Apple says software update is coming to fix a major issue with the iPhone 14 Pro Max display

Some Reddit subscribers are reporting a bizarre problem that is affecting their iPhone 14 Pro Max units. When they wake their phones, they often see horizontal lines appearing on the display. The number of lines can vary. The good news is that Apple says that this is not a hardware issue which means that it could be resolved by disseminating a software update. That's obviously better for Apple and its customers than having to issue a recall and replace affected units.

A Redditor with the handle 1LastOutlaw explains what is happening with his iPhone 14 Pro Max: "I noticed that when the phone wakes up, horizontal lines flash on the screen. It does that randomly, not every time the phone wakes up. Sometimes it’s just 1 line, sometimes it’s multiple. I took it to Apple, and they ran diagnostics, and everything came back fine(green). The technician told me that there isn’t an issue with the hardware, that it has to do with the software."

However, even after performing the factory reset suggested by Apple and updating to iOS 16.2, the issue continues to persist. Others on the platform also complain about the same problem including Reddit member sabllz who even added a link to a photo showing his iPhone 14 Pro Max with multiple horizontal lines on the screen.

And Reddit isn't the only place online where you'll find this conversation. A member of the Apple support community with the handle Satyatejakasula writes, "Hello, I have purchased a brand new iPhone 14 Pro Max today, and I'm having a problem (I hope that it is just a software bug). The problem is that when I lock the phone (turn off the screen) and turn it on, some kind of horizontal line appears on the screen and 1/3 of the screen is brighter then the rest of it (for a split second), then the Lock Screen appears as normal and lines disappear when the display is turned on. I tried turning off TrueTone, auto brightness and tap to wake, but I'm still facing the issue. I even tried restart, force reset but no use. iOS 16.1.2."

Another problem spotted by some iPhone 14 Pro Max users is a flickering screen. Telling his story on Reddit is user bbitk who says, "Hai everyone. I bought 14 pro max 12 days ago . In recent days let’s say 4-5 days if I wake up my screen for something I am able to notice screen flickering for milli seconds . Initially I thought it’s something flashing due to lights . But I got it couple of times . It is really for less than second as it appears when I wake up the screen . Is anyone facing the issue . I am worried as it’s new device and as you all know it’s a lot of money too

Interestingly, all of those complaining have an iPhone 14 Pro Max that they purchased this month. How much does Apple know about this? That's not clear at the moment although those who visited their nearby Apple Store were told that it is a software problem. One Apple support member said, "We are aware of the issue and this is due to the drivers...It’s definitely a software issue and an update is expected to come soon."

What makes this bizarre, apart from the look of the horizontal lines on the displays of those units affected, is that it seems that this bug is limited to one particular model and that the impacted units all appear to have been purchased in December. We can't say for sure, but this type of pattern might make it easier for Apple to come up with a definitive fix.