For many iPhone 16 Pro Max users, a new display issue has come to light where the screen flickers with vertical glitch lines for fraction of a second. Users report that they are seeing a combination of black and white lines like a bar code (for some it’s pink lines) covering the entire screen vertically. Some users have confirmed that this doesn’t happen consistently and it’s random in nature, while for others, it’s more frequent. Either way, it’s intimidating and should not happen at all.

The latest iPhone 16 series was announced on September 9 and was made available to purchase from September 20. Soon after users got their hands on the eldest sibling of the series, iPhone 16 Pro Max, they started encountering this weird and concerning issue. These unsolicited vertical glitch lines appear on lock screen for a split-second and then vanish off. What’s more horrifying is that the issue persists till date and there’s no definite fix available. Moreover, Apple is yet to acknowledge this happening.

Relax! It’s just a software glitch

On the bright side, it appears to be a software glitch and something that doesn’t affect all the iPhone 16 Pro Max users. Upon further research, I came across reports that confirmed it’s a software glitch. A Reddit user suggested that this issue goes away if you turn off the always-on-display feature. More users corroborated this, and it seems that the problem lies in the iOS 18 rather than display hardware. However, the same Redditor later confirmed that it persists even after updating to iOS 18.1, meaning Apple hasn’t released a fix for it yet.

Potential workaround to fix vertical lines glitch on iPhone 16 Pro Max

Turning off AOD (Always-on-display) appears to be a potential workaround to fix this issue. Although this workaround completely resolves the issue, it comes at a cost of losing an essential feature. But if you don’t want to see those glitchy lines every time you unlock your iPhone, then get rid of the AOD for a while (until Apple releases a definitive fix). This way, you would save some battery and extend your screen-on-time. So, it appears to be a blessing in disguise.

Here’s how to turn off Always-on-display on iPhone 16 Pro Max

• To turn off the AOD feature, navigate to Settings of your iPhone. Then click on Display & brightness option.
• Now, scroll down to find Always on Display option.
• Finally, toggle off “Always on Display”.

Apple is yet to acknowledge the issue

Unfortunately, there’s no word from Apple on this matter. However, it should not persist for a long time and a fix should come soon with one of the upcoming iOS 18 updates. With that being said, users can continue using their iPhone 16 Pro Max without Always-on-display for now to stay away from this bug. As soon as Apple releases the fix, we will update this article. Stay tuned!