You do know that the data from Face ID is stored securely and can‘t be used to re-model your face? And if it‘s off, it‘s off - should be easy to refuse with infrared sensors. And if someone really, really is worried about their camera taking pics and videos, just remember that they a) need lots of space on your phone which would be noticed, b) use a lot of mobile data if sent „home“ (we‘re assuming that ofc), and c) you could always put a sticker over it. I‘m willing to listen to evidence, but so far, we have heard nothing from security researchers, hackers or else.
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iPhone XR Eye Strain on iPhoneXR?
- Thread starter sddabrow
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I know I'm super late for summarizing an initial problem here, but if anyone is still observing this thread, I did not read through all of it but wanted to congregate some of the issues that are at play here:
I think it's good to continue this discussion because based on the latest rumors, later this year Apple will release 3 new iPhone models all with OLED screens that will vary in size. Because of this we'll likely have to revisit this discussion again later on anyway.
Also in 2020 (2 iPhone's from now), they are likely to go back to in screen finger print scanners, or in addition to Face ID, just an FYI (based on latest rumors). This is good news for some if the issue is Face ID but not if just OLED.
- LCD OLED (X and newer) vs (XR and older)
- Face ID (newer devices) vs Touch ID (older devices, and potential future devices through built in fingerprint scanner)
- True Tone on vs off (software and hardware dependent)
- Resolution (XS at 458 PPI vs 8 PLUS at 401 PPI vs 8 REGULAR 326 PPI)
- Other miscellaneous changes like display zoom on/off, night shift on/off, using auto brightness vs static 80-100% brightness, etc.
- Having personal eye sight glasses/contacts on vs off
I think it's good to continue this discussion because based on the latest rumors, later this year Apple will release 3 new iPhone models all with OLED screens that will vary in size. Because of this we'll likely have to revisit this discussion again later on anyway.
Also in 2020 (2 iPhone's from now), they are likely to go back to in screen finger print scanners, or in addition to Face ID, just an FYI (based on latest rumors). This is good news for some if the issue is Face ID but not if just OLED.
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If the new OLED screens have a faster "frequency," would that alleviate the issues for many people? Please excuse my rather basic understanding, but I thought that there was something about the low frequency of the OLED screens currently in use.
I don't know how the the underlying tech works on that level, so I'm not the best person to answer that.
As another OLED data point for reference:
I've got a battery charger (that's used to charge 48V battery packs- not for iPhone obviously) and it has an OLED display that shows charging status. That screen has a very slow flicker rate that's easily detected just by moving your eyes past it. If it's set to low brightness, the flickering is borderline strobe effect - that's how slow it is.
Since I only glance at it for a couple seconds during a charge session, and it's so tiny, I don't get eyestrain, but the flickering is very noticeable to me. At max brightness, it isn't as bad.
So yes, OLED screens can have different PWM frequencies- and the flickering frequency on Apple's OLED screens is still too low.
I've got a battery charger (that's used to charge 48V battery packs- not for iPhone obviously) and it has an OLED display that shows charging status. That screen has a very slow flicker rate that's easily detected just by moving your eyes past it. If it's set to low brightness, the flickering is borderline strobe effect - that's how slow it is.
Since I only glance at it for a couple seconds during a charge session, and it's so tiny, I don't get eyestrain, but the flickering is very noticeable to me. At max brightness, it isn't as bad.
So yes, OLED screens can have different PWM frequencies- and the flickering frequency on Apple's OLED screens is still too low.
Just dropping by now that I've been on other OLED displays for a couple of months. I've been using a Pixel 3XL since January and a Samsung s10+. No eye strain on either. No migraines. I find them to actually be easier on my eyes than the Xr display and have switched reading Kindle books over to these phones, especially my 3XL, which has the most comfortable display of them all, somehow.
Initially when I first used my husband's S10+ I had trouble focusing on the text and found the display looked jittery. But Samsung has issued numerous updates and must have done something because my S10+ that arrived a few days ago has been fine. I use it both with and without my glasses. There are a lot of display settings on it that can be adjusted.
I still get on well with my Xr display but it definitely isn't as comfortable as my iPhone 8 Plus display has been. I still own the 8Plus but it's often borrowed by my daughter for now.
So OLED doesn't have to spell doom for us iPhone users with pwm sensitivity. Clearly Apple is doing something with their displays, some weird power management thing perhaps, that is wreaking havoc with some people's vision.
Initially when I first used my husband's S10+ I had trouble focusing on the text and found the display looked jittery. But Samsung has issued numerous updates and must have done something because my S10+ that arrived a few days ago has been fine. I use it both with and without my glasses. There are a lot of display settings on it that can be adjusted.
I still get on well with my Xr display but it definitely isn't as comfortable as my iPhone 8 Plus display has been. I still own the 8Plus but it's often borrowed by my daughter for now.
So OLED doesn't have to spell doom for us iPhone users with pwm sensitivity. Clearly Apple is doing something with their displays, some weird power management thing perhaps, that is wreaking havoc with some people's vision.
Thank you everyone for your input! I went to the Apple Store a few days ago and tried out the 8 Plus and XS in comparison to my XR. I've read everywhere that the 6 and the XR have the exact same screen, but turns out they don't? One of the associates showed me a page on the Apple site where you can compare any 2 iPhones and they were in fact different displays (I can't remember what the difference is and the Apple support chat people don't have access to this page). I bought the 8 Plus to try out and it doesn't seem to be giving me any eye strain, and I will probably do the same with the XS in a few days. The OLED screen was surprisingly comfortable, almost like a Kindle, so I'm surprised at how many people have been saying that it's causing them strain.
Meanwhile, I used my XR for about 10 minutes today and my eyes started feeling tired after 2 minutes and I developed a headache that lasted awhile, which is really peculiar as I rarely get headaches
Meanwhile, I used my XR for about 10 minutes today and my eyes started feeling tired after 2 minutes and I developed a headache that lasted awhile, which is really peculiar as I rarely get headaches
Switching back and forth between the Xr and 8Plus displays definitely caused me eye strain. I had to pick my Xr and stick with it so I could properly adjust to it. The 8 Plus display is better for reading.
Did you end up going back to/sticking with the XR? I'm still using the 8 and XR, have no issues with the 8 and I think my eye strain with the XR is decreasing. I have until Wednesday to decide between the 2 and I'm still not sure about it...but the guy I spoke to when I called Apple Support today suggested that I play with the hues in Accessibility --> Display Accommodations --> Color Filters
Yes I've stuck with the Xr. However I gave up trying to read ebooks on it I actually found the OLED display of my Pixel 3XL to be the best display I own for reading ebooks on.
No ideas. I gave up using XS and XR long time ago and went back to 8.
Interestingly enough a friend of mine got the XR a week ago and started having migraines too, to the point he returned it. When he returned it the Apple guys at the store told him he was the first to complain about headache ever. Hard to believe. Glad to see I am not the only “weirdo” in my cycle of friends.
God knows what it is that is causing the eye strain.
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How has the XR been for you? After reading all the negativity about OLED displays on the X/XS, I tried it out quickly at the Apple Store and was surprised to see how easy on the eyes it was. It was like looking at an e-reader.
It's been okay for reading text...I am referring to the XR. I prefer the display on my 8 Plus, though, for text.
As long as it is not on an iPhone, I can use OLED and do great on my Pixel 3XL display which is a Samsung OLED. In fact I do best on the Pixel 3XL display when it comes to reading text.
For watching movies, my Xr is fantastic and so is my Galaxy S10+ . When it comes to movies and videos we are now dealing with many other factors which affect quality of the experience.
I did watch a movie on my XS Max and did not have any issues. It was when I tried to use the OLED display of my XS Max for other uses that I got migraine seizures with health effects that very much mimic the effects of stroke and early stages of MS, like losing the ability to speak and read and understand speech and losing fine motor control of my hands and legs. Very scary stuff.
Iphone OLED isn't my only trigger for such migraines. I'm horribly sensitive to soy. My attempt to go vegan and eat a lot of tofu was, needless to say, quite a disaster!
I wonder if Apple quietly changed something on their displays. I don't think it was ever a hardware "problem" so much as their patented power management system that controls how pixels were turned off and on. They just didn't have the ordinary garden variety pwm as far as I could tell. I had to dig up some obscure article, which I've since lost track of, to find a reference to them doing something a bit unique for power management on their OLED display.
Initially it appeared Samsung decided to do something similar for the S10 series. When my husband first got his S10+ it looked horrible to me. I could not focus on text at all. It was very reminiscent of the iPhone OLED display. I checked the phones out at Best Buy and had trouble with their displays, too, and almost canceled my preorder.
Due to a backorder situation I received my own S10+ over a month later and the display was fine, very similar to the one on my S9+. I actually can see the pwm flicker of the display but it does not bother me. Anyway I know Samsung was constantly sending updates to S10 owners and I suspect they sent one that made the display less offensive to my vision.
I will have to ask my husband if I can take a look at his XS Max. He has switched to Android and it's in a drawer somewhere. I'll see if I can update it and determine if the display has changed via an update. I won't get around to this anytime soon though.
Thank you for this! I'm sorry to hear about your soy issue! I have also decided to keep my 128GB XR - I got it for a steal and downgrading to a 64GB 8 Plus would only save me about $70 with my contract. I really hope I'll be able to use it as much as I did previous iPhones.
I’ve been doing some research on these screens to see if there’s something that might cause eye strain, I haven’t really had any luck. I’ve been able to confirm that none of these are the cause or help the issue:
1. The oleophobic coating. It seems like newer apple products are all getting this, and it’s pretty much the only thing I can see that’s different about the XR. I don’t even know if the coating could somehow cause eye strain though.
2. Something with the new liquid retina technology that we have no way of verifying or checking. If this is the case, we’re just screwed lol.
- Face ID (Tried covering the XR Face ID sensor with black electrical tape, no change)
- True Tone
- Night Shift
- Brightness levels
- White Point
- Color Filters
- Usage Time
- The PPI doesn’t matter
- Text size
1. The oleophobic coating. It seems like newer apple products are all getting this, and it’s pretty much the only thing I can see that’s different about the XR. I don’t even know if the coating could somehow cause eye strain though.
2. Something with the new liquid retina technology that we have no way of verifying or checking. If this is the case, we’re just screwed lol.
The oleophobic coating has absolutely nothing to do with eye strain, and the "Liquid Retina Display" is just a new LCD display with a catchy marketing label.
I think someone needs to completely tape off the top of the camera to rule out if the proximity detector which is constantly flashing in your eyes is the culprit. For all we know it could be newer design with a stronger output
I think someone needs to completely tape off the top of the camera to rule out if the proximity detector which is constantly flashing in your eyes is the culprit. For all we know it could be newer design with a stronger output
You look directly into the sensor? Why?
My eyes never make contact with it.
People are alarmists and looking to “create” issues that don’t exist.
So you covered the "notch" with tape and it didn't make a difference? That's an interesting outcome for an experiment.
I tend to agree with you. My suspicion is the glass as well. Coating or something else on it.
There has to be *something* different about it. Something is causing the eye strain.
I did, I completely blocked out any IR light from the sensor and had the same issues.
Not sure if this is supposed to be sarcastic, but people have been theorizing that the IR light from the Face ID sensor can cause eye strain. As I said in my post, I tried covering it but still had the issues.
It’s just really weird how it’s seemingly affecting very few people. I use like 8 other LCD devices with absolutely no issue, but the XR just gives me headaches almost instantly.
Well done, glad someone on here finally sprung for electrical tape to test! Haha. I'd also sprinkle in a bit of skepticism that maybe both sensors weren't covered completely? Does the phone even work properly with both IR sensors covered? Just playing devil's advocate. I do trust that you did that. If we can rule out Infrared, then I'm stumped. Was the eyestrain residual by any chance? Grasping at straws here. Thanks for testing.