Sometimes while talking on a call, the screen goes black. I can continue the conversation, but can't hang up or access anything on the screen. Tapping on the screen, or the button is uneffective. I just have to wait till it recovers, which can take a minute or two, or turn the phone off. Anybody else experience this?
iPhone 3GS, Mac OS X (10.5.8)
The screen is supposed to go black when held against the face on a call, to stop buttons getting pressed. If it is not coming back quickly when you move it away, it may be that the phone needs a reset or a restore. Some phone cases interfere with the proximity sensor, so if you are using a case, remove and see if it still happens. It could also be a hardware fault, which would mean getting in touch with Apple.
The same thing is happening to me as well. I hope Apple puts out a fix for this. It's obviously a problem plaguing many users. Having to restore my phone is a pain and takes hours, since it's the 128GB version and almost 50% full! Not an option. We need a fix!
I've been having this problem ever since my iPhone 6 arrived. Still no resolution even after installing the latest iOS update (8.1.1 12B436). I had hoped this update would fix the problem. (And no, there is no case blocking the proximity sensor, please don't suggest that again).
This is clearly a bug, and a LOT of users are running into it (searching Google or Apple Support Community reveals quite a few threads with this problem).
It is random. Usually, if the phone experiences an "event" while the screen is black (such as receiving a text message or another incoming call) it wakes up. There is no response to user input, pressing the home button, volume buttons, tapping power, or trying any screen touch does nothing. The call cannot be hung up. The only solution is to hard reset (hold power & home until the phone reboots).
Just to make sure the obvious is not missed, have you ascertained there is no protective film or debris in front of the proximity sensor?
As for the extent of the problem, if one does exist, over 10 million iPhone 6 have been sold already. Even if there were 10,000 different threads on this in the forum, still represents a minuscule fraction of the installed base.
The censor monkey just bit you….
If you say defect, presumably with your particular phone, take it back for assessment and see if Apple agrees. Should both be in agreement, you will get a new or refurbished unit that would satisfy your requirements and expectations.
I did. They could not reproduce the problem... we tried a dozen calls.
They said, when it happens again, bring it back and we'll look at it again... (this is the beginning of an endless loop).
The problem occurred again this morning. I don't have time to go back to the Apple store and go through all this again.
(When I say "defect" I mean "behavior that varies from designed goals," which can include a software bug. I believe this is a software bug, one that is intermittent, but that shows up enough for other users to encounter it. I've seen about a dozen different threads here and on the web that talk about it, started by a dozen different users... that's enough to indicate it's not just a defect with my personal hardware, in my opinion).
Courcoul wrote:
The censor monkey just bit you….
That's why I don't play in these forums. There are far better technical resources... and frankly, I disagree with the whole North Korean censorship-is-OK philosophy.
Not nearly enough to indicate a bug unless it's a very "niche" bug. More like the numbers you'd expect if there's a hardware defect surely. Seems like you're going to have eliminate the possibility anyway.
Zacharias Beckman wrote:
I did. They could not reproduce the problem... we tried a dozen calls.
They said, when it happens again, bring it back and we'll look at it again... (this is the beginning of an endless loop).
The problem occurred again this morning. I don't have time to go back to the Apple store and go through all this again.
(When I say "defect" I mean "behavior that varies from designed goals," which can include a software bug. I believe this is a software bug, one that is intermittent, but that shows up enough for other users to encounter it. I've seen about a dozen different threads here and on the web that talk about it, started by a dozen different users... that's enough to indicate it's not just a defect with my personal hardware, in my opinion).
They'd likely just replace your phone but if you don't want to go that route then your only other option is to troubleshoot the issue yourself. Restore the OS with a fresh install but without restoring any data or apps that might be corrupt. Test your phone for a while and see what happens. If it continues then you are out of options.
lyndafrompacifica wrote:
Sometimes while talking on a call, the screen goes black...
FYI, as of the latest update to 8.1.2 this behavior has stopped for me... so, crossing my fingers that they squashed the problem. (Been using the phone a lot for a few days, and haven't seen the issue – typically I would have seen at least one incidence by now).
I had this same problem with a brand new iPhone 6. I brought it into the Apple store and they offered to replace the sensor. I asked for a new phone since it was less than two weeks old and I didn't think I should have to replace parts so soon. They agreed. However, the problem has now recurred on the new phone, though not as often. I don't know if this is a hardware or software glitch but it is clearly a problem and very frustrating.
I have the same exact issue... however it doesn't happen all of the time... so it's hard to go to Apple and show them the problem... but there is ABSOLUTELY a DEFECT... lowers my opinion of Apple for sure.
I have an iPhone 6 and this has now happend to me twice in as many weeks.
The latest which just happened was whilst listening to Voice mail messages. The message was playing I went to press 2 to delete and the screen was blank. I guessed a pressed near where the number should be but no joy. The next message played, and this kept happening until all messages had played, then a long delay before the answer machine hung up the call. Then the screen cam back.
Whilst it was blank I tried lots of button combinations but nothing stopped the messages playing and the screen being blank.
"Any chance you are covering up the hole at top?
This is where the sensor is located."
No, the sensor wasn't covered up, and I did try covering it up, and uncovering it, and pointing it to a light source, and then a dark corner. Still no joy. I even tried sticking my finger in my ear ! Sorry that's a joke ;-)
Wrong sensor. There are three holes around the upper speaker on the i6. To the left is the front-facing camera. On top you have the light sensor and the ear sensor (officially called a proximity sensor). First is used to control the auto-dim function of the screen, while the other is used to blank the screen and turn off the digitizer to avoid "cheek dialing" during calls. Those two top holes are near-invisible on the Space Gray units, try shining a light there.
If you're getting blank screens, that proximity sensor might be failing or be triggered by an excessively reflective screen protector on top.
Same has been happening to our two iPhone 6's. We're on iOS 8.3 This has happened to us under previous iOs's as well. I don't believe we've blocked any sensors. Extremely irritating to lose complete control of the phone during a call. We have to wait for the other party to hang up to regain control.
Iphone screen goes black during calls. . .
