How To Fix Screen Burn-In On A Cell Phone

You've had your smartphone for awhile, but you're starting to notice something wrong with the screen. If your screen is marked by faded images that won't go away, your display might have experienced a problem called “burn-in.” In this article, I'll explain how to fix screen burn-in on a cell phone.

What Is Screen Burn-In?

Most smartphones use AMOLED display technology. This is a special kind of screen that can save your battery when some parts of your screen are darker than others. The longer an AMOLED display is turned on and the brighter it is, the more likely it is for images to burn into the display. This is because individual pixels, the tiny lights that make up your display, have become damaged from overuse.

AMOLED and OLED displays, commonly found on Samsung Galaxy phones and newer iPhones, aren't the only screens vulnerable to screen burn-in. LCD displays found on common iPhones, laptops and other devices can experience burn-in too. However, this is much less likely to occur.

Prevention Is The Best Remedy

The best way to deal with screen burn-in is prevention. One excellent strategy is to use dark mode, when available, in your settings and apps. This helps to keep most of the pixels in your screen turned off, which may help save battery life and reduce the chance of screen burn-in.

Two other ways to prevent screen burn-in on a cell phone are to reduce your screen's brightness when possible, and to limit your usage time overall. Bright, white screens are more likely to cause problems because they are using all the colors of your screen's pixels at high power.

How To Tell Your If Cell Phone Has Burn-In

The easiest way to determine if your phone has burn-in is to open a blank, white image on your display. If your cell phone does have burn-in, you'll see ghostly shapes of familiar icons against the white background. Some of the most likely culprits will be the battery and clock icons at the top of your screen.

For Android users especially, the bottom of the screen may have burn-in from navigation bar icons. This includes the home button, back button, and task switcher. Consider hiding the navigation bar in Settings and using swipe gestures instead.

What If I Have Burn-In Right After Getting My New Phone?

Sometimes cell phones can ship with defects. If your phone experiences this after normal use within a month or so of your purchase, you should call for a replacement. Smartphone manufacturers will often replace your phone for free.

Protect Your Phone's Screen

Now you know all you need to know to fix screen burn-in on a cell phone. Although dealing with the problem is possible, the best solution is prevention.

Thanks for reading! If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone who'd like to make the most out of their smartphone display's lifetime.