iPhone 13 screen repeatedly turns a blank black screen on and off while charging

A few months back, at night, my iPhone 13 would turn the screen on and off while charging. It was not my background, but a black screen that showed the time and notifications. As stated above, it would go from this screen to the screen being off, and back and forth; the only way to stop it was to press the power button. My wife has similar issues with her iPhone 13 (both running iOS 26.6.2).

We do not have Sleep Mode, do not disturb, or anything else on.

I don't remember what the name of this function/setting is, but I did manage to find a setting a couple months back that was, allegedly, what this was. I proceeded to turn it off (I never turned it on). Everything was fine for a couple months, then, recently, it started doing the same thing again. I did not change any settings or anything within my phone.

I have an Apple Watch SE running OS 26.6. I do have my typical sleep/bed time in there, but I have always had that. My sleep/bed time setting predates the issues appearing on the iPhone by years. However, with the sleep/bed time, I do not have Sleep Mode turned on where it silences notifications or anything of the sort.

It would be a gross understatement to say this function is infuriating to me and my wife. As somebody who works in product management, you do not ever roll out new functions/features to products without having an easy way to turn these functions/features off. I do not want this function on - now or ever. I want this off without ever having to deal with this again. Due to this function, I am not able to take a screenshot, as that reactivates the phone.

Please help, as it is incredibly frustrating having functions forced upon anyone without recourse. Maybe this is a bug? Lets get this fixed, please.

Sincerely,

A loyal Apple product user for 16 years

Posted on Oct 14, 2026 6:09 AM

1 reply

SravanKrA

Level 10 (454,138 points)

Oct 14, 2026 6:22 AM in response to jabernathy97

Follow the Apple article to resolve the issue --> If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't turn on or is frozen ...
If not resolved; please follow the steps in the following link for support with this issue: If your iOS device restarts or displays the Apple logo or a spinning gear unexpectedly
You still see a black screen after charging, force restarting, following the steps in this article.
1. You see a black screen, but you can hear alerts, sounds, and vibrations.
2. The screen remains black, but the device chirps when you unmute it and connect it to power.
3. Your screen is on, but it doesn't respond when you tap, slide, or try other gestures.
4. You can't force your device to restart because a button is broken or stuck.
5. Your device is stuck on the Apple logo, displays a solid color, or isn't recognized in iTunes.
6. Contact Apple Support to set up service if you have any of the above issues:
Please follow the steps in the following Apple Video for support with this issue:

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it is recommended to reach out to Apple Support or visit an authorized service center for further assistance. They can provide specific guidance based on your device model and iOS version.