iPhone 15 Pro screen brightness issue after iOS 26 update

Toggling off and on Auto Brightness (Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Auto-Brightness) has fixed this for me.

yes, as already written in the thread, the problem is the widgets, just remove them from the lock screen and it's solved

Sanski30 wrote:

for me the fix was turning off the Liquid Glass setting on the wallpaper clock hope this helps.

This works for me too! Thanks! Glass effects seem to be glitchy all over the system

Same same. iPhone 15 Pro. Updated to 26 last week. Ever since, roughly 1 in 4 times when I lift my phone to wake it, the screen is way too dim. I have auto brightness on. The only workaround is to hit the power button on the right of the phone to go into sleep mode, then press it again or lift the phone to wake it.

Absolutely astonishing that Apple didn't catch this during testing for iOS 26.

I don't want to jinx it, but I updated my phone to iOS 26.1 today and so far I haven't had any brightness issues during unlock tonight.

for me the fix was turning off the Liquid Glass setting on the wallpaper clock hope this helps.

This is also happening to me on my 15 Pro Max. If I navigate to Instagram and an HDR photo is posted it’ll put the screen brightness back to normal. Otherwise, like everyone else, I have to lock and unlock it to get it to go back to normal.

I briefly owned a 17 before returning and didn’t ever have that issue. (I returned it because the depleted battery on my 15PM still lasted longer than the standard 17’s with the apps I normally use.)

I really hope the people in this thread are reporting this bug to the Apple feedback app. I’ve reported it twice within a few months and each feedback showed there are NO similar reports. Report it please.

This is happening more and more often and it’s really annoying. Apple pls fix this asap. I turned off auto brightness and it’s better now but still I want to use auto brightness

Take them off for good. With widgets the bug returns.

Just remove the widgets from the lock screen problem will be solved

Hi, Apple Support Communities is not Apple Support. Apple and Apple Support do not participate here. Everyone posting, commenting and reading are fellow Apple users just like you.

I can address some issues you’re experiencing. Facebook scrolling is a FB issue. Their developers have not fully optimized the app for iOS 26 yet. FB has had 10 updates in last month. An update every 3 days should tell you how buggy their app is.

Liquid Glass can not be turned off. Every time Apple makes significant UI changes some like it some do not like it. Apple is making slight UI changes in response to feedback from users. Link is below to add your voice.

Scrolling on Home Screen is probably just an optimization issue. 26.1.0 will have improvements and optimizations.

Brightness dimming could be hardware or software. Either wait for 26.1 or have Apple do diagnostics. If 26.1 doesn’t resolve almost certainly hardware.

Product Feedback - Apple

Hi, sorry to hear about your issue. This thread is specifically about the iPhone 15 Pro, not 17 PM. You might want to contact Apple Support and discuss the issue. The are too many, if any, reports of this specific issue and the 17 PM. It might be something specific to your iPhone etc.

If you’re in the US, please call  1-800-MY-APPLE, or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada, call 1-800-263-3394.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

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If you don’t want to go that route, you’re welcome to report the issue to Apple using the link below. It’s unlikely your specific issue will be noticed when it’s buried 9 pages deep in a thread about 15 Pro iPhones. Just sayn’ 😄

Product Feedback - Apple

Same issue here... iOS26.0.1. I Have yet to find the trigger... so far the issue is very random and only changes by turning the brightness up manually, then auto will work. but only for so long

I'm having the exact same issue on my iPhone 15 Pro Max since I upgraded to iOS 26. Nearly half the times I unlock my phone, it's too dark, so I have to lock and unlock it again so it's bright enough to see.

The brightness is always fixed after the second unlock, but this is very frustrating.

I have toggled all the settings off/on that everyone has said to and forced a restart. The only thing I haven't done is a factory reset of my phone and I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that.