Smartphones are perhaps the most iconic invention of our time. You see them everywhere, across all age and income groups. As much as we love them, they aren’t perfect. Sometimes they overheat, become slow or even become downright unresponsive. That happened to me while I was binging on a new show on my Android phone using my Spectrum internet service. Imagine the horror of being in the middle of an episode and the screen suddenly becoming unresponsive. It cost me time, effort and money to get it fixed. To save you from that, this blog will discuss how to fix an unresponsive screen on your Android phone yourself.
Wet or grimy hands can cause problems with the touch responsiveness of your phone’s screen. The grime or liquid adds a layer between your finger and the screen. This layer in turn causes your phone screen to behave erratically or not respond at all. Having clean hands is one way to ensure that the problem is not with your hands but the phone itself. If you have clean hands, then you can proceed with the following actions:
External Factors to Consider
Certain external factors can be the culprits behind your screen’s erratic behavior. Some things you need to consider in this section are:
- Magnetic fields can cause your phone’s screen to become unresponsive. It’s advisable to remove your phone from the vicinity of any present magnets.
- Static electricity, other than grime or wetness, can accumulate on your hand, causing the screen to not respond correctly.
- Sometimes your screen can be affected by electric current. You could have a faulty charging cable or connection. In such cases, try disconnecting your phone from the charging cable to see if the screen becomes responsive when no current is passing through.
- Extremely high or low temperatures can cause your phone to significantly malfunction. This includes the screen becoming unresponsive. In fact, especially high temperatures can even cause the lithium-ion battery in your phone to explode. It’s best to not use your phone in such extreme temperatures.
Phone Crashing
In some cases, a crash can lead to the screen becoming unresponsive. In such cases it’s advisable to restart the phone and see if it goes back to normal. If not, it may be necessary to boot the phone in Recovery Mode. Here’s how you can do this:
- Press the power button until the phone powers off;
- Press and hold the power and volume up buttons simultaneously (volume down for some phones);
- Wait until Android icon appears on your screen and release the buttons
- Use volume buttons to choose “Factory Reset/Wipe Data” and use power button to confirm.
- Delete all user data and choose “Reboot system now”
It is important to note that the factory reset will remove all data from your phone including photos, downloaded apps and messages. So its important to exhaust all your other avenues before resorting to this option.
Third-Party App Problems
Sometimes, using an app can cause your phone to become unresponsive. There are three situations that can cause the app to make the screen not work:
- The app is too big for the system, causing the phone to slow down or the screen to stop working. In such cases you will need to uninstall the app.
- The app doesn’t support your phone’s Android version. In such cases a variety of malfunctions can happen, including loss of screen responsiveness. Again, you will need to uninstall this app.
- The app may be malicious in nature, in which case you must remove it from your phone. Malicious apps can be viruses in disguise, a major issue with many .apk files. Always download properly licensed files from Google Play Store.
Failed Updates to the System
Sometimes, if a phone fails to update properly due to connectivity loss or low battery, it starts to misbehave. An unresponsive phone screen can be the result of a damaged system. In this case you will need to go to your phone website or seller to find the latest update. Properly updating the phone should remove any phone screen issues you may have.
If none of the above work, you may have to bring your phone in for repairs. Contact your seller’s after-sales service or visit your local repair shop. Granted the experience may not be as good as Spectrum Customer Service but it should get the job done. Smartphones, like most technology, are in a state of constant improvement. They are getting more and more sophisticated, but malfunctions are still pretty common. While we wait for manufacturers to come out with fail-proof phones, this blog is your best shot.
