iPhone 17: “Display Pulse Smoothing” lets you disable PWM dimming

Apple’s iPhone 17 series adds a new accessibility option called Display Pulse Smoothing that lets users toggle pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming on or off. It’s found in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.

What this does

• Disable PWM: Turns off PWM-based dimming so the OLED display dims without the rapid on/off pulses that can cause flicker.
• Who benefits: People sensitive to screen flicker — who experience eye strain, headaches, or discomfort with PWM — may see a smoother image at low brightness.
• Trade-offs: Apple notes disabling PWM may affect low-brightness display performance under certain conditions.

Where to find it

Open Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enable or disable Display Pulse Smoothing.

Official note

“Disables pulse width modulation to provide a different way to dim the OLED display, which can create a smoother display output at low brightness levels. Disabling PWM may affect low brightness display performance under certain conditions.” — Apple Newsroom

Want to learn more?

Official announcement: Apple Newsroom: iPhone 17 Pro & iPhone 17 Pro Max

Further coverage: MacRumors: iPhone 17 Pro PWM toggle • GSMArena: All iPhone 17 models let you turn off PWM dimming

If you’re sensitive to display flicker, try the setting and tell us: did it help? (Reply on the original X post.)