Phone just jumped to 100% brightness for no apparent reason

[usagora]

I always have Auto-Brightness enabled (Settings > Accessibility > Auto-Brightness) on my 13 Pro Max. I just opened the Burger King app and after clicking on a few things, all of a sudden my phone screen jumped instantly to 100% brightness like a switch had been flipped (not a gradual brightening like Auto-Brightness does when you move to an environment with brighter ambient light). I'm not sure what level it was at before it went to 100%, but it was a stark enough increase in brightness that I jumped a bit. Absolutely nothing changed in the ambient light conditions - I'm just sitting in a run-of-the-mill florescent-lit room. The "notch" area is clear/clean, so there's nothing blocking the ambient light sensor. When I went to Settings > Accessibility > Auto-Brightness, it was still enabled. I disabled it then re-enabled it and the brightness went back down to previously automatically-selected level. In hindsight, I should've shined a light at the ambient light sensor to see if it would react and reduce the brightness before I disabled/re-enabled Auto-Brightness, but I didn't think of it at the time. If this happens again, I'll try that.

Anyone else ever had this happen to them? First time for me in 12 years of owning iPhones. Strange.

 

[now i see it]

Blame it on Burger King

 

[usagora]

Blame it on Burger King

I'm sure you're just joking, of course, but I only mentioned that for the sake of completeness. I'm guessing the issue has nothing to do with a particular app, as it shouldn't have any control over screen brightness (and it's never done this before while using that app). But I figured someone might ask me what I was doing at the time, so there you go.

 

[jetsam]

I'm sure you're just joking, of course, but I only mentioned that for the sake of completeness. I'm guessing the issue has nothing to do with a particular app, as it shouldn't have any control over screen brightness (and it's never done this before while using that app). But I figured someone might ask me what I was doing at the time, so there you go.

Actually apps can control screen brightness. I've seen this in the CVS app, for example, when you pick "Show card".

 

[usagora]

Actually apps can control screen brightness. I've seen this in the CVS app, for example, when you pick "Show card".

Well that's weird. I don't use the CVS app, but I do have several other apps with cards (for scanning at register, etc.) and they don't adjust the brightness when I pull up the card. Nor have I ever used any other app that adjusts my screen brightness. In any case, the Burger King app has never done this before, nor would it make any sense for it to change the brightness, so obviously something buggy is going on here.

 

[Splitrail]

Their "food" is terrible too!

 

[BNIB]

I'm sure you're just joking, of course, but I only mentioned that for the sake of completeness. I'm guessing the issue has nothing to do with a particular app, as it shouldn't have any control over screen brightness (and it's never done this before while using that app). But I figured someone might ask me what I was doing at the time, so there you go.

That person might not be joking actually. Some of my app that can show my membership barcode (like 7-11 app for example), would turn the brightness super high, possibly just to make sure the barcode is scannable.

and of course it would go back to normal brightness as soon as I close the barcode page on the app. With your case, does it return to previous brightness after you close the app?

I don’t have Burger King app but I would assume it’s intentional.

 

[usagora]

That person might not be joking actually. Some of my app that can show my membership barcode (like 7-11 app for example), would turn the brightness super high, possibly just to make sure the barcode is scannable.

and of course it would go back to normal brightness as soon as I close the barcode page on the app. With your case, does it return to previous brightness after you close the app?

I don’t have Burger King app but I would assume it’s intentional.

Trust me, it's not intentional. I was simply browsing the menu when it happened and it's never done that before. There's no bar codes or anything (btw, never had a bar code or QR code fail to scan on my phone with the brightness controlled by Auto Brightness, so not sure why that's even a thing with some apps). And no, the brightness was still pegged at 100% even after exiting the app.

 

[jav6454]

I always have Auto-Brightness enabled [...]

Anyone else ever had this happen to them? First time for me in 12 years of owning iPhones. Strange.

Apps can control brightness. Perhaps you open one which changes that setting.

 

[usagora]

Apps can control brightness. Perhaps you open one which changes that setting.

As explained, no. The Burger King app does not control the screen brightness. And even if it did, it woudln't do so while simply clicking on menu items - that wouldn't make sense. I guess it's possible the app has some bug that caused this, but it's not reproducible. I'll definitely report back if it happens again.

 

[jav6454]

Perhaps you think the app doesn't... anyways, if you are sure, most likely another setting did so.

 

[usagora]

Perhaps you think the app doesn't... anyways, if you are sure, most likely another setting did so.

Why would an app be designed to randomly commandeer your screen brightness and max it out while you're simply clicking around on the menu? LOL! I'm pretty confident in saying I KNOW the app doesn't, at least not by design. And it wasn't a matter of a bright light suddenly hitting the photosensor in the "notch" area because this was an instant jump to 100% brightness. Auto-Brightness doesn't do that. It gradually increases or decreases screen brightness in response to light. So either something quirky with BK app or iOS.

 

[jav6454]

Why would an app be designed to randomly commandeer your screen brightness and max it out while you're simply clicking around on the menu? LOL! I'm pretty confident in saying I KNOW the app doesn't, at least not by design. And it wasn't a matter of a bright light suddenly hitting the photosensor in the "notch" area because this was an instant jump to 100% brightness. Auto-Brightness doesn't do that. It gradually increases or decreases screen brightness in response to light. So either something quirky with BK app or iOS.

You'd be surprised how many apps do that. It is not farfetched nor crazy.

 

[usagora]

You'd be surprised how many apps do that. It is not farfetched nor crazy.

Please name one app that by design randomly pegs your screen brightness at 100% while simply browsing something in it. That doesn't make any sense.

 

[jav6454]

Please name one app that by design randomly pegs your screen brightness at 100% while simply browsing something in it. That doesn't make any sense.

There are several that do for specific reasons and others for no reason. I can't name one cause lots of them do it. However, two specific apps come to name, Pinkberry and Delta. Both increase brightness every time I open them. Delta even maxes brightness when using the e-ticket function or processing an e-ticket or confirmation of check-in.

Now, I have told you what is likely to have happened. You refuse to believe me, due to your reasoning, that's fine. However, looking more into it, you are unlikely to find another reason.

 

[usagora]

There are several that do for specific reasons and others for no reason. I can't name one cause lots of them do it. However, two specific apps come to name, Pinkberry and Delta. Both increase brightness every time I open them. Delta even maxes brightness when using the e-ticket function or processing an e-ticket or confirmation of check-in.

Now, I have told you what is likely to have happened. You refuse to believe me, due to your reasoning, that's fine. However, looking more into it, you are unlikely to find another reason.

Just installed both of those apps. Neither do what you describe. I turned off Auto-Brightness, manually turned down my screen brightness to the lowest possible setting, then opened each app. The screen brightness remained at the lowest setting. Now obviously I'm not going to buy a plane ticket to test the e-ticket function with the Delta app, but it certainly doesn't increase the brightness when I open the app.

But even if they DID do what you said, the key words were "every time". For me, this only happened once and is not repeatable. So that's clearly not by design.

 

[Justmy2cents]

Why would an app be designed to randomly commandeer your screen brightness and max it out while you're simply clicking around on the menu? LOL! I'm pretty confident in saying I KNOW the app doesn't, at least not by design. And it wasn't a matter of a bright light suddenly hitting the photosensor in the "notch" area because this was an instant jump to 100% brightness. Auto-Brightness doesn't do that. It gradually increases or decreases screen brightness in response to light. So either something quirky with BK app or iOS.

I joined just so I could post this... Even though you probably won't see it. You said "I'm pretty confident in saying I KNOW the app doesn't..." The funny thing is you don't know. I have the burger King app. I was in my car using it at night and the brightness jumped to 100. I tried to turn down and it said app controlled my brightness. Now...as you said it doesn't just control it while you're scrolling the menu, it did it after I picked an offer to use at the store and the next screen is a code that you give to the restaurant to get the offer.... That's when the screen gets brighter. As soon as you leave that screen the brightness instantly decreases. Go back to that screen... It instantly increases. Only thoughts are so you can see the code or of there a barcode to scan somewhere...... Either way.... The burger King app 100% does control the brightness but ONLY on the screen I mentioned.

 

[usagora]

I joined just so I could post this... Even though you probably won't see it. You said "I'm pretty confident in saying I KNOW the app doesn't..." The funny thing is you don't know. I have the burger King app. I was in my car using it at night and the brightness jumped to 100. I tried to turn down and it said app controlled my brightness. Now...as you said it doesn't just control it while you're scrolling the menu, it did it after I picked an offer to use at the store and the next screen is a code that you give to the restaurant to get the offer.... That's when the screen gets brighter. As soon as you leave that screen the brightness instantly decreases. Go back to that screen... It instantly increases. Only thoughts are so you can see the code or of there a barcode to scan somewhere...... Either way.... The burger King app 100% does control the brightness but ONLY on the screen I mentioned.

If you read through the thread, it was pretty obvious that I'm referring to the app not changing the brightness by design while simply browsing the menu. What I experiences was quite obviously a bug either with the BK app or iOS. It has not happened since. I never redeem offers in the restaurant, so I just tested what you said and you are absolutely correct, though it makes ZERO sense to me why it would peg the brightness at 100% just to read a 6 digit code that's like in 30 point font. If you can't read that, then you wouldn't have been able to read the buttons that allowed you to get to that. Very bizarre design imo. However, again, this has nothing to do with what my OP was about, which was simply browsing the menu. And, yes, I'm confident in saying that the BK app is not designed to do what it did for me, because otherwise it would be reproducible.

 

[Justmy2cents]

If you read through the thread, it was pretty obvious that I'm referring to the app not changing the brightness by design while simply browsing the menu. What I experiences was quite obviously a bug either with the BK app or iOS. It has not happened since. I never redeem offers in the restaurant, so I just tested what you said and you are absolutely correct, though it makes ZERO sense to me why it would peg the brightness at 100% just to read a 6 digit code that's like in 30 point font. If you can't read that, then you wouldn't have been able to read the buttons that allowed you to get to that. Very bizarre design imo. However, again, this has nothing to do with what my OP was about, which was simply browsing the menu. And, yes, I'm confident in saying that the BK app is not designed to do what it did for me, because otherwise it would be reproducible.

"As explained, no. The Burger King app does not control the screen brightness.".... Those are your words. The app every single time.... Turns my brightness up so would you call that a glitch or by design... Even if it's a ridiculous and unnecessary design.

 

[Justmy2cents]

If you read through the thread, it was pretty obvious that I'm referring to the app not changing the brightness by design while simply browsing the menu. What I experiences was quite obviously a bug either with the BK app or iOS. It has not happened since. I never redeem offers in the restaurant, so I just tested what you said and you are absolutely correct, though it makes ZERO sense to me why it would peg the brightness at 100% just to read a 6 digit code that's like in 30 point font. If you can't read that, then you wouldn't have been able to read the buttons that allowed you to get to that. Very bizarre design imo. However, again, this has nothing to do with what my OP was about, which was simply browsing the menu. And, yes, I'm confident in saying that the BK app is not designed to do what it did for me, because otherwise it would be reproducible.

You really have a hard time accepting you're wrong. I see you keep saying name one app that takes over your brightness and then ppl have named and said those apps exist and you still don't believe or accept it. Oh well.

 

[usagora]

You really have a hard time accepting you're wrong. I see you keep saying name one app that takes over your brightness and then ppl have named and said those apps exist and you still don't believe or accept it. Oh well.

I will gladly accept that I was wrong about the BK app (and I'm sure other apps) not being able to control the screen brightness at all. In over 10 years of using an iPhone, I have never encountered an app that did (probably because it's a stupid thing to do and most developers therefore don't design their apps to do that). I simply don't see how that's relevant to my OP, since my point was the brightness pegged at 100% while simply browsing the menu. The BK app isn't supposed to do that. Clearly a bug - and not consistently reproducible, so clearly not by design.

FWIW, I wish Apple wouldn't allow apps to have access to screen brightness at all. Some people have very sensitive eyes, and modern iPhones are VERY bright at 100%. People are perfectly capable of adjusting the brightness on their own if needed.

FYI - You can edit your posts (I noticed you made two separate posts with identical quotes a few minutes apart). The Edit button is at the bottom left of your posts.