iPhone purple screen and Android phones
A phone that shows purple on its own falls into one of two very different cases, and it matters which one you have:
- A purple or black patch that grows, often after a drop, a crack or pressure in a pocket. This is physical damage inside an OLED panel. It can't be fixed with settings and it often spreads. Back up the phone now, while you can still read the screen, and plan a display replacement.
- The whole screen flashes purple, then the phone restarts, or it freezes on a purple screen. First force restart it. On an iPhone, press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. If it starts normally, install the latest iOS or Android update. If it keeps coming back, the cause is usually hardware, such as the display connection, and needs a repair shop.
A purple tint that covers everything evenly is different again. Check for a Color Filter or color correction in Accessibility settings, and remove any tinted screen protector before you suspect the panel.
Roku purple screen and a purple screen on TV
- Power-cycle both devices. Unplug the TV and the Roku or streaming stick from the wall for a full minute, then plug them back in.
- Check the HDMI link. Reseat the cable, try another HDMI port, and if you can, another HDMI cable. A loose or failing cable is a common reason for a purple or magenta picture, because the image loses part of its color signal.
- Find out which device it is. Open the TV's own menu. If the menu looks normal, the problem is the Roku, the cable or the input. If the TV menu itself is purple too, the fault is in the TV.
- On a computer monitor, a purple or pink cast that changes when you wiggle the cable is the same cable problem. Try another cable and port before replacing anything.
What a full purple screen is good for
- Mood and room light. Purple or violet on a TV, tablet or monitor gives a strong colored light for parties, gaming setups, photos and short videos.
- A clean background. A light purple screen behind a small object, or a blank purple screen behind you on a video call, makes a simple colored backdrop.
- A dim evening light. Dark purple at low brightness is a soft light that keeps the room dark.
- Checking pixels. Purple is red and blue with no green. On the purple shade, a green or white dot is a stuck green subpixel, and a black dot is a dead pixel. For a full check, use the dead pixel test.
How to open the purple screen
- Tap Purple or one of the other shades above.
- The page fills the display and switches to full screen where your browser allows it.
- Adjust the brightness to taste: high for a colored light, low for a night light.
- Press Esc or tap ✕ in the corner to go back.
The download creates a plain purple PNG in your browser at the size you pick, so you can set a purple screen wallpaper on your phone or desktop. Want another color? Try the pink screen, the red screen or the yellow screen.
How we tested this tool
We checked in a desktop browser and at a 375 px phone width that each of the four shades opens full screen in its exact color (for example Violet measured rgb(143, 0, 255)) and closes with Esc and the ✕ button, and that the wallpaper download is a PNG of the chosen size filled with the chosen purple. The phone and TV steps above are standard first checks; we haven't reproduced these hardware faults ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make my whole screen purple?
Tap one of the purple shades on this page. It fills the display and switches to full screen where your browser allows it. Press Esc or tap the ✕ button to go back.
Why is my phone screen turning purple after I dropped it?
A purple or black patch that appears after a drop or pressure is usually damage inside an OLED panel. It is a hardware fault, so settings and restarts won't remove it. Back up your phone and plan a screen replacement.
How to stop purple screen from spreading on a phone?
You can't repair it at home. A spreading purple or black area means the display panel is damaged, and it often keeps growing. Avoid pressing on it, back up your data while the screen still works, and replace the display.
Why is my Roku or TV stuck on a purple screen?
Start with the connection: unplug the TV and the Roku from power for a minute, reseat the HDMI cable or try another HDMI port and cable. If the TV menu itself is purple too, the fault is in the TV rather than the Roku.
What is the purple screen of death?
In IT it usually means the crash screen of a VMware ESXi server, called PSOD. People also use the phrase for phones or TVs that freeze on a purple screen, which is covered in the fixes on this page.