How to fix Galaxy S7 burn-in issue (screen showing pinkish tinge) that won’t go away
Hello and welcome to today’s #GalaxyS7 troubleshooting article. This post tackles a display issue that shows persistent image or discoloration on the screen of the Galaxy S7 commonly called burn-in issue. If this is the first time to hear about this problem, read on.
Problem: Galaxy S7 screen showing pinkish tinge (burn-in issue) that won’t go away
Galaxy S7 – Screen has a hazy overlay that covers about 90% of the screen. I can temporarily remove it by manually adjusting the brightness but it leaves me with a pinkish tinge. However, after a minute or so, the haziness returns. I’ve adjusted the screen mode to AMOLED cinema and it still didn’t work. I’ve reset several times – not a fix either. I’m stumped as I seem to be the only person experiencing this. All of the other youtubes or chat rooms have a completely grayed or blacked out screen – mine is just hazy looking. — PJ
How to fix Galaxy S7 burn-in issue
The issue you’re having is what is called screen burn-in. An issue like this is due to the limitation of display technology Samsung is using. Your S7 has an Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED) display which may eventually succumbed to burn-in issue. The thing is, screen burn-in issue is permanent and may not be eliminated totally. You can, however, mitigate its effects or lessen the damage by tweaking some settings or using some apps designed to minimize screen burn-in issue (we haven’t tried them though so we can’t say if they’re effective or not).
Burn-in issue can occur in devices that use AMOLED and OLED displays. It’s not very common to Samsung Galaxy devices because they’re using hardware buttons.
What is burn-in issue?
Screen burn-in occurs when an image is allowed to be displayed long enough that said image is “burned” into the screen, effectively leaving a faint or persistent after-image. If you’re old enough to experience using the old CRT screens or TV, screen burn-in was a common issue in them.
How to prevent burn-in issue in your Galaxy S7?
As with any other issues, prevention is always better than fix attempts. You’ll most likely get another smartphone in the future so let this article serve as an educational tool for you on how to prevent this issue from happening again. Remember, as long as manufacturers will continue using the same or similar display technologies as they are now, devices will be left susceptible to burn-in issues.
Avoid displaying static images for a long time
As mentioned above, burn-in issue is caused by allowing your device to continuously show the same image for a long time. For example, if you have a lockscreen that features a non-changing image, leaving it displayed for hours at a stretch can potentially lead to burn-in.
To prevent your S7 to show the same image for a long time, we suggest that you shorten your screen timeout. With Android Nougat, your Galaxy S7 Screen Timeout options are:
- 15 seconds
- 30 seconds
- 1 minute
- 2 minutes
- 5 minutes
- 10 minutes
Try using the shortest possible but if you think a 15-second screen timeout is too short, a 2-minute screen timeout is okay as well. By using a screen timeout option, you’re basically telling the device to turn off the screen after a set period of time, effectively minimizing the chance of burn-in to occur. To access Screen timeout option, go under Settings>Display.
Some apps may prevent the screen to be locked or to turn off so make sure that you review all your apps to allow the screen to turn off.
Under Settings>Display screen, you also have the option to Keep screen turned off. Make sure that this feature is enabled to keep your phone’s screen off when it’s placed in a dark place like your pocket or bag.
Don’t use high-contrast images
Images that feature dark and light at the same tend to result to burn-in after-image if left displayed for a long time. Try changing wallpapers or lockscreen that use them, or use ones that don’t feature opposite color extremes.
Lower down screen brightness
The best way to lower the chances of burn-in issue is to turn the screen off as much as possible. From an end-user perspective, that’s definitely not acceptable so we suggest that you do a personal compromise. If you plan on using the phone for a long time, we recommend that you lower screen brightness to the lowest point you’re comfortable with.
Use Auto-brightness
Auto-brightness is a useful feature to prevent the screen from running too bright all the time. Auto-brightness works by adjusting screen brightness based on available ambient light. The Galaxy S7 senses ambient light using the sensor next to the earpiece. Basically, if ambient light is too bright, your phone will adjust screen brightness upward on its own, then returns to mid level brightness if ambient light becomes dark.
How to fix Galaxy S7 burn-in screen issue
Apparently, your S7 has already acquired the burn-in issue at this time so it may or may not be removed entirely. Still, you can try the following solutions to see if they work.
Shut your S7 down
Hopefully, what you’re experiencing right now is the simpler version of a real burn-in issue. If your screen is just retaining the image temporarily, it’s possible that turning off your phone may allow the affected display area to “heal” naturally after some time. To see if this is the case try turning off the phone for 15 minutes. If the retained image or pinkish tinge goes away, you’re in luck. If nothing will change though, leave the phone off for an entire day or two before turning it on again.
Have the screen replaced
If leaving the phone off for a day or two won’t make any difference at all, we’re afraid the burn-in issue has become permanent. That means there’s nothing much that you can do about it. In order to fix it for good, contact Samsung so they can take a look.