Dead zones on phone and tablet screens are one of the rarest and irritating issues you can come across on your device. If you’re unable to use your device as usual because of its unresponsive touch screens, there are a handful of fixes you can try at home to resolve the problem. This article sheds light on various solutions on how to fix dead zones on phone & tablet screens.
Whether it’s the middle of the touch screen not working, the right side of the touch screen not working, or anywhere not working on the screen, this article will help you fix it. You might not need to visit a repair center too.
What causes an unresponsive touch screen?
Various issues – ranging from hardware to software – may cause an unresponsive touch screen on your phone. Below are some of them.
- Accidental drops that might break or not break the screen.
- Touches from dirty, oily, or wet fingers.
- Too low or high temperature.
- Malicious apps
- Water damage or raindrops
- Software failures, and many more.
Before You Troubleshoot Dead Zones On A Phone Screen…
Before looking for how to fix dead zones on a phone screen, there are a few things to note. What causes unresponsive touch screens most times is because the screen is cracked. Broken screens may cause some parts of your display to malfunction, especially when exposed to moisture, water drops, and others. If that’s the case, we recommend you go for a screen replacement instead.
More so, if you have a screen protector on your phone, simply take it off. Sometimes, probably because of poor fixing, your screen protector may cause dead pixels on a phone. If you're wearing a glove or anything is covering your fingers, kindly remove them.
In a nutshell, ensure your screen is clean before troubleshooting or looking for how to fix dead zones on your phone screen.
How to Fix Dead Zones on phone and tablet screens
If you still experience the problem after rectifying the things above, try the fixes below to resolve dead spots on your touch screen.
1. Restart your device
As simple as it is, restarting your phone can fix the dead zones on screens, as well as other issues. And that’s a quick way to diagnose if it’s a hardware problem or some software glitches hanging around the corner.
Here, we recommend you switch off your device and let it rest for some minutes before restarting it. Here's how:
- Long-press the Power button and tap Shutdown in the power menu to turn off your phone.
- Once the phone is off, wait for like 5-10 minutes.
- Long-press the Power button again to boot up your smartphone.
Test the screen once the device has finished booting. If not, try the next step below.
2. Test the affected part of the screen
The next thing to do when experiencing ghost touch or unresponsive touch on your device is to test the part of the screen that is affected. This is surely a way to get to the root of the problem.
While some people experience the middle of the touch screen not working, some might be the right side of the touch screen not working. In that case, you need to check what part of your screen is not functioning.
To do that, we’ve chosen a simple app called Touchscreen Test. You can install it from the Play Store or get its equivalent for your iPhone on the App Store, then follow the steps below.
- Install Touchscreen Test and launch
- Tap START TEST.
- You’ll see white dots on the screen. Swipe on your screen from edges to edges to confirm which parts are not working.
- If the dots show green even before you touch the screen, that means the screen is also suffering from ghost touch.
Now that you know what part of the LCD screen is affected, fixing it might be easier. Continue trying the methods below.
3. Boot up in Safe Mode on Android
Ghost touch, dead pixels, and unresponsive touch screens are not always hardware problems on mobile devices. Sometimes, it may be because of an app you installed earlier - a poorly coded or malware-ridden app.
To ensure that what caused unresponsive touch screen on your device is not an app, you need to boot into Safe Mode. In this mode, your phone only loads the system apps. Other apps are paused/disabled until you exit Safe Mode.
Follow these steps to visit Safe Mode and on your device.
- Long-press the Power button (in an attempt to turn off your phone).
- In the power menu, long-press Power off / Shutdown until a pop-up appears.
- On the “Reboot to Safe mode” pop-up, tap
Note: On many TECNO and Infinix phones, you need to long-press the HiOS or XOS logo on the power menu to reboot to Safe Mode.
If your screen works flawlessly while you’re in Safe mode that indicates that an app you installed earlier caused the problem.
To rectify the issue, start by UNINSTALLING your recently installed apps till the issue is fixed. Also, if you suspect an app, you can uninstall it right away.
- To exit Safe mode, restart your Android device manually.
4. Disable Developer options
Similarly, if you’ve turned on Developer Settings on your phone, you may need to turn it off to fix the dead pixels on the screen – at least on a software level.
The Developer options on Android contain a series of experimental features, which are meant for developers and people who want to try out extra features on their phones. However, turning on the wrong settings from there may affect your device.
Follow the steps below to check and disable Developer options on your Android device.
- Launch the Settings
- Scroll to the bottom and select
- Tap Developer Options.
- At the top of the, switch off the ON/OFF switch to disable Developer options.
- Restart your device.
If you don't see Developer options on your device that means that's not what caused the problem. Try the next solution.
5. Pull out your SIM and SD cards
Another method of fixing an unresponsive touch screen on your phone is to power it off and remove all the peripherals connected to it – your SIM cards, micro SD card, earphones, and others.
Though rare, your SIM and SD card may go haywire and tamper with some functions on your phone. And most times, the issues seem to disappear after pulling out the SIM card and SD card. So you can try it to fix dead pixels on your screen.
Here’s how:
- Shut down your device.
- Remove the SIM cards and memory normally.
- Turn on your phone again to confirm if your screen is working normally now.
You can re-insert your cards after confirming the issue.
6. Unplug/change your charger
If you experience ghost touch (the screen pressing itself), or an unresponsive touch screen only while charging your phone, the culprit might be that charger you’re using.
The first thing to do in that case is to remove the charger. If the screen behaves normally after removing it, then you might need to get a new charger, or better still, change the cable. Also, if the charger amperage is more powerful than what your phone can occupy, it can affect the screen.
7. (DIY) How to fix dead zones on phone & tablet screen at home
If none of the methods above could fix the dead pixels on your phone screen, you might want to try a more technical solution at home. This method requires you to use an igniter – usually found inside an electronic lighter at home – to create static electricity and fix the dead pixels on your screen.
Warning: though this method has a high chance of fixing dead spots on touch screens, it will void your warranty, and it can damage your display irreversibly. Also, it’s just a temporary fix most times - dead zones may reappear after a few hours, days, or months. So, try at your own risk. Meanwhile, you're better off visiting a repair center.
If you have an expired electronic lighter at home, you can dismantle it to get the igniter out of it. It comes in black color. It has a push-button and a small wire on it. Pull out the wire so you can access it easily. You may also peel off the rubber shield at the tip of the wire a bit.
Follow the steps below to revive your screen with an igniter.
- Get the igniter from your electronic lighter.
- Confirm the dead zones on your screen with the Touchscreen Test app mentioned in the second solution above.
- Now, point the wire on the igniter at the dead spots on your screen.
- Click the button on the igniter to create static electricity.
- Repeat the process multiple times – all over the screen – till the dead zones are gone. Lucky you!
As we said earlier, this method will void your warranty and may incurably damage your screen. So, try it at your own risk. And if it worked for you, you may need to keep the igniter at reach in case your dead spots reappear. This method will also fix ghost touch on your screen if you have it.
8. Visit the repair center
The last resort if none of the above fixes work, or if you don't want to lose your warranty to an igniter, is to look for how to repair the touch screen of a mobile phone.
You need to visit a repair center to fix the dead zones on your screen. We recommend you visit the official repair center if your brand has one. They will help you diagnose and fix the problem in a short time. Also, if you need to replace your screen, they will help you out.
Luckily, if you a TECNO, Infinix, or itel smartphone, kindly visit any Carlcare service center near you. We’re the official after-sales service provider for these brands, and we ensure you top-notch repair service at your convenience.
Meanwhile, if you’re TECNO, Infinix, or itel device is still under warranty and you don’t have a broken screen, we’ll fix the dead zones on your screen for free!
