Run the burn-in test Solid gray and color screens make a ghost easy to see, and you can recheck after a refresh cycle.
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Spotting a faint outline of your taskbar is a rough moment on an expensive OLED. Most of the time, it’s retention, and it goes away. Apple, LG and Samsung all describe the temporary kind as expected OLED behavior. The steps below tell you which one you have before you worry about the warranty.
What’s the difference between burn-in and image retention?
| Image retention | Burn-in | |
|---|---|---|
| How long it lasts | Minutes to hours; it fades | Stays, even on other content |
| What causes it | A static image left on screen for a while | Uneven wear from the same bright image over a long time |
| Typical shapes | Last window, paused game, menu | Channel logos, news tickers, taskbars, game HUDs |
| What helps | Varied content, screen off, panel care cycle | Prevention; mild cases may improve with a long pixel refresh; otherwise warranty |
LG’s burn-in troubleshooting page defines retention as an image that “sticks” and usually fades after a moment or two, and burn-in as retention that lasts much longer and shows even on other content. Apple’s iPhone display page says image persistence “is temporary and disappears after a few minutes of normal use,” while burn-in can occur when the same high-contrast image stays at high brightness for prolonged periods.
The two also have different causes inside the panel. Ars Technica’s 2023 report explains that temporary retention points to the panel’s thin-film transistor layer, while burn-in is wear of the OLED layer itself. A Sony spokesperson told Ars that untreated temporary retention doesn’t lead to burn-in.
How to check which one you have
- Open the burn-in test in full screen. Step through gray, then red, green, blue and white.
- Note where the ghost is and what shape it is. Taskbar, logo, scoreboard?
- Switch to varied content (a video, scrolling) for 15 to 30 minutes, or turn the screen off and leave it.
- Recheck on the gray screen. Fainter or gone means retention.
- Still there? Run the panel care cycle for your device (next section), then test again the next day.
A ghost that survives varied content, a full refresh cycle and a night off is burn-in.
How to fix image retention and mild burn-in, by device
LG OLED TVs
LG says Pixel Cleaning (Pixel Refresher) runs automatically after every 4 hours of cumulative use, and a longer calibration runs after 2,000 hours, taking about an hour once the TV is off. If you notice retention or burn-in, you can start it manually from the TV settings, choosing Start Now or Start Once TV is Off. The manual run takes more than an hour and stops if you turn the TV on. On recent models LG lists the path as Settings > All Settings > General > OLED Care > OLED Panel Care > Pixel Cleaning; older menus differ, so check LG’s pixel refresher guide for yours.
Samsung OLED TVs
Samsung’s burn-in page gives the path: Home > Menu > Settings > All Settings > General & Privacy > Panel Care > Pixel Refresh, then Start Now or Start After TV off. Samsung says to run it when you see image retention, and to contact Samsung Service if the problem persists.
OLED monitors
Samsung’s OLED monitor guide describes three layers. Screen Optimization runs automatically after 4 or more hours of screen time once the monitor is off, takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and stops if you pull the power cord. Pixel Refresh, on models that have it, turns the monitor off for more than an hour. And Pixel Shift plus Adjust Logo Brightness help prevent it. Other brands use other names, so look for “panel care,” “pixel refresh” or “OLED care” in your monitor’s menu.
The practical rule for all OLED monitors and TVs: don’t cut the power at the wall at night. The short cycles run in standby.
iPhone and other OLED phones
Apple says iPhone tracks pixel usage and adjusts brightness per pixel to reduce visible burn-in, and that Auto-Brightness helps. Keep iOS up to date. In 2023, Apple’s iOS 17.1 release notes listed a fix for an issue that “may cause display image persistence,” as MacRumors reported, after iPhone 15 owners posted what looked like burn-in. On Android phones, there’s usually no manual refresh, so the fix is varied use, lower brightness and a shorter screen timeout.
What about burn-in “fixer” videos and color-cycling apps? They can help temporary retention fade, the same way any moving content does. They can’t undo wear on the OLED layer. Same for the stuck pixel fixer: it’s built for stuck pixels, not burn-in.
One habit to skip: running the long manual refresh over and over. Samsung and LG both present it as something to run when you see retention, not as routine maintenance.
How to prevent OLED burn-in
- Keep logo protection on. LG’s Adjust Logo Brightness has High, Low and Off; High dims static logos the most. Samsung’s OLED monitors have the same setting, plus Pixel Shift, which Samsung says is on by default.
- On a PC, auto-hide the taskbar and use dark mode. Static, bright desktop elements are the classic burn-in shape.
- Use a screen saver or a short sleep timer, so a paused game or desktop doesn’t sit for hours.
- Lower brightness for static work. Apple’s advice is to avoid static images at maximum brightness for long periods.
- Avoid hours-long sessions with the same game HUD in one place if you can. Samsung names speedometers, crosshairs and health bars as burn-in risks.
How worried should you be? RTINGS ran a long accelerated test on 102 TVs, and every OLED developed burn-in under its deliberately static, high-brightness test. {“Tom’s Hardware’s write-up“} reports that RTINGS says these TVs wouldn’t have burned in under normal use, and that OLEDs were the least likely to fail outright of all panel types in the test. Mixed content with the protections on is the normal case.
Is burn-in covered by warranty?
It depends on the maker, the model and the region, so read the warranty for your exact model. Some examples:
- Dell’s Alienware monitor support page says QD-OLED panels are limited to a 3-year maximum warranty term that includes burn-in.
- Samsung’s OLED TV and monitor pages tell you to contact Samsung Service if burn-in persists after Pixel Refresh.
Before you file, run the panel care cycle once, recheck with the burn-in test, and take a photo of the gray screen with the ghost visible.
If it can’t be fixed
Burn-in that survives a full pixel refresh and a night off is permanent. Check the warranty for your model (some OLED monitors include burn-in coverage), then contact the maker with a photo on a gray screen. Out of warranty, a panel replacement often costs close to a new screen, so get a quote before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Does image retention turn into burn-in?
Not by itself, according to a Sony spokesperson quoted by Ars Technica: untreated temporary retention doesn’t lead to burn-in. Retention and burn-in come from different layers of the panel.
Can OLED burn-in be fixed?
True burn-in is permanent wear. A long pixel refresh can reduce mild cases, and some phones and TVs compensate automatically, but if it survives the refresh, the warranty is the fix.
How long does image retention last?
Apple says image persistence disappears after a few minutes of normal use. LG says retention usually fades after a moment or two. If it lasts days, treat it as burn-in.
Should I hide the taskbar on an OLED monitor?
It helps. The taskbar is one of the most common static shapes on a PC, and auto-hide plus dark mode reduce how long bright static pixels stay lit.
Do burn-in fixer videos work?
They can help temporary retention fade, like any varied content. They don’t repair permanent burn-in.
Related fixes
Sources
- Apple: About the Super Retina and Super Retina XDR display on your iPhone, checked 2026-10-17.
- LG USA: Troubleshooting image burn-in, checked 2026-10-17.
- LG USA: How to run the Pixel Refresher, checked 2026-10-17.
- Samsung UK: Burn-in on your Samsung OLED TV, checked 2026-10-17.
- Samsung US: Prevent burn-in on Samsung OLED Monitor, checked 2026-10-17.
- Dell: Alienware monitor support services, checked 2026-10-17.
- Ars Technica: Not burn-in, OLED TV image retention (Oct 2023), checked 2026-10-17.
- Tom’s Hardware: RTINGS three-year TV longevity test (Dec 2025), checked 2026-10-17.
- MacRumors: iOS 17.1 fixes display image retention issue, checked 2026-10-17.
