A faulty touchscreen pretty much renders your smartphone useless. There’s not much you can do on your smartphone if the touchscreen does not work. Sure, you can still access some functions using voice commands or an external keyboard, but these are just temporary fixes to a pressing issue. Before taking your phone to a professional repair centre, there are some things you can do at home to recover its touchscreen. In this article, we bring you the top 10 ways to fix an unresponsive touchscreen on an Android phone.
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Table of Contents
Restart your phone
If your phone’s touchscreen started malfunctioning out of the blue without any signs of physical damage, the issue is most likely software-related. The touchscreen may stop responding at times due to a background glitch. The easiest way to resolve these glitches is by quickly rebooting your phone. Simply long-press the side key to reveal the power options. Select ‘Restart’ from the list of options. If long pressing the side key triggers the voice assistant on your device, press the side and Volume Up keys to reveal power options.
Restart the phone in Safe Mode
It is common for corrupt third-party apps to mess with the basic functioning of your phone. Before you perform a factory reset or uninstall certain apps from your device, it is a good idea to restart your phone in Safe Mode to confirm whether third-party apps are an issue. Restarting your phone in Safe Mode limits the activity of third-party apps and runs only the basic system apps on the device. If you are facing the touchscreen in Safe Mode as well, it means that third-party apps are not to blame.
To enter Safe Mode, press and hold the power button and volume down button. Once the power menu pops up on the screen, press and hold the power icon until the Safe Mode option shows up.
Run a system diagnosis
Your Android smartphone is equipped with certain diagnosis tools for different parts of the device. You can run a check for touchscreen issues as well. These checks can be triggered by entering certain codes on the dialer app. To run a touchscreen check on a Samsung phone, launch the Dialer app and enter *#0*#. Run the different tests on your touchscreen to diagnose the issue. If you own a smartphone from a different manufacturer, simply Google the test codes for that device.
Use the Display Tester app
The Display Tester app performs a thorough test on your phone’s touchscreen and diagnoses dead pixels with ease. Install the Display Tester app from the Google Play Store. Launch the app and switch to the ‘Tests’. Run all the available tests on your device to figure out what is wrong with it.
Increase touch sensitivity
If your touchscreen started being unresponsive after you installed a screen protector on it, you need to increase the touch sensitivity of your device. With heightened sensitivity, your phone’s touchscreen can pick up the faint touches that would otherwise go unnoticed because of the screen protector getting in the way. You can increase the touchscreen sensitivity by going to Settings>Display and turning the toggle bar on for ‘Touch sensitivity.’
Turn off Developer Mode
The Developer Mode on your phone can be activated by tapping the build number seven times. It unlocks a host of options, giving you greater control over the functioning of your phone. However, over a period of time, it can create certain malfunctions. If your phone’s touchscreen becomes unresponsive all of a sudden, try turning off the Developer Mode. Here’s how.
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Scroll all the way down and tap on Developer Options.
Step 3: Switch off the toggle bar for Developer Options.
Remove the screen protector
If increasing the touch sensitivity of your device does not restore the normal functioning of the touchscreen, remove the screen protector. Before buying a screen protector, make sure that is it compatible with your smartphone. If it isn’t, it can render the touchscreen unusable. Certain screen protectors prevent the under-display fingerprint scanner from working correctly. If you are using an old screen protector, the air bubbles inside it can often cause the touchscreen to not register the touch gestures.
Water damage? Let your phone dry
If your phone’s touchscreen isn’t working due to water-related damage, there are a few methods you can employ to fix it. First, turn your phone off instantly and do not launch it until all traces of water have been removed from the device. The best way to absorb all water from your smartphone is by covering it with packets of silicate. You can read our complete guide to removing water from your smartphone here.
Take out the memory card
Not all touchscreen malfunctions are related to hardware issues. Sometimes, corrupted files in the smartphone’s memory can lead to the phone becoming unresponsive at random times. To make sure whether this is the case, take out the memory card along with the SIM and restart your phone. If the issue resolves itself, format the memory card and insert it again.
Perform a factory reset
Step 1: Go to Settings, scroll down and select General Management.
Step 2: Tap on Reset.
Step 3: Select Factory data reset.
Step 4: Scroll down and tap on Reset.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I fix my phone’s unresponsive touchscreen?
If your phone’s touchscreen stopped responding without taking any physical damage, run the device in Safe Mode to check if it’s a third-party app related issue. You can also use apps like Display Tester to check for any dead pixels.
What causes the touchscreen to stop working?
Your phone’s touchscreen may stop working after taking physical damage or accidentally getting dipped in water. It can also become unresponsive due to a software glitch or because of the presence of dead pixels.
How can I use my phone without touching the screen?
If your phone’s touchscreen isn’t working, you can still use it via voice commands or by connecting it to an external keyboard.
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Conclusion
These are the best 10 ways to fix an unresponsive touchscreen on an Android phone. If these fixes do not work for you, take your phone to an authorised repair centre for further diagnosis. If your phone is under warranty, you can get a free screen replacement if there are no signs of physical or water damage on your phone.
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