If you’ve suddenly noticed a white spot on your iPhone screen and it’s making you worry, this guide is for you. These white spots appear on your device interface in many ways, from a tiny bright dot to several white dots or an irregular patch. We’ve put together this ultimate guide to help you understand what’s behind those white spots and how to fix them with phone reboot, Passvers iOS System Recovery or other methods. You’ll also learn when it points to a hardware issue and what repair costs to expect.
Remove White Spot on iPhone Screen: The Spot Is a Floating Circle
If the white spot on your screen moves around when you drag it, it’s AssistiveTouch. It’s a virtual home button added by Apple for quick actions. When you tap it, it will even open a small control menu with shortcuts for gestures like volume and screenshots.
You can turn it off via the Settings app. Follow these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Go to Accessibility.
- Tap Touch and select AssistiveTouch.
- Toggle AssistiveTouch off. That’s it. The white spot will disappear from your screen immediately.
Turn off White Spot on iPhone Screen: 8 Spots
Apple added a feature in iOS 18 called Vehicle Motion Cues. The purpose is to reduce motion sickness. It shows up as small white dots around the screen edges when the iPhone is still. These small white dots will move as the car accelerates, slows down or turns. If you don’t want them, you can turn them off in seconds with steps below:
- Go to Settings on your iPhone.
- Open Accessibility in the Settings menu.
- Tap Motion.
- Turn off Show Vehicle Motion Cues. Once the toggle is off, the eight white dots will disappear completely.
Fix White Spot on iPhone Screen: The Spot Is Irregularly Shaped
An irregular white spot is a different case altogether. It usually appears because of software glitches or hardware strain. Many users report this right after a screen replacement. Whether the iPhone display was changed by Apple or through a third-party repair shop, it often shows faint patches or uneven brightness across certain areas.
The good part is that you can fix most of these issues at home, which is exactly what this section walks you through.
Solutions for White Spots on iPhone Screen After Replacement
Even if the spots appeared suddenly, these steps still apply. Follow them one by one and can deal with the iPhone’s white spot issue at home.
Fix 1. Restart iPhone
Start with a simple restart first. It will clear up any stuck UI states. The exact button combination changes, depending on the model. If you have an iPhone X, 11, 12, or later (including iPhone Air and iPhone 17), here’s how to do it:
- Hold either the Volume button and Side button simultaneously.
- Drag the power slider. Wait 30 seconds.
- Turn the device back on.
If the screen still shows the same faint white patch, go a step further with a force restart, which will cut power at the hardware level and force the iPhone to reload its entire interface cleanly. Once again, the exact combinations vary, depending on the iPhone model. On the Face ID iPhone, do this:
- Press and release Volume Up.
- Press and release Volume Down.
- Hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
The phone will reboot instantly. If the spot fades after this, you’re done. If not, move to the next solution.
Fix 2. Recover iOS with Passvers
Passvers iOS System Recovery is the simplest way to fix iPhone white spot problems caused by software glitches.
The tool adapts to how serious the white spot issue is. Its Quick Fix Mode handles the white spot issue caused by display cache or minor system errors and it’s free to use. Passvers is also equipped with Standard or Advanced Modes to deal with deeper white spot display faults caused by problematic display firmware. Once the iOS repair completes, your iPhone’s screen returns to normal and the white spots disappear.
Passvers is effortless to use. Just connect your iPhone — it will automatically detect the white spot problem, recommend the proper repair mode and restore your screen to its original look.
Steps to Fix White Spots with Passvers
Install and open Passvers iOS System Recovery on your computer. Click Start to proceed.
Connect your iPhone to the computer. Passvers will automatically detect the device, display its details and identify the white spot problem along with the likely cause.
If you see blue Free Quick Fix in the software interface, click it to fix your iPhone screen.
If Passvers detects deeper issues, it will take you directly to the repair interface with Standard and Advanced Modes. You need to choose among them and hit Confirm.
1. Put your iPhone into recovery mode by following the onscreen steps.
2. Download the corresponding firmware for your iPhone.
3. After the download, Passvers will begin repairing your iOS to remove the white spots.
Fix 3. Tap Spots
After a screen replacement, some users notice faint white or colored dots which are usually stuck pixels. They happen when a cluster of pixels gets trapped and appear as a single color.
A quick way to fix this is by using light pressure. Many users with the same problem say the white spots slowly fade and never come back.
Here’s what to do:
- Gently press where the white spot appears on the iPhone’s screen with your thumb.
- Hold for a few seconds and release.
Another option is to use pixel-refresh. The App Store has many apps that flash colors rapidly to revive the dead pixel on the iPhone screen. One such option is Pixel Control.
Still, from an expert standpoint, this fix is temporary. The dead pixels are known to return after a few days or weeks. And you will need to go with a full replacement of the display eventually.
Fix 4. Check Screen Protector
Sometimes, the white spots on the iPhone screen are not caused by any hardware or software issues but it’s the screen protector. Trapped air bubbles or fine dust particles can make it look like there are white spots on the iPhone screen. Simply, peel off the screen protector carefully and check the screen underneath. The white spots should disappear. In that case, get a new screen protector.
A fresh, well-fitted protector will keep the display clear and prevent the same illusion from reappearing.
Fix 5. Check Wallpaper
Also, take a look at your wallpaper: simply switch it to a plain black background and see what happens. If the white spots disappear, then you already know what caused the problem.
Avoid keeping static wallpapers for too long, especially on iPhone 14, 15, or 16 OLED screens. It’s better to use a dynamic wallpaper — it keeps the display refreshed and prevents faint image retention from building up. Keep your brightness slightly lower too and if you ever notice spots returning, change the wallpaper again.It’s worth mentioning that the white dot could also be a small element of your wallpaper.
Fix 6. Send iPhone for Repair
If the white spots stay after trying everything else, it could be a hardware problem, like voltage issues in the display IC or minor panel damage. You can take your iPhone to an Apple Genius Bar and they’ll run a full diagnostic.
Many times, the iPhone’s white spots issue turns out to be a damaged display panel, which can cost anywhere between US$149 for older iPhones to around US$330 for newer models. If you have AppleCare+, the repair becomes much cheaper. You’ll only need to pay US$29 for the screen replacement.
Eliminate White Spot on iPhone Screen: The Spot Is Next to the Camera
The small white dot near the selfie camera is a proximity sensor. It’s part of the TrueDepth Camera module. And it’s there to measure how close your face or ear is to the phone. So, the screen can turn off during calls and react instantly when you pull it away.
On newer iPhones (the iPhone 15/16/17 models), Apple expanded the Dynamic Island area. So, under bright light, this zone makes the sensor’s outline appear slightly white. In fact, on earlier models like the iPhone X or 13, the reflection is barely visible.
Still, you can confirm whether white spot is the proximity sensor or not by verifying this:
- It appears only under bright lighting.
- It fades or vanishes when you tilt the phone.
- It doesn’t appear in screenshots.
- Face ID and calls continue working normally.
If you see the white spot even in darkness or Face ID not working, then take your iPhone to a technician for inspection.
To Sum up
White spots on the iPhone screen is not always a death sentence for the display. They commonly appear because of hidden turbulence within iOS itself. Some are caused by overlooked settings, while others are simply reflections from the proximity sensor near the camera.
If the spot is irregular in shape or shows up after a screen replacement, you can use Passvers iOS System Recovery tool to detect software faults and fix the white spots on your iPhone. And the white spot problems on your iPhone screen will clear up effortlessly.