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:
- The LCD screen, which displays the images you see on your iPhone.
- 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.
- The front-facing camera.
- 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.
pls help i dropped my iphone and the screens gone black and the back is shattered can someone pls tell me if i just wait and do nothing will it make it better
Try reaching out to Apple to see if you are still under warranty so you can get a replacement, or you can consider going for an upgrade.
Hi I am Jan lemuel, my iphone 5s having a problem the half of it is black and the other half is perfectly fine I don’t know what’s happen actually, I’ve been using this device for over 1 year and 3 months and now I don‘t know what to do
Although you haven’t had the device for very long, it’s important to consider just how old the iPhone 5s is: it’s nine years old now! Because of this, Apple has discontinued support for the device and declared it obsolete. It’s time for an upgrade!
Hello. I just put my iPhone on the desk and its screen went black but it is on because I can call Siri out or unlock my screen. The only issue is the black screen. But after I took out SIM cards, it was back to normal. What do you think to cause this issue? It happened twice this week. Thank you.
hi my iphone 6s randomly shut off, and wouldn’t turn on, so i did a reset (home button and power button) it turned on. then it turned off again, about 2 more times (likee 30 minutes apart?), then another time but it wouldnt turn on. theres all the noises like keyboard clicking and phone ringing and it responds to touch (like i can swipe and go to camera) but the screen stays blaccccckkkk. what do i dooo
It’s probably time to upgrade. The iPhone 6s is pretty old now, having been discontinued by Apple since 2018. That means that the device is no longer supported and Apple won’t be able to help you get it fixed. Upgrading to a device like the iPhone 12 will get you the latest hardware and software support from Apple and will keep you going longer without having to pay for expensive repairs.
Hi, hoping you can help me. I have an SE (Gen 1). The screen wasn’t securely attached but it worked perfectly fine. I dropped it tonight and the home button came out and now the screen is black. The phone still rings, but I can’t unlock it etc. I’m getting a new phone, but I want to back this one up first, but neither my new MacBook or old one recognise it (the phone buzzes 3 times when plugged into computer but it doesn’t show in iTunes or Finder). I do not have iCloud backup turned on. Please help!
Check out our article about how to back up your iPhone through iTunes and Finder to double check that you are doing the steps correctly. If backing up your old phone isn’t possible, the data may be unrecoverable without getting extra help from Apple or a third party.
i dropped my iphone X into a puddle of water, now it has a black screen. what do i do?
It might be time for you to get your iPhone X replaced. I have a feeling that either your water resistance wore out over time or the force of the fall caused internal damage to the phone. You could take the phone to see if it can be repaired first.
I tried using my iPhone 6s, and it started going hot, very hot and was lagged. It kept doing this for about 20 minutes, and after it cooled down, I got a black screen. Please help!
Check out this article about what to do when your iPhone 6 screen is black. I hope this helps! ?
Hi so I just purchased a second-hand iphone 5s off facebook a few days ago (friday 12 february 2021) and it was working fine for the first few days but then all of a sudden I noticed the screen go black and it hasnt turned back on since. I tried soft reset but it just wont turn back on. So Im wanting to know if maybe you guys could take a look at it? and if there is a chance that it can be fixed than how much would it cost? thanks
Hi, Manz! Unfortunately, our website only offers advice, so we can’t take a look at your device for you. Based on what you’ve told me, I wonder if you’ve been scammed. The iPhone 5s is eight years old now, having been released in 2013. Instead of paying continuous costs of repair to keep the device alive, you are much better off spending that money toward a new device like the iPhone 12 or the iPhone SE. Our other site, UpPhone, has a cell phone comparison tool can be used to help you find a cell phone that fits your budget… Read more »
i tried to reset my settings and it got alf way before it just froze on the apple screen i need help!!!!1
Check out our article about what to do when your iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo.
I have an iPhone 6 and for some reason, my screen just suddenly went black while I was watching a Youtube video, I’ve been trying to force restart it but it’s not working what do I do??
my iPhone 6 Plus was refusing to work without a charger and i force restarted it and it only helped for a few days…..now my iPhone is stuck on a black screen and i don’t know what to do
This article from other site, UpPhone, might be able to help if your iPhone 6 Plus screen is black! ?
please help, I was using my iphone 6 today and suddenly it went black, I tried force resetting but didn’t work and I don’t wanna lose my data by using itunes to fix it.
iPhone 12. Press the right side button. Screen displays. Irritating! But it does bring screen up. Do not use sound button or any other button
Please help me. I just finished replacing the LCD of my old iPhone 5c. I think I’ve done it just correctly. I only replace the LCD, and I didn’t touch anything other than that. In the process, I haven’t detached the battery while disassembling the LCD and digitizer. However, when I plugged it, it won’t display that it’s charging. I tried pressing the sleep and home button together and doing hard reset but it still displays a black screen. But even if that’s what happens, my iPhone 5c becomes warm when I have it plugged in. Please help me what… Read more »
First of all: nice job attempting the screen replacement! That’s not an easy task! However, with other problems like the stuff you’re running into, it’s probably just going to need more repairs. It will probably be more worth it to you to get a newer phone that will last you longer and with less maintenance. The iPhone 5C is over 8 years old now since it was released in 2013! I highly recommend you pick up a newer iPhone 12 if you have some money to spend or an iPhone SE is you are looking for a more budget solution.… Read more »
Pls help my iphone 7s is black and wont turn on the whige and the apple logo shows up for a few secounds
This article about what to do when your iPhone 7 is stuck on the Apple logo should be able to help you.
Pls someone help me I have an iPhone 7 and half of my screen is black and glitched pls help me!
If you followed all the steps in this article and nothing is working, then you may need to explore your repair or replacement options.
what happened with mine is just idk man one second i was doing digital art then next my screen was black i opened my laptop and heard siri talk it was then i knew that it was funtional but i couldn’t see the screen well i tried to shut my phone down it actually made my screen visible and i was relieved
got the same problem but still havent being fixed for me
This helped me! Thank you:)
My phone is still not working for some reason whenever i try this my phone turns fully black and when press the power button it just turns back to the original lighter black blank screen as before. what do i do? (iphone 7)
still not working for some reason whenever i try this my phone turns fully black and when press the power button it just turns back to the original lighter black blank screen as before. what do i do (iphone 7)
It is very helpful, Thanks it really worked.
thank you sooo much, my screen just went blank and i tried this and its come back on. Thank you so muchhh
It workeddd. Thank youuu
Thank you. Very helpful!
my iphone 11 suddenly turns black sometimes when on the calls. id have to press the lock button and the volume button to force a restart before the screen is on again. it hasnt been a month since i used this phone.
didnt use my phone for 2 hours screen goes black but home button is working
my phone was perfectly fine when I used it then i put it down for 10 minutes and then the screen is black but im still able to use the phone i can put in my password and all that but i still can’t ive reset it like 14 times in the past 4 hours
I. have the same problem as you guys. What I did is press the volume button up and down. Once I did that I held the power button for a couple of seconds and that allowed me to power off my iPhone 11. I haven’t updated me iPhone yet so as soon as I could get back into my phone I updated it hopes this helps.
My screen is black and showing a loading thing what do I do
I. have the same problem as you guys. What I did is press the volume button up and down. Once I did that I held the power button for a couple of seconds and that allowed me to power off my iPhone 11. I haven’t updated me iPhone yet so as soon as I could get back into my phone I updated it hopes this helps.
i dropped my iPhone but it didn’t hit that hard and the screen is black and isn’t turning on
It is iPhone 7 Hi my phone dropped and the screen went fully black and it wont turn on i can feel the powerbutton but it wont turn.
Same with me i also have the iphone 7 and dropped it and the screen went black;(
My Iphone XS Max was on around 5% so i went to charge it, but when I returned later it wouldn’t turn on and was just a black screen. I never got water on it or dropped it. I tried doing a hard reset many many times, but the apple logo never appeared. I even tried holding the on button for a whole minute just to be sure. It is still showing signs of life. When I charge it, it vibrates and makes sounds. I can hear when people call me and when I get notifications. After attempting a hard… Read more »
I’m experiencing the same issue!
I’m experiencing the same problem, did you get the solution for it?
i beleive thein ur guys case the cord for the LCD to the logic board is loose trying reinserting it. I have the same issue just cant open the phone
Hi may I know what did you do, is it working now? I am experiencing the same thing right now hence panicking because I got this phone just a for 2 months now and this happened. Somebody, please help.
same but it wasn’t on 5% it was on 91 and the screen randomly went black and i was freaking out didn’t drop it and I’m sure the last time i did was 3 months ago
Not sure how you can tell your battery percentage by an app on your moms phone, or why you wrote a novel that had very little to do with your issue, but if you read the mans article above you’d know your anwer is pretty obvious, you have a hardware issue with you LCD, since you calim it dind’t get wet, then it’s the connector to LCD screen, try and fix it yourself or take it in to be serviced, it’s not rocket science.
my phone wont turn on and everytime i press the on button and voulume button an alarm keeps going on
Haha that happened to me too! I have an iphone xs max and when I pressed up, down and held on button, it did not hard reset. So I played around with some buttons and apparently if you hold the on button and volume button for a couple of seconds, an alarm will go off and you will call emergency services. Learnt that the hard way! I’m assuming that your phone is 8 or newer?? If so, you have to make sure that you press and quickly release the top volume button, press and quickly release the down volume button… Read more »
That happened to me and it was calling 911, Lol!! Had no way to hang up. Just apologize for dialing out.
my iphone 7 screen is black but still can speak to siri and take screenshots i dont know if i should get a new phone i dont know how to restart my iphone without calling the sos button which is my worry i tried to follow the directions on here but i almost called the cops by accident
my iphone 7 screen is black but still can speak to siri and take screenshots i dont know if i should get a new phone i dont know how to restart my iphone without calling the sos button which is my worry
My iphone 7 after taking picture in sea water for a while got block no display, i need help sir.
My 6s screen went black while using its hot spot and hanging up an incoming call. Fortunately the hot spot connection was still working just fine so I could Google Payette Forward. I read the article and did the hard reset and that fixed the problem. Thanks heaps. Luv the name and the ideal that goes with it.
My iPhone 8 is barely 4 days old and is stuck on black screen. I have tried the force restart, pressing the volume keys and then the side button, but it still will not switch on display. When a call comes through, it rings and when I plug on the charger, it gives the charging sound but display is off. Please help.
I’m having the same problem with my iphone X
me too,how can we fix it? 🙁
My iphone 7 screen go black but i can see the apps and hear tbe messages …and hear the calls
My iphone 7 screen go black but i can see the apps and hear tbe messages …and hear the calls
Did anybody read the damn article above, it tells you the two main reasons or a hadware related black screen, and the 3 main options to resolve the issue, It’s up there, I promise, just scroll up and read. jeeez!
me too, but then it turns back on after a little bit and sometimes the green goes green and i some parts on my screen wont work
Very helpful. Thanks!
Bruh—connectors do not just fall out of unopened phones. That’s not a failure point.
The force of an impact might damage or loosen electronics inside your phone. Also, exposing your phone to too much heat can cause certain components to melt.
Why couldn’t it, in fact before I dropped mine, I noticed little white lines occasionally on my screen, like it talks about in the article, I’m sure it was loose. Have you ever worked with those types of connectors, it’s not like a self locking clip, it barely pushes into place, many manufacturers put a type of silcone/hot glue stuff over them to hold in place. Heat can wear that coating off over time.
Hi! Um fore some reason my iPhone 6s screen turned black and won’t turn on I don’t see a dead battery logo or an apple I took the case of and everything I looked to make sure everything was plugged up my iPhone usually comes on after 10 mins when dead but I don’t think it’d dead I plugged it up and i don’t even see the battery logo thing.
Same, if you’re still having this problem i use this thing called FonePaw because this has happened to my phone may times just connect your phone to FonePaw and it should just turn on by itself
Hi! Um fore some reason my iPhone SE screen turned black and won’t turn on I don’t see a dead battery logo or an apple I took the case of and everything I looked to make sure everything was plugged up my iPhone usually comes on after 10 mins when dead but I don’t think it’d dead I plugged it up and i don’t even see the battery logo thing and sometimes my dog licked my screen but it has a protected on it and I don’t think my phone is water proof? Is that the cause? My dogs saliva?… Read more »
this just happened to my iPhone SE. how did you fix it?
same exact thing happened to me, turned off, went back on, turned off, etc. not sure how to fix, been trying to do so for several days now.
hello, i really need help. my iphone 7 suddenly screen freeze and turns black screen. i cant hold the main button and its a bit overheating. i already try the force restart and connect it to my itunes, but it wont turn on. now when i hear it closely, i heard like a machine sound near the camera. what should i do?
i have the same issue except the sound you hear. what did you do?
I was using my iPhone 8 Plus when it suddenly had grey lines then went black. I can’t use it & I tried to reset it with the whole button technique. Please help
i need so much help , my home button is broken on iphone 6’s plus and is blank and i can’t do a hard reset
i have the same issue can someone advice
I dropped MY XS Max , screen started to flick and now its Just a black screen. Everything is working fine tho, no broken glass of something.
I connected my iphone se 2 gen on the charger and it when out charger works fine but my iphone wont turn on anymore
iPhone X screen black but still on as I’m receiving messages and calls, tried to reboot but still black screen HELP PLEASE
same…..
did u figure it out??
My iPhone 6 went black when I turned off an alarm. I had iTunes playing to a Bluetooth speaker and it continues so it was the display. I tried hard reset and also connected to Mac iTunes and it tried to reload software and firmware both from backup and as reset. …Failed. Bases on this article seems like screen or hardware not cable since I didn’t drop it. Any recomendation other than buying new one.
hey my screen randomly goes black and then turns on whenever it want. this phone was used and i dont know what to do this is my second phone this month im 15 and cant afford another one please help
Sir.. I have an i phone 6.. It was 53% charged when its screen showed an apple logo and became completely black… We can hardly see a little big screen under a very bright light…. I have checked the accessiblity factors.. And other.. Now I had plugged it into a socket so that it can charge.. Before plugging it I had done a hard reset of it as per ur instructions… I saw apple logo appearing on the screen but that was alot dim too..i wanted to ask that how much I have to wait for its complete reset and… Read more »
Same I have the iPhone 6s and did the same thing but it did not turn on and I happen to my sister
and I did the white point and i van see it