iPhone 13 Goes Black During Call? Here's the Fix!

Part I: Reasons Why iPhone 13 Screen Goes Black During Calls

The first time it happens, it might come as a surprise that the iPhone 13 goes black during call. Even more surprising could be that it never comes back to life until the call is over! Why does that happen? Here are some reasons why the iPhone 13 goes black during the call.

Reason 1: Proximity Sensor

Your iPhone 13 features a proximity sensor that is designed to shut the screen off when it detects the iPhone to be in close proximity to your ear. This is so that your face does not accidentally trigger a touch response on the screen, although the iPhone is very well configured to not register accidental touches, and also to save battery life since you would not be using the screen anyway when talking with the screen to your ear.

Reason 2: Dirt Around Proximity Sensor

If your iPhone 13 goes black during call and does not come back to life easily even if you take it off your ear, then it is possible that the sensor is dirty and is not able to operate properly. You cannot clean the sensor since it is hidden behind glass, but this only means that you can clean the screen so that the sensor can 'see' clearly and operate efficiently. If there is dirt on the screen, or if the screen is, say, smeared with something that makes a film on top of the sensor, it is likely to not operate efficiently and reliably.

Reason 3: Faulty Proximity Sensor

If you find that the iPhone does not come to life even if you take the iPhone off your ear, then there is a chance that the sensor is faulty. If the iPhone is in warranty, as your new iPhone 13 is going to be, then it is best to take the iPhone to a service center.

Part II: How to Fix iPhone 13 Screen Goes Black During Calls

Fortunately, proximity sensors do not really develop faults that way for the life of your device, and there are a few things you can do to see if that helps the issue before you figure that the sensor might have developed a fault and you need to take it to a service center.

Tip 1: Restart The iPhone 13

For most issues on iPhone, a restart usually fixes things on its own. If you are facing issues with iPhone 13 going black while calling or even after calling, a restart is one of the first things you should attempt. Here's how to restart iPhone 13:

Step 1: Press and hold the Volume Up key and Side Button together until the slider appears

Step 2: Drag the slider to turn the iPhone off

Step 3: After a few seconds, turn the iPhone back on using the Side Button.

Tip 2: Clean The Proximity Sensor

Cleaning the screen is the only way to 'clean' the proximity sensor. If there is any film developed on the screen that you may or may not be able to see but is interfering with the proper operation of the proximity sensor, this is going to cause issues such as iPhone 13 going black all of a sudden. That's because the proximity sensor erringly registered the presence of your ear when it was just the film development on the screen. Here's how to clean the gunk from your iPhone 13 screen:

Step 1: Take a soft cotton swab

Step 2: Take some isopropyl alcohol

Step 3: Dab and moisten the swab in the alcohol

Step 4: Gently, in circular motion, clear your iPhone 13 screen.

Do not use any detergent or other abrasive chemicals on your iPhone. Isopropyl alcohol is the same liquid that you use to clean and sanitize a wound. It is gentle and non-reactive.

Tip 3: Use The Power Button to Wake iPhone

It is possible that the iPhone screen might not wake during call if you press the volume buttons. The better way to bring the iPhone screen to wake up when iPhone went black after the phone call is to press the Side Button to power the device.

Tip 4: Remove iPhone From Case

If you are using a knock-off case, it is possible that the case lip might be interfering with the iPhone 13's sensors. Remove the iPhone from its case and see if that resolves the issue.

Tip 5: Remove Screen Protector

If you are using a screen protector on your device, remove it, even if there is a cutout for the sensors. At this juncture, you want to eliminate all possible reasons. Although, most likely, this is the reason - some screen protectors, especially for iPhone 13, do not feature a cutout for the sensors since the earpiece on the iPhone 13 has been pushed up to align with the edge of the chassis, allowing protectors to not require any cutouts. Remove any screen protector and check if that resolves the iPhone 13 goes black during call issue.

Tip 6: Reset All Settings

Sometimes, issues can be helped with resetting all settings. To reset all settings on your iPhone:

Step 1: Launch Settings and tap General

Step 2: Scroll down and tap Transfer Or Reset iPhone

Step 3: Tap Reset

Step 4: Tap Reset All Settings

Step 5: Punch in your passcode and let the iPhone reset all your settings.

Tip 7: Erase All Settings and Reset iPhone

If the above did not work, the other option is to erase all settings on iPhone and reset the iPhone altogether. Doing this will require a little planning at your end since this will delete all your data from the iPhone. App data that exists in iCloud will not be deleted, but data in some apps such as, for example, if you have downloaded some movies to watch in VLC, those will be deleted if they are on your iPhone.

Before resetting the iPhone entirely, it is advised to backup all data. You can do this with iTunes or macOS Finder, or you can also use third-party tools such as Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS) to back up your iPhone easily and intuitively, in a beautiful software interface. What's more, it allows you to do something that you cannot do if you use iTunes or macOS Finder - selective backup. Using Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS), you can choose what to back up easily, thereby getting more control on your data.

When you have backed up your data using iTunes or macOS Finder or tools such as Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS), you need to disable Find My on your device without which you will not be able to erase the iPhone. Here is how to disable Find My on iPhone:

Step 1: Launch Settings and tap your profile

Step 2: Tap Find My and tap Find My iPhone

Step 3: Toggle Find My iPhone Off.

After that, here is how to erase all settings and reset the iPhone:

Step 1: Launch Settings and tap General

Step 2: Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone

Step 3: Tap Erase All Content and Settings

Step 4: Tap Continue and punch in your passcode to begin.

Tip 8: Restore iOS Firmware to Fix Proximity Sensor Issues

If nothing seems to work, it is time to try fixing the iPhone 13 goes black during call issue by restoring the iOS firmware onto the device again. If this is something that bothers you because you fear data loss, or are intimidated by the obscurity of the Apple way that can throw up error codes that you know nothing about, here is a better and easier way to restore the firmware on your iPhone and fix all issues - Dr.Fone System Repair (iOS). Dr.Fone is a suite comprising modules designed to fix all issues on your iPhone quickly and easily.

Here is how to use Dr.Fone - System Repair (iOS) to fix iOS issues that might be causing the iPhone screen going black issue on iPhone 13:

Step 1: Get Dr.Fone

Step 2: Connect iPhone to computer and launch Dr.Fone:

Step 3: Select the System Repair module:

Step 4: The Standard Mode is designed to fix most issues on iOS such as iPhone going black during call and unresponsive screen, without deleting user data. This method is the one to start with.

Step 5: After Dr.Fone identifies your iPhone model and iOS version, confirm the details and click Start:

Step 6: The firmware will be downloaded and verified, after which you can now click Fix Now to start restoring iOS firmware on your iPhone.

After Dr.Fone System Repair finishes, the phone will restart with factory settings. You should not be facing screen unresponsiveness when the iPhone screen goes black during call.

Tip 9: Update iOS

Sometimes, such an issue could be a known software bug that might have been fixed in a software update. Here is how to check for software updates on an iPhone 13:

Step 1: Launch Settings and tap General

Step 2: Tap Software Update

If there is an update, it will be shown here. Do note that your iPhone needs to be connected to Wi-Fi and have at least 50% battery charge for iOS to download and install a system update.

Tip 10: Contacting Apple Support

You can contact Apple Support online for free during warranty, and telephone support within 90 days of purchase, free of charge. As you are facing an issue with your iPhone in warranty, you may want to make full use of the warranty services provided by the company. One of the quickest ways to resolve issues, especially when your iPhone is in warranty and support is free of charge, is to visit an Apple Store where the staff is trained to help you out with anything and everything that could possibly go wrong with your iPhone.

Conclusion

It is annoying when you want to interact with your iPhone during a call and the iPhone screen goes black during call, totally unresponsive to touch. Such an issue can be either a software bug or an issue with a screen protector or a case or could be that the screen is dirty, or it could be that the proximity sensor itself is faulty and needs repair. It could also be a firmware corruption that could be fixed by restoring iOS again. Before you visit an Apple Store, you might want to try all the methods listed to save yourself an unnecessary trip. Note that resetting all settings and erasing the iPhone will wipe your data from the iPhone, so backup your data first either through iTunes and macOS Finder or through third-party tools such as Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS) that let you choose what to backup, giving you granular control over your backups. Then, you can use the same Dr.Fone suite and choose the System Repair module to fix your iPhone 13 screen going black and unresponsive issue completely.