iPhone XR Eye Strain on iPhoneXR?

[TDDM]

I'd also sprinkle in a bit of skepticism that maybe both sensors weren't covered completely?

I’ll try again, maybe I’ll double layer it this time to be sure

Was the eyestrain residual by any chance?

I don’t think so, but I’ll switch back to my old phone for a day and then try using the XR tomorrow with fresh eyes and the double tape setup. I don’t really think Face ID is the culprit, but I’m grasping at straws too here.

 

[Gollygeewillikers]

I’ll try again, maybe I’ll double layer it this time to be sure

I don’t think so, but I’ll switch back to my old phone for a day and then try using the XR tomorrow with fresh eyes and the double tape setup. I don’t really think Face ID is the culprit, but I’m grasping at straws too here.

I'm at a total loss, if both OLED and LCD are messing with eyes all of a sudden. But not Face ID. Is there some stealth technology at work? Gotta find my tinfoil hat again.

 

[TDDM]

I'm at a total loss, if both OLED and LCD are messing with eyes all of a sudden. But not Face ID. Is there some stealth technology at work? Gotta find my tinfoil hat again.

Well the OLED screens causing eye strain makes sense, given that PWM flickering is a thing and seems to affect a decent amount of people.

But the XR LCD causing strain is honestly driving me crazy. Apparently it barely affects anyone, has nothing to do with any of the display settings or Face ID, and has no obvious cause. I'd swear I was going crazy or dealing with a placebo effect, except it happens consistently every single time I use the XR.

 

[grdx]

How'd you like the XS?

So I've just spent about 2 weeks with the 8 Plus and XS and had almost no issue with either phone! I went into the XS knowing about all the issues people were having with the OLED screens, but when I noticed how e-reader esque the screens were at the Apple Store I knew I had to try for myself. They were both comfortable to look at, with the XS being a brighter screen. I just turned my XR back on after not using it for 2 weeks and I started getting eye strain about 5 minutes into it. I've tried everything from getting a new matte screen protector that isn't as glossy/reflective, tried covering the notch, played with True Tone and the colours in Accessibility...still getting eye strain. I believe this is similar to the issue I have with my 2015 Pro where I have to have Night Shift on almost 24/7.

I'm not sure what to do about this, ideally I'd like to get an 8 Plus or the XS but my return timeframe has ended. I think I'll have my phone on Night Shift permanently for a few weeks and see what happens, and if I'm still dealing with this, I'll have to trade it in or sell it (I'm a student so money is tight).

How has everyone been doing with their XRs?

 

[BigBen2493]

So I've just spent about 2 weeks with the 8 Plus and XS and had almost no issue with either phone! I went into the XS knowing about all the issues people were having with the OLED screens, but when I noticed how e-reader esque the screens were at the Apple Store I knew I had to try for myself. They were both comfortable to look at, with the XS being a brighter screen. I just turned my XR back on after not using it for 2 weeks and I started getting eye strain about 5 minutes into it. I've tried everything from getting a new matte screen protector that isn't as glossy/reflective, tried covering the notch, played with True Tone and the colours in Accessibility...still getting eye strain. I believe this is similar to the issue I have with my 2015 Pro where I have to have Night Shift on almost 24/7.

I'm not sure what to do about this, ideally I'd like to get an 8 Plus or the XS but my return timeframe has ended. I think I'll have my phone on Night Shift permanently for a few weeks and see what happens, and if I'm still dealing with this, I'll have to trade it in or sell it (I'm a student so money is tight).

How has everyone been doing with their XRs?

New matte screen protector? Are you talking about the belkin anti glare they have in the Apple store?

 

[grdx]

New matte screen protector? Are you talking about the belkin anti glare they have in the Apple store?

I just googled it and it seems similar? It's like a matte glass protector rather than a thin sticky sheet you stick on. It makes everything less sharp/saturated and a little harder to read so I'm thinking it's worsening the issue haha

 

[BigBen2493]

I just googled it and it seems similar? It's like a matte glass protector rather than a thin sticky sheet you stick on. It makes everything less sharp/saturated and a little harder to read so I'm thinking it's worsening the issue haha

Where did you get it from?

 

[GlenK]

At this point I'm figuring I'm through with iPhones. Will use my 8+ until it won't work anymore then see if the iPhones at that time give me headaches. If so I will just look for something simple and cheap that's easy on the eyes. I tried everything with X, Xs, and XR and they all just hurt too bad to even think of trying to use.

 

[scandinavia3]

This eye strain is all very frustrating. Part of me does wonder if there is another cause for the headaches. However, they did finally disappear when I got an iPhone SE, so there was clearly something bothering me with both the XS and the XR. When I returned my XR to the Apple store, the employee asked why I was returning it. When I told him, he questioned me about the headaches, and said that he had never heard of it, but that he'd been getting headaches ever since buying his new iphone. He planned to use his Apple watch for phone calls for three days, to test if his phone was the culprit. I'm planning to see if the new 2019 phones address the eye strain issues, and if not, buy the iphone 8+.

I'm also in the market for a new iPad (preference for ipad mini, b/c it's lighter and easier to hold). Has anyone had eye strain problems with the new iPads? I've been using iPad minis (older versions) for years without any issues. Actually, I also need to upgrade my Macbook Pro. Are there any eye strain issues with the new Macbooks? Not tied to a Pro; I just want one with a good amount of memory b/c I store a lot of videos.

 

[Zxxv]

Does it feel like you are looking at the screen using a pair of glasses with the wrong prescription?

Looking at the xr makes me think I need glasses. Switching to an 8+ and/or Xs Max makes me realise it’s not my eyes. The xr res is crap.

 

[TDDM]

I'm also in the market for a new iPad (preference for ipad mini, b/c it's lighter and easier to hold). Has anyone had eye strain problems with the new iPads?

Huh, I haven’t thought about testing the iPad Pros as well. Since they have the same new “liquid retina” display stuff, I wonder if we’ll have the same issues. At least that would narrow it down to being either the new display or Face ID and not just something with the XR.

Anyone have a iPad Pro they could test with?

 

[thewhitetower]

For me it seems it’s definitely the Face ID.

Just unboxed an XS (have experienced eye strain and eye twitching on XR and X models) and didn’t set up Face ID during setup...some apps loaded during set up so played around a bit and eyes were feeling okay, albeit this was for only 5-10 mins...was hopeful at this stage as on previous XR and X models eyes would play up within 5 mins of looking at the screen..

And then...decided to set up Face ID..as soon as set up finished...BANG! ...eyes started aching and twitching started in right eye...

Reset it and boxed it up for return

Back to my Galaxy S10 which doesn’t cause me any strain whatsoever...

 

[martin2345uk]

Looking at the xr makes me think I need glasses. Switching to an 8+ and/or Xs Max makes me realise it’s not my eyes. The xr res is crap.

The sharpness is exactly the same as the 8, nobody said that phone made them need glasses...

 

[grdx]

The sharpness is exactly the same as the 8, nobody said that phone made them need glasses...

When I looked at them side by side I found the 8 much easier on the eyes. It was noticeably clearer and sharper, whereas the XR looked as though it was slightly out of focus or something. My eyes definitely had to make more of an effort to focus on the XR screen.

 

[TDDM]

I may have found something, can someone else try this?

-Night Shift on, set the temp around 75% or higher on the bar in display settings (This is the important one)
-True Tone can be on or off (I had it on)
-Brightness at 40% ish

I’ve been using this setup for a few hours and have had much less eye strain than usual, although I don’t know why night shift would have this effect. True Tone doesn’t help, but Night shift seems to remove a lot of the strain.

 

[Geoffrey_J]

Here's my story..

I traded in my 6s for the IPhone 8 last week, I got the 8 for what seems like an excellent price (399$ after trade-in). While there, they tried to sell me on the Xr for (549$ after trade-in) but was reluctant mainly because of the size. Alas, after I used the 8 for a few days (No Eye Strain Issues) I kept thinking it wasn't much different from the 6s and decided to go back in and exchange it for an XR just to get something newer/different. I've now been using the XR for 3 days and have experience some eye issues.

Let me start out by saying I really like a lot of features on the XR (Camera & Battery Life) being the best, as just in a few days I can already tell a big difference between this and the Iphone 8.

With that being said, at times, something just seems off, I feel as if my eyes are working extra hard to focus against the white background. It almost feels as if I'm wearing the wrong contact prescription while reading text on the screen. My biggest issue is after use of the phone, I've found myself struggling to adjust my eyes back to normal, which is scary. I've messed with the true tone, night shift, text size, reduce motion and unfortunately something still seems off...

Something with the white background on this phone seems to have a weird hue to it, almost pinkish, I compared the screen to a 7-plus and the difference was quite noticeable. So while text messaging, I have found to have my biggest eye strain. I have no idea if this is causing my strain, but maybe?? Either way, it sucks, I want to love this phone, but am leaning towards heading back in and switching back to the 8 or trying the 8-Plus..

 

[agrouchyblackberry]

I've only read a few pages of this thread, so apologies if this has been mentioned before, but could some of the eye strain on the XR be due to the screen's representation of colours?

There might be nothing to this whatsoever, but I've been using a 6S for almost 2 years and comparing it to the XR, the screen on the latter is warmer, even with True Tone turned off and the brightness on both phones set to max. As an example, the same white image on both phones - just a rectangle of white - look different: on the 6S the white is very crisp with hints of blue and red. On the XR, the white is more faded, with a hint of yellow/green.

When viewing this forum, the 6S has great contrast with the black text very clear on the white background. Text on the XR, however, is slightly more difficult to make out, as it and the white background have less contrast even with Increase Contrast option in Settings turned on. I'm short-sighted but can hold a phone at arm's length with only slight loss of focus, doing this and zooming into the text, it feels my eyes have to work that bit more on the XR screen than the 6S.

I've wanted to upgrade phones for a few reasons, one of which is a bigger screen so it's easier to read on. Tried a refurbished Google Pixel 2XL and the screen colour was incredibly warm, eventually I sent it back suspecting screen burn and the shop accepted that. The colours on the XR I have are closer to the 2XL's warmth than the 6S' coolness though, so I'm unsure if there's a general trend towards warmer screens these days. I'm not experiencing eye strain from the XR per se, but somehow my eyes feel fuzzier after looking at it, and that's how I've landed here.

 

[Neuronum]

I get eye strain from my iPad and iPad Pro 2018. What really matters, is the screen sharpness (acutance) and the way of apple to sharpen text.
You can reduce eye strain by turning on “reduce white point” from settings, and tuning it to 36% or so.
You may test my opinion by capturing a screenshot of full text, then running a blur filter (such as Gaussian Blur) using a photoshop like app. Finally, you can notice that your eye strain has gone away. What a blur filter really changes, is exactly the screen sharpness.

 

[SouthernGuy12]

Neither my wife or I have eye strain from our XR phones. We like the dark mode (black background) on our phones.

 

[jagolden]

Staring at any bright light will strain your eyes and generally give you headaches.
So... why bo I see so many thread comments where people say the keep the brightness turned up all the way?!
I keep my phone and pad down in the 30-36 range. Plenty bright for use.

 

[majkom]

Yeah, sure. But firstly those people did not change their habbits/behavior with X series, they used their pre X iphones in the same way and without headaches.. and secondly, there were threads about keeping brightness to the max (for X and Xs) - trying to get rid of pwm (but again just after they had headaches with their usual usage/behavior)... so your post is fine, but worthless.

 

[agrouchyblackberry]

I get eye strain from my iPad and iPad Pro 2018. What really matters, is the screen sharpness (acutance) and the way of apple to sharpen text.
You can reduce eye strain by turning on “reduce white point” from settings, and tuning it to 36% or so.
You may test my opinion by capturing a screenshot of full text, then running a blur filter (such as Gaussian Blur) using a photoshop like app. Finally, you can notice that your eye strain has gone away. What a blur filter really changes, is exactly the screen sharpness.

I haven't tried your method, but I agree with you. After comparing the screens of the 6s, 7 Plus, XR, and XS, it seems the ppi can make a difference for text, at least to me. The 7 Plus and XS have smoother text, similar with the blur effect you describe, I imagine, whereas the 6s and XR's text isn't as smooth. It's fine on the small screen of the 6s, but on the larger on XR it was noticeable enough to be interfering. Images do look great on the XR though.

 

[Tijdelijk]

This is what we need on the XS and XS Max DC dimming option so no PWM dimming:

https://www.smartprix.com/bytes/oneplus-7-pro-gets-dc-dimming-whats-it-and-how-to-enable-it/

 

[TDDM]

This is what we need DC dimming option so no PWM dimming:

https://www.smartprix.com/bytes/oneplus-7-pro-gets-dc-dimming-whats-it-and-how-to-enable-it/

Wow, that's pretty huge. It says that the feature was included in a software update, does that mean there are no specific hardware requirements? Or did the oneplus 7 have the actual screen configured for this ahead of time?

Either way, this shows that there IS a way around PWM for us in the future. Considering how good Apple is with accessibility (Switchcontrol, assistivetouch, display filters, hearing aid, etc), I'd be surprised if this didn't eventually come to iPhones.

Assuming this feature actually solves the issue for us, we should each submit feedback specifically asking for the DC Dimming option.

 

[renee_gabel]

I upgraded from my 6 to the XR and have had some eye strain on the XR that I didn't have with the 6. I haven't yet tried experimenting with the notch covered. I'll do that to rule out screen vs FaceID.

I've always been hypersensitive to bulbs flickering and bad screens....but this is the first Apple product I've had trouble with (various iPads, MacBook Pro, etc). I haven't tried an OLED phone, so this is the first I'm reading about PWM.



Thats a decent point and I'm considering that as well...but I feel the strain almost right away.

I upgraded from my 6 to the XR and have had some eye strain on the XR that I didn't have with the 6. I haven't yet tried experimenting with the notch covered. I'll do that to rule out screen vs FaceID.

I've always been hypersensitive to bulbs flickering and bad screens....but this is the first Apple product I've had trouble with (various iPads, MacBook Pro, etc). I haven't tried an OLED phone, so this is the first I'm reading about PWM.



Thats a decent point and I'm considering that as well...but I feel the strain almost right away.

I also went from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone XR, and noticed some severe eye strain and headaches/nausea right away. After turning off the face recognition and retina scan, and covering the notch with some stickers for good measure, I noticed a big difference.

Unfortunately, I'm still experiencing some noticeable eye strain when I use my phone, even when it's only for a moment. I'm hoping it's just my eyes being extra sensitive after the initial eye strain from the IR scanning, but wondering if anyone else is in the same boat and if there is any advice on what to try next? I've tried changing the brightness, white levels, zoom, contrast, true tone, and night shift.

I jumped through some hoops to get this phone (including changing the phone number I've had forever), and other than this I love it. But if it hurts my eyes every time I use it then that's obviously not going to work long term.