Why Does My Screen Look Glitchy When I Move?

Your screen is like a flip book that draws pictures super fast. But it doesn't draw all at once. It draws from top to bottom, line by line.

The Problem

When you move your head or the phone quickly, your eyes catch the screen in different stages of drawing. One moment the top is fresh, and the next moment the bottom just started.

The Result

This makes straight lines look bent or wobbly, like looking at a mirror while riding on a bus. It is not broken! It is just working too fast for your eyes to track smoothly.

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. Watching a video call while riding on a bus makes people's faces look like they are wobbling.
  2. Scrolling through photos quickly shows straight lines bending slightly at the edges.
  3. Looking at a computer monitor in a dark room reveals faint horizontal lines as it refreshes.

Ask a question

See also

Loading…

Discussion

Recent activity