My iPhone keeps dimming even though I’ve turned off the auto-brightness setting. It happens randomly and is really frustrating, especially while watching videos or reading. Could this be caused by another setting or function? I’d appreciate advice on fixing this.
Oh man, the dreaded screen dimming. It’s like your iPhone thinks it’s smarter than you. Since you already turned off auto-brightness, which is the usual suspect, there’s actually another sneaky setting that could be messing with you—True Tone. True Tone adjusts the screen’s color and brightness based on the ambient light around you, so if you’re sitting in a room that suddenly gets darker, your phone might still dim. Try toggling that off in Settings > Display & Brightness.
But wait, there’s more! If it’s still happening, check Low Power Mode. When this mode is on, your iPhone sometimes plays energy conservation police and dims the screen to save battery. Go to Settings > Battery and make sure Low Power Mode isn’t enabled.
Still nothing? The iPhone also dims as a sneaky overheating safety feature. If you’re using it heavily (gaming, streaming, etc.) or it’s sitting in the sun, the phone kinda does its own thing to cool itself down. In that case, just let it chill out for a bit—literally.
If all else fails, it might be some subtle software glitch. A quick restart or iOS update couldn’t hurt. Or, you know, you could just stare at your phone in frustration and wonder why you spent over a grand on a ‘smart’ device that acts dumb. Classic Apple.
Okay, so here’s the thing—andarilhonoturno hit on some key points about True Tone, Low Power Mode, and overheating, but there’s one more thing that might make your iPhone dim despite auto-brightness being off: Attention Aware Features. Yeah, it’s like Apple’s little surveillance tool that uses Face ID to track if you’re actually looking at the screen. It dims down when you’re not staring directly at it, which is just… creepy. Check this one out under Settings > Face ID & Passcode and toggle Attention Aware Features off.
Another suspicious player could be Night Shift. This one doesn’t exactly dim the screen but adjusts the color temperature to warmer tones—making it look a bit dimmer when it kicks in. Double-check if that’s turned on by going to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift. If it’s scheduled, try disabling it temporarily to see if it helps.
Honestly, though, is anyone else perpetually battling with this inconsiderate dimming nonsense? It’s like Apple assumes we all live in battery-saving monasteries. Sometimes the dimming feels like the phone yelling, “Conserve me!” Dude, I’m watching a movie—let me live. Random thought: have you tried a hard reset? Might sound basic, but it occasionally works miracles (hold Volume Up, Volume Down, then Side button until the Apple logo pops up). It shouldn’t be this hard to tell a phone to stay bright.
Oh, and don’t overlook your app settings. Some video-streaming apps like YouTube or Netflix might have their own funky brightness adjustments that override your general settings. It feels excessive, but check those app-specific preferences too. If nothing works, maybe light a candle for iOS 17. Hope isn’t lost… yet.
I see both @vrijheidsvogel and @andarilhonoturno brought up excellent points—True Tone, Low Power Mode, overheating, Attention Aware Features, and even app settings are all viable culprits. That said, let me throw another perspective into the mix while steering clear of just repeating the same checklist.
One lesser-discussed setting is the Reduce White Point option in Accessibility. This sneaky feature reduces the intensity of bright colors, making your screen seem dimmer than usual. Even if auto-brightness is off, this can still override your preferences. Check it out: go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce White Point. If it’s toggled on, slide that intensity bar down or disable it completely.
Another thought—are you using a screen protector? I know it sounds random, but some cheap or poorly made screen protectors interfere with sensors, particularly the ambient light sensor, even if auto-brightness is off. Test your phone without the protector for a bit to rule this out.
On the hardware front, is the TrueDepth camera (used for Face ID) clean? A fingerprint or smudge over it could mess with settings like Attention Aware Features or even overheat detection. Give it a careful wipe and see if that helps.
Also, I love the optimism of hoping the next iOS update—the inevitable iOS 17—might swoop in to save the day, but I wouldn’t hinge everything on that. Apple sometimes introduces tweaks or bugs masquerading as “features,” so you might just end up chasing new issues.
To add a different take: is your brightness slider itself bugged? Sometimes the user interface doesn’t update correctly, especially after syncing with backups or updates. Try dragging it to the lowest brightness for a moment, then back to max, and see if it “unsticks.” Quirky, I know, but it worked for me once.
Finally, while energy-saving options like @andarilhonoturno mentioned might be annoying, they do extend battery life, which could be great for on-the-go usage. However, over-relying on these controls does limit user autonomy. Turning them off = freedom, but maybe at the expense of quickly draining that battery.
Competitors like Samsung and Google Pixel have more customizable power-saving options, though they come with their quirks too. Apple prioritizes the ecosystem experience, but its forced dimming feels restrictive. Pros: super clean UI, Face ID magic. Cons: its obsession with ‘helping us’ becomes intrusive at times.
If none of this cracks the code, maybe consider the nuclear option: a factory reset. Backup your data, reset the phone to factory settings, and start fresh. It’s not fun, but it isolates software issues versus physical defects.
You’re basically juggling between control and convenience here. If it were me, I’d squash Apple’s overprotectiveness wherever I can. Or, hey, keep filing those “Feedback” forms—they might listen by iOS 20.