Making a call, sending an important text message, opening a document, or doing anything becomes somewhat impossible with a cracked phone screen. While it's never going to be the same seamless experience using a broken phone, you can still learn how to control a phone with a broken screen to accomplish the stuff you need to do in the meantime.
But how’s that possible? We’ll show you in this article.
Control a Phone with a Broken Screen
Many people never know, but the screen isn’t the only way you can control an Android phone. Since your phone supports OTG, you can connect it to an external device, such as a mouse and keyboard, allowing you to control the entire system—just as you'd do with a computer.
Meanwhile, if that’s not the case, some software, like ApowerMirror, allows you to control your smartphone from a PC. But that might not be an easy feat sometimes if you've not used it before your phone screen cracked.
If none of the above works, you could access/recover your files by connecting the phone to a PC or looking through your cloud backups (if you have one).
With that said, here’s how to control a phone with a broken screen
Method 1: Using a mouse and keyboard combo
The easiest and most practical way to control your broken phone screen is to connect it to a mouse and keyboard with an OTG adapter. Meanwhile, your phone must support the OTG feature for this to work, as a Bluetooth mouse probably won’t work in this case.
Practically, you can go with any mouse choice (either wired or wireless). However, I’d recommend getting one of those keyboard and mouse combos with a 2.4GHz wireless receiver for the best experience. Upon successful connection, you’ll be able to control your screen with the mouse and type words with the keyboard when needed. At least, that would sustain you till you go for a phone screen repair service.
Once you have the needed accessories, follow the steps below to learn how to control a phone with a broken screen using a mouse and keyboard combo.
- Connect the USB receiver of the mouse and keyboard combo to the OTG adapter.
- Now insert the OTG into the USB port on your phone.
- If nothing is wrong with the connection, you should be able to control your phone with the wireless mouse and send texts using the keyboard, too. a
Now that you can control your phone, endeavor to back up your data to be on the safe side.
Method 2: Control your smartphone from a PC
Should it be your phone doesn't support OTG, or you don't buy into the idea of controlling a phone with a mouse, you can learn how to run your phone from a PC instead. Software like ApowerMirror lets you achieve this flawlessly, without stress. However, it works well when your display is still visible and responds to touch after the accident. If not, you wouldn’t be able to connect your phone to the PC and talk less about controlling it from there.
That aside, ApowerMirror lets you access and control your phone from the PC. With it, you can stream your apps, pictures, videos, music, documents, etc. You’ll also be able to control the screen and input texts using the computer’s mouse and keyboard.
Here's how to control a phone with a broken screen using ApowerMirror
- Get the ApowerMirror software from their official website and install it on your PC.
- Launch the program and follow the on-screen instructions to connect it to your phone.
- Usually, you’ll need to enable USB debugging on your Android phone:
- Open the Settings app
- Go to the About phone
- Scroll to the Build number and tap it 7 times.
- Now, use a USB cable to link your Android phone to the PC. Once you see the “Allow USB debugging” pop-up on your phone screen, tick “Always allow from this computer,” then click OK to establish the connection.
- Wait for ApowerMirror to install the app on your phone, or follow the instructions to install it manually.
- Once installed, launch the app on your phone, then click “START NOW” to mirror your Android display to the computer.
That's it. You should be able to access and control your phone with a cracked screen from the PC. Meanwhile, you can also establish the connection via WiFi, but the best way, for now, is using a USB cable, which we just explained.
Method 3: Connect your phone to an external display
While the previous methods only work when your screen is still showing content and the touchpad is working, you're not left alone if your screen is black. Most smartphones allow you to connect your phone screen to an external display using a USB to HDMI cable or dongle. However, it’s usually not an easy feat in most cases. Besides ending up with a complex and messy setup, connecting to an external display with a USB—HDMI cable doesn't work on some phones.
One mistake most people make is getting a direct USB—HDMI cable, thinking it'll cast their phone screen to the external display flawlessly. But that doesn't work on most phones. Except you have one of those high-end phones that supports “HDMI alternate mode,” the connection won’t yield any result. Meanwhile, most Samsung high-end phones support Samsung DeX, allowing you to convert your phone into a desktop when you connect it to a proprietary dock.
For other mainstream phones that don't support Samsung DeX or HDMI alternate mode, you can still get your phone to connect to an external display by using a USB—HDMI dongle, such as the Mirascreen USB to HDMI dongle.
Here's how:
- Get a compatible USB-HDMI cable or dongle for your device.
- Connect the HDMI end to the monitor (or TV)
- Connect the USB end to your smartphone.
- If you're using the Mirascreen USB to HDMI dongle, connect the USB Type-A to a power supply.
- If nothing’s wrong with the connection, your phone screen should show on the external display.
- Meanwhile, some dongles, like the Mirascreen USB to HDMI dongle, may require you to install an app before they work. Simply follow the instructions to get it working.
Nevertheless, connecting your cracked phone screen to an external display doesn't guarantee you'd be able to control the phone just like that. What if your touchscreen isn’t working as well? An ideal remedy would be getting a USB hub to connect a mouse and the USB—HDMI cable/dongle to your smartphone. However, that, also, doesn't work 9/10 times.
So, what’s next?
It’s Time to Fix Your Screen
Mouse or no mouse; with an external display or not, there's still no better way to enjoy a broken phone screen than to fix it. You wouldn’t get the same seamless mobile experience while using your phone with an external mouse, keyboard, or display.
Meanwhile, those only work when the screen is still working. Otherwise, you have no choice but to fix it. So, it’s time to do a quick Google search for "phone screen repair near me” or “cell phone repair near me” to replace the broken screen.
While that might help sometimes, we always recommend you visit the official service center for the best repair service.
Fortunately, if you’re on the lookout for an Infinix service center, TECNO service center, or itel service, Carlcare is here to help you. As the official customer care service provider for these brands, Carlcare guarantees you quality repair service for broken screens, damaged batteries, software issues, motherboard repair, and whatnot.
Here at Carlcare, phones under warranty or value-added offers may enjoy exclusive discounts on repair services. So, ensure you visit our warranty checker page for your Infinix warranty check, TECNO warranty check, and itel warranty check.
Carlcare offers 2 one-hour quick screen replacement services using only genuine replacement parts to ensure the best user experience after the service. You can also speed up the repair process with our repair reservation service.
There's no better way to control a phone with a broken screen than to repair the screen. So, cut through the chase of looking for TECNO customer care, itel customer care, or Infinix customer care by booking an online repair reservation service with Carlcare.
