iPhone — they’re star-shaped! That being said, there are excellent repair guides out there if you’re feeling adventurous. I took the images in this article from a repair guide on iFixit.com called iPhone 6 Front Panel Assembly Replacement. Here’s a brief excerpt of that article that may sound familiar:

“When reassembling your phone, the display data cable may pop off its connector. This can result in white lines or a blank screen when powering your phone back on. If that happens, simply reconnect the cable and power cycle your phone.” Source: iFixit.com

If you believe your iPhone LCD cable (display data cable) has simply become dislodged from the logic board, you’re very tech-savvy, and going to an Apple Store isn’t an option, reconnecting the display data cable to the logic board isn’t that difficult, if you have the right tools.

Replacing the display is very complex because of the number of components involved. Let me be clear: I do not recommend you try to fix this problem yourself, because it’s just too easy to break something and “brick” your iPhone.

You Know What You Have To Do

Most readers won’t be able to fix their iPhone screen just by reading this article, because a black iPhone screen usually isn’t caused by a software issue. Everything was working fine until your iPhone screen went black. Now you can’t use your iPhone at all, but you do know what to do next. I’m interested to hear how you fixed your iPhone in the comments section below, and any experience you can offer will undoubtedly help other readers with the same problem.

Thanks for reading and all the best,
David P.
All iPhone images in this article by Walter Galan and licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

View Comments (629)

  • I googled why my iPhone screen goes black & yours was the absolute best article! I got a chuckle out of some of your material! I was making a call & it went black. I powered off then on and it fixed it but it keeps happening randomly, but I remember dropping it but the screen is fine so I bet it’s internal like you said. I’ll have it checked out or replaced. Thanks for your help with this!

  • I dropped my iPhone 7 on concrete and shattered the whole front screen bad it still showed random lcd lights and the home button was pressable so I left it to sit because I was going to go to a phone store another day and have it fixed, a day later I'm told to charge it before my appointment so I go to grab the phone to charge it and the screen is completely black so I assumed it died because the home button also didn't work (signifying its dead) and I charged it hoping the screen will show a little light so I can see if its charging or even works beyond the broken screen. 20 Minutes later the screen is still pitch black, but the home button is pressable as if it was still working so does that mean I just need a screen replacement?

  • Thank you! You are a genius! My screen went completely black. I google searched your article and the up/down home selection worked ...

  • I dropped my iPhone 12 today, the screen was not cracked and was ok for around 10 seconds, then I pushed the off button and the music kept on playing and the back torch was on, still able to vibrate but the screen is staying black except for when I click the power button and the lower half of the screen flickers on then goes dead again. Not sure if this is the LCD, please help, I am on holiday and need to know id I can do a repair myself

  • So I kept my iphone 11 pro max , when I came back I it was all black
    I tried the method already it shows the apple logo but it turn off immediately again help .

  • my iPhone 11 battery died.I tried charging it and wouldn't charge over night.I also tried force restart it and nothing happens.what can possibly be the problem?

    • That happened to me in 2019. It was water damage and sometimes not fixable take it to your nearest apple company and they can tell you what has happened

  • hello so my iphone 11 pro max had water fallen on it from the sink and its all black but if i go in a dark room i can still see the screen but in a light room i cant and ive tried most of the steps but nothing has worked but last night the screen came back on but then it was fully black after a few mintues

  • I have iPhone 7 and the screen is black after it was dropped. I had tried all the possible methods given above but none of them work. Any other way this can be fixed

  • My son has the iPhone X and he was on the phone when he went to bed and when he woke up the screen was black! Somehow we got the flashlight on but we can’t see to do anything else. Please help?

    • Either the display is broken or it's frozen on a black screen. Try to hard reset the iPhone by quickly pressing and releasing the volume up button, quickly pressing and releasing the volume down button, then pressing and holding the side button. Keep holding that side button until the Apple logo appears. It make take 45–60 seconds.

      If a hard reset doesn't work, plug the iPhone into a computer. It should be recognized by the computer since you were able to turn on the flashlight. If it is, back up the iPhone immediately. Then, reach out to Apple Support to schedule a screen repair.

  • my 7 plus is black screen now. i was just browsing then it blacked out, when i opened it there is s tiny hole in the battery touching the lcd. i tried replacing both lcd ang batt but its still on black screen. what should i do?

    • I'd set up an appointment at your local Apple Store. A punctured battery can be a real safety hazard.

  • My phone screen are all black. I try to force restart and it responding (because I know it's vibrating), but nothing shows on the screen. The screen still black but the backlight turned on for a while (since I can see it when I in the dark place). Anybody knows what's wrong with my phone?

      • Nah, the problem is on the LCD display. I've tried with other LCD and it works. So the old display have issue with the LCD (while the backlight still working normally). I don't want to take any risk with the hard reset method since the phone is not mine (it's my sister's phone). I'm afraid she's gonna kill me if I lost all of her data. XD

        Thanks for the attention by the way.

  • I have an iPhone 8 that had an unresponsive, very dark screen about a week ago. I preformed a hard reset on it, and it worked up until today. Same thing is happening again. Did another hard reset and again works fine. Can you tell me what’s happening? Device is fully updated as well.

    • Sounds like there's a deeper software issue causing your iPhone to occasionally crash. I recommend backing up your iPhone immediately, then trying a Reset All Settings. This erases everything in the Settings app and restores it to factory defaults. You'll have to re-enter your Wi-Fi passwords, reconnect your Bluetooth devices, set up your wallpaper again, and more. However, it has a decent chance of fixing the real reason why your iPhone screen goes dark and unresponsive.

      For more help, check out our other when your iPhone touch screen is not working.

  • hey umm my iphone is cracked and it got went the screen was green for a bit then it just turned black and you can hear notifications what do i do if the phone still works but screen is black its a xs max

  • Hallo,

    Today my iPhone 10 just died on me. I had it on charge the whole night, so it is definatelly not the battery. I have also kept it on charge for some time, but nothing happens.
    It was working perfectly this morning. Later on I saw that my phone was off, the screen was just black. I tried the force start, but still nothing works. I did not drop my phone or bump it or anything.
    A few days ago the screen also did not want to unlock or sense my finger as I swipe.
    What can be the problem?

    • If the screen is totally black and not responding to touch, that sounds like a hardware issue to me. I'd reach out to Apple support or bring your iPhone into a local repair shop.

  • My phone flickered for about 10 minutes and then it went black. It is on but I have nothing on my screen. Blank screen.

  • my iphone just droped on the soft carpet & went of,powering on it could not but when I connect the charger it lights up & off. What might be the issue please

    • Could still be a hardware, even if it fell on a soft carpet. If the steps in this article don't help, reach out to Apple support.

  • I have an iPhone 6S+ that's about a year and a half old. Never dropped it in water, and while I have dropped it several times and the screen is cracked, the issue didn’t come up after I dropped it. If I shift it around and put pressure on the back, the screen sometimes comes back. When I turn it on, the black gains a slight blue tint and emits low levels of light. I can still press things, and I can still unlock my phone by remembering where the keys are for the password, but it’s completely black. Restarting/force restarting my phone does nothing. The phone completely works on a software level, I just can’t see anything on it.

    I’m not keen to go to an Apple Store or send it off to get fixed, as I don’t really have the money and I doubt my parents would be willing to pay considering it’s so new. It’s also the reason I’m not willing to tell them about this, because it’s not the first time I’ve had to send it off to get it fixed (for a cracked screen that time). Is there anything I can do to fix the issue without needing to require outside help?

  • I have an iPhone 6. I restarted the phone while it was at 56%. 5ish hours later, it's not turning on. I charged it, but it's giving me a black screen. I tried to restart it but that didn't work either.

  • So, what happened is that I turned off my phone because I wanted to refresh it. Then, after that, my phone went black. I can still feel a vibration whenever I tap the Home button. I also waited for it to drain the battery but when I charged it, it still remains a black screen. It still vibrates, though, after I charged it. Help please.

  • I have an iPhone 7 Plus, it’s about 2 years old. I never dropped it bad enough to make a cable inside phone disconnect and I didn’t get water into it, but my screen went black 2 days ago. I have an Apple Watch, and due to that I can still access text messages and make calls. This happened after I plugged in my charger and it started to go whacky and saying it was charging then not charging. What caused this issue? What can I do to fix it, if I can? Or, should I skip everything and make an AppleCare+ claim or however that stuff works. I need help.

  • Hi. My iPhone 6 won’t turn on and I have charged it for a whole day! I’ve never dropped it or got it wet and I’ve done the hard reset multiple times but it still isn’t turning on.

  • Brilliant! Thanks David for your words of wisdom and sharing your very precious knowledge - stopped me throwing my iPhone at something hard with the frustration of another black screen episode! Greatly appreciated!

  • Hi David
    My iPhone 8 has a problem whereby the screen goes blank then i have to lock it and unlock it. This happens very often, especially when I try to scroll through photos.

    The phone fell and the back cover had a serious crack.

    PLEASE HELP!

  • Hi. My iPhone 8 isn’t really stuck on the black screen. It just goes black randomly, then I have to lock it and unlock it. This happens every single time I try to scroll through my photos. Please help!

  • My 2nd Gen SE is suffering from the black screen issue although I can tap the screen and hear clicks and or vibrations. Luckily I was able to unlock it and update to 15.1 and the screen did come back after rebooting then went black as soon as I went to make a call. I went through the various reset methods to no avail. Since I was able to get the screen to light up I feel the connections are ok and perhaps there's a hardware issue.

    • I have this problem too but I got a new screen and it won't turn on. I can tap the screen and hear clicks but nothing shows and it's a brand new screen I ordered.

  • This just happened to my iPhone 6s. Strange, a lot of people are having the exact same problem all at the same time.

  • Hello David,
    My screen was blacked out. I pressed and held the power button and the Home button ) together for at least 10 seconds. but it is not working. The apple logo is not displaying. Need your kind assistance please.

  • Hello David, a few months ago my iPhone 7 battery started going down very fast. One day it went flat but it never turned on again. I have tried absolutely EVERYTHING! And I still have an unresponsive black screen. This iPhone 7 was a refurbished model and only lasted me 3 months! I am in desperate need of help!

  • Hello David, I just wanted to let you know, I have an iPhone 6 SE and my screen came off easily without removing those torxhead screws for the charger port.

  • Hello. My iPhone XS Max dropped a while ago and everything was fine until today when I woke up and I was on my phone completely normal. Then it went black. It won't charge, and it won't reboot with these techniques

  • Hi David,

    I have the iPhone 6s Plus and my stuff isn't working. I wanted to know why so I left my phone in my room on the charger and I came back and my screen was blacked out. So, I performed the hard reset and it worked. The thing is that when I unlock my phone, go into any app, or just go to the Home page, it glitches like how a phone would if you dropped it or had water damage. Then it slowly starts to fade black and it goes right back to being blacked out.

  • hello DAVID
    now my iPhone it have this problem 4 time in this month. 
    it still working but iPhone screen is black. Usally I just wait 3-4 hour then it still working normal .
    but I wanna know that when another on call on telegram app to me my iPhone screen is black..

  • My charging port wasn't working and I had it replaced by a technician for my iPhone 7. The brightness is gone & the display is dark. I could only see the Apple logo when I turn my phone on.
    Any fix suggestions for my screen?

  • Hi. Randomly, my phone has started to go black. Meaning i have to keep pressing the power button for it to come back on again. Sometimes it takes a while to come back on. However, sometimes — once turned on — it will take a few minutes for it to turn off again. I tried putting my phone down and waiting to see if it went black on its own, but it stays on just fine until I start using it again. It also turns off when I try to use the volume.

  • Hi there. I have an iPhone 7 that is stuck on a black screen. I tried to restart it and plug it in. Any help would be great, thanks!

  • Hello David, my iPhone SE (2016) screen is black. I have tried multiple different hard resets, and even tried to put it on a charger for an hour and repair it.
    The Apple logo doesn't even show up. If you'd like to know of any prior events I can tell you it's never gotten wet. It's not refurbished and it wasn't used when I bought it back in may of 2020. I've only dropped it four times. What could be the issue and how can I solve it?

  • Hi David. I dropped my iPhone 7+ and the battery was dead at the time. I plugged it in to charge and now it has a black screen with vertical colored bars on the right side of the screen. I can hear texts and it buzzes when I get a call. Does this sound like an LCD cable getting disconnected from the logic board?

  • Hi David,
    My iPhone screen is black. I do a hard reset by quickly pressing and releasing the volume up button, then quickly pressing and releasing the volume down button, and then pressing and holding the power button (iPhone 8) or the side button (iPhone X or newer) until the Apple logo appears. But it's still not working — just vibrates. What can i do next?

    • Hi Vi, unfortunately, it sounds like you might need a repair. Make an appointment at the Genius Bar and take your phone into a local Apple Store. If there isn't an Apple Store near you, check out a local repair shop. Best of luck!

      • Thank you, David — from Cambodia!
        My iPhone developed this black screen problem maybe 4 days ago. I can't do anything. I just waited 5 hours then it started working normally again. Now I still problems like this. I want to know why this problem always happens when someone tries to call me on the Telegram app.

  • Hi I have an iPhone 7 the problem with it is when I press the volume down plus the power button the Apple logo came on but won't turn on but the loading charging and the Apple logo came on but it is repeating its self what do I do

  • Do you think I have to have my phone repaired? I did the restarting thing you told us to do several times, but my phone still won't turn on. Please reply and tell me how much it costs.

    • Hi Byan, it sounds like you may need to have your iPhone repaired by a technician. Unfortunately, repair costs vary a lot depending on the iPhone model and what kind of repair it needs. If you do decide to get your phone repaired, I highly recommend reaching out to Apple Support directly. Having your iPhone repaired by anyone who is not a certified Apple Technician can void your warranty. If you visit your local Apple Store, an Apple Tech will gladly diagnose your phone and give you a quote for repair costs. I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help, best of luck!

  • my phone has taken on some water in the shower and it didn't warn me about anything and randomly my screen went black and wouldn't turn on I can feel all notifications though I don't know what the problem is could someone please help me with it because I'm not near a repair store for days and I'm scared to plug it in if it is water damage and might damage my phone even more.

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David Payette: I'm a former Apple employee and the founder of Payette Forward, and I'm here to help you with your iPhone.