Dropping your iPhone is a heartbreaking incident. No matter what height your iPhone drops, it definitely skips your heartbeat. The iPhone is such a beloved device, that every owner loves it more than any of their gadget. What would happen if you drop your iPhone and it starts misbehaving?
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One of the common issues people face after a dropping their iPhone is the appearance of white lines across the display. These white lines appear because of a loose connection. When your iPhone drops, it sends a shock to all its internal components. The impact may cause some connections to loosen up. Using an iPhone while these lines are being displayed can lead to many severe issues. The misbehaving screen, erratic touches, and jumping cursors will cause you to lose your patience.
Can white lines be fixed?
Is it possible to fix the white lines? If you are running short on time, or if you do not have access to visit the service center, you can resolve the problem yourself.
Your iPhone uses an LCD screen to display content. This LCD screen is connected to a logic board situated behind it. If the drop of your iPhone has affected the connection it will lead your iPhone to show white lines across the display. This can be fixed and the white lines can be removed.
Are those white lines permanent?
First, ensure that the lines are permanent. Some recent app changes might be affecting the display. Check if the lines appear across apps, and also on the lock screen and home screen. Check for any iOS updates and see if any of those fix the problem. Once it is established that these white lines are permanent, you will have to do some simple DIY tasks to fix your iPhone screen.
Why do the white lines appear?
The LCD screen has a digitizer component which gets information from the main logic board. The digitizer basically converts the analog signal from your hands, like the touch, swipe, pinch etc. to digital information that the phone can understand. The connection between the digitizer and logic board is via a ribbon that holds the connection pins. If the pins on the ribbon are not properly aligned with the ports on the logic board, the connection will be loose and cause white lines.
The method to recover the display is by fixing the loose connection so that the display works as it is intended to. You will have to carefully open your iPhone and then try to fix the loose connection between the LCD and logic board.
Fix the loose LCD connection
The process to open up the iPhone requires lots of patience and precaution. It is better to be prepared to spend some extra time in doing this exercise. You will need a set of tools to physically open up your iPhone. Also keep in mind, that this process might affect the warranty of your iPhone.
As we proceed, the basic assumption is that the connection between the logic board and LCD display is loose. We understand that you don’t want to damage your phone any further while trying to repair it by yourself. Begin the repair with focus on the task and avoid any distractions.
Preliminary solution
In the very first step, try squeezing the top part of your iPhone screen. This is to try and fix the issue without having to open the iPhone at all. Hold the front and back of the top part of your iPhone screen. Gently apply pressure, this might fix the loose connection and fix the screen easily. Depending on your iPhone model, the point at which the LCD screen connects to the logic board differs. We suggest you do a little research on the location where your iPhone has that connection point. Avoid squeezing too hard as you might end up damaging or cracking the screen. The loose connection will require a very gentle squeeze. No need to apply force in trying to do so.
Advanced solution
If the preliminary method doesn’t fix your display, it is time to use some tools. The tools kit required to open up your iPhone are easily available in the market or on all leading e-commerce websites. They include all the tools required to open any part of the iPhone. Including the screwdrivers and prying tool to open the device.
Once you have opened the iPhone, glance through the assembly. There will be a cable that connects the LCD display to the main logic board. Depending on the version of iPhone, the position of this connection will differ. Once you find this cable, try to simply put it in place and apply slight pressure to tighten the connection. Excessive force is not required, a loose connection is just a misalignment and can be easily fixed with little pressure on the connector.
Verify if the problem is solved
After reconnecting this cable, do not reassemble the phone yet. You need to ensure that the repair worked. Carefully put aside the display screen and turn on your iPhone. Once the iPhone is powered on, you will see those unwanted white lines are gone. This works in the majority of cases as the lines are only due to a connection issue.
Once you confirm that the issue is resolved, carefully reassemble your iPhone. Put all the screws back in place and restart your phone. You should now be able to use your iPhone like nothing had happened.
What if the problem continues?
If the white lines continue to show on your display, then the issue might be a lot deeper. In case the LCD is damaged, the lines will continue to show. You will have to replace the LCD with a new one to get rid of the white lines.
If you have sensitive data on your iPhone, it is about time that you perform a backup. If the screen issue continues, you may sooner or later end up with an unusable screen. Not having access to the phone, or a dead phone may lead to data loss. Your primary task at hand should now be to take a thorough backup of all the important data before you continue using your iPhone.
In case of a damaged LCD, replacing the entire assembly by yourself is not recommend. As the process involves a thorough understanding of the circuitry and iPhones’ internal working. Messing up the circuit can damage your iPhone beyond repair. In this case, take professional help or send it to Apple’s service center for a safe repair.