What to do if the touch screen does not work

HOW TO

Your phone's touch screen can fail due to hardware or software problems: there are several solutions, from cleaning to calibrating.

Has the touch screen stopped working? At the origin of this problem there can be several causes, but with solutions that are not as tragic as you think. In fact, it is not always necessary to take the phone to assistance, but a few simple operations are enough to fix the display of your smartphone.

In this article we explain what can damage the touch screen of Android and iOS devices. We also give you some practical advice to make the screen react as quickly as before.

Touch screen not working? Here's what may have damaged it

The screen of a telephone, as you well know, is very delicate: it requires attention and special care. In fact, even if slightly damaged, it could interrupt the operation of the touch screen due to causes related to hardware or software malfunctions.

Hardware causes

The most common hardware-related problems are as follows:

Software causes

Among the causes related to the smartphone software, which can cause the touch screen to malfunction, are the following:

How to solve if the touch does not work due to hardware problems

Software problems are potentially more fixable than hardware ones. In any case, below we offer you solutions for both hardware and software-related causes: these are generic solutions and alternatives to the actual replacement of the screen, which we hope will be of real help to you.

If the problems of the touch ID that does not work are of a hardware type, in most cases it is necessary to contact a service center for both Android and iOS devices. However, if the damage isn't all that bad, there are simple workarounds.

Screen cleaning

Let's start with the easiest resolution of the problem, i.e. cleaning the screen. As we have seen, among the causes that can cause the hardware components of the smartphone to malfunction, there is possible dirt, which can cause difficulties in recognizing the physical trace of the finger, which is then transformed into a digital signal. So, keeping your iPhone or Android smartphone screen clean is a first general tip to troubleshoot touch id not working.

Another problem is that relating to the oxidation process which can damage the operation of the touch screen or cause spots to emerge in the LCD panel. Oxidation can be caused by the use of unsuitable cleaning products or even simply by raindrops dropped on the mobile phone, perhaps of an older generation and which is not completely waterproof.

Rice starch

If your smartphone has oxidation processes, it is first of all essential not to leave it on and not to power it with the charger. The proximity of the smartphone to external heat sources, such as radiators or hair dryers, should also be excluded a priori.

An alternative to bringing the phone to assistance could be to try to use a natural method, which has solved the situation for many people. The reviews on the web confirm this: filling a bowl of rice and inserting the mobile phone for a few hours could be a definitive solution. In fact, rice starch acts on humidity and can solve the problem of a touch screen that does not work.

Screen rotation

If the problem is still not solved, you could try a particular alternative, which although it may sound somewhat absurd, has proved to be an effective solution for many users. Since it is not possible to remove the battery in most recent iOS and Android devices, you can experiment with screen rotation: "with one hand you rotate the phone from side to side in the opposite direction, basically doing the gesture of squeezing the device just like you would with wet towels!", advises one girl on a forum. So, with a little decision, but always remaining rather delicate, you can try this alternative which, for many, has helped to regain touch sensitivity. This method, while trivial, can save you from spending a lot of money on screen repairs.

If none of these proposed solutions help you and you continue to experience malfunctions on the touch screen of your device, we advise you to contact the manufacturer's customer care who will be able to give you the best advice regarding hardware malfunctions.

How to solve if the touch does not work due to software problems

If the iPhone or iOS smartphone has no scratches, bumps, oxidation or other hardware-related issues, the methods to get the touch ID back into operation, as we have mentioned, may be simpler than expected. Let's see what they are.

Forced restart of the smartphone

An unresponsive device may simply need to be turned off or on again. Here are the procedures to restart Android and iOS devices:

Free up RAM memory

Among the main software problems, we have seen that the lack of memory can cause the device to slow down and cause a delay between the touch of the smartphone and the reaction of the display. To overcome this problem on Android, you could simply install an application that frees up RAM memory. Among the apps preferred by users are the following:

1. All in One Toolbox. This application is among the best for "cleaning" and boosting Android software. The app comes with a good memory management tool and allows you to clear apps running in the background. In addition, it includes a cache cleaner tool, which deletes unwanted files;

2. Memory Optimizer. This app fixes memory leaks caused by cache memory and temporary files. The app also shows those useless processes that consume RAM and can be stopped;

3. Memory accelerator. With a simple tap you can disable background apps that consume RAM memory;

4. Ace Cleaner. This Android smartphone cleaner and booster includes effective CPU cooler, battery saver, duplicate remover, useless app uninstaller and sensitive app protector features.

In iPhone 6 (or earlier versions) it is not necessary to install apps: just double click on the Home button to view the apps in memory. A long tap on the icon of the app you want to close allows you to stop it completely. In iOS 7 devices management is already more like Android. After optimizing the memory, your Android or iOS devices will certainly be more responsive by solving the Touch ID malfunction problem.

Display calibration

If when you type text on your display you get the impression that the touch screen is not working properly, you could solve the problem by calibrating it at the software level. No special skills are required to calibrate your smartphone's Touch ID.

On Android you need to do the following:

1. access the Home screen of the device;

2. press the Settings icon;

3. select the item Language and text or Language and input;

4. on the next screen, select the name of the keyboard used on the phone (usually it is the one marked with a check mark or the one indicated in correspondence with the Default item)

5. now go to the menu with general settings;

6. select the item relating to calibration;

7. you will have to type a text on the Android keyboard;

8. press on Save to save the calibration settings.

Don't these steps improve the Touch ID not working problem? Repeat the keypad calibration by placing the device screen in landscape mode (horizontal), otherwise try downloading the free "Multi-touch benchmark test" app. This app solves the problems of touch ID that doesn't work in part: it allows you to view the points of the display where your smartphone recognizes the touch on a black background, so you can test its operation in a very simple way.

If you are an iOS user, there is no calibration tool. If after you have performed a procedure to remove the restrictions imposed by Apple you have problems with the touch screen, the only possible alternative is to cancel this procedure with a hard reset.