iPhone 13 pink screen bug reported by users — what Apple is doing about it

iPhone 13 image with a pink screen.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide/Shutterstock)

While the iPhone 13 sits high on our best phones list, that doesn't mean Apple's flagship device is devoid of issues. One of those problems seems to be an errant pink screen bug, one that leaves users with a magenta-hued display.

This news comes from 9to5Mac, which, based on reports on Apple's Discussion forums, Reddit and Chinese social media site Weibo (via My Drivers), claims some iPhone 13 screens will flicker pink. In most instances, a simple phone restart remedies this issue. But for a select few, the pink screen remains permanent. According to 9to5Mac, some customers were able to get their iPhone 13s replaced. 

Often, the pink screen is followed by a phone crash. When the iPhone 13 turns on again, it usually continues to work as normal.

iPhone 13 pink screen issue

(Image credit: Apple Discussions)

Oddly, it seems this issue is more prevalent for Chinese iPhone 13 buyers. Per My Drivers, Apple did make a statement on Weibo stating, "We didn’t notice relevant problems in the hardware of the devices because this situation [pink screen] is caused when the system is locked."

It's not the clearest verbiage on how to get things resolved, but My Drivers did say that Apple is advising users to back up their data and install the latest firmware update. 

According to 9to5Mac, Apple has yet to acknowledge a pink screen fix in iOS 15.3 RC. 

Scrolling down to the comments section on the 9to5Mac post, some users have been reporting instances of pink screen, but nothing that has resulted in a replacement from Apple. One user wrote, "Happened to my iPhone 13 Pro once when taking a picture, screen went pink for a second and the iPhone restarted. Figured it’s just a rare software glitch." Luckily, it hasn't happened to that user since.

Another user named Aditya Gupta said it "Happens with apple notes on my iPad when I swipe open it from the corner," but didn't give any additional detail. If true, this suggests it's an issue not limited to iPhone 13s. 

At the moment, the issue seems too rare for Apple to issue a wide area fix. But if more of these types of issues arise, then it will take further investigation from Apple. At the moment, Apple supplies OLED iPhone 13 screens from LG, Samsung and China's BOE. It will take some further investigation work to figure out of this pink screen problem is limited to all OLED manufacturers, or just one. 

Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.