PLEASE HELP: iPhone 3GS White Screen!

[masi23]

Hey guys,

I just bought my friend's jailbroken/unlocked 32GB 3GS (about 1 month ago).
Everything works great but cosmetically, the back housing was not in top
shape. So i decided to replace it. The new housing came today, and i did
surgery for a few hours. Everything looked fine (fits good). But then i
pressed the power button to wake it up from a sleep (lock). All i see is a
white scree!? I did this a few times, and everytime i hit the power button, it
still shows a white screen! (can still hear noise from swipe to unlock)


So i did the hold home and power (sleep) button to turn it off. And it did. It
showed the Apple logo and it went blank. I turn it on again, and there is the
apple logo once more. Now everything is back to normal as it seems. I can
watch videos, plays apps, and listen to music. But then i press sleep button,
and then again to wake up... and there it is! White Screen! As mentioned, I
can still hear the unlocking sound when i swipe the screen, but it just stays
a blank white screen.

I did the reset again and it went back to normal, but taking it to sleep and
waking it up puts me back to the same problem.

What do you think went wrong? I checked everything inside, and it looks like
everything is right where they should be (I should disassemble again to make
sure). The phone was never dropped and i was very careful with taking it
apart (i think i was).

Is this a firmware issue? Hardware? Maybe i touched something that shouldn't
be touched. lol. Help.

T_T

 

[masi23]

bump.

anyone?

 

[Applejuiced]

Probably a Hardware thing but try a restore anyway.

 

[irnbru32]

- First, press and hold the HOME button.
- Second, press and hold the UP volume button as well.
- Third, with those still held, press and hold the SLEEP button.

 

[Gadgetgeezer]

You get a white screen when the LCD connector isn't properly seated. Also, the connector needs the foam black sticky pad on it to keep it on the board when the screen is placed back down. If the connector is a little loose and they do get loose, you will think it is on when it isn't. I have a test phone for my business and because I have used it so much, the connector is very loose now and I often curse my white screen.

 

[chargit]

You get a white screen when the LCD connector isn't properly seated. Also, the connector needs the foam black sticky pad on it to keep it on the board when the screen is placed back down. If the connector is a little loose and they do get loose, you will think it is on when it isn't. I have a test phone for my business and because I have used it so much, the connector is very loose now and I often curse my white screen.

Spencer are you talking about the #1 sticker? I have never thought of that before. not sure if that will make a difference because it doesnt touch the board.

OP I had one just like you are saying a month or so ago that was still under warranty. I replaced the lcd and everything worked perfect. my issue was exactly as you described. works perfect when reboot but then turns white coming out of sleep mode. but the lcd replacement fixed it. so I sent it back to apple and they swapped it. Spencer's suggestion may work and I agree that normally it is not plugged in correctly that is why it works sometimes and then it doesnt but not sure about the foam padding........

 

[masi23]

@ applejuice - will try a restore

@ irnbru32 - Didn't work did this a few times...

@ Gatgetdeezer - Hmmm... i never thought of that. I think ive checked all the 'connectors' to the logic board more than 20 times by now and they look snug fit. But it does feel a bit weird when i set the LCD down to close the phone up. Does this mean the connection is loose whenever i snap the phone close? It still has its foam padding btw. Should i try putting back in the old housing?

@ chargit - well, unfortunately, it didn't have warranty when i bought it off my friend. Even if it did, its voided since i replaced the housing.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll post an update when possible. Might take a video.

 

[Gadgetgeezer]

The #1 sticker (foam pad) is on there for a reason. It ensures the connector stays on the board permanently otherwise, with a bit of shock, it can become disconnected. It fills the space between the top of the connector and the metal plate of the LCD holder which 'hinges' down as you put the screen back on. I have seen alot of repaired phones without it - it should and must be applied. It is part of the design and not there to make it look pretty.

Try turning the phone on with your thumb holding the connector snuggly to the board with the case open. You should ensure you are grounded with an anti static wrist strap too - should never work on anything electronic without anti static measures. If you get white screen again ensure that you have a good positive fit and just turn the phone off and on again to reset.

 

[chargit]

The #1 sticker (foam pad) is on there for a reason. It ensures the connector stays on the board permanently otherwise, with a bit of shock, it can become disconnected. It fills the space between the top of the connector and the metal plate of the LCD holder which 'hinges' down as you put the screen back on. I have seen alot of repaired phones without it - it should and must be applied. It is part of the design and not there to make it look pretty.

makes sense!

 

[masi23]

The #1 sticker (foam pad) is on there for a reason. It ensures the connector stays on the board permanently otherwise, with a bit of shock, it can become disconnected. It fills the space between the top of the connector and the metal plate of the LCD holder which 'hinges' down as you put the screen back on. I have seen alot of repaired phones without it - it should and must be applied. It is part of the design and not there to make it look pretty.

Try turning the phone on with your thumb holding the connector snuggly to the board with the case open. You should ensure you are grounded with an anti static wrist strap too - should never work on anything electronic without anti static measures. If you get white screen again ensure that you have a good positive fit and just turn the phone off and on again to reset.

Tried it and its still the same result

Im thinking of changing the LCD, but ive read in a few forums that they still had the same problems... maybe its the logic board?

 

[masi23]

Update

Ok guys, did a bit more tinkering last night and i think its definitely hardware.

Had the phone opened up and i was pressing down the 1 connection, still wouldn't work. Then i tried putting some pressure on the ribbon/cable itself (pictured below pointed by the screw driver) and the white screen disappeared and it showed the home screen! ...then it went away a split second later! I did it a few times and it was hit and miss. It had to be the right position, the right pressure, and the right hold to make the white screen go away. I think the longest i had it held was 3-5 seconds before getting the white screen again.

Now im sure its the LCD... Or is it? I took apart the screen assembly leaving out the LCD and connected that to the board. I did the same process and it was still the same. But, after a few tries, the LCD woudn't light up anymore. I thought the battery died so i charged it up a few hours. But now it won't turn on! Geez... this is horrible. I plug it in to my desktop but iTunes won't recognize it (although i do hear a sound whenever i connect the USB). Held the power button and home button for who knows how many seconds and nothing. Ok, now maybe its the mother board, but that thing is like $80-$100 a pop on eBay. Maybe the battery isn't charging? Where's Sherlock Holmes when you need'em!!!

Yahp, i guess i made the situation worse. Still, i want to get to the bottom of this...

 

[sdb318]

this is also happening to me. did you figure it out?

 

[astrakick10]

hi im new here have you tried to put the phone into dfu mode if you google dfu mode the first website tells you how to do it.

 

[mmthomas]

- First, press and hold the HOME button.
- Second, press and hold the UP volume button as well.
- Third, with those still held, press and hold the SLEEP button.

This worked for me. 3GS after many install messups, the screen was white after pushing sleep button. 5.0.1

 

[luisadastwin]

I've changed Glass + Digitizer many times (after cracking up the glass) and I got a White Screen.

So, the first time I got the White Screen, I replaced LCD for a new one (20$ eBay LCD) and solved the problem.

Now, occasionally, screen can go white again and a simple tap on power off and then on again solves the problem temporarily (or a reset with 10 seconds POWER + HOME).

For what I've read in many posts, it's almost certain that there's an hardware issue in the LCD or the main board connectors / ribbons when you got a white screen.

Of course, everybody is always hoping (like me) to solve occasional white screen without having to replace LCD.