Macbook Pro Screen display flickers in Contacts app with MacOS 26

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Level 1

32 points

Macbook Pro Screen display flickers in Contacts app with MacOS 26

I have noticed flickering of the screen in the Contacts app after installing MacOS 26. When I am viewing a contact card, the purple-shaded boxes with rounded corners that contain info such as phone, email, and address flicker somewhat randomly. It is inconsistent, and occasionally stable. Seems that any mouse movement or scrolling triggers the flickering--including expansion of dock elements when mousing over. I have a MacBook Pro, 16-inch, Nov. 2023, Apple M3 Pro chip. I never noticed this before. I've restarted the MacBook several times, no change in the flicker in the Contact card display.

Thus far, I do not notice any flicker in other apps I use on the MacBook.

When I view a contact card on an iPhone 16 or iPad M3, the contact card is similarly shaded in purple and no flicker in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. The white horizontal lines separating fields on the card are more prominent on iPhone and iPad displays.

I suspect that this is a bug in MacOS 26, but wonder if others notice the same problem.

Posted on Sep 22, 2025 9:28 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

twiph Author

Level 1

32 points

Sep 27, 2025 6:16 AM in response to leroydouglas

This happens in Safe Mode, on multiple Mac platforms (both Apple silicon and Intel), and on different display devices. I've found that resizing the contact card window to make it tall and narrow (such as an iPhone display) seems to reduce the distractibility of the visual artifacts.

Perhaps "flicker" is the wrong word--shimmering rectangular shapes that are shadow-like which overlay the gradient purple contact card is the phenomenon. It is especially noticeable when mousing over the dock horizontally when the various different-sized shadow shapes pop up and recede on the contact card close to the dock.

I tried to do a screen capture (CMD-SHIFT-4) of the phenomenon, and when I do, the shimmering overlaid rectangular shadows disappear and the display looks normal and steady. Actually, this one consistent way to get the shimmering contact card to become steady and unchanging--until pressing the ESC key to exit the capture mode.

It looks to me like an unintended visual artifact of a dynamic-transparent-glass-overlay effect interacting with a gradient background on devices running MacOS 26? It does NOT happen on iOS 26 devices I have tried.

In any case, it is inconsistent, annoying, and interferes with reading the small white text on the purple-shaded contact card. It is a usability issue because it dynamically changes the visual contrast of the white text on the purple-shaded background in an unsteady manner--analogous reading a flickering outdoor neon display of script text AT NIGHT on a busy street in New York City--a "Times Square" effect. Or a randomly flickering fluorescent bulb that is failing to provide stable lighting in a dark room when trying to read a book.

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Answer 2

Sep 26, 2025 6:48 AM in response to twiph

twiph wrote:

I have noticed flickering of the screen in the Contacts app after installing MacOS 26.

It is inconsistent, and occasionally stable.

I have a MacBook Pro, 16-inch, Nov. 2023, Apple M3 Pro chip.

I suspect that this is a bug in MacOS 26, but wonder if others notice the same problem.

Yes the Contacts.app has a different look with no option too make a change to the presentation.

I am not seeing this flickering...

You can wait for a point-update to roll out to sort known issues in the upgraded OS.

Unknown issues do not get addressed

To be proactive you are encouraged to file a bug report / submit your Apple Feedback here:

Product Feedback - Apple

if there is some third party interference you can trouble shoot further

—A SafeBoot Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support will sort many anomalies

This test will tell you if third party interference; most extensions etc are not loaded in safe boot mode.

—Test issue in another user (or guest user) account Change Users & Groups settings on Mac - Apple Support

This will tell you if it a universal issue or isolated to your user/admin account.

no insight your other option would be to reinstall the macOS on top of the existing macOS

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

unplug all non-essential peripherals when testing

Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/VPN/Anti-Virus

all known to cause issues on the macOS

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Answer 3

bato0909

Level 1

4 points

Oct 6, 2025 10:42 AM in response to twiph

Contacts in Tahoe are a complete UX failure. The image of a contact is 1/3 of the space (and I don't have an image for companies), the background colour changes all the time with each contact based on the picture which is super annoying not to mention that on my machine, MacBook Pro 14" M1 Max chip Retina display, there is a flickering in that coloured area. Why would I need a "block" button for contacts I have added ? Mind-blowing idiocy. The only workaround for now to be able to read the data properly is to go into the edit mode. I hope they will change that quickly.

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Answer 4

twiph Author

Level 1

32 points

Sep 24, 2025 8:36 AM in response to twiph

Same problem with Contacts app running on other hardware and displays, including Mac Mini M1 with external display (LG monitor), and MacBook Pro 16", 2019 Intel Core i7, UHD graphics. I have submitted a bug report to Apple, as advised.

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Answer 5

Sep 26, 2025 5:41 AM in response to twiph

Also the same problem with Mac mini M4 connected to an ASUS PA279CV via USB-C.

Enabling and disabling HDR have not effect on the problem.

Saving a screenshot doesn't capture the error so the problem seems to be related to the video driver and not the GUI code.

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Answer 6

Sep 27, 2025 7:36 AM in response to twiph

I see the flicker when moving the cursor over a contact.

Here is gif of a screen recording demonstrating it:

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Answer 7

Oct 3, 2025 6:51 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

That's what the "flickering"looks like. I can see some flickering in the Final Cut UI too. The cause is the way Apple renders gradients. So no "reinstall the OS" WunderWaffe needed. It is a very anoying bug on a deep level. Besides the flickering look at the "design" of this panel. It is really hideous, no way to disable the gradient or adjust the "JD".

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