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

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

Before trying to fix the problem, it helps to understand one important point: an iPhone screen turning off briefly during a call is often normal. Your iPhone uses the proximity sensor to detect when the phone is close to your face, and it turns the display off to prevent accidental taps and save battery. The real problem starts when the screen stays black even after you move the phone away from your ear.

In other words, iPhone black screen during call can be either expected behavior or a fault. The key is whether the display wakes back up correctly when the phone is no longer near your face.

Reason 1: Proximity Sensor

The iPhone 13 includes a proximity sensor that automatically turns the screen off during a call when the phone is close to your ear. This is a standard feature, not a defect. It prevents accidental touches from your cheek and helps avoid muting, hanging up, or pressing other controls by mistake.

So if your iPhone screen turns off during call only while the phone is against your face and wakes again when you move it away, that behavior is normal.

Reason 2: Dirt Around Proximity Sensor

If your iPhone 13 goes black during a call and does not wake properly afterward, the proximity sensor may be blocked by dirt, oil, a smudge film, or residue on the upper part of the screen. The sensor sits behind the glass, so you do not clean the sensor directly. Instead, you clean the screen surface so the sensor can detect distance accurately.

This is one of the most common reasons users search for how to stop screen going black on iPhone. The phone may think your face is still near the display even when it is not, causing the screen to remain off longer than it should.

Reason 3: Faulty Proximity Sensor

If the screen stays black during every call no matter what you try, and especially if the issue continues without a case or screen protector, the proximity sensor may be malfunctioning. This can happen after a drop, a poor-quality screen replacement, internal damage, or a hardware defect.

If your iPhone is still covered by warranty, it is best to let Apple inspect it instead of continuing to troubleshoot indefinitely.

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

If your iPhone display keeps going black during phone calls and does not wake when expected, start with the simplest fixes first. The best approach is to rule out temporary iOS glitches, blocked sensors, accessory interference, and settings issues before moving on to a full reset or firmware repair. This order gives you the best chance of solving the issue without losing data.

Tip 1: Restart The iPhone 13

A restart is one of the easiest ways to clear temporary bugs that can cause an iPhone call black screen issue. If the problem started recently or happens inconsistently, restarting the phone may be enough to reset the sensor behavior and restore normal call screen response.

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.

If the issue disappears after restart, the cause was likely a temporary software glitch rather than hardware failure.

Tip 2: Clean The Proximity Sensor

If your iPhone goes black during call and stays that way longer than it should, clean the top front portion of the display carefully. Even a thin layer of oil or a barely visible film can confuse the sensor.

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.

Pay extra attention to the area near the earpiece, where the sensor behavior is most easily affected.

Tip 3: Use The Power Button to Wake iPhone

When the screen goes dark during a call, pressing the Side Button is usually the most reliable way to wake it again. Some users try volume buttons or random taps, but that may not reactivate the call screen as effectively.

If your goal is simply how to turn off screen going black during call iPhone behavior long enough to access call controls, pressing the Side Button is the quickest first test.

Tip 4: Remove iPhone From Case

If you are using a thick, poorly aligned, or low-quality case, the case edges may partially cover the sensor area or affect how the phone reads proximity during a call. Remove the iPhone from its case and make a test call to check whether the problem stops.

This is especially common with third-party cases that do not match the iPhone 13 front layout precisely.

Tip 5: Remove Screen Protector

A screen protector is one of the most overlooked causes of iphone black screen during call. Some protectors leave residue, some are poorly aligned, and some cover the sensor area in a way that interferes with proximity detection even when they seem visually correct.

If you are using a screen protector on your device, remove it, even if there is a cutout for the sensors. At this stage, the goal is to eliminate all possible physical interference. Remove any screen protector and check if that resolves the iPhone 13 goes black during call issue.

Tip 6: Reset All Settings

If the problem is tied to a settings conflict rather than hardware, resetting all settings may help. This does not erase your personal data, but it does reset system preferences such as network settings, keyboard settings, privacy settings, and display-related preferences.

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 resetting settings does not work, a full reset is the next deeper option. This is more aggressive and should only be done after backing up your data. It may help when the problem is caused by persistent iOS corruption or a system-level configuration issue that lighter fixes cannot remove.

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.

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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 else works, restoring iOS firmware is one of the strongest software-based fixes. This is the right move when the call screen issue may be caused by deeper iOS corruption, incomplete updates, or firmware-level bugs affecting sensor behavior.

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.

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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 the issue is caused by an iOS bug that has already been fixed in a later update. If the problem appeared after a recent change, updating iOS may resolve the issue without further troubleshooting. This is particularly relevant if users are searching legacy queries like ios 13 phone calls but are actually experiencing a broader software issue on a newer version.

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

If your iPhone screen still stays black during calls after trying the steps above, the problem may be hardware-related. In that case, Apple Support is the best next step, especially if your device is under warranty.

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

When your iPhone goes black during call, the cause is often less serious than it looks. In many cases, the screen is simply responding to the proximity sensor as designed, or the sensor is being confused by dirt, a screen protector, a case, or a temporary iOS glitch. The most effective approach is to start with simple fixes such as restarting the device, cleaning the display, removing accessories, and testing whether the screen wakes properly with the Side Button.

If those methods do not work, moving to settings reset, full reset, or iOS firmware repair can help solve deeper software problems. And if your iPhone screen still stays black during calls after all software fixes, Apple inspection is the right next step. For users who want a guided repair path before visiting a service center, Dr.Fone tools provide a practical way to back up data and repair iOS-related call screen issues.