Screen line/artifact appears after iOS 26.0.1 upgrade on iPhone 15 Pro Max

Immediately after upgrading to iOS 26.0.1 on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I now see a persistent translucent but lightly shaded band (roughly 3 millimeters tall) horizontally across the screen.

It changes with changes to brightness, color filters, etc — but it is now constantly there (just a lighter shade than the rest of the screen).

Because it occurred immediately after I upgraded to the new iOS version and because (despite just being a few shades lighter than the rest of the screen) everything within the band displays correctly, it does not feel like a hardware issue.

Any suggestions welcome (I’ve already tried closing all apps and restarting several times).

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Posted on Oct 3, 2025 2:15 PM

Top-ranking reply

Jeff Donald

Level 8

44,790 points

Posted on Oct 8, 2025 8:36 AM

If it looks and behaves like the original poster’s description and screenshots, you’re likely facing a hardware repair.

You need to have Apple perform diagnostics on your iPhone. It can be done in person at an Apple Retail Store or at an Apple Authorized Service Provider. You can also contact Apple Support and request remote diagnostics.

If you’re in the US please call 1-800-MY-APPLE or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada call 1-800-263-3394

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Explore Service Locations

Official Apple Support

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34 replies

Oct 25, 2025 7:10 AM in response to Ingo2711

Happened to me in my iPhone 15 Pro Max about a day after installing iOS 26.0.1. Never had a beta version of the OS on my phone.

FelipeV

Level 6

12,071 points

Oct 26, 2025 12:58 PM in response to Carthago77

Whatever. Hardware fails. Yours just happened to fail after the warranty period. There is no conspiracy here.

You don’t need to wear the foil hat, really…

Nov 9, 2025 10:37 AM in response to woeisme5768

Exactly same thing happened to me as you described. On my iPhone 15 pro max

n_jk

Level 1

14 points

Nov 20, 2025 2:09 PM in response to woeisme5768

I am experiencing a similar issue with a translucent green bar/line appearing on my iPhone 15 Pro Max display after the recent iOS update. I visited the nearest Apple Store/Genius Bar and explained that the problem began only after the update. However, I was informed that no other complaints had been raised regarding this issue, and I was given a display replacement quote of $500.

I was surprised to learn that consumers are expected to bear the cost of what appears to be an iOS-related bug that affects the display pixels.

Apple should take full responsibility and replace affected iPhone displays free of charge for all consumers who encounter the green bar/line issue, regardless of warranty status, since this is not the result of physical damage caused by the user.

Screen line/artifact appears after iOS 26.0.1 upgrade on iPhone 15 Pro Max