iPhone 13 Pro Max brightness issue after iOS 26 update

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Level 1

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iPhone 13 Pro Max brightness issue after iOS 26 update

Issue: Abnormal brightness behavior affecting UI visibility

After updating to iOS 26, I’ve noticed an unusual display behavior on my iPhone 13 Pro Max. In certain images, especially within Photos and social media apps, specific areas of the display become excessively bright. When this happens, the system appears to compensate by dimming the rest of the UI, including system elements such as Safe Area text and other interface components.

This results in inconsistent brightness across the screen and reduced readability of UI elements. The issue occurs frequently and was not present before the iOS 26 update.

Device: iPhone 13 Pro Max

iOS Version: iOS 26

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Feb 12, 2026 9:00 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Jeff Donald

Community+ 2026

Level 8

46,254 points

Feb 12, 2026 9:40 AM in response to aceplayzzs

Chances are you’re viewing High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, such as photos, and the screen is increasing in brightness. The increase in brightness is necessary to properly display the images and/or videos. This is normal and expected behavior.

Currently there is no a universal control to disable HDR image viewing. There are several individual controls that may improve your experience.

Please follow this path,

iPhone > Settings > Apps > Photos > scroll down > View Full HDR > disable, if disabled, momentarily enable and then disable again

iPhone > Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce White Point > lower to desired level

iPhone > Settings > Battery > Power Mode > Low Power mode > enable, this is pretty drastic and affects many functions on your iPhone

Some social media apps may allow HDR viewing to be disabled and would be in each app’s individual settings.

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Answer 2

aceplayzzs Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 13, 2026 9:03 AM in response to Jeff Donald

The issue occurs with any image that contains a bright highlight, including photos captured on the same device, as well as with certain full-screen content. This behavior was not present prior to the iOS 26 update. Additionally, HDR has remained enabled since the time of purchase and has not been changed.

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Answer 3

Feb 13, 2026 10:13 AM in response to aceplayzzs

Did you follow the steps suggested or not?

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