A phone suffers from ghost touch when it operates on itself and responds to unintended touches. You may experience this when your iPhone screen is moving on its own. In this guide, we’ll show you why your iPhone opens apps on its own and how to fix it. A separate problem is iPhone Green Screen, which has its own article. Read on to know more.
Why is My iPhone Experiencing Ghost Touch?
Ghost touch is a shared issue among many smartphone brands. For iPhones, this was mostly seen with the iPhone X model. A year after its release, Apple acknowledged a flaw in its touchscreen feature. Also, any iPhone X that had the ghost touch issue was given free repairs.
1 Why is My iPhone Experiencing Ghost Touch?2 Fixing Ghost Touch on iPhone2.1 Fix #1: Remove its Screen Protector2.2 Fix #2: Clean the iPhone’s Touchscreen2.3 Fix #3: Restart your iPhone2.4 Fix #4: Update your iPhone’s Firmware2.5 Fix #5: Factory Reset your iPhone2.6 Fix #6: Contact Apple Support3 Final Thoughts
Besides the iPhone X, several iPhone models, such as the iPhone 5 to 8, iPhone XR, XS, and newer models, like iPhones 11 to 13 also reportedly had ghost touch problems. So, this flaw affects most iPhone devices.
Fixing Ghost Touch on iPhone
Regardless of the iPhone model, you can easily solve the ghost touch issue by trying out these fixes. Remember to go through them individually to see which one works for you the best. Also, some steps may require you to turn off the device and unplug it from any power source to avoid the risks of electrocution.
Fix #1: Remove its Screen Protector
Among the accessories that you may have bought for your iPhone is the screen protector. It’s a thin film of plastic or glass that adheres itself to the iPhone’s screen and protects it from scratches and splatters. Although it makes sense to attach this onto your iPhone as another layer of protection, it can sometimes be the cause of the ghost touch issue. When removing the screen protector, ensure that it’s removed slowly—from one corner to the other until it’s removed in the full piece. If the screen protector is damaged, you can go to an authorized tech store, especially if it’s made with glass.
Fix #2: Clean the iPhone’s Touchscreen
This might be a no-brainer but cleaning your iPhone’s touch screen is essential to make it last longer. This eliminates any grease and debris that might get stuck onto the screen that might cause the ghost touch problem. When cleaning the screen, make sure that you use a microfiber cloth to avoid scratches and use a non-aggressive solvent (like water) to dislodge dust and debris. First, turn off your phone and unplug it from any power source. Then, dampen the towel with warm water and wipe with gradual pressure. Wipe from edge to edge to ensure that all parts of the screen are covered.
Fix #3: Restart your iPhone
When experiencing problems on your iPhone, the best thing to do first is to restart your device and see if the issue is fixed. Some apps can sometimes cause glitches on your phone and affect its screen. To restart your iPhone without a Home button follow these steps: To restart your iPhone with a Home button, proceed to these steps: Additionally, if restarting your iPhone didn’t fix the ghost touch issue, you proceed to do a force restart. This may also help if the iPhone swipe up is not working. To do this on an iPhone 8 or greater, follow the steps below: To do a force restart on an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, do the following: To do a force restart on an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, or earlier, follow these steps: Note: This method will mean that you cannot view the clipboard history on your iPhone after the reset.
Fix #4: Update your iPhone’s Firmware
If your iPhone is glitching, then Downloading the latest firmware updates for your iPhone is critical. In some cases, the ghost touch issue was solved when users updated their iOS to the latest version available. Just connect your device to a stable wireless network to download the latest updates. To update your iPhone’s firmware, follow the steps below: Updating your firmware may also help if your iPhone is randomly restarting.
Fix #5: Factory Reset your iPhone
When all fixes didn’t work, you can attempt to factory reset your iPhone. This will put all settings and configurations to default and uninstall buggy applications that may be causing the ghost touch problem. However, it will also effectively delete all user data, so back up your phone before doing a factory reset. To factory reset your iPhone, do the following:
Fix #6: Contact Apple Support
The last resort that you can do is to let Apple’s iPhone technicians take a look at your iPhone’s touch screen. Although it can cost you some money, it’s better to have them solve your problem with ease, especially when your device already suffers from hardware damage on its screen. To contact Apple Support, visit this link. We have a related article which asks Does AppleCare Cover a Cracked Screen? We also have an article that helps if your iPhone connects to wifi but not the internet.
Final Thoughts
Your iPhone’s touch screen is arguably one of the most important parts of your phone. Whether it’s navigating from one app to the other, or typing important messages, you’ll need an operational touch screen feature to do basic tasks. However, your iPhone might suffer from ghost touch, regardless of the model. Hence, this article can hopefully guide you in solving the ghost touch issue on iPhone devices. When all fixes didn’t solve this issue, remember to contact Apple Support for further help.
