Singapore consumer watchdog sees doubling of complaints about lines on phone screens

SINGAPORE: Complaints about lines appearing on mobile phone screens have more than doubled, according to statistics from the Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE).

The watchdog has received 31 such complaints as of Nov 14, compared with 14 complaints for the whole of 2023. In 2022, it only received four complaints.

In response to CNA's queries, CASE said on Tuesday (Nov 19) that of the 49 complaints received over the past three years, all but one were against South Korean maker Samsung.

The one other complaint was against Chinese brand OnePlus.

Besides green lines, some consumers also reported pink or white ones appearing across their screens, CASE president Melvin Yong said.

Affected consumers sought free repair or replacement from the manufacturer or its agents.

As of last weekend, six people who complained have asked CASE to help negotiate on their behalf with the manufacturer or agent, to resolve the dispute. 

WHY THIS HAPPENS

Affected consumers generally complained that the vertical green lines appeared across screens after they updated their mobile phones' software, said Mr Yong, who's also a Member of Parliament for Radin Mas.

Tech review websites like TechRadar have also reported that a green line on the screen is likely related to a hardware issue such as a faulty connection to the display.

Some have suggested that a software update could have caused the phones to heat up so much that they lead to a hardware issue or exacerbate an existing one, hence producing a green line.

It can also happen after someone drops their phone, others have pointed out.

WHICH MODELS ARE MOST AFFECTED?

The green lines seem to primarily affect Samsung's Galaxy S21 series phones, according to media reports from earlier this year.

In particular, the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S21 FE models have been cited more frequently.

SamMobile, which publishes news about Samsung, said the issue has also been reported on models including the Galaxy A73, Galaxy M21, Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Z Flip 3.

In response to queries from CNA, Samsung said it was committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences.

"Product quality continues to be one of our top priorities," a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Android Authority said phones made by brands like OnePlus, Oppo, realme, vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei and Apple have also been affected in the past, with the primary cause similarly attributed to a hardware defect.

"The only common thread between all reports on the green line issue on smartphones is that the phone has an AMOLED display," the site reported, referring to a type of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. 

It added that phones using LCD or liquid crystal display do not seem to have this problem.

HOW CAN IT BE FIXED?

The first step should be to restart the phone, according to several guides.

If the green line disappears, it was probably a software problem.

If it remains, it is likely to do with hardware and the display will need to be replaced at a service centre or repair shop.

Samsung said customers should visit an authorised service centre.

Those whose phones are still under warranty are likely to be able to get free repairs or replacements as long as there's no visible external or water damage, said Android Authority.

Samsung has reportedly offered a free, one-time screen replacement to customers in India using selected Galaxy phones. OnePlus has also offered free lifetime screen warranty to customers there.

HOW TO AVOID THE ISSUE

The consensus is there's unfortunately no foolproof way to prevent a phone from being afflicted by the green line issue.

The Tom's Guide online resource does suggest, however, that phone users delay software updates for the time being. If not, do the update in a cool and well-ventilated area to lower the chances of the phone overheating.