Screen burn is a term derived from old CRT (cathode-ray tube) technology. It describes the phenomenon of image retention that linger on your smartphone screen after the original image has long vanished. These can deteriorate screen readability and coloration over time, reducing your smartphone experience.
Screen burn is most common on AMOLED or OLED screens on mobile devices, and it’s even rarer on newer smartphones. It occurs when a user leaves an image on their screen for an extended period, causing the pixels to struggle when switching to a different color. This is more common with blue colors. However, it can happen with any image that is left on screen for too long, especially in the brightest setting. Screen burn can also be permanent and is considered a display hardware defect rather than a software graphics or display driver problem. There are a few things you can do to fix screen burn on your mobile devices and, even better, prevent it from happening in the first place.
This is the simplest solution and is frequently effective, especially when image retention is detected early and you need to fix it quickly. Turn off your phone completely, powering it down completely, and leave it alone for a couple of hours. If the screen burn is minor, this gives the pixels enough time to recover, reducing after-images, so your phone screen looks brand new when you turn it back on. This is one of the benefits of the versatile organic pixel layer used in OLED-based screens, which can correct itself more easily than traditional pixels.
If turning off your mobile device does not fully resolve your issue, re-training the pixels on your screen to bring them back into balance is a good next step to take. There are apps for that, which is great news. The Google Play Store has a large selection of screen correctors and testers for Android devices, including OLED Saver. Instead, if you have an iOS device, you can use an app like Doctor OLED X. This app cycles your pixels through various colors and brightness levels in order to reset them.
If you don’t want to install an app, you can visit the ScreenBurnFixer website. It includes a series of videos with color slides and checkered patterns to help you get your pixels back on track. Try a few of these to see if they resolve your pixel issue.
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You can avoid or mitigate screen burns on your mobile hardware by modifying various settings that you may not have realized could help you. Check that you are adhering to the following guidelines:
The higher the brightness setting, the more difficult it is for your OLED pixels to work, which can cause screen burn. To avoid problems, if your mobile device is permanently set to a higher brightness level, switch it to auto-brightness or a lower brightness level. Toggle on the Automatic setting in Settings > Display & Brightness for iOS 14. The Options, True Tone, and Night Shift settings also aid in the reduction of excessive brightness and the prevention of burn-in. To adjust brightness automatically on Android, go to Settings > Display > Brightness slider or toggle on Auto.
Smartphones have automatic timers for locking and going into sleep mode, which both turn off the screen after a period of inactivity. Check that these options are enabled and set to a minute or so. If you haven’t looked at your phone in a minute, it’s probably safe to let it shut down and lock. This effectively prevents image retention because the screen will not be turned on long enough for it to occur. For iOS 14, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and select the desired time interval. On Android 10, go to Settings > Display > Screen timeout and select the desired interval.
Image retention can occur when you are actively using an app with a permanent bar for tools or notifications, such as when playing a game or watching a movie. When these bars do not disappear after a while, they cause screen burn. Look for options to hide these icons and tools after a certain amount of time, so they aren’t always visible. Immersive modes for your mobile operating system will also accomplish this.
It can help reduce the risk of image retention, especially when it comes to overusing brightness levels. You can also experiment with dark keyboard skins. In iOS 14, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Dark to enable Dark mode, or use the Options feature to set a timer. Go to Settings > Display > Night mode or Comfort view, or set a schedule for either feature, on Android.
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