Persistent horizontal lines appear on iMac screen

Hello everyone,

I'm experiencing the same issue. After turning off my Mac one day and powering it back on the next, multiple lines suddenly appeared on the display. My iMac has always been up to date, and even after reinstalling macOS, the problem persists. I hope Apple issues a recall, as my computer is just out of warranty. This shouldn't happen to a €1700 computer that's only three years old.

The same thing happened to me. I have an IMac M1 purchased in January 2021 in Italy. It happened a little after the warranty ended. Exactly as others here have mentioned. It's unbelievable that the only solution is to buy a screen that has the value of a macMini. I will never buy an IMac again.

I don't think the problem is the software update. I purchased mine in june 2021. This same problem occured 2 days ago (9 Feb 2024) In these 2 years and 8 months I never updated the software because I just don't do it when everything is working fine.

My screen started flickering two days ago, June 18, 2024. I got my iMac 24' on March 14, 2022, with an M1 chip. I read the entire discussion. It is, for sure, Apple being sloppy, faulty and even rudely arrogant. Nothing else. They want to enforce Apple Care.

All screens went terrible after two years and a few months.

It begins with patchy flickers here and there, keeps widening and covers your entire screen, making your iMac unusable after a few days.

I would suggest getting a decent external screen. Ditch this old one. No use getting it repaired with no warranty and a one hundred per cent certainty that the replacement will also bite the dust after two years. And APPLE DOESN'T CARE at all! They want money. No accountability.

Same issue. Bought my M1 iMac 2021 (which I love!) in April 2023 and the line appeared on my screen last week. I contacted Apple and was told to re-install the OS. I did, and the issue was not resolved. I was then told to take it to an Apple authorized repair place, which I did. The diagnostic (which cost me about $65) was clear: no issues with anything, so "as per Apple's troubleshooting flow, the display must be replaced". They would be charging me over $1,100 (in Canadian dollars) for the repair, which is about half the original cost!!! I said no, went back today to pick up my device and am now deciding on the next steps. My computer is only 19 months old. My previous iMac lasted me ELEVEN years! And it's still working, but slower, of course.

I went on the site to provide Feedback, but the box only allows a limited number of characters, so you can't go into details. I wanted to tell them how disappointed I am that a machine so expensive fails in just over a year and a half. I also wanted them to know that I am more than loyal to Apple (numerous devices in my household over the years - from iMac to iPhone, iPod, iPad, HomePod...everything but the watch!), and that my complaint is valid. Now that I see 18 pages of comments from users having the same problem, it makes it even more real. Apple MUST deal with this issue and find a solution!

I also used the chat and a very nice fellow took down my comments (the ones I wanted to put in the Feedback box) and told me he would escalate my issue. I have a case number, so I can follow up in a while, I suppose, but the problem now is that I have to continue using a faulty computer for the time being.

I have this issue, M1 iMac purchased in Tokyo, Japan in 2022. It seems to be a problem in Asian countries mostly. I was working on a simple Google Doc, rubbed my eyes, and when I looked again the black lines appeared. Right in the center third of the screen. It's extremely annoying. And of course I don't have Apple Care...

This has been a noted issue on the iFixit site:

****

It does not actually seem to be that difficult to replace the screen. Has anyone tried to replace the screen themselves? There are a number of videos on YouTube for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBjMr--idKo

But I'm wondering if I should just get an external monitor instead. It's very frustrating. I've been bragging to my friends about this M1 iMac for years now. "Buy a Mac," I say. "They're pricey but they'll last at least five years!" I am eating my words now. I have an M2 MacBook Pro that I also really like...am I going to have this problem with it in two years?

Apple, fix this. When people bring these 2021 M1 iMacs into the store, fix them for free. It's really lame to get just two years out of this computer, when it clearly can go for several more.

[Edited by Moderator]

The exact issue is happening with my iMac 2021, which also has roughly two years of use. The flickering horizontal lines just appeared out of nowhere. This iMac has no physical damage whatsoever. It has been sitting on my desk all this time, never been dropped, never been hit by other things, and all of a sudden this issue just popped out.

I tried doing screen record, screenshot, using an external monitor, and the issue was never replicated. So this must be a hardware issue, exactly the same as with the other complaints on this thread. This has greatly affected my work as I am doing graphics design.

I do hope Apple will take this issue seriously since this could not just be a mere coincidence given the amount of reports on this issue reported on this thread. I will try to contact Apple or go to my nearest Apple Center to have this one sorted out.

iMac 2021 Display Issue - Dark Flickering Horizontal Lines

wow this is a very key information to me because it tells us its not just M1 (which I bought in 2021) but its also the new model 2024. This increases all of our cases - and this hopefully will become a well known issue and fixed for all of us!

I've cross-posted this in r/apple on Reddit. Please upvote there as well:

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/1gzlr7a/apple_please_acknowledge_design_flaw_in_imac_24/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

The Japan Advisor read the entire thread and was aware of the problem, but did not resolve the issue or make an exception from Apple.

I also did not get an answer from the engineer about the problem based on this thread, with the only answer being repair.

They did say that they are not currently seeing this issue.

To everyone who has encountered this issue, keep sending feedback.

And I hope Apple will take appropriate action.

Thanks to the tips posted by VanCitySean on Jun 22, 2024 at 9:40 AM, I was able to get a free replacement from Apple Japan. 

As that post was so helpful and encouraging to me, I am going to post a translated version on a Japanese Apple Support Community page. There is a thread starter facing this same problem and seeking advice on how to get their iMac throughly inspected. (The thread starter took it to an Apple authorized Service Provider, but didn’t get a satisfactory response and was simply offered a paid repair.)

I don’t know if VanCitySean will notice my message, but I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to you. You are the best!

It also happened to me today. I can't accept it—only three years, and it shouldn't be what Apple stands for in terms of good quality. I hope Apple can provide a free repair or recall the affected products.

I am having the same problem. I've had this iMac more than two years. The lines start to appear recently and never disppear. I suspect it is related to the mac os upgrade however as I couldn't revert the os back to its original.

Hopefully Apple staff could give us some clue why would this happen. In the last 15 years, I used so many Apple Macs and never ever had such issue before.

"They charged ne 30USD for inspection"

Who exactly is "they"? In the US, the Apple in-store diagnostic is certainly free; I've taken advantage of that twice in the last six months.

If there is a "consumer product protection" agency in your country. I suggest you file a complain. Please post the final results of that here if you choose to do so ... if you can file such a complaint of course.

Considering the millions of Apple Macs worldwide, the number of complains here is an exceedingly small percentage of the whole. Problems happen for sure, but just because it happens to you does not mean it happens to many. That's known as a "hasty generalization".