iPhone Pro Max 17: Green flashes in video playback

I have the iPhone Pro Max 17 and am updated to the latest iOS 26.2


I am experiencing an issue where when I watch back videos I recorded there will randomly be green flashes, blocks or glitches. Sometimes I can make it happen by double tapping or zooming the video. Sometimes it happens when I stop and start a video. This SEEMS to only affect videos recorded horizontally.


I am mostly recording in 4k 24fps if that makes any difference.


Any ideas? Is this a software or hardware issue? Do I need to exchange my phone or just wait for a software update?


Thanks so much for your help!

iPhone 17 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Dec 30, 2025 4:54 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 30, 2025 10:17 PM

This doesn’t look like a hardware problem, because the issue appears only in landscape mode and only with certain videos you’ve already recorded. That usually points to a recording or file-corruption issue, not a sensor fault. Check the original source of the videos—especially if they’re synced to iCloud. If they are, make sure your internet connection is stable while streaming them, or download them fully and try again.


The green flashes, blocks, or glitches—especially when zooming, double-tapping, or jumping through the timeline—often happen when the file didn’t encode properly or isn’t loading cleanly from the cloud.


In short, verify whether the video is stored locally or on iCloud, ensure a good connection, and test by recording a short clip offline to see if the problem repeats.

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 30, 2025 10:17 PM in response to idlebeach

This doesn’t look like a hardware problem, because the issue appears only in landscape mode and only with certain videos you’ve already recorded. That usually points to a recording or file-corruption issue, not a sensor fault. Check the original source of the videos—especially if they’re synced to iCloud. If they are, make sure your internet connection is stable while streaming them, or download them fully and try again.


The green flashes, blocks, or glitches—especially when zooming, double-tapping, or jumping through the timeline—often happen when the file didn’t encode properly or isn’t loading cleanly from the cloud.


In short, verify whether the video is stored locally or on iCloud, ensure a good connection, and test by recording a short clip offline to see if the problem repeats.

Dec 31, 2025 9:57 AM in response to SravanKrA

Thanks so much for the reply!


I’ve verified my files are all stored locally.


I’ve also done some experiments and narrowed it down a little more. It seems to only happen in 4k in landscape mode with the regular video setting.


If I send a video clip to someone else it doesn’t show any issues at all. The green blocky glitches are only an issue in playback on my device.


I really hope I’m not the only one dealing with this weird glitchy problem! I sure would like to fix this soon.

iPhone Pro Max 17: Green flashes in video playback

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