A vertical green, pink or white line on an iPhone screen usually means the display panel or its connection is failing, often after a drop, pressure or liquid. Restart and update iOS first, then take a screenshot: if the line doesn't appear in the screenshot, the fault is in the physical display. Lines rarely go away on their own, and the fix is a screen replacement.
Why lines appear
OLED screens are made of thin, flexible layers connected to the logic board by a cable. A drop, pressure in a back pocket, heat or liquid can damage a row of pixels or the connection that drives them. The result is a line that runs top to bottom, usually green, pink or white.
Occasionally a line appears after a software update or a crash and disappears after a restart. That's why it's worth ruling out software before assuming the worst.
Lines can also show up days or weeks after the damage that caused them. A drop that left no visible mark, or a phone that was squeezed in a tight pocket, can stress the panel enough to fail later. So don't rule out the display just because you can't remember an accident.
Quick test: is it the display?
- Take a screenshot and look at it on another device. If the line isn't in the screenshot, it's in the physical display.
- Change the brightness and switch between light and dark mode. A line that changes color or intensity with the content is typical of a display fault.
- Watch the Apple logo when the phone starts up. A line that's visible before iOS loads points to hardware.
Try these first
- Restart the iPhone.
- Force restart it: on iPhone 8 and later, press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Update iOS in Settings → General → Software Update.
- If the phone is hot, let it cool down and check again.
What not to do
- Don't press on the line or squeeze the screen to see if it changes. Pressure can spread the damage.
- Don't use heat like a hair dryer to try to fix it. Heat damages OLED panels and the battery behind them.
- Don't wait if the screen flickers. Flickering often comes before the display goes black, so back up while you still can.
Signs it's a hardware fault
- The line survives restarts and updates.
- It's there during startup, before iOS loads.
- New lines appear, or the line gets wider.
- The screen flickers, or black or dark patches spread from the line.
- Touch stops working along the line.
If any of these sound familiar, back up your iPhone now. A failing display can go fully black without warning.
How it's fixed
A line can't be repaired on its own. The display assembly is replaced as one part. That's a screen repair, and it doesn't touch your data.
For an iPhone that came with OLED, choose an OLED replacement so colors and blacks match what you're used to. See OLED vs LCD replacement screens.
The diagnosis is free. We confirm it's the display, not a connector or board fault, before quoting. If the display connector on the board is damaged, we'll tell you, because a new screen alone wouldn't fix that.
Check your coverage first
If your iPhone is still under Apple's warranty or AppleCare+ and has no physical or liquid damage, check with Apple before paying for a repair. If it's out of warranty or damaged, an independent repair is usually quicker.
Frequently asked questions
Will the green line on my iPhone go away?
Rarely. If a restart and update don't clear it, it's almost always the display, and lines tend to stay or spread.
Is it safe to keep using an iPhone with a line on the screen?
Usually, yes, but the display can get worse or go black. Back up your iPhone and plan the repair.
Can you fix just the line?
No. The whole display assembly is replaced, which fixes the line and any related touch or flicker problems.
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