The solutions we’ll be discussing will range from very simple ones to more advanced ones. But before discussing how to solve it, let’s define first what ghost touch is and why it happens. Let’s start!
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What is Ghost Touch?
Sometimes, ghost touch is also referred to as touch glitches. These terms are used to describe the phenomena where your screen responds to presses that you’re not doing. It can also be used to describe the phenomena where your phone doesn’t respond to your touch at all. What ghost touch will do varies because of multiple factors involved. But it seems to be more common in some devices compared to others. The causes of ghost touch vary. Sometimes it’s something simple like dirt stuck between your phone screen and your screen protector. Sometimes it’s more complicated like a software update that is currently buggy. Whatever the case is, ghost touch can be extremely annoying. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s talk more about how to stop ghost touch.
How to Stop Ghost Touch – Basic Solutions
These are the quick and easy fixes that are safe enough for you to do on your own. It’s better to start going through these quick fixes first because it might not be that big of a problem in the first place. It’s going to save you time and resources if you try the simple solutions first before going to the more advanced ones.
1. Remove Your Screen Protector
Let’s start with the fastest and most basic fix. Most phones today have screen protectors. It has become a staple for every modern phone despite phone companies already using durable materials for screens. Users find that having a screen protector gives them a sense of security when it comes to the safety of their screens. Your screen protector may be playing a big part in why you’re experiencing ghost touch. Sometimes, dirt or moisture can get stuck between your phone screen and your screen protector. In response, your phone may be reading this as a touch input. All you have to do to sort this out is remove your screen protector and clean your phone. While you’re at it, you should also consider the material of your screen protector. Some screen protectors are of higher quality than others. If you’re using low-quality screen protectors, they might also be causing the problem.
2. Force Restart Your Device
Ghost touch can also happen because one of your applications isn’t working right. It may be slowing down the performance of your phone, thus causing the glitch. To clear this temporary programming glitch, you have to restart your phone. Force restarting solves a lot of problems so it might be the solution you need. Since you’re experiencing ghost touch, it may be hard to restart your phone because you can’t press on the restart. So in this situation, it might be better to force restart your phone instead. Force restart can vary from phone to phone. It’s best to look for instructions specific to yours.
3. Check Your Phone’s Temperature
Some phones tend to become very hot during prolonged periods of use. It can also happen when you’re playing processor-intensive games. These are the games that have very high specs that your phone can barely meet. Because of the high temperature, your phone may have performance issues. This in turn can cause ghost touch because your phone can’t properly function. It’s best to take small breaks in between screen usage. Also, don’t forget to check your phone’s temperature from time to time. Make sure that your phone also has time to rest and cool down. You should also avoid using your phone or playing near a fire or under the sun. This will also contribute a lot to the heating up of your phone.
4. Disconnect the Charging Cable
As weird as it sounds, using your phone while it’s connected to its charging cable can cause ghost touch. This can happen more often if you’re using a charger with questionable quality. What happens is that the charger and the cable affect the functionality of the digitizer. This digitizer is the sensor that is responsible for detecting your touch inputs. To check if the charger really is a problem, try plugging your phone into another charger and see if the problem persists. If your phone works fine on a different charger, then it’s time to get a new charger.
How to Stop Ghost Touch – Advanced Solutions
These are the more complicated solutions. One of the solutions presented here requires you to backup your data first. The other will require you to go to a service center. Either way, both solutions are way more complicated than just wiping your phone.
1. Factory Reset
Sometimes, buggy software or software updates can be the cause of ghost touch. Other than that, in worst-case scenarios, malware can also cause ghost touch. It can be quite a complicated issue since the problem is internal. The easiest way to solve this problem is through a factory reset. A factory reset on Android will return your phone to the state it was when it came out of the box, hence, the name. This will remove any malware or faulty updates on your phone that may be causing the ghost touch. Be warned though! A factory reset will delete all of your files. Be sure to backup all your files first and try the previous solutions before proceeding with a factory reset.
2. Take it to a Service Center
When all else has failed, it’s time for the professionals to handle the problem. This is technically an easy fix for ghost touch because technically, you’re not the one solving it. But then, it’s not exactly the easiest to do because this will require you to physically go to their store.
Goodbye Ghost Touch
Ghost touch can be an extremely annoying glitch to have. It can even escalate to a point where it will render your phone useless because you can’t use the screen properly. But don’t worry too much about it because sometimes, it can be fixed with simple solutions. These include making sure that your screen is clean, restarting your device, keeping cool, and disconnecting it from your charger. More advanced solutions are factory reset and bringing it to a service center. Ghost touch is a pretty manageable glitch. Try out the simple solutions first before moving on to the more advanced ones to save on time and resources.
