You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

💡 Did you know?

⏺ If you can't accept iCloud Terms and Conditions... Learn more >

⏺ If you don't see your iCloud notes in the Notes app... Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iPhone 3G S has yellowish tint

I just got my iPhone 3G S today and noticed that it has a distinctly yellowish tint to the screen. Doesn't matter what app I am using, and I've tried adjusting the brightness with no success.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue?

15" Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.6), iPhone 3G S

Posted on Jun 19, 2009 3:13 PM

Reply
998 replies

Jul 19, 2009 5:05 PM in response to ikaney

ikaney wrote:
I made an appointment with my local Apple store (Liverpool, UK) ... Eventually he gets the 'manager' and she eventually arrives and in an obnoxious tone tells me they don't replace units due to 'perception' issues.


That is indeed disgusting service.

For a company that prides itself on perception of quality, to reject a customer's legitimate concerns in this way is reprehensible.

I'd be tempted to contact a newspaper. A decent journalist could have a field day with Apple's "perception" of what is important.

Jul 19, 2009 5:15 PM in response to michaelbb

It's a fiasco.

SHAME on you Apple.

I've been a LOYAL Mac user and FANBOY for 20years.

I waited three years to get my first iPhone to make sure "all the bugs" were ironed out.

Yeah.... right. Thank's for my "nicotine-stained" two-tone white to yellow screen.

Yesterday I tried to talk my step-dad into NOT buying an iMAC. He was bemused because he'd put up with me raving about the QUALITY STANDARDS of Apple for years and years. He bought it regardless.

He unpacked it and I found three dead-pixels on his brand new $4000.00AUD 24" iMac. Right in the MIDDLE of the screen. Nice.

He believes me now.

Jul 20, 2009 7:32 AM in response to michaelbb

Fascinating idea. In fact, that's EXACTLY what i'm going to do. I'm going to get in touch with as many journalists as possible about iPhone 3GS issues and see it any of it sticks. If it does (likely) then maybe a media frenzy will wake Apple up - especially when it starts hurting their profits because people start realising they are buying and accepting sub-standard products. This whole downhill journey/backlash could happen VERY quickly for Apple. They are not, unfortunately for them, untouchable. Far bigger companies have fallen far further by their arrogant attitude to customers.

I urge everyone here who has had repeated problems with their 3GS to highlight the issue by e-mailing a journalist in the mainstream press (in the UK - the Mirror, the Sun etc) and telling them your story.

Jul 20, 2009 8:12 AM in response to DaveHanson

My 3GS 32GB white is from Week 23, factory 88 Shenzhen. It has a yellow white and bad contrast. The colors are wahed-out.

It’s really bad. AND here in Germany I have to send it in to Apple to mostlikely get a refurbished replacement. I went through this with my 3G and the replacements all had stuck pixel (the reason why somebody else sent that phone in that I got back as "repaired" from the Apple service center).

Oh Apple, I don’t love you anymore...

Jul 20, 2009 9:46 AM in response to DaveHanson

I have bought almost every single Apple product that has come out in the last couple of years, I own an iMac, a Macbook, and iPod, and I've owned every single iPhone from the 2g to the 3g now to the 3gs. I just received my 4th replacement iPhone 3G S and WOW! I am officially psychic. I predicted this morning that this replacement phone was going to have the same ****** yellow tint issue as well as the high-pitched noise frequency issue.

Low and behold, I was right!!! Of course Apple is going to send me a 4th hardware defected phone. I am so mad beyond belief, there aren't words to explain what I think of Apple now. Apple used to be the best company for things like this but now I have to deal with support people who claim they have no idea what problem I speak of (although this is the biggest thread in the 3G S forum with over 65,000 views), and they tell me it's a perception problem?! This phone is another week 28 and like my previous week 28, the top right portion of the phone has the correct whites while the rest of the phone is nicotine yellow.

For people like me who have owned every iPhone and has had perfect backlight since day 1, to be given 4 brand new phones with obvious defects is just unacceptable and ridiculous.

GOOB JOB APPLE! You can get away with selling these disgusting phones to people who have never owned an iPhone and are oblivious to the fact that they're phones are defected, but to all the loyal Apple buyers in here that can blatantly tell they're iPhone screen is garbage, Apple, you are screwing us over!!!!

I am disillusioned by the company as a whole....if Steve Jobs knew about this he would probably fire somebody. While Steve was sick, who was running things? Did this person choose a cheaper manufacturer?! WHY?!?!??!?!

Like someone previously said, I encourage everyone to contact the media, keep posting in this thread with your problems and do anything you can to let Apple know this is a HUGE problem. It's outrageous that after this thread has grown so big, when we deal with apple support they still tell us "OH, Sir, I'm sorry, I have never heard of this problem before". BS! I'm sure they all know about the problem and are told to say they haven't. And COMMON APPLE?! All of your display models don't have the problem?! You obviously picked and chose which models you were going to display, so it is obvious that you know where the defected iPhone were coming form.

*People of the forum! Take action, don't give up with this problem, let as many people know of your problem as you can! I still am a firm believer that if we all take enough action, Apple will be forced to hear us! Right now I believe they are trying to do damage control, Not admitting to their mistake, only replacing the phones of those who complain.* Let's make them recall all phones produced from week 24-?!! If I knew more about html...etc. I would start a website... www.iphone3gsyellowtintissue.com and advocate to the fullest extent for people to go on there and sign the petition for a recall. Trust me people, if we make enough of a fuss, they will hear us!!!

Ok, this is a long V for Vendetta post, sorry about that, I type a lot when I am mad.

Good Luck to everyone.

Jul 20, 2009 10:06 AM in response to macho_man

Did you tell her that your 3GS screen is yellowish compared to another 3GS?
When I called Apple Support Asia (Australia), he mentioned the 3GS is indeed "warmer" when compared to 3G or other iPods.

But when I mentioned I'm comparing a 3GS to another 3GS which have a "cooler" screen, he said all 3GS screens should have the same colour temperature and gave me a case no. to get it repaired at my service centre.

Jul 20, 2009 3:34 PM in response to macho_man

macho_man wrote:
i just called apple support about my yellow screen issue and the tech support lady told me that this is perfectlly normal and that the iPhone 3GS is supposed to have a yellow screen. she said i can't get it replaced because all the other ones will have the same charactaristics.

...I don't have another 3gs to compare to. I just bought this 8 days ago without contract. should I return it?


LOL now Apple has gone from clear insulting denial to blatant lying, despite this thread. Here's the tricky part confusing that clever response from Apple:

Compared to a 3G, a 3G S should have a slightly warmer screen by design and yes this is normal. It's also fair to say that some slight variation between 3G S's can be expected.

The PROBLEM is that there is a HUGE variance between 3G S screens. Some slight variance between 3G S's is expected, but that is not what has happened in the 3G S manufacturing process - there is HUGE blatant obvious variation in color rendition, brightness, contrast, polarization and color temp between them, and Apple very well KNOWS THIS.

As you don't have another 3G S to compare to, I would suggest you go to your local Apple Store, compare your 3G S personally side-by-side with each and every one of the floor display 3G S phones (making sure yours and the displays are each set to max brightness with auto brightness OFF).

If you can see a very big difference in quality based on heavy yellow tinting throughout (or partial screen), or low contrast, or dim brightness, or high polarization or any other such abnormalities on your 3G S compared to the Apple Store 3G S display models, then you've got a non-spec defective screen. Never mind that no one at Apple will admit this to you - apparently they are under orders to deny anything and everything and now are going to the length of blatantly lying as well for heaven's sakes.

_The Apple Store 3G S display models are what they are advertising, so that is what you can rightfully expect to get_.

BTW, as going through the replacement process can be a HUGE headache, if you really don't mind the apparent defect on your phone and can live with it, then consider saving yourself a LOT of trouble and keep it. HOWEVER, if it's honestly going to bother you in _any way_, especially considering the price you paid, then return it for a full refund and get another brand new phone. Keep doing this until you get satisfaction. I'm on my 4th replacement and it's the 4th defective in a row. I'll be re-entering the "3G S Lottery" for the 5th time later this week...

Jul 20, 2009 6:39 PM in response to DaveHanson

My last post was deleted, and this may be as well. After talking with a product specialist for a week and then someone higher up than him, and getting another bad phone, I told the higher up person that I just wanted my money back. And I got it back. They will try very hard to keep you taking replacements until you can't anymore. I didn't go any further. I got my money back. I don't know that I want to try again. I also convinced my sister not to get one. I don't know what to do now, but I do know that you should not give up or in, until you are happy even if it means getting your money back. They should be aware, and I think they are, they just don't know what to do I think.

Jul 20, 2009 7:10 PM in response to DaveHanson

Just a word of warning to everyone here. Apple appears to have finally had some sort of internal communication about the yellow screens and the official line at an Apple Store now is "the screens are within limits". If you have not already exchanged your phone, you might be stuck with a defective screen. This phone is likely my last purchase from Apple. I still love OS X but I am starting to hate the company...

iPhone 3G S has yellowish tint

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.