As an iPhone owner, I was left frustrated when I noticed a pressure spot on my iPhone’s screen. After some research and testing, I’m here to share with you what I’ve discovered about this issue and how to fix it. In this blog post, I’ll explain the causes of pressure spots on iPhone screens, as well as some of the solutions I’ve tried and the results I’ve seen. Hopefully, this post will help you identify and resolve this issue quickly and easily, so you can get back to using your iPhone without any further stress or frustration.
A pressure spot is a marked discoloration on the display from pressure damage to the LCD. It’s either caused by pressure coming from the inside of the phone or an external source of pressure.
| Cause Category | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Pressure | Faulty LCD Replacement | Return the phone to the technician and have the repair job corrected. |
| Swollen Battery | Visit an Apple-certified technician to have the battery replaced immediately. | |
| External Pressure | Accidents | Consider an LCD replacement by an Apple-certified technician if the pressure spot is permanent. |
| Getting Roughed Up (e.g. coins, keys) | Be more cautious with the phone, avoid placing it with hard objects. | |
| Heavy-handed Use (e.g. rough gaming) | Be gentle with the screen, avoiding excessive pressure during use. |
Table of Contents
What Causes a Pressure Spot on iPhone Screen?
The LCD is a thin film containing rods of liquid crystals that act as on-off switches for the pixels—the smallest units of color on the display.
Applying too much pressure on the glass can crush or displace the liquid crystals, making them incapable of filtering light or showing the right color on the display. This is why pressure marks come in different shades of discoloration.
Here, we’ll classify the causes of a pressure spot depending on the source of pressure.
Internal Pressure
When the discoloration is spreading, there’s a good chance the source of pressure is still present and continues to do damage. This is a classic symptom of internal pressure.
When the pressure is coming from the inside, then that’s a whole other problem you have to deal with ASAP.
Faulty LCD Replacement
If you’ve had your screen replaced recently and your phone is showing signs of pressure damage, the technician might have missed a step.
For instance, the metallic plate covering, if misaligned, can poke out against the screen.
Additionally, if screws and cowlings are not properly replaced, there might be loose parts left behind that could also push against the screen from the inside.
Swollen Battery
A swollen battery, which is caused by overcharging and mechanical damage, can put pressure on the screen from the inside. We have to warn you: it’s not a minor issue.
The battery is ballooning because of a buildup of heat and gas in the cells. Keep caution because if the conditions are right, this thing can explode.
External Pressure
A pressure spot can also be caused by physical force, either by carelessness or accidents.
Accidents
Accidents account for most cases of pressure damage.
Aside from the glass getting cracked, the screen can suffer from pressure spots from getting dropped or hit by a sharp or hard object.
Getting Roughed Up
The screen can get rubbed or poked when your phone is crammed with hard objects, such as coins or keys in your pocket or purse.
Obviously, placing a heavy object on top of your phone isn’t a good idea. The same goes for tossing it onto the bed or couch, much less a hard surface.
Heavy-handed Use
An iPhone screen is designed to be highly intuitive and responsive. You only need to apply the lightest tap or stroke of a finger to give input and control the display.
So, not going easy on the screen when having a rough night of gaming or a heated Twitter argument can result in a pressure spot.
How to Fix a Pressure Spot on iPhone Screen
When dealing with pressure damage, the logical thing to do is to relieve the screen of pressure if possible. By contrast, “massaging” the pressure spot is the worst thing you can do.
Learn the ways to fix a pressure spot below:
Rectify Repair Job
If the cause of the damage is a shoddy repair job, return the phone to the technician and have it corrected.
If this resolves the pressure damage, then the pixels were just stuck, not dead.
Replace Bad Battery
Check your phone for warping. A swollen battery will expand to the point that the back cover separates from the body. As we’ve mentioned before, this is serious and potentially dangerous.
If you suspect that it’s causing the pressure spot, turn your phone off and don’t try to remove the battery yourself.
Go to an Apple-certified technician to have the battery replaced immediately. See if that removes the pressure mark.
Replace the LCD
Unfortunately, LCD is a delicate piece of hardware better left to a trained technician. So, don’t try to fix it on your own and risk further damage.
Most of the time, a screen with pressure marks will work just fine. At this point, you will have to decide if the visual nuisance is worth the cost of replacement if you don’t have AppleCare+.
We know it’s a bit of a letdown, but an LCD replacement is inevitable as most pressure spots are permanent.
We recommend going to your local Apple Store or an Apple-certified technician to have your LCD replaced to ensure the quality and functionality of the display.
Conclusion
Read more: is the iPhone camera lens scratch-proof?
Now that you know the causes of a pressure spot on the iPhone screen, we hope we’ve given you a heads-up so you won’t ever have to deal with this problem in the future.
Ultimately, you will need to have the affected LCD replaced with the help of an Apple-certified technician.
Read more: Why does my phone keep buffering?
