The Common iPhone 12 Problems and How to Fix Them

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 24 Jul 2021

Common iPhone 12 Problems and How to Fix Them

The iPhone 12 series has been a runaway success for Apple, with the company shipping 100 million units in around seven months. However, the iPhone 12 is not perfect as the device has its own set of issues, some of which are yet to be resolved seven months after its launch. Here’s a roundup of some of the most common iPhone 12 issues and how to fix them.

No smartphone is perfect, and all of them have their own set of issues. Since Apple sells millions of iPhones worldwide every month, these issues are exacerbated even more. Some of the issues are relatively minor, while others could be a deal-breaker for you. Thankfully, some of these issues can be easily resolved, while for others, there are workarounds. Check out some of the most common iPhone 12 issues and how to fix them below.

1. Display Issues

When the iPhone 12 first launched, there were reports of green tint and flickering issues showing up on the display. Apple acknowledged the issue and subsequently fixed it with an iOS 14 update. However, some users do complain from time to time about the green tint issue popping up on their iPhone 12.

If you are also facing display issues on your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro, make sure to update it to the latest release of iOS. That should resolve all the display issues on your unit. If not, try to adjust the brightness and see if the green tint and flickering issues go away or not. If none of these solutions work, it is plausible that your iPhone 12 unit has a hardware issue, and you should take it to your nearest Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Center.

iPhone 12 front

2. Display Getting Scratched Easily

Many iPhone 12 users who use their device without a screen guard have complained about the display getting scratched easily. This has surprised many since the iPhone 12 ships with Ceramic Shield, the world’s most durable glass.

This is also the reason why the iPhone 12’s display gets scratched so easily. To achieve a certain degree of durability, the glass needs to become softer, making it prone to scratches.

The only solution to prevent your iPhone 12’s display from getting scratched easily is to apply a screen protector. Thankfully, there are plenty of screen protectors for the iPhone 12 that you can choose from.

3. Battery Not Charging to 100%

Despite being left to charge overnight, it is possible that your iPhone 12 might not charge 100 percent. This is not due to an iOS bug or an issue with your iPhone 12. Instead, it is the Optimized Charging feature of iOS at play.

This feature optimizes the battery charging rate to increase the lifespan of the battery. Your iPhone 12 will charge to 80 percent, and then depending on your usage and charging habits, it will wait to charge until 100 percent to extend the battery’s lifespan.

4. Slow Wireless Charging Speeds

Apple bumped the wireless charging speeds on the iPhone 12 series to 15W. However, most people do not realize that the faster wireless charging speeds are only available when using a MagSafe charger. With all other non-MagSafe chargers, your iPhone 12 will continue to charge at a painfully slow speed of 7.5W.

If your iPhone 12 is charging slowly even with a MagSafe charger, make sure it is a genuine Apple accessory. You can find plenty of cheap MagSafe wireless chargers on Amazon and your nearby local store, but there’s a strong possibility they will stop working properly after a few weeks of use.

iPhone 12 mini charging

5. Battery Drain and Poor Battery Life

Apple did not boast of any battery life improvements with the iPhone 12 series. However, most iPhone 12 users have noticed their new iPhone does not last as long as their previous iPhone due to heavy battery drain.

The issue was not that pronounced when the iPhone 12 first launched, but the extreme battery drain can rundown your iPhone 12’s battery pretty quickly.

The issue here lies with iOS 14 updates. Compared to the initial iOS 14 public release, subsequent point releases of the OS have had a negative effect on the battery life of the iPhone 12 and other older iPhones. The decline in battery life in an hour or more in many cases, which can be easily felt in daily use.

Apple has seemingly fixed some of the battery drain issues with the iOS 14.7 update. You can try updating your iPhone 12 to it to see if that fixes the battery drain issues or not. Also, make sure to check out some tips to improve your iPhone 12’s battery life.

6. Lens Flare Issue

Apple switched to a wider aperture lens on the iPhone 12 series. This has greatly helped improve the low-light imaging performance and the overall sharpness of photos and videos. However, many iPhone 12 owners have noticed lens flaring while taking photos from their devices.

Lens flaring is not really a new issue, and this issue was also found in previous iPhones. However, the problem seems to be more pronounced on the iPhone 12 series. Sadly, there’s no solution or fix for this problem.

The lens flaring issue primarily happens when you directly point your iPhone’s camera to a light source or sunlight. You can avoid this to ensure the lens flare does not show up in your photos. Or you can take advantage of the lens flare to add a certain degree of flare to your photos.

iPhone 12 Pro Shoot ProRAW

7. 5G Connectivity Issues

The iPhone 12 lineup is the first one from Apple to support 5G, which brings a notable improvement in mobile data speeds and lower latency to go along with it. However, 5G is still in its nascent stages, so there are bound to be some issues.

Many iPhone 12 owners report that their phone ends up switching to a 4G network automatically or just refuses to connect to a 5G network. Others have also reported less than expected 5G speeds.

Just because you see a 5G icon in the status bar of your iPhone 12, it does not mean that it is connected to a 5G network. It just means that a 5G network is available, and your iPhone 12 can connect to it.

When you see a 5G UW icon in the status bar, it is only then that your iPhone 12 is connected to a mmWave 5G network where it can deliver gigabit or higher download speeds.

8. Missing Charger in the Box

If you have just gotten a new iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro, you might be surprised to find out that the charger is missing in the box. That’s because Apple has stopped bundling the power adapter in the box of the iPhone 12 series.

Instead, you now need to buy a power adapter separately. Apple sells a 20W power adapter for $19.99, though other cheaper alternatives are available in the market.


Are you facing any other issue with your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro that’s not mentioned above? Drop a comment and let us know about it!