Not really because we don't know, manufacturers used to use dc dimming which controlled the brightness with actual current, then they switched to a software imitation of that .. which is you guessed it.. much worse (at least in terms of reducing flicker).
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 17 Models Include Toggle to Disable Screen Flickering (PWM)
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
*if* Apple have done this properly, it will be very much dependent on the hardware config. A company of Apple's resources could well have done it for all models, but I suspect they'll bank on the fact that anyone afflicted with this nightmare will shell out for the Pro - I would literally pay double if I could use it symptom free!
For anyone wondering what everyone on this thread is talking about, (PWM flicker) there's an ongoing thread in the iPhone forum on MR that was started 8 years ago and has 487 pages of comments of PWM despair.
forums.macrumors.com
Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up
Hello all, I thought I'd post here about an issue I've been having and see if anyone else is experiencing the same thing. When I'm using the phone my eyes feel strained, like, they're trying to focus on the screen. Also, I've noticed that when I look away from my phone at something else, my...
forums.macrumors.com
Looks like it is Pro only. It been mentioned few times and someone posted live chat asking Apple (earlier in this thread) and they said it is Pro only.
I had honestly given up any hope of being able to upgrade from my iPhone 11. This is SO exciting! I would never have opted for a Pro model ordinarily but I’ll pay whatever I need to for a flagship phone in 2025 that I can actually use after so long persisting with an iPhone XR and 11.
Please don’t disappoint us, Apple. 🙏
Please don’t disappoint us, Apple. 🙏
Yea, I get it - I was just pointing out the standard 17 is enough phone for my needs but I'll have to order the Pro. If Apple can address PWM on iPhone then I very much hope they do the same for iPad Pro and Macbook Pro moving forward. Pro, Pro, Pro - take my money. I've been locked out of new Apple hardware for too long due to PWM & dithering.
This is slightly confusing given that an Apple customer service rep told someone it would only be in the Pro models…
I wonder where confirmation comes from? Everywhere I can see says Pro only. Did Apple say anything?
Stuck on the Iphone 11 I've not even had 5G yet.
Really hope this works and drags me into the modern era and not keeping me at 4G.
Really hope this works and drags me into the modern era and not keeping me at 4G.
Could you provide the link or citation for the "iOS 26 release candidate" so we can read for ourselves?
The iPhone 17 models include an Accessibility setting to disable pulse width modulation (PWM), according to information found in the iOS 26 release candidate.
There will be a toggle located in the Display and Text Size section of the Accessibility settings on the iPhone 17, labeled "Display Pulse Smoothing." Users will be able to turn PWM on, or turn it off. A description:
We have confirmed that the PWM toggle is available on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. It's also likely available on the iPhone Air.
Pulse width modulation is used for adjusting the brightness of a display. PWM is designed to quickly switch LED or OLED pixels on or off to control the brightness that people perceive. Some users are bothered by PWM and can see a flickering at lower brightness levels.
Affected users often complain of eye strain, headaches, and other symptoms, but it is a technology that display makers use because it is energy efficient. The iPhone 17 models could provide those who are bothered by PWM with a fix.
Update: This article has been updated to clarify that the setting to turn off PWM is available on all iPhone 17 models.
Article Link: iPhone 17 Models Include Toggle to Disable Screen Flickering (PWM)
Don’t trust apple service reps at this stage. Have you ever tried explaining pwm to apple service reps ? They don’t even know what it is? Most people don’t know. The device isn’t even out yet. I am assuming that someone tested the feature at the apple event or they have looked through the iOS 26 rc for the strings which indicate this setting.
The iPhone 17 is using the same screen as the iPhone 16 Pro. Tim Cooks likes his supply chain systems.
This is probably a hardware feature in the screen, and we will have to wait for the regular phone to get the same screen.
No idea why it isn’t included in the Air though…might be space issue?
We won’t really know until we find out how they are doing the dimming.
If all they are doing is adding a software feature, then I probably won’t be very good anyway.
The article has been updated:
"We have confirmed that the PWM toggle is available on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. It's also likely available on the iPhone Air."
Well, when a mobile OLED display is at full brightness, and thus not using PWN, it can obviously still show darker shades along with brighter shades.
My guess is that it's just difficult to make super-fine adjustments to pixel brightness, and the lower the overall display brightness is, the smaller those steps in brightness become. That may lead to banding/posterization, noise, and/or change of gamma.
It's easier to just adjust the length of time all the pixels are lit up. If you just show each pixel for 1/10 of the time, you get 1/10 of the brightness, without having to worry about any of the issues I listed.
No, not vaccinated. I was infected in New York in March 2020 initially (did not get long COVID from this infection) and advised against it by my immunologist after a previous reaction when I was a teenager over a decade earlier. The omicron wave in the summer of 2022 is what did it for me. I isolated for years and unfortunately someone lied and had COVID, infected a family member, who gave it to me.
Post-viral and post-vaccine long COVID are both real outcomes. Unfortunately evidence we have show repeat infections increase the likelihood and exposure to the spike protein is bad no matter the source. Everyone made the best decision for themselves they could at the time with the information they had.
My point in sharing my long COVID diagnosis is to highlight the massive increase in users having this issue over the past few years. Prior to COVID flicker sensitivity was common among those with ME/CFS, Lupus, epilepsy, POTS, and other conditions. It’s important to make it clear this isn’t a matter of getting new glasses - most of us have 20/20 vision! I bring this up because this has been a talking point used by many over the years to dismiss the PWM and dithering issue.
Apple has a feature to dim the screen when strobing lights are detected for those with epilepsy. It’s kind of ironic that the PWM and dithering they utilize on their phones, laptops, and desktops can and have triggered seizures in individuals like myself.
I hope Apple will roll out this Accessibility feature to their Macs, and also add an option to disable Apple Silicon GPU spatiotemporal dithering as well as FRC on their 8-bit+FRC screens they use for every model except for the Pro Display XDR.