Android smartphones users often complain about poor touch response even if they are using an expensive high end mobile phone powered with latest android operating system. There could be several reasons why the phone touch screen is not that much responsive as it should be which I shall discuss later in details. But it is also a fact that over the period of time, hardware technology is improving which is resulting into better and reliable mobile touchscreens with great features. So much reliable that if you hammer the screen and crack it, there are chances that shattered screen will respond to your finger touches. I am not talking about cheap Chinese Android phones but the phones manufactured by famous manufacturers. And no, do not try to hammer your phone screen just to test whether it still works or not.
There are two major categories under which touchscreen failure or fault lies. One is hardware related and the other one is software related. Hardware related problem may not be fixed that easily and require a repair of faulty parts or may be complete replacement of touch screen. Taking it to the service center or a personnel who can mechanically fix the touchscreens will rectify the hardware related touchscreen issue. On the other hand, the problem could be software related. Now, such problem can be fixed with tweaks, applying patches or taking some necessary measures to restore the lost touch response. So, study these tips and techniques to do the fix job at your end.
1- Update Phone Software/Firmware
Latest updates bring fix to certain trouble making parts of a software that were previously resulting into non-functioning or malfunctioning phone features or touch screen. Phone manufacturers when release updates, users should install those updates to improve the performance of phone and debug any software code problem which was left undone while creating it. If you are experiencing any touch related problem on your new phone, you should check for the updates and if available, apply them. There are great chances that if problem is software related, the manufacturer if already aware of that have released a solution for it.
2- Locate Hot fix/Patch for Touchscreen
If your phone manufacturer is one of those lousy business keepers who do not care about what they are producing, then you are left with searching for third party fixes for poorly performing touch screen of your phone. Internet is then the best source for getting information about why your phone touch screen is not working well and some possible fix for that. ‘XDA Developers’ forum could be the best source to locate for a hot fix or patch for your phone touchscreen created by some kind developer.
3- Do Calibration
Some manufacturers provide a calibration tool within the phone to do a recalibration of touchscreen. If over time, you are observing degrading touch sensitivity or responsiveness, then recalibrate the touch screen to fix it. Since gravity and other factors affect the working of touchscreen, follow the instructions provided with calibration tool to do that properly. Not following the correct procedure may result into poorer recalibration and even worst touch performance. Don’t worry, anyone can do that calibration quite easily.
4- Manage Load of Applications on Phone
If you are using an entry level or mid range Android powered smartphone, you should deal with it considering that you are not using the fastest smartphone. People usually keep installing new applications and when those applications load the phone then that’s going to make a lot of troubles like slow phone, reduced touch response, hangs or unwanted restarts. To stay away from such misery, install only necessary applications and exit the applications properly after using them. Do not let them keep running in the background as that will keep consuming available system resources. The users of expensive and high end Android smartphones should also do the same for improving phone performance.
Choose best apps for your phone. Your privacy and security will also not be compromised. If you wish to install them with APK files, always get them from reliable sources. (We have started a new project Android Picks to dig out nice apps from Play Store and another one to provide untouched latest and old APK files for apps and games to install them manually on your Android devices in case developers have not made them available for your device or you just want to switch back to previous version of application or game for any reason.)
5- Clean the Touchscreen
If your phone touchscreen is dirty with oily finger touches, dust or any other sticky material, it is not going to respond well to your finger impressions. The layer of such materials on phone screen will hinder the capturing of signals from finger touches and therefore odd touchscreen behavior can be observed. Keep the screen clean as much as possible to restore its proper functioning.
6- Use Thinner/Flexible Screen Protector
Different kind of screen protectors are available in markets. New phones also come with pre-installed screen protector. Some companies may provide a complimentary screen protector with certain models of phones which you can use for better touch performance and protecting screen from scratches. But if you buy a screen protector from market or online, make sure that it is not too thick or hard like slate. Thicker screen protector will give extra screen protection but may cause lags in touch inputs. Use good quality flexible screen protector to protect the touch screen of your smartphone and for optimum performance. You can also use good quality glass protectors. While buying online, check the reviews of people to make sure that it is not causing unwanted lags as some glass protectors fail to fit properly on curved screens causing screen to become unresponsive due to the gap between screen and glass.
7- Avoid Hitting, Bending or Throwing Phone
That’s right. Do not use your phone to hammer nails in wood or tap on doors or desks. They are not meant for that. If you put a huge smartphone in your tight jeans or trousers pocket, make sure you pull it out before sitting or kneeling down or your actions may bend and damage the phone or phone touch screen. Avoid throwing the phone or smashing it on floor.
8- Gloves and Phone Touchscreen
Most new high end smartphones touchscreens are designed to work with gloves as well. In cold winter and in countries like Canada and Russia, gloves are must to protect your hands from outside cold. So, phone manufacturers now try to make gloves compatible touchscreens. The phones that are not capable of working with thicker or any sort of gloves, users need to take care of that and try not to use gloves or use thinner gloves if possible to deal with the touchscreen based smartphones.
9- Renistall/Repair Phone Software
If phone firmware has gone bad, with several other problems, touchscreen abnormal functioning can also be triggered. The good news is, since Android is an open source mobile platform, phone manufacturers provide the options to root the phone, remove the original phone firmware and install custom ROMs. So, you have got the choice here. Either you can choose a custom ROM or go for reinstalling the stock ROM. That might fix the touchscreen issue if it is related to software. The information about how to reinstall original or custom made phone software can be obtained from internet quite easily. Some manufacturers also provide an opportunity to fix the phone software through PC suites. That facility can be utilized to repair the corrupted phone software.
Also Read:
How to Restart or Shutdown Hanged Android Phone
Nick Natrin
Hello…..My Tecno droipad 8h has been frequently having no screen touch response at the top part of my screen.And this is the second time it’s happening
Any solutions to it
tosin frank
my archos copper 101 calibration stopped working after installing a new stock rom firmware 4.4.2, please what can i do to fix it?
Talal A.
Did you try after restarting your phone?
Prakash D
I’m using lenovo k6 power, I installed Android 7.0.0 after installing this, my mobile phone working too lazy. So give me some solutions for this
Talal A.
Clear apps cache and stop background running apps. May be remove some extra apps as well since new Android update takes up space and slows down the phone.
Ravi
my phone is panasonic eluga turbo it has more lagging problem with the touch so please tell me how can i fix this problem
Talal A.
There is a native feature in Android to clear background running apps. That will help. Please see this post: https://androidpicks.com/speed-up-android-phone-tablet-without-cleaning-utilities/
John
Hi, my Nokia 6 has got weak touch sensitivity especially this winter season when i use it with gloves on. Is there a solution to that.
Talal A.
You must be using thicker gloves?
sonu
hi my j7 200f back button was not working!!!
Talal A.
It could have damaged internally. Get it fixed.
mi4i user
hi i have mi4i, which has been working well for past 2 years. now suddenly the screen has lost touch sensitivity, although its display is good, rings on call. i’m not able to operate it or receive a call. what has to be done? please help…
Talal A.
Force restart your phone and check again.
Otherwise, get it fixed from service center.
Sumit
Hello, My lava x11 has a touch problem and calibrated which shows 57ms of touch and yet didnt work. Another is when i restart my phone it gets switched off and while starting there comes an animation of lava and then gets stucked every time. please help me for solving this problem..
thank
you
Talal A.
Did you root your phone and install stock ROM in it?
Belinda Labuschagne
Hi, I got a brand new Samsung Tab A 7″. The touch screen does not respond half the time. It is not smooth and I have to put a lot of effort in to ensure that I touch the correct icon, etc. Any suggestions how I can fix this problem?
Talal A.
Take it to service center. Seems like its touchscreen is faulty.
Ketaki
hey!! i have intex aqua life 2.. its touch points shift from original touch position at bottom of the screen..its difficult to click on to home button, access contacts etc… like only small part at the bottom of screen is having this problem… please help me. How do I resolve?
Talal A.
could be due to faulty touch
Eric
can playing too much games on my phone reduce the touch sensitivity?
Talal A.
No unless you leave the games running in background. That will cause lagging.
Sujit Shrivastav
I have intex aqua power plus.. How can I increase touch sensitivity.. Plz. Help me with it.
dew
good post informative
Vinay Jain
My 1+2 phone screen is extra sensitive. How to reduce it.
Talal A.
See its settings to find out any options to adjust its touch response.
Narayan
Hii….
the touch response of my phone is getting slow.
there are some parts of screen or area which are not working properly.
may be it is because my screen guard(glass) has broken.
inspite of broken glass it was working properly but now a days touch response is little poor..
Shine
Just purchased a Lenovo Phab a week ago and I noticed that I need to put extra effort to press the keypad. I am used to Samsung S5 that is so smooth to use. Also, how to remove pre-installed apps?
Talal A.
You may need to root your phone to remove them.
Mediasource
please can any one help on how to fix a damaged 32gb memory card with pictures inside of it. thanks.
Akshay
I have htc desire 816 gplus dual .. but its touch respond automaticaly by itself sometimes when my hand is wet how to fix i used glass also but it still has the same problem how to fix it
Jay
i think all of us got touch response too slow and low performance its because in accessibility turned on the Magnification Gestures so one can zoom all around the home screen. I’ve noticed it is too slow to respond and whilst playing games with triple tap it will zoom in and so i hate it. pls. reply ur feelings and hope i can help us all so here’s my mail account:
[email protected]
N£
Please my touch screen respond well to tap touch but not to the hold touch it receives it like I have tapped multiple time sequentially if you understand what I mean
Martin Lindsey
Ok………. Now everyone knows about all the wonderful ways to keep from screwing up there screens!
But what the masses want to know ( and maybe I missed this part ) is how to adjust the sensitivity of the screen sensors, MY phone is an LG 4 smart ph., and it maybe smart, but not very sensitive as I Am contemplating using it as a hammer
PLEASE HELP us less technically advanced idiots, or me .
Thank you.
M.G.Lindsey
Talal A.
Some years ago, manufacturers used to provide tools with smartphones to re-calibrate the screen but do not offer them anymore because screens now are much advanced and do not require re-calibration frequently. So if you are suffering from touch issue, there are greater chances touchscreen has developed some hardware related fault which can be repaired mechanically.
Elizabeth Martinez
i have a touchscreen android hp computer. the middle of the screen does not work with touch. Will it work with a mouse?
Dayo
Hi, am using Tecno phantom padmini. The screen sensitivity doesn’t work again. It did not fall down nor in the water. Only the volume key and power on button are working. And also no way to switch it off so far the screen is not working. Pls help me out.
Talal A.
Touchscreen might have gone bad. Get it fixed from service center.
Chupacabras
Given the growth in the use of touchscreens, how come there’s never an obvious touchscreen ‘sensitivity’ control on screen?
Talal A.
Such tools are not required anymore because touchscreens these days do not require re-calibration over and over again.
choy
I had a lenovo A5000 with android 4.4.2 in it…after installing a custom ROM, my touch screen became laggy. But when I revert it back to its original ROM it goes back to normal….please help…thanks and more power..
Talal A.
That custom ROM is not fully compatible with your phone.
SriHari SN
Please help. my phone is HTC desire526G+. sometimes the touch is working sometimes not. I don’t know what to do. Please help fast
arun
i have i ball 4.5 Android mobile . my touch & screen is damaged, kindly guide us for repairing.
Haruun bbr
Hi my friend, i have problem with my phone, when i connect it with charger it will show me that the battery is fully charged, remove the charger. When ever i plugged the charger out it would still show me that its on charging, please help, its an android.
Shani Upadhyay
GT-7262 samsung
Shani Upadhyay
my samsung phone touch working slow i have to touch many times for a key or word and when i am on my phone then touch working good for 30-40 sec but after 40 sec it going slow plz tell me what i do for this.
Mr,beast
my xperia j screen goes crazy when and not charging plus the screen is hard to touch… every time i tap on the home screen it doesnt dispendse app clearly every time i tap an app to move start menu suddenly let it go, then it start the app it keeps me going nuts every time i wanna type a message. please help me with my troubles. i used every format i know i even changed my screen… i lost alot of money just the little problem like that.. that is the only phone i have. and it was given by someone special… and i need answer on the problem do help me please
Talal A.
Apply this patch. I hope your touch will get better.
http://benignblog.com/2012/12/how-to-fix-touchscreen-problems-of-sony.html
vijay
hi friends !!!
I m using MICROMAX CANVAS 2 A110 model smartphone till 3 years..but now a days, my mobile phone screen automatically working and I cannot touch any option, apps r automatically working.
how to fix this problem ? anyone help me guys . any battery problem or battery charging problem !!
ganesh
How to install custom ROMs for celkon q455 and improve touchscreen senstivity
suman
the centre touch of my panasonic p41 hd is not working…it works sometimes otherwise not. i did not drop the phone..is it due to software problem?
Talal A.
It’s possible.
But most of times, problem is related to hardware.
If problem persists, I shall recommend to take your phone to service people to let them diagnose and fix it.
If you put phone in jeans pocket and sit that can damage portion of touchscreen. Make sure to pull out large smartphones before sitting. That’s just for precaution.
ragi
My Sony Xperia c. Mob has developed this low response touch screen problem recently. I had installed 2 more new apps when it was showing insufficient space. Is that the problems?
Talal A.
Possibly.
Revanth
I’ve just changed my xperia C digitizer…it worked fine but from two days the home,Back and minimize button aren’t working properly.can u help me to fix it?
Susan
My phone screen is so sensitive, that when I’m on the phone talking, I have to hold the phone at least an inch away from my face, otherwise, it hangs up the call. Anyone have a solution?
Talal A.
Doesn’t your phone have proximity sensor to shutdown screen whenever you hold phone near your ear?
shahid
alternatively you can consider using handsfree…it is better to avoid radiations from mobile too.
Anand Kumar
Dear,
I have a karbon android mobile. After using 2 yrs. its screen touch not working properly. So it has become very difficult to use it. Plz. Tell me what to do.
Talal A.
All the possible fixes are discussed above. If problem is persistent, there are major chances, touch has got mechanical fault. Only replacing it will fix the problem.
averagejoe777
I’ll have you know, chinese phones today are even better than latest flagships, so there’s nothing wrong with a chinese smartphone, they build good and quality devices for your information.
Talal
Yes. You are right. There are many companies now who are selling high quality Chinese smartphones in quite lesser price.
Anasztazia
Hi! I have Sony Xperia SP and I also have problems with my touch screen… Any suggestion? I tried the Touchtool for Sony Tipo, but it didn’t work….
Talal
This tool (touchfwtools) won’t work with Xperia SP. But it does with Xperia Tipo. There might be hardware related problem with your phone touch.
gharou
Oh, thank you captain obvious ;)
Prakhar Rajput
For some time many people have started using matte finished screen guards as they are very smooth to glide fingers over and does not end up with finger prints. They are also anti glare so reduce the amount of glare on the screen caused by reflection of external light.
Raider
Have a Samsung Galaxy S5. It’s a brilliant phone. But stuffing it with apps made it laggy. Time to get rid of extra apps.
Ranit Maiti
I had bought micromax A120 Which has jellybean but i update to kitkat after 3/4 months its screen touch became unrespose or low touch sensibility.
ANIL
Dear friend,
Why many of android application does not have exit option. Why Google chosen so.
I request all android application developers to provide exit option in their applications.
Thanking you
Anil
Anuj
Hi Anil,
I can understand it. I am an android developer, my client required this “Exit Button” feature in their app. But if you want to follow Android App Guidelines then Developer document says, their should not be Exit Button.
Its supposed that app will exit when you go back from Starting Activity of app. And if not, then android system automatically kills running apps after some time.
Pal
Quite useful tips. Hope these will speedup my crawling Samsung.
amit pachal
My phone is sony xperia tipo dual. Touch is very slow. Plz tell me what I do ?
Talal
http://benignblog.com/2012/12/how-to-fix-touchscreen-problems-of-sony.html
RDX
Hello there…
I have Xolo 8×1100 This phone is nice.. 2gb Ram, Octacore, 13mp camera all is well BUT…
But touch response is frustrating! :( How to deal with it? How can we improve it?
Message typing is slow like HELL!!!
PLEASE HELP ME GUYS..
rohit
same issue with me… did u sort it out…???
Rehan
My Xperia Tipu dual having touch screen problem could not be fixed with TouchFWTools…Plz help me out.
Vishal wagdre
Same issue with my phone
Harleena Singh
Hi Talal,
Honestly speaking, I have yet to try a touch screen phone, though my kids have their own – I somehow prefer the usual mobiles with numbers, but this is an informative post for those who have touchscreen ones.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead :)