iPhone 6 screen repair got thwarted? Explanations please?

[edy]

Hi folks,

I am not sure what happened here but I was handed an iPhone 6 from a friend who was no longer using it and reported "damage" to the screen and strange behaviour (see below). I believe he had it off for months, perhaps longer, as latest photos/emails were very old (like 2017). It wasn't being used, dead battery. I charged it up for a few hours, turned it on and noticed what he was telling us about the screen:

1. touch-screen acting strange, not tracking properly
2. a couple of vertical lines on the screen (around the same area to the side of home-button)
3. friend said his wife used the phone when fingers sometimes wet and believes water got into the home button area

So the screen looks a bit like these pictures below but not exactly (I didn't manage to get a photo of it but these are similar):







So anyways... it was to the side of the home button, going vertically upwards. It was affecting the TOUCH *as well as* the display, as when I tracked my finger across the vertical line it would stop tracking (hence the strange jittery screen behaviour). Also, the KEYBOARD that would pop up would have the letters U H and B sitting under that area, and I could NOT TYPE THOSE LETTERS (I could see them under the vertical lines but touch unresponsive along that vertical)!

 

So I got out my phone repair kit, opened up the penta screws on the bottom of the phone and suction-cup on the screen and pried the phone open. Inspected the inside, all looked good. I could not see anything wrong in there physically. I tried to wipe or clean the edge of the screen next to that area (I figured it was something near the home button as my friend said water might have gotten in to the home button). Nothing obvious. So I closed it back up.... PROBLEM STILL THERE (this was last night).

Was looking on eBay for a replacement screen this morning, they are cheap... $15. It sounded like both screen and touch layer were messed up, probably shorted or water-damaged along the vertical and it coincided with the home button so I assumed water got in and worked it's way into the edge there and caused the issue along that vertical line.

To my astonishment, not less than 24 hours later.... as I'm about to click the order button on eBay for a new screen, the vertical line started to get more and more faint.    I started to type and I was actually able to type U, H and B, it no longer jittered as I dragged my finger across that vertical line. I waited another hour, had another look, the line was FAINTER (but still noticeable). Waited another hour, looked at the screen.... I CANNOT FIND THE LINE AT ALL! 

I don't get it! Did me opening the phone somehow dry it out? I had it open for 20 minutes tops, I removed a few screws over the home button and placed them back after seeing nothing obvious.... and the phone was STILL MESSED UP when I closed it up again last night. This morning it was STILL showing signs of the lines. How the heck did it all of a sudden in a few hours just recover without me doing anything?

I could understand if it quickly improved after opening (perhaps water was in there since 2017 and never had a chance to evaporate since the phone and home button plate were still screwed on).... or gradually improve a bit each hour after opening (although I would guess that putting everything back and sealing up the phone would stop the evaporation). There was NO CHANGE while I had it open and after I closed it up, and NO CHANGE for at least another 10 hours (the next morning) when I checked again. Then in the blink of a few hours it just cleared up fully just sitting on my desk? Magical healing properties? 

Not technically a repair posting, but just wanted to share what happened as I was just about to dive in.... My repair attempt got thwarted by Murphy!

[jmelson]

It had been off, and recent Apple phones are fairly well-sealed.  Now, you had it both OPEN, and ON for an extended period.  The warmth drove off the water, and being open allowed it to leave the circuitry.  There may be some almost sealed layers in the screen that water can get between, and it takes both a little heat and a path to escape to dry it out.

It possibly could have been moisture absorbed into the PC boards, that can take many hours to drive off.

Jon

[edy]

Ok, I thought I was out of the woods! The problem returned so I took some photos while I could. I have to attach it over several emails. I didn't want to compress the images too much so they are fairly large still, so you can see the details. It looks like 3 alternating scan lines, and then 4 alternating scan lines are affected, separated by a few mm each near edge of home button.

[edy]

Ok, here are the next 3...  As you can see, they run across the screen. Roughly along the side of the home button. There are some connectors there. In the next series of pictures you will see I removed the screen, opened and re-seated all the connectors, inspected and the problem is TRANSIENT. I have video evidence of it seemingly going away when I play around with brightness settings. It's strange! Also it will disappear on it's own. Perhaps has something to do with charge level of battery also? Temperature? Relative humidity? Time it has been in my pocket? I'm trying to pin it down. Maybe every time I open it up and manipulate screen it disappears a few hours later, only to return? Again I'm not sure what is happening.

The problem affects BOTH screen and touch-layer. That is, when you see the marks on screen, the touch layer becomes less sensitive on that spot so when you drag finger across those lines or try to press keyboard keys under that line they do not respond or phone loses "tracking" of the finger.

When the line starts fading (as you will see in later pictures) the touch also gets more responsive, the keyboard works again, etc. So whatever it is affects BOTH screen and touch layer and it seems to fade and disappear on it's own when it happens.

[edy]

All the connectors appear in good shape. I opened and closed them all, jiggled them, removed screws, placed them back... all while phone was on, no effect on the screen! The lines when are there, remain there. When lines gone, they are gone! Doesn't seem to correspond to anything I do with the connectors and flat-flex cables, or screws or tightness.

[bd139]

There's probably some crap stuck in the screen assembly bonding somewhere. Either that or someone has already been in it and pulled something a bit too hard.

I've repaired 4 of those I think and never seen that one!

[edy]

Ok, and here it is a few hours later (you can see the time and battery percentage on the phone to get an exact idea)... and notice the first image you can still see the line *faintly*. However, in the subsequent 2 images (IMG_1469 and IMG_1470) the line is GONE!!!! And now as I type this post (take my word for it) it has been another 1.5 hours since that last photo below and the line is for sure gone... I cannot see it, I am squinting and looking under a magnifying glass and there is *NOTHING* visible, and both screen and touch tracks perfectly.   

Look at timeline... last night phone had issue, was about 10pm Sunday, opened it up, took those photos of the innards, played around with connectors, screen, etc... assembled it all back. Charged it overnight. Took it off this morning, line still visible in the morning, but was fading, by 10am it had all but vanished.

I will post a video soon about what happens when I played around with the "BRIGHTNESS" slider last night when the lines were there.... It looks like the lines DISAPPEAR when you play with the brightness slider (as long as you have your finger on it), and then come back when you let get of the brightness slider!!! I can't believe this could be a software issue, but it is very strange to see.... optical illusion or something going on with or interacting with software? I don't know how the brightness circuitry interacts with the screen or touch interface but you don't seem to see the lines at all when you have your finger moving the brightness up and down (even when you have it in the range of brightness when the screen shows the lines obvious)... it only shows up after finger removed from slider.

[bd139]

Can you stuff it in a fridge for 20 minutes or so? That usually sets anything off any weird issues I find.

[edy]

I posted the video here, please try to use the HD version as YouTube seems to have compressed the heck out of it, making it harder to see the lines. They are now running "horizontal" as I have the phone turned 90 degrees. You'll notice them there but as soon as I put my finger on the brightness adjustment bar and start moving the slider, no matter what brightness I am at (while adjusting) I can't see the lines... They disappear. As soon as I let go of the slider, I notice them again. I'm thinking this is just an illusion or something to do with the way Apple renders the screen.... and I tried this after the lines were starting to fade already. I need to do this when the lines are much stronger and see if the effect is the same.

It's right down the middle of the Facetime and Extras button. It's faint but definitely visible, but not when I play with the brightness slider. Maybe even the contrast or brightness of the slider panel is obscuring it.

[Rasz]

lines are always there, but your eye (and camera) is not sensitive enough to pick them in brighter backlight, or iphone changes contrast programmatically together with brightness

[edy]

lines are always there, but your eye (and camera) is not sensitive enough to pick them in brighter backlight, or iphone changes contrast programmatically together with brightness

I agree, I think it was an illusion but when brightness is being changed something is done with contrast so it makes the lines fade. When I noticed the lines return it was after I went skating.... The phone was stuffed in my pocket, perhaps combination of humidity and not having air circulation did it. The cold doesn't seem to cause an issue. After I opened it up again (like in photos above) the lines eventually faded again over about 12 hours. I will keep an eye on things over the next few months and the environment the phone is in. It is winter here now and very dry everywhere. So far the lines have not returned since my post yesterday, but the phone was sitting in pocket but not working out so I assume staying relatively dry (if that is the reason, I still need to confirm it).