Streaming videos online have become a standard feature across most smartphone brands. However, users have identified an issue while streaming, particularly HDR videos, where the screen brightness increases automatically. While intended to enhance video clarity and image quality, this occurrence can prove uncomfortable for users, leading to straining of the eyes or even rapid battery drainage. This problem has been discerned across numerous phone brands, notably OnePlus and Samsung, among other smartphones with advanced AI capabilities.
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Problem Description
When streaming HDR (High Dynamic Range) videos, whether it's on YouTube, Instagram, or any other platform, many smartphone users have experienced a sudden and drastic increase in screen brightness. Although this feature is designed to improve the quality of the viewing experience by enhancing the video’s color range and contrast ratio, it can often lead to discomfort due to an excessively bright screen. It may even exacerbate battery drainage, requiring users to adjust their screen brightness manually. This auto-brightness boost appears to affect a variety of smartphones, but it has been prominently reported on OnePlus and Samsung devices.
3. Affected Phone Brands: OnePlus, Samsung, and Other Smartphones with Higher AI Capabilities
In particular, OnePlus Nord users have reported an issue of a drastic increase in screen brightness when viewing HDR content. In Samsung devices, the culprits are features like Video Enhancer, designed to deliver an improved viewing experience when watching videos or online streams. Unfortunately, these features sometimes create the opposite effect by overly brightening the display. Despite these being features pre-set in the device software to automatically enhance video quality, they sometimes lead to uncomfortable and inconvenient user experiences.
OnePlus Screen Brightness Issue
For OnePlus Nord devices, this issue occurs mostly when watching HDR videos in landscape mode. When the video starts, the screen brightness boosts very high automatically and returns to the original level only once the video is closed. This issue seems to be a bug in the OnePlus software.
The OnePlus Screen Brightness Issue refers to a problem that some OnePlus smartphone users have encountered with their device's screen brightness settings. This issue primarily affects the automatic brightness adjustment feature, where the screen brightness may fluctuate or behave erratically even in stable lighting conditions. Users have reported scenarios where the screen brightness becomes too dim in well-lit environments or excessively bright in low-light situations.
The problem seems to be associated with the device's software and how it interprets ambient light levels. OnePlus devices typically use a combination of light sensors and algorithms to adjust screen brightness based on the surrounding environment. However, in some cases, these algorithms may not function optimally, leading to the inconsistent or incorrect adjustments.
OnePlus has acknowledged this issue and has released software updates to address it in various instances. Users are often advised to ensure their device's operating system is up-to-date, as new firmware releases may include fixes for the screen brightness problem. In some cases, users have reported success in resolving the issue by manually adjusting the brightness settings, disabling the automatic brightness feature, or performing a reset of the device settings.
Samsung Brightness Issue
The Samsung Brightness Issue on Phones with Video Enhancer pertains to a problem observed by users of certain Samsung smartphones equipped with a feature called "Video Enhancer." This feature is designed to enhance the display quality and brightness when playing videos or multimedia content on the device. However, some users have reported experiencing irregular screen brightness behavior when the Video Enhancer is enabled. The issue involves scenarios where the screen brightness doesn't respond as expected when Video Enhancer is turned on. In some cases, the screen brightness may become excessively bright, dim, or fluctuate unexpectedly when playing videos or using multimedia apps. This inconsistency in brightness adjustment can affect the viewing experience and cause discomfort to users.
Samsung, upon receiving reports about this issue, has taken steps to address it through software updates. Samsung releases regular updates to improve the performance and user experience of their devices. Users are encouraged to keep their devices updated to the latest firmware version to receive fixes for the Video Enhancer-related brightness problem potentially. In the interim, users facing this issue have suggested a few potential workarounds. Some users manually adjust the screen brightness to their preferred level before playing videos rather than relying on the automatic adjustment of the Video Enhancer. Additionally, disabling the Video Enhancer feature altogether has been reported to mitigate the brightness irregularities, though this may impact the enhanced display quality intended by the feature.
4. Other AI-Powered Smartphones
This automatic brightness issue is not confined to OnePlus and Samsung phones alone. Even on platforms like Instagram, videos and Reels shot in HDR trigger an auto-adjustment of display brightness. While this issue appears to be more prevalent among iPhone users, specific Android devices have also been flagged as exhibitors of this occurrence. As of yet, no device setting allows users to disable this automatic brightness boost while watching HDR videos on Instagram.
Possible Solutions
Disable Video Enhancer or Video Boost Feature
One primary remedy to this bug is turning off your device's automatic video-enhancing features. These features, designed to improve your viewing experience by brightening your screen and enhancing colors, can be found on many smartphones, such as Samsung, under the "Video Enhancer" or "Video color boost" options. Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can disable these features.
- Open Phone Settings. You can do this by navigating to your phone's home screen and clicking on the "Settings" icon, which usually looks like a gear or a set of sliders.
- Locate the "Advanced features" or "Display" Setting. Once inside your phone’s settings, you must locate the "Advanced features" or "Display" settings, depending on your device. Samsung users can generally find the Video Enhancer setting under "Advanced features." Alternatively, the Video Enhancer setting might be present for others under the "Display" setting.
- Find and Disable "Video Enhancer" or "Video color boost". Under the "Advanced features" or "Display" settings, you will find an option labeled "Video Enhancer" or "Video Color Boost." You need to toggle this feature off. This will disable your phone's automatic brightness boost when viewing specific videos.
- Reboot the Phone to Apply Changes. Finally, you should reboot your device after disabling the Video Enhancer or Video Color Boost feature. Restarting your phone ensures any changes you've made are correctly saved and become effective immediately.
Turn Off Adaptive or Auto Brightness
Another solution that may help control the sudden increase in brightness while streaming videos is disabling the automatic or adaptive brightness feature in your device's settings. This feature automatically adjusts the brightness of your screen according to the surrounding lighting conditions. Here are the detailed steps to turn off your phone's auto or adaptive brightness feature.
- Access "Display" Settings from the Phone Settings. You need to navigate to your device's "Display" settings to disable the auto or adaptive brightness feature. You can do this by opening your phone's "Settings" app, typically represented by a gear icon or sliders on your home screen. From the list of options within settings, tap on "Display."
- Disable the "Adaptive Brightness" Feature. Once you are in the "Display" settings, look for a feature labeled "Adaptive Brightness" or "Auto-Brightness," depending on your device. Toggle this feature off. This action stops your device from automatically adjusting your screen's brightness according to the surrounding light conditions, which should resolve the problem of your phone screen becoming excessively bright when streaming videos.
- Restart your phone. Remember, changes might not take effect until the device has been restarted, so it's advisable to reboot your phone after making these settings adjustments.
Manually Control Brightness on Video Player
Another viable solution to fix the heightened brightness issue while streaming videos is using manual controls on the video player. Several streaming apps include a built-in brightness control setting that lets you adjust brightness on the go. Let's look into how you can leverage this feature.
- Start Streaming Video. Launch your preferred video streaming app and start playing a video. This could be on Netflix, YouTube, or any other video streaming platform where you've been experiencing the issue of auto brightness enhancement.
- Locate the Brightness Slider on the Video Player. While playing the video, tap on the screen to make the player controls visible. This step should display options like play, pause, subtitles, etc. You should also find a brightness control slider, typically represented by a sun icon. The location of this control might differ from platform to platform. For example, Netflix users will find it on the left side of the screen.
- Manually Adjust the Brightness Using the Slider. Once you've identified the brightness control slider, slide it up or down to increase or decrease it according to your liking. This manual control should override any automatic settings causing your phone's brightness to increase significantly while streaming videos.
