How To Fix iPhone 12 Pro Max Dimmed Screen Issue (Low Brightness)

iPhone 12 dimmed screen fix

iPhone 12 dimmed screen fix.


You’ve just unboxed your brand new iPhone 12 Pro Max device, powered it on and noticed that the screen is much dimmer than your older iPhone? Don’t worry, the iPhone 12 dark screen problem can be fixed by tweaking some iOS 14 settings.

5 Ways To Fix iPhone 12 Screen Too Dim

This issue has been reported to us for occurring since day 1 on an iPhone 12 Pro Max unit. However, it could also happen on any other new model iPhone 12 mini, 12 or 12 Pro. Here is what you can do to fix it:

1. Adjust Brightness Manually

how to increase brightness on iPhone
The natural thing to start with is to manually adjust brightness. Swipe-down from the top-right corner of the screen to unveil the Control Center and use the Brightness toggle.
Tip: Long-press the Brightness controls to open up the expanded view. Use your finger to increase Brightness. Also make sure that Dark Mode and Night Shift aren’t enabled.
Fact: If you set Brightness to maximum and your iPhone 12 isn’t as bright as your previous iPhone, proceed with the next step.

2. Disable/Enable Auto Brightness

Your next option is to make sure that Brightness on your iPhone is set to automatic. Even if it is, you can disable and re-enable this setting to make sure that a minor glitch isn’t stopping it from working properly:

  • Open the Settings app.
  • Scroll for Display & Brightness.
  • Check the status of the Automatic setting. If it’s enabled disable it, force restart your device and re-enable it after the iPhone reboots.

3. Reduce White Point

The iPhone 12 dimmed screen could be caused by an Accessibility setting that’s role is to reduce the intensity of bright colors, to help users with visual impairments.
how to fix iphone 12 dimmed screen issue

  • Open Settings.
  • Scroll for Accessibility.
  • Tap on Display & Text Size, in the Vision section.
  • Scroll for Reduce White Point and disable the option.
  • Tip: You can also use the control bar to set how strong the intensity of the strong colors is reduced.

(Updated May 17)

4. Disable Low Light Zoom Filter

how to fix iPhone 12 low light
There is one more Accessibility feature that could cause the iPhone 12 dimmed screen issue. It’s found in Settings -> Accessibility -> Zoom. Tap on Zoom Filter and if it’s set to ‘Low Light’, switch for ‘None’!
When enabled this will cause your iPhone’s screen to display with low brightness when you use the zoom mode.
Credits: Many thanks to Maryann for sharing this fix in the comments section! Did it help you out? Don’t hesitate to comment!

Fact: We’re still waiting for confirmations, but apparently and iOS 14 bug, could automatically trigger the Reduce White Point setting, without the user being aware of it. If you’ve also experienced this problem and your brand new iPhone 12 or 12 Pro model don’t hesitate to use the comments section and share your feedback.

(Updated June 24)

5. Upgrade To iOS 15

Is it just me or the iPhone 12 Pro screen is much brighter in iOS 15? I’ve noticed this while testing the first Developer Beta.
Important: At the time of writing, iOS 15 beta testing is in its early stages. Although the Developers Beta is very stable I don’t recommend you to install it on your main device.
How To: Follow this step-by-step tutorial if you want to try out iOS 15! Use the comments section and let us know if it fixes the iPhone 12 dimmed screen issue!

Fix iPhone 12 Dimmed Screen Video Guide

We’ve recorded a video tutorial with the most common ways to troubleshoot the iPhone 12 dimmed screen problem.

iPhone 12 Low Brightness Causes?

Apparently the Automatic Brightness setting could in fact be the trigger of the iPhone 12 low brightness issue! As noticed by reader Gustavo the screen of the new iPhone displays less bright when Automatic Brightness is ON and the same level of brightness is set. Below is a quote from his comment:

“I have an iPhone 12 pro max with this behavior :
– Screen brightness set at 100% with Auto Brightness ‘ON’ and then turn AB ‘OFF’ the screen at exactly same 100% is much brighter!
– Screen AB on at 100% in darker room is less brighter than screen at 100% with AB on in bright room!
If I test exactly the same way with other values in the brightness screen like ( 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%), the same happens!”

Can you replicate the same issue, is this the cause for the dimmed screen issue on your iPhone 12? Use the comments section to share your feedback!

We’re trying to find out if the dimmed screen problem is caused by a bug that automatically enables Reduce White Point in iOS 14, or a bug that is triggered by the Automatic brightness setting. Either way the situation has been reported to Apple and this article has been attached to the report.

Related: Other day-1 problems reported for the iPhone 12 lineup are:
iPhone 12 Pro Max not charging wirelessly with MagSafe
iPhone 12 mini Lock Screen issues
iPhone 12 No Service and poor cellular coverage
iPhone 12 yellow screen problem