Out of nowhere, large numbers of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max owners have suddenly started reporting horizontal lines appearing across their phone screens. Apple has confirmed the problem, but there is currently no fix.
The lines primarily appear when iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models wake from sleep or boot up, occurring repeatedly. While it is hard to gauge the scale of the problem, complaints can be found across Reddit, Apple Support Communities, comments sections and social media
Numerous affected users have also written up their experiences speaking to Apple support online and in stores. Despite fears to the contrary, Apple claims the problem is software rather than hardware related, but their recommended fixes are not working. Here is a typical example:
“I already took it to Apple twice, and they told me the same thing both times. They told me that it’s not a hardware issue cos everything came back fine when they ran diagnostics. They told me that it has to be a software issue. The second time I went, which was yesterday (12/17), they reset my phone through their computer cos apparently it’s different than resetting through the phone. The issue still continues. At this point, I’ve done all troubleshooting steps, and it still continues.” - Source, Reddit.
One user claims Apple support informed them the problem is a driver issue, “and an update is expected to come soon.” That would likely be in the form of an iOS 16.2.1 release.
Why the issue has suddenly appeared remains unclear. Many affected users reported it happening before the release of iOS 16.2 last week, while others have only noticed it in recent days. It has also yet to be determined if the bug affects all or only a particular SKU of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models, with Apple sourcing displays from LG and Samsung. It is also unknown whether it can cause long-term damage, as happened with the iPhone 14 Pro camera shake bug.
Ultimately, if you have yet to buy an iPhone 14 model, my advice would be to wait. Apple’s 2023 iPhone plans are far more ambitious.
