OLED panels have become the de facto screen technology for all flagship/mid-range phones, and for good reason. They are much brighter, produce vivid colors, save battery, and have inky-deep blacks. All this combines for an amazing media-watching experience. However, OLED panels aren’t without faults, and recently, the green line issue has become quite a headache.

The green line issue is a display problem, where a thin green line runs through the display. The panel works perfectly fine outside the thin band, but creates a visually striking experience that looks ugly. It doesn’t even turn off when with AOD. Reports of this issue first started emerging a few years ago with OnePlus devices. And since then, the green line problem has spread to OPPO, vivo, Samsung, Xiaomi, and even iPhones. For most people, the line appears randomly without any drops.

What Causes the Green Line Issue?

Despite the reports, the actual cause of the green line issue remains unknown. The only common culprit between the different brands is the use of an AMOLED panel. For those unfamiliar, AMOLED panels refer to the displays made by Samsung. And today, almost all brands use such panels thanks to their superiority.

There are multiple theories that try to explain this correlation, but most fall short. The only plausible theory is that there’s a fragile display connector (a cable that connects the panel to the motherboard) in AMOLED panels, which, after going through a fall or heavy use, becomes loose or damaged. It then causes the green lines to appear on the panel. This explains the randomness of the issue and why it only affects a limited number of phones from different brands.

Some reports suggested the problem could be attributed to a software update, but we couldn’t really find the connection between an update and a hardware issue. Maybe the software update causes the phone to overheat and damage the connector. But that wouldn’t explain why this problem doesn’t appear while gaming.

How To Fix the Green Line Issue?

For most people, a display replacement is the only way to fix the hardware issue. However, before that, try restarting your phone a couple of times. It has worked for some affected people, and you never know when a miracle can happen. If your phone is under warranty, the brand will replace the display without any charge. Unfortunately, if your phone isn’t covered, then the process becomes quite grey.

That’s because while some brands, like OnePlus, have introduced a display replacement program in India for affected users, which guarantees a lifetime display warranty, others, such as OPPO, vivo, or Samsung, have not. We have seen reports of Samsung giving free screen replacement to affected S20 series users, but that program has since expired, and there’s no word about the users who faced the issue after the program ended.

Typically, brands address this issue on a case-by-case basis and often provide free screen replacements if there’s no sign of other hardware damage. Still, this experience will vary depending on the service center you visit.