Screen flickering on/off only in Microsoft Word edit mode (Samsung Galaxy Tab S10)

Question

Screen flickering on/off only in Microsoft Word edit mode (Samsung Galaxy Tab S10)

Ona 0

I'm experiencing an issue on my Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 where the screen randomly turns off and back on in short, repeated cycles — but only under a very specific condition.

Steps I've already ruled out:

Happens with a Bluetooth keyboard connected
Also happens with the on-screen keyboard
Also happens with no keyboard visible at all (just the document open)
Also happens in Airplane Mode (so it's not cloud sync/OneDrive related)
Does NOT happen with other apps (browser, video, etc.)
Does NOT happen in Word's Reading Mode
Only happens when a document is open in Edit Mode, with no touch/keyboard interaction for a while

Conclusion: The trigger seems to be Word's edit mode itself — possibly related to the blinking text cursor or a local autosave process holding/releasing the screen wake lock repeatedly.

What I've already tried:

Cleared Word's cache
Checked for app updates (already on latest version)
Confirmed it's not the Bluetooth keyboard, screen timeout settings, magnetic case, or Smart Stay

Device info:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10
Microsoft Word for Android (latest version from Play Store)
One UI 8.5

Has anyone else experienced this? Any fix or known bug report for this?

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1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Xavier-D 12,595 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Ona

Thank you for providing such detailed testing.

Since the issue occurs only when Word is left idle in Edit Mode, but not in Reading Mode or other apps, it appears to be related to Word’s editing interface or its interaction with the tablet’s display system.

Could you please test the following to narrow it down further?

Create a new blank document saved locally and leave it open in Edit Mode. This will show whether the issue affects every document or only existing files.
Go to Settings > Apps > Word > Storage, select Clear data, then sign back in. Clearing the cache alone may not reset corrupted app settings.
Uninstall and reinstall Word from the Play Store.
Temporarily set the tablet’s display refresh rate to 60 Hz/Standard and disable adaptive brightness, then test Word again.
Under Settings > Apps > Word > Battery, set Word to Unrestricted to rule out Android repeatedly suspending and waking the app.
Test the tablet in Samsung Safe Mode. If the flickering continues there, a third-party app is unlikely to be responsible.

As a temporary workaround, you could use Reading Mode when not actively editing, keep occasional cursor activity in the document, or use Word for the web in a browser.

If the issue remains after reinstalling Word and also affects a new blank document, please report it through Word > profile picture > Help & Feedback. Include the Word version, One UI version, display refresh-rate setting, and ideally a short screen recording.

This may require an application update if it is a compatibility issue between Word and the current Samsung software.

Feel free reply back to this post and update me on this issue, I'll be happy to help.

Xavier-D 12,595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-27T00:12:05.83+00:00

Hi Ona

I’m following up to check on the status of this issue.

Have you had an opportunity to review the answer shared earlier?

Any update you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Ona 0 Reputation points

2026-09-01T13:33:51.9933333+00:00

Hello, @Xavier-D

Sorry for not answering earlier. I tried all the options, and it still happens. I tried Samsung Safe Mode, but with that mode on, I cannot open the Word app, so it doesn't happen. But when I turned Safe Mode on and used Word again, it still flickers. I'm testing it right now, and it flickers once or twice when you are not writing anything but just watching the screen in edit mode...

I will say as you said and report it through the app. Let's see if they can fix it.

Thank you for the messages!!
Xavier-D 12,595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-02T01:27:54.1333333+00:00

Hello,

Thank you for the detailed follow-up.

Your testing strongly suggests that this is specific to Word’s Edit Mode rather than the keyboard, network, or general tablet settings.

Submitting the report through the Word app, along with the device model, Word version, One UI version, and a screen recording if possible, should give the development team useful information for investigating it.

Thank you again for keeping us updated.