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etaleb

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 7, 2012
484
16
Guys - recently at a sports tournament, my iphone 13 pro max often drops down its brightness to perhaps half making it unusable outdoors in the sun. When I looked at the control center it shows brightness is at the max. I've seen the phone do this often and most of the time, battery is over 80% and display was just lurned on 1-2 mins prior. It doesn't feel unusually warm either

How do I troubleshoot what is causing this?

Thanks
 

Jackbequickly

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2022
2,464
2,522
I have found that if your screen is exposed to direct sunlight on a hot day, it does not take long for the temp sensor to trigger and lower the backlighting when making a call, using the map, etc. The screen really soaks up the IR spectrum and heats up quickly when adding the use of the phone.
 

etaleb

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 7, 2012
484
16
How do I verify this is indeed the case. Any place in settings which shos the temp sensor reading?
 

Splitrail

macrumors 6502a
Dec 26, 2021
898
1,099
Guys - recently at a sports tournament, my iphone 13 pro max often drops down its brightness to perhaps half making it unusable outdoors in the sun. When I looked at the control center it shows brightness is at the max. I've seen the phone do this often and most of the time, battery is over 80% and display was just lurned on 1-2 mins prior. It doesn't feel unusually warm either

How do I troubleshoot what is causing this?

Thanks
Have you checked your ""automatic" brightness and ""True Tone" settings?
 

Splitrail

macrumors 6502a
Dec 26, 2021
898
1,099
‘No setting will bring the brightness back except to get it out of the direct sun.
Maybe "true tone" isn't functioning (stuck on or off or a faulty sensor?).

{True Tone is an "advanced" sensor feature that adapts the screen's brightness and colors to its surrounding lighting.}
 

Jackbequickly

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2022
2,464
2,522
{True Tone is an "advanced" sensor feature that adapts the screen's brightness and colors to its surrounding lighting.}
Why are you thinking I do not know what True Tone is. I am saying that no setting will brighten the screen if overheated by the sun. The thermal sensor will decrease the brightness of the backlighting until is cools off.
 

Splitrail

macrumors 6502a
Dec 26, 2021
898
1,099
Why are you thinking I do not know what True Tone is. I am saying that no setting will brighten the screen if overheated by the sun. The thermal sensor will decrease the brightness of the backlighting until is cools off.
Oh, okay.
 

cbreze

macrumors 65816
Nov 26, 2014
1,068
661
Oregon
Does it only do it outside in sunlight? If so then maybe the sensor is dimming the screen due to a heat up from the sun. I’ve never experienced this but never use the phone in bright sun anyway unless I have to.
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
I have found that if your screen is exposed to direct sunlight on a hot day, it does not take long for the temp sensor to trigger and lower the backlighting when making a call, using the map, etc. The screen really soaks up the IR spectrum and heats up quickly when adding the use of the phone.
Pretty much this. I was on a family trip to Washington D.C few weeks ago and on the day we visit the White house and other monuments around it was really hot and sunny and noticed my screen was dull. I figured it was coming from the sun and I didn't care much about it.
 
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Jackbequickly

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2022
2,464
2,522
Does it only do it outside in sunlight? If so then maybe the sensor is dimming the screen due to a heat up from the sun. I’ve never experienced this but never use the phone in bright sun anyway unless I have to.

It has only happened to me once that I have noticed. It was a hot day, in the sun, using the GPS with maps. Within minutes of getting out of the direct sunlight, the display returned to normal.
 

etaleb

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 7, 2012
484
16
Guys - the issue has persisted and it's frustrating. Today was a cloudy day with some dull sun coming through and in 5 mins of outdoor time, brightness fell off making it hard to read. The phone was not even warm to touch. This never occurs indoors. I'll schedule an apple store appointment but wondering if they can do a free hardware replacement given this is a Verizon 24-month contract phone

Do you guys sense this is a hardware issue since it started on IOS 15 and now I'm on 16.1

Thanks
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
Guys - the issue has persisted and it's frustrating. Today was a cloudy day with some dull sun coming through and in 5 mins of outdoor time, brightness fell off making it hard to read. The phone was not even warm to touch. This never occurs indoors. I'll schedule an apple store appointment but wondering if they can do a free hardware replacement given this is a Verizon 24-month contract phone

Do you guys sense this is a hardware issue since it started on IOS 15 and now I'm on 16.1

Thanks
They can run diagnostics and if they find an issue, they will replace it as long as it's still under the 1 year warranty of when you got it. Also if the phone does get replaced the contracts do transfer to the replacement device as well.
 
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