An unresponsive touch screen on an Android phone or any smartphone for that matter could be just a result of a minor software-related issue or a serious hardware problem involving the screen itself. The gravity of the problem depends on how the issue started. Had the phone been dropped on a hard surface or got wet prior to the problem, then you can almost expect it to be a result of a physical and/or liquid damage.
However, if the touch screen stopped responding for no apparent reason at all, then it could be just a minor software issue that you may be able to fix on your own without any help from a technician or someone. So, if you have an Android device that has an unresponsive touch screen, continue reading as this article may be able to help you one way or the other.
Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a solution to a problem with your phone, try to browse through our troubleshooting pages to see if we support your device. If your phone is in the list of our supported devices, then go to the troubleshooting page and look for similar problems. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. Don’t worry it’s free. But if you still need our help, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
What to do if your Android smartphone has an unresponsive touch screen
The best thing you can do about this problem is to rule out the possibility that it’s just a problem caused by some software-related issues that’s why you need to perform the following troubleshooting procedures. If after the troubleshooting the screen is still unresponsive, then it could be an issue with the display itself.
Now, here are the things you can do about this issue…
Perform the forced reset procedure – before doing anything complicated, make sure to perform the forced reboot first as the problem could be due to a glitch in the system or some apps. The forced reboot is a simulated battery removal and your phone will always respond when it’s done. More often, it’s done by pressing and holding the volume down and power key together for 10 seconds or more. In other phones, you may only have to press and hold the power key for a minute.
Run the phone in safe mode – by running in safe mode, you’re temporarily disabling all third-party applications. We don’t know if one of them is causing the problem and this is one way to find that out. If the touch screen works while the phone is in safe mode, then it’s confirmed that one or some of the apps you installed is causing the problem. If this is the case, then you just have to uninstall the app that’s causing the problem. To reboot the phone in safe mode, you just have to turn the phone off and then press and hold the volume down and power key together for a few seconds.
Reboot phone in recovery mode and do the factory reset – a reset will rule out the possibility that the problem is just with the firmware but you cannot perform the reset via the Settings menu because the touch screen is apparently not responding. So, you will have to reboot your phone in Recovery Mode by using the hardware keys. Most of the time you will have to press and hold the volume up button and the power key together for a few seconds to be able to run the device in this mode.
If the touch screen is still unresponsive even after the reset, there’s a big chance that the problem is with the hardware specifically the display. You have to bring it back to the store or shop so that a technician can check it up for you.
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