The change of the spectral photocurrent characteristics of amorphous silicon pin solar cells with light induced degradation is compared with the effect of slightly doping the ‘‘i‐layer’’. Both treatments yield similar results. Light stress lets the primary photocurrent, measured with blue light, decrease and the secondary photocurrent, measured with red light, increased. The similar change occurs when a slight n‐doping of the ‘‘i‐layer’’ is replaced by a slight p‐doping. A simple interpretation in terms of unfirom fields and preponderant surface recombination is possible and will be outlined.We additionally resort to numerical similations. Degradation is to be simulated by the introduction of stronger recombination. The crombination rate will be distributed in space. We indeed find that enhanced surface recombination plays the key role in guiding the simulation towards our experiment.