2 types of white spots might appear on your screen. One is large, blotchy, and appears due to external pressure on your display. The other is smaller, likely caused by stuck or dead pixels.
There are a few reasons why these white spots appear on your screens. This article details possible reasons and how to fix them.
Why do white spots appear on your phone’s screen?
White spots could appear because of physical damage to your screen or a software issue causing the pixels to malfunction.
Stuck or Dead Pixels
Most smartphones have an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting-Diode) display. The difference is that LCDs require a separate backlight, while with OLED displays, each pixel has the capability to emit light. Each display is divided into thousands of subpixels that form a grid pattern with the RGB colour spectrum of Red, Green and Blue. A few Subpixels come together to form one pixel.
Variations of light are either passed or blocked through the subpixels to form a specific coloured pixel. Thousands of pixels work together to display a larger image on your screen.
When one of these pixels does not function properly, it could result in a stuck or dead pixel.
Since both software and hardware components work together to effectively display images on your smartphone, dead pixels can be caused by external damage or a software issue.
Also read: Why is there an orange spot on Macbook screen?
Internal or external pressure
Wear and tear from the friction caused by touch can create an area on the screen that appears lighter and worn out.
This type of pressure spot can also appear if the battery expands and puts pressure on the screen from the inside. If your screen suffered screen damage, this could also distort the display, whereby white spots appear.
Moisture
Damage caused by moisture can be ruled out if you have a water-resistant phone, but if your phone is not water-resistant, exposure to moisture can cause a distortion of pixels or affect the way light is displayed on the screen, thus causing white spots.
How to fix white spots on your phone’s screen?
You can try a few quick fixes depending on the speculated cause of the white spots, but if the issue is hardware-related or if it persists after you try out the quick fixes, you should consult a professional. You can get the phone repaired by the phone manufacturer or a professional repair shop near you.
Update OS
Check if the Operating System or any of your apps need to be updated. If updates are available, make sure to install them.
The steps to update your smartphone may vary depending on the manufacturer. Here are the general steps to update your phone:
Step 1: Locate the Settings app, typically characterised by the gear icon, and tap on it.
Step 2: Scroll down to System.
Step 3: Tap Check for updates or Auto updates.
Update Apps
If you notice that the white spots appear after installing a particular app, try uninstalling the app, deleting any stored data, restarting your phone, and checking again to see if the appearance of white spots persists.
Step 1: Navigate to the Play Store app and click on your profile icon.
Step 2: Tap Manage apps & devices > Manage.
Restart your phone
Another standard solution to software issues is restarting the phone. The most common way to restart your device is by long pressing the power button:
Step 1: Press and hold the power button on your phone until a dialogue box appears.
Step 2: Tap Restart in the dialogue box.
Dry out moisture
If your phone was accidentally exposed to moisture, keep the device in a dry area for a few hours. Do not charge the phone, and avoid using it during this period. Avoid using excessive heat or drying methods to rid the phone of moisture, as this might cause overheating and damage the hardware components.
Consider consulting the phone manufacturer or a professional repair shop if the moisture persists.
Fix the display
If you dropped your phone or suffered any other form of physical damage, it could be that your display screen or pixels are also damaged.
In this case, you might have to get your screen, display or backlight fixed by a professional. There are DIY toolkits available but only attempt to use one if you are certain of the cause of the damage and have prior knowledge of how to fix the problem.
Clean the screen
If the white spots appear even when the display is switched off, it could be that there is dirt and debris caught between the screen surface and the screen protector.
This can be quickly fixed by carefully peeling off the screen protector and cleaning the exposed screen surface with a clean microfiber cloth and screen cleaning spray. Avoid the use of water on the screen if your phone isn’t water-resistant.
Send the device for repairs
If your device falls under warranty, you can have it fixed by the phone’s manufacturer at a minimal or no cost. However, if your phone is out of warranty, having it repaired from a local repair shop might be cheaper.
