Screen is black, but phone is on?

Hello, Paul.

Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.

I understand that your iPhone is on, but the screen is dark. I would first check to make sure Screen Curtain is not enabled. Here are the steps on how to disable this feature.

Turn the screen curtain on or off. Triple-tap with three fingers. When the screen curtain is on, the screen contents are active even though the display is turned off.

Use iPhone with VoiceOver

If this feature is not enabled and your screen is stil dark, go through the troubleshooting steps in the article below.

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch doesn't respond or doesn't turn on

Cheers,

Jason H.