How to deal with Daydream display flicker on Galaxy S8

You need to be able to see what is going on when you have a VR headset on, but if you have issues with your display then you can give yourself a headache or cause damage to your eyes. Some users have reported an issue where the display on their Galaxy S8 flickers brightly and repeatedly.

This is a disorienting issue that absolutely nobody wants to run into, but if you do we've got a solution for you!

What happens

When we're talking about display flicker, what we mean is a display that rapidly gets very bright and then dims before repeating itself. Sometimes it occurs in only one eye, and sometimes it can flicker in both of them. Either way, it's extremely irritating, not to mention the possibility of danger to your eyes. While we aren't entirely sure why this problem crops up, the theory is that your controller is trying to fix itself and causing your display to refresh.

How to fix it

Thankfully there is a very simple fix to this problem. All that you need to do is reorient your controller. This takes just a moment since all you need to do is hold your Home button for three seconds with the Daydream controller up pointed straight in front of you.

Step by step instructions

  1. Look straight ahead, pointing your VR headset forward.
  2. Raise your Daydream controller up, pointed straight in front of you.
  3. Hold down the Home button for three seconds.

What if the issue comes back?

While reorienting your controller can deal with this problem, there is, of course, the issue of what to do if your display starts to flicker again. If reorienting your controller doesn't do the trick, the next thing you should try is power cycling your phone. At times your phone just needs a solid reboot in order to work properly.

If neither of these solutions do the trick, and you continue to have this problem then it may be time to contact the manufacturer. In order to do this, you'll need to contact Samsung Support and open a ticket to get things handled.

Have you run into this issue?

Have you had issues with display flicker while playing Daydream with a Galaxy S8? Is there another solution to this problem that we didn't mention here? Be sure to drop us a line in the comments and let us know about it!

Essa Kidwell

Essa Kidwell is an expert in all things VR and mobile devices who can always be found with an Oculus Go, a Pixel 2, and an iPhone 7+. They've been taking things apart just to put them back together for quite some time. If you've got a troubleshooting issue with any of your tech, they're the one you want to go to! Find them on Twitter @OriginalSluggo or Instagram @CosmeticChronus.