Apple is facing a serious screen flickering issue, particularly affecting Studio Display users, with the macOS Tahoe operating system released last September. According to user reports, this intermittent flickering problem, seen on Studio Display and some third-party monitors, is not only not being resolved but is actually getting worse with recent updates.
macOS Update Causes Flickering
Many users who upgraded to macOS Tahoe versions 26.1 and 26.2 report that the screen flickers intermittently for seconds, making daily use difficult.
The problem is particularly triggered when switching from dark content to applications with bright white backgrounds or browsing bright web pages. In some cases, the flickering occurs completely randomly, while in others it manifests as successive fluctuations lasting a few seconds.
While Apple has not yet made an official statement regarding the source of the problem, technical analyses suggest that the error is a software incompatibility rather than a hardware malfunction. Experts believe that the radical changes macOS Tahoe introduced to display controller management are causing errors, particularly in “temporal dithering” processes.
This leads to confusion in monitor backlight management and erratic brightness level fluctuations. Studio Display owners, as well as users of external monitors from brands like LG, Dell, and BenQ, are reporting similar issues. This wide range of users proves the problem is directly related to how the operating system processes the image signal.
Until an official patch is released, some temporary solutions are available for users seeking to resolve the issue. Changing the display color profile from “Apple Display P3-600 nits” to “P3-D65” via System Settings significantly reduces flickering on many systems.
Disabling True Tone, Night Shift, and automatic brightness features also yields positive results in some cases. However, these methods only alleviate symptoms and do not offer a permanent solution.
Apple is expected to end this crisis with a new macOS update or a software package specifically for Studio Display, which is anticipated to be released in the coming weeks.
