iPhone 12 pro max keeps dimming

I have the iPhone 12 Pro Max and it constantly dims. I made sure the Automatic button was off, it still dims. I went to answer the phone and it had dimmed itself down to an almost completely dark screen. I am constantly having to reset the brightness back to where I can see the screen. Any "bright" ideas?

iPhone 12 Pro Max, iOS 14

Posted on Nov 24, 2020 8:04 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 31, 2022 12:38 AM

SOLVED - iPhone 12 Max Pro Dimming.


A non-apple case causes it to overheat!


My iPhone was fine for two years and I switched from the Apple purchased case that I bought at the Apple Store for a non-Apple case to enjoy a new color. Didn’t think about it but started having problems with my phone dimming.


It was constant if I was googling or reading texts etc it would toggle up and toggle down from bright to dim so I could barely read it. It was ridiculous.


Tried everything the Internet suggested. Turning it off helped but that was only because it was cooling it off. It didn’t solve it. Changing any and all settings did absolutely nothing.


Read a post that mentioned they thought it was an overheating issue. Remembered that I had just purchased a new case before this started. Put back on my Apple purchased case. Voila. No issue for a whole month. SOLVED

396 replies

Aug 8, 2022 2:04 AM in response to mpampoulas

The solution is quite simple. It’s the heat. Buy a silicon case. This material conducts heat away from the phone and into the environment nearly as quickly as water .


Silicon is used in electronic to conduct heat away efficiently. Most cases insulate therefore the only surface to conduct the heat away is the screen, which then has a temperature sensor which causes the dimming problem.


hope this helps

Jul 4, 2023 4:29 AM in response to Chloebean1604

Unfortunately, the issue still exists with the 13Pro too. Take it to the beach and it's as good a mirror because you cannot see the display. I had a Samsung Galaxy for a bit and had ZERO problems with the display dimming (and actually a much better display than iPhone). I just couldn't stand the Android iOS so came back to iPhone for another chance. Still the same old issues with the unit dimming due to internal heat. Why Apple doesn't go into the think tank and try to rectify this is the $64,000 question.

Dec 2, 2020 8:16 PM in response to Brian_P7

Yes to all. It didn't matter what I tried, it would constantly dim. I'm returning the phone anyway so not fooling with it. I'm waiting for the shipping label to arrive. For some reason, it's being slow mailed to me. The 12 pro max keeps breaking down with the hearing aid feature too so it's not worth the money. AND the only reason I was updating was for a better camera, but it sucks as much as the iPhone 8 Plus that I have. Technically, there is nothing new with the iPhone 12 pro max. I don't mean to sound like I'm trolling, I'm just being honest. It was a total let down.

Jan 5, 2021 8:59 AM in response to rjm4261

I am on my 2nd iPhone 12 Pro Max. I am having the same issues, mainly continuing auto dimming. On my second phone I set it up without using iCloud to restore. I set up brand new and I am still having overheating issues, slow to charge, battery drain, speaker issues and the auto dimming. If I were able to go into an Genius Bar I would, but with COVID raging I cannot. I also don’t want to be mailed back a refurbished phone... I guess I have to wait until there is a fix... I miss my 11 Pro Max 😞

Apr 10, 2021 5:23 PM in response to Krypto909

This is actually getting ridiculous now! My phone can’t seem to hack even looking through pictures, scrolling Instagram, or even playing a simple 1080p YouTube video! My flash has been unusable for the majority of the day as my ‘iPhone is to hot’. And why is there no response from Apple about this?? Why can’t I charge my phone without it getting hot? And no I’m not using it at the same time and I really hate being told it’s due to the 20 watt charging, 20 watt charging is nothing special, in-fact it’s behind the industry standard these days and yet the phone still can’t handle it! My screen was practically black when I picked it up after 30 minutes of charging, the frame was extremely hot and as I said the flash was simply unavailable to use. I’ve never had a phone that requires the screen to auto dim with auto brightness off due to its inability to control heat. Apple needs to address this!

Apr 24, 2021 6:49 PM in response to rjm4261

Same problem. Very annoying and very unsafe, especially when using map app and the screen goes very dim or even totally black. When it goes black I can’t restart my device to regain control functionality because the black screen is unresponsive and there is no way to shut down. I literally had to wait 3 days for the battery to die before it reset itself when I plugged in the charger. I’ve been in constant contact with Apple phone reps, 2 store visits to reboot the iOS from their own computer, and they still act like it could never happen. Yet here we all are 1,000’s of us doing nothing but talking to each other on this and many other similar threads while Apple keeps telling the public they’re the sliced bread of device producers. I think a class action might be in order if iOS 14.5 doesn’t fix it.

Apr 28, 2021 12:31 PM in response to rjm4261

Hello, I do not have a solution. But I do have an interesting discovery. My iPhone 12 Pro Max went totally black while driving using the maps app. I almost hit another car trying to restore the screen, missed my exit. So while sitting in the grass cooling off I started trying different really odd things to see what might be causing this screen glitch in Apple’s flagship iPhones. Out of pure curiosity I clicked to make a screenshot of the black screen - something I haven’t noticed anyone else here tried yet. And… voila! The picture that was saved to my phone was in FULL BRIGHTNESS. There is definitely a huge software glitch in these devices! I have a store appointment Monday morning May 3rd to replicate my results because the Apple chat rep says “no way that can happen”. Stay tuned…

May 4, 2021 4:49 AM in response to Acethepaceman

WARNING!! APPLE DOES NOT SUPPORT THEIR IPHONE 12'S OVERHEATING ISSUE BECAUSE THEY DONT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT.


All disabled: It's not the True Tone feature. It's not the auto-brightness. It's not the assessability brightness.


It is the Iphone12. Made to over-heat constantly. Better to find another company to buy a phone. Return it is the only thing you can do.



May 7, 2021 11:09 AM in response to fdojgnn

Nothing works, Apple is useless when it comes to this issue. I've spoke to Apple Support about a half dozen times with no solution. I pay for Apple Care Plus and the only solution is to mail them my iPhone, pay for a new one and when/if they determine the iPhone was faulty I'll get my money back?!?!?!?! Really?!?! Why do I pay for Apple Care Plus?!?! Isn't my brand new iPhone under warranty?!?!?! I've been a loyal iPhone customer since 2007, if Apple doesn't address and fix this issue I will never buy another Apple product again.

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iPhone 12 pro max keeps dimming

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