Apple says the pink screen iPhone 13 Pro issue is a software problem

4 min readUpdated May 30, 2025Jan 24, 20225:07 AM

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Several iPhone 13 series owners are continuing to report an issue with the screen on their phones. The display on affected models turns pink or purple and these handsets cannot be used.

Posts in the Apple Communities Forum about this problem started in October when a user named DPigar wrote that “I use an iPhone 13 pro for a two day (sic) and my screen turns pink for a few seconds and then reloads. It happens all the time, so I can’t use my iPhone. Why?” Two images were attached to the post showing the user’s iPhone 13 Pro with a fully purple display,

That message was followed up by one from another iPhone 13 Pro user claiming to have the very same problem. Apparently, Apple did some maneuvering behind the scenes to replace these malfunctioning phones since a post from the company added to both messages said, “The issue has been resolved. Replacement of the device (authorized service conclusion).”

But here’s the thing. Many more iPhone 13 users complained about this problem and not all of them were lucky enough to get a replacement from Apple. Check out this sad story posted in the Forum by an iPhone 13 Pro Max user who goes by the name “Calisthrone.” He owns an expensive handset for less than two months when the device starts performing unexpected restarts with the screen off, randomly his screen turns pink, and the device becomes unstable.

Apple diagnosed the problem as being a faulty motherboard. But here is where Apple drops the ball. It promises to give the owner a “Back System Replacement” which means that the owner keeps the screen and the camera system and the faulty parts are replaced.

This should not be acceptable because this man spent good money on Apple’s top-of-the-line handset and now he will get back from Apple (after being left without a phone for 7 to 14 business days) a Frankenstein handset put together by the mad scientists at Apple. “Calisthrone” writes, “Problem is the phone is only active for less than 2 months and I would be so happy if they can offer a brand new replacement unit.”

Now here is one of the main reasons why what Apple is doing is not fair. Returning to the post, the iPhone 13 Pro Max owner says, “It is not so nice to have my iPhone guts out after this brief amount of time. And my iPhone would be marked as “fixed” so I will lose the value of my device when trying to sell it in the future.”

His final thought does not present Apple in a good light. “Apple customer care is not as wonderful as before. I’m now with no decent device in my pocket and I paid a premium device expecting to find a premium kind of service. Something very natural is a replacement unit.”

The list of similar stories goes on and on. “Disappointed_User8” wrote a long post in which the pink screen surfaced on his device after just six days. After exclaiming that it was a hardware device and having the owner bring the phone into the nearest service center, Apple reversed its position and had the owner pick up the device after doing nothing but charging it.

While charging it did stop the issue, it was a temporary cure. Forced to set up his phone from scratch after Apple had reset the device, the problem started all over again. Here is this disappointed iPhone owner’s take on the situation:”The phone is very expensive but unreliable. The stress that it is causing me and its effects on my mental health thinking about how I trusted Apple and paid a hefty amount for a malfunctioning unit but not getting proper post sales support is very very disappointing.”

The latest date on the thread is January 16th of this year which means that this is an ongoing problem. Because most of the pink screen issues occurred in China, MyDrivers noted that Apple made a statement on Weibo this past weekend which said, “We didn’t notice relevant problems in the hardware of the devices because this situation [pink screen] is caused when the system is locked.”

Apple recommends that users backup their data, join the iOS Beta Software Program and install the latest iOS 15.3 beta update in case the pink screen is being caused by an incompatibility between an app version and the iOS version. However, it appears that the changelist for the latest beta version of iOS 15.3 doesn’t mention a fix for a pink screen bug. Hopefully, Apple gets to the bottom of this and issues a fix. And if that is impossible, replacing affected models with new replacements would be the proper thing to do.

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Questions & Answers

What is Apple's official explanation for the pink screen issue affecting iPhone 13 models?

Apple stated on Weibo that they have not observed hardware problems. They believe the pink screen situation arises when the system is locked, indicating a software-related cause rather than a fault with the device's components.

What advice has Apple provided to users experiencing the pink screen problem?

Apple recommends that affected users back up their data. They also suggest joining the iOS Beta Software Program and installing the latest iOS 15.3 beta update, as the issue might stem from app incompatibility with the current iOS version.

Why are some customers unhappy with Apple's proposed 'Back System Replacement' solution?

Customers like 'Calisthrone' are unhappy because this replacement involves keeping their screen and camera while replacing other faulty parts. They feel this diminishes the value of a premium, nearly new device and is not a suitable substitute for a brand new unit.

When did users first start reporting the pink screen issue on the Apple Communities Forum?

Reports of the pink screen problem began in October, when a user named DPigar posted about their iPhone 13 Pro's screen turning pink and reloading, making the device unusable after only two days of ownership.

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