Why Does My iPhone Keep Dimming? 11 Best Fixes

You’d be excused if you missed out on knowing every new feature as they disclosed it, no matter how frequently the iPhone (and other Apple products) are updated. If you’re wondering why does my iPhone keeps dimming, it’s probably due to features that modify the screen’s colors or brightness based on light levels or battery capacity.

The auto-brightness option on your phone is frequently the source of screen dimming. Since the iOS 14 upgrade, some customers have reported that their iPhone brightness has changed on its own or that their iPhone screen has dimmed while auto-brightness is turned off.

If you’re wondering why my iPhone screen keeps fading, you’ve come to the right place. You’ve landed at the correct place. We offer a few easy strategies or ways to repair iPhone brightness that keeps changing in this post.

10 Potential Reasons Behind “why does my iPhone keep dimming?” 

As aforementioned, there can be multiple reasons why your iPhone may keep dimming. So, here are the ten potent ones among them.

1. Auto-Brightness
2. True Tone
3. Night Shift
4. Auto-Lock
5. Dark Mode
6. Attention Aware
7. Low Power Mode
8. Overheating
9. Reduce White Point
10. Hardware Problems

Auto-Brightness

Auto-brightness is a software function on current smartphones that uses the ambient light sensor to change the brightness of your screen as needed, especially while you’re outside.

By default, your iPhone adjusts the brightness of its screen based on your surroundings. For example, if you’re out on a sunny afternoon, it will be at its peak.

Your iPhone screen dims automatically as you go from a brilliantly illuminated to a dimly lit environment. When this happens, the most likely reason is auto-brightness. Fortunately, disabling auto-brightness is a relatively simple process.

• Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
• “Accessibility” should be selected.
• Now, select “Display & Text Size” from the drop-down menu.
• Scroll down until you come across the “Auto-Brightness” option.
• To turn it off, disable the toggle switch next to it.

These steps will turn off the auto-brightness mode on your iPhone. 

True Tone

The light in your environment has an impact on the colors as well. Colors, for example, seem more yellow under warm lighting. Recent iPhones (iPhone 8 and above) can adjust the color temperature and intensity of their displays based on the ambient light in the environment.

Turn off True Tone to keep the appearance of your display steady and prevent it from shifting. To do so: 

• Go to Settings 
• Select Display & Brightness from the drop-down menu. 
• Then, press the switch next to “True Tone” to turn it off.

Night Shift

Night Shift, another iPhone function, might be contributing to your iPhone’s rogue dull screen. The process is convenient for nighttime phone use because it somewhat warms the display and decreases eye strain. However, it dims the phone’s typically brilliant colors, so some users may want to turn it off completely.

To do so, go to Settings -> Display and Brightness and select Night Shift from the drop-down menu. If Night Shift is set to “Manually Enabled Until Tomorrow” on your phone, it implies it is turned on. By tapping the switch, Your phone will turn off the night Shift entirely, and it will maintain the phone’s full brightness at all times.

Auto-Lock

Your iPhone’s sporadically dimming screen might be due to the Auto-Lock function. It’s meant to lock your iPhone after a certain amount of inactivity—say, 30 seconds—to prevent others from accessing it.

As a result, the screen will darken after only a few seconds of inactivity (indicating that the phone is about to lock itself). When the timer runs out, the iPhone will automatically close.

However, if your screen dims too frequently, you may lengthen the time it takes for your iPhone to lock.

• Tap “Auto-Lock” under Settings > Display & Brightness.
• Select the new “Auto-Lock” time period from the option that opens. If you never want your iPhone to lock on its own, you can select the “Never” option.

After this, your issue must get resolved.

Dark Mode

By altering the backdrop color scheme to black and dark grey, this function darkens many of your iPhone’s vividly colored menus, buttons, and backgrounds. While Dark Mode does not affect the brightness of the iPhone, it might make it look darker.

You may disable it by going to Settings > Display & Brightness. Alternatively, you may use the Night Shift option to schedule it for the night. This will allow you to keep your screen bright and brilliant during the day while dimming it for the evening.

Attention Aware

Your smartphone will detect if you are looking at it and dim the screen accordingly if you are not. If you don’t have this switched on, your iPhone’s screen will fade even if you stare directly. It can assist with the brightness issue if you turn it on.

The characteristics of Auto-Lock and Attention Aware work in tandem. If you set your Auto-Lock to one minute, the iPhone will lock itself once that period has passed. Attention Aware means that if you gaze at the screen, even if you haven’t touched it, your iPhone won’t lock itself after the set duration has gone.

Low Power Mode

Your iPhone features a “Low Power Mode,” which you’ll be asked to enable when the battery level on your phone drops below 20%. Low Power Mode disables settings such as mail fetch, Hey Siri, brightness, and other features that consumers frequently modify to extend the time between charges on their iPhones.

As a result, this might be another reason why your iPhone is sporadically dimming.

• To customize controls, go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. 
• To add the toggle to your Control Center, tap the + symbol to the left of “Low Power Mode,” then touch and drag it to the desired location. 
• To enable or disable Low Power Mode, slide up from the bottom of the screen and hit the battery-shaped button.

Overheating

One of the most prevalent problems with iPhones is overheating. This problem is most likely to occur if your phone’s battery is defective. Not only that but using too many apps on your iPhone at the same time might cause it to overheat.

Unfortunately, excessive heat can cause your iPhone’s screen to be dull. This will occur whether or not your phone’s auto-brightness feature is turned on.

Reduce White Point

This option is for reducing the intensity of the colors on your screen. If you activate it, your screen may seem dull. If you have, it switched on, turn it off to see if the colors and brightness of your iPhone improve.

On the other hand, Reduce White Point doesn’t work unless it’s turned on. Thus it’s possible that this is not to blame for the random dimming. 

To lessen the white point on your iPhone, do the following:

• Click Accessibility in the Settings app.
• Select Display Accommodations from the drop-down menu.

• Toggle on Reduce White Point by scrolling down and tapping the toggle switch.

• Increase or reduce the white point level by using the white point slider.

Hardware Problems

Even after Auto-Brightness, Night Shift, and Low Power Mode have been disabled, your iPhone may still become darker. If your iPhone continues dimming, it might be due to a software or hardware issue. Finally, as the last option, you might try:

• Restarting your iPhone may remedy the problem by resetting some functions.
• Perform a full factory reset on your iPhone.

If none of these work, you should contact Apple Support or a third-party specialist to examine and fix your iPhone’s hardware.

How To Fix The iPhone Display Dimming Problem?

Now that you know why your iPhone keeps dimming let’s explore some quick fixes as no one likes a dull iPhone display. 

1. Restart Your iPhone
2. Update Your iPhone’s Software 
3. Set Brightness Levels Manually
4. Switch Off Attention-Aware Features
5. Disable the True Tone Option
6. Disable Night Shift
7. Disable Screen Zoom 
8. Extend How Quickly Your iPhone Auto-Locks
9. Turn Off Low Power Mode
10. Reset All iPhone Settings 
11. Contact Apple Support

Restart Your iPhone

It’s conceivable that the reason your screen dims automatically has nothing to do with a software feature that’s working correctly. IOS may be causing your iPhone screen to dim as it pleases.

From our experience with iPhones, we’ve discovered that a quick restart can help resolve similar situations. The iPhone model determines the method you use to restart your iPhone.

For an iPhone model with Face ID, follow these steps:

• Press Volume up or down while holding down the power button.

• Hold down the buttons until a slider appears on the screen. Drag it in the direction shown.
• The iPhone will turn off after 30 seconds.
• Press and hold the side button until the screen goes dark.
• When the Apple logo displays in the center of the screen, the iPhone is resuming.

For the iPhone 6 through 8 series, as well as the second-generation SE, follow these instructions:

• Hold the side button down until the shut-down slider displays.

• Return the slider to its original position and wait 30 seconds.
• When the screen goes dark, the iPhone is turned off.
• Hold the power button down until you see the Apple logo.

For all iPhone models before the iPhone 6:

• Push the top button down.

• Return the slider to its previous position.

• The iPhone should turn off after 30 seconds.
• Press the top button once the screen has gone dark. When the iPhone is resuming, the Apple logo appears.

Check if the problem goes away. If not, try the next solution. 

Update Your iPhone’s Software 

As one of the most valued companies, Apple strives to deliver its consumers the most satisfactory service possible. They provide regular updates to keep the iPhone up to date; newer upgrades include improved functionality and fix faults found in earlier versions! So, after upgrading your iPhone, you may resolve your screen dimming issue!

From the Settings menu, you can quickly update your iPhone. However, before you begin, make a backup of your applications and settings.

Follow the steps below to back up to iCloud:

• Launch “Settings” when connected to WiFi.
• To access your Apple ID preferences, tap your name at the top of the menu.
• You should select “iCloud.”
• Choose “iCloud Backup” from the drop-down menu.
• To start the procedure, press “Back Up Now.”

After you’ve made a backup, you may begin the updating procedure. Before you start, make sure your phone is linked to the charger.

• Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
• Choose “General.”
• Select “Software Update” from the drop-down menu.
• There may be more than one choice available in some cases. Choose the one you wish to use.
• To begin upgrading your OS, click “Install Now” or “Download and Install.”

Set Brightness Levels Manually

Your iPhone or iPad’s auto-brightness function automatically darkens the screen and brightens it in dim light.

While this feature might be handy, it can also be a significant energy drain.

You may disable the auto-brightness function on your iPhone or iPad by going to the Settings > Accessibility page. You may also change the settings manually using the Control Center or Settings.

Using the Settings application:

• On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app. 
• Select Display & Brightness from the drop-down menu.

• Move the slider to the right to brighten your screen or to the left to lower it in the Brightness portion of the page. 

Using the Control Center:

• Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone or iPad to access the Control Center.
• Swipe the brightness bar (represented by a sun icon) up or down in the Control Center to brighten or darken the screen.

Switch Off Attention-Aware Features

If you have an iPhone with a Face ID, your phone may darken the screen to save battery life when it detects that you aren’t looking at it. Try turning off this intelligent function for a day to ensure it isn’t tampering with your phone’s screen brightness.

• On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
• Scroll down to the section under “Face ID & Passcode.”
• Put your passcode in here.
• Scroll down to see features that are aware of your presence.
• A toggle option will appear to turn it off.

Disable the True Tone Option

Recent iPhones (iPhone 8 and above) can adjust the color temperature and intensity of their displays based on the ambient light in the environment. It is referred to as “True Tone.” It may, however, be hit or miss, especially if you’re always on the move.

Turn off True Tone to keep the appearance of your display consistent and prevent it from shifting. To do so, go to Settings and select Display & Brightness from the drop-down menu. Then press the switch next to “True Tone” to turn it off.

Disable Night Shift

Another setting that may be affecting the brightness of your screen is Night Shift. It warms up the colors on your screen, so they’re gentler on your eyes at night. However, your phone’s screen may appear darker than usual when it takes effect.

You might try turning off Night Shift to see if it fixes your phone’s brightness issues. Tap “Night Shift” under Settings > Display & Brightness.

To opt out of the “Night Shift” mode, turn off the switch beside the “Scheduled” option in the “Night Shift” options.

Disable Screen Zoom 

If you have screen zoom turned on, this might cause the dimming. To correct this, go to iPhone Settings > Accessibility. After that, hit Zoom to turn it off.

Extend How Quickly Your iPhone Auto-Locks

Your iPhone shuts off its screen and locks itself when it is not used to save battery. Your screen begins to dim to let you know it’s about to turn off just as it’s ready to do that.

You may wish to adjust or reduce the default screen timeout settings if they are too lengthy or too short for you. Thankfully, iOS allows users to alter the Auto-Lock settings, allowing them to select their preferred iPad or iPhone screen timeout.

However, if your screen dims too frequently, you may lengthen the time it takes for your iPhone to lock.

Tap “Auto-Lock” under Settings > Display & Brightness.

Turn Off Low Power Mode

Your iPhone’s display will also dim when Low Power Mode kicks in due to a low battery. When your battery reaches a critical level, this function kicks in. Low Power Mode alters various settings, including screen brightness, to extend battery life. You may disable this option in the battery settings or charge your phone by plugging it in.

Reset All iPhone Settings 

Finally, if nothing else works, try resetting all of your settings. It will remove all of your personalized settings. Everything will revert to its previous state. Your data, such as apps, images, videos, music, and so on, will be unaffected.

• Tap General in the Settings menu.
• Tap Reset at the bottom of the screen.
• Continue by tapping Reset All Settings.
• After it’s finished, check whether the dim screen problem has been resolved.

Contact Apple Support 

Although it’s improbable, your iPhone’s display may be dimming due to a display hardware issue. Make an appointment at your local Apple Store and bring your iPhone in, especially if you have AppleCare+. A Genius will be able to analyze the damage and determine whether or not repairs are required.

Conclusion

iPhones, like all other electrical gadgets, are prone to malfunction. These are some easy fixes if your iPhone screen keeps dimming. After performing the troubleshooting procedures above, we hope you no longer have the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)