Modern models of mobile devices are equipped with many useful functions in everyday life. You can control them with one touch of the display. Thanks to the advent of touch screens, it is no longer necessary to press keys that have fallen or worn out over time. However, touch screens do not always work perfectly, in some cases the touchscreen does not work at all or spontaneously activates applications and launches unnecessary commands. The user can only guess what the problem is and how to pacify the “rebellious” gadget?
Description of the problem
“Phantom touch”, or, more simply, “system malfunctions”, is a term indicating a problem of a sensor’s malfunctioning when the device performs an action without user intervention or in the complete absence of any part of the display responding to touch. The manifestation of ghostly touches depends on the specific device, but most often the problem is observed with gadgets of the same type.
It is worth noting that in most cases this problem is associated with mechanical damage to the device, and not with malfunctions of the operating system.
Causes
The spontaneous functioning of the touchscreen often occurs as a result of a hardware or software failure. In the first case, this is caused by the breakdown of individual components in the mobile device. In the second, crashes occur due to malfunctions in the device software.
The most common causes of sensor malfunction are:
- device fall or bump;
- poor build quality;
- mechanical damage to the device;
- poor-quality resistive display.
After reading the reviews, the user sometimes decides that the only solution to troubleshooting is to disassemble the smartphone and install new components. However, before embarking on such drastic measures, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of a software failure and try more affordable solutions to the problem.
Screen calibration
If the smartphone falls from a height, gets wet or the factory display is replaced, it is imperative to re-calibrate the screen. On the forums, users note that unauthorized launch of applications and similar gaps due to an uncalibrated sensor are common for Asus smartphones. Phantom touchscreen clicks can be "cured" in one of two ways: using third-party applications or using standard tools.
Standard tools are used only when the phone can independently determine the angle of the sensor. To perform calibration, do the following:
- open the Settings tab;
- select the "Display" section;
- Find and open the “Calibration” item;
- put the smartphone on a horizontal surface;
- start calibration.
After these steps, a high-quality device or PC will independently determine the appropriate angle of touch of the sensor and complete the calibration process.
If the device does not have a built-in option, then a special application can be downloaded from the official Play Market source. One of them is Touchscreen Calibration, it is characterized by increased accuracy and ease of use. After activating the application and completing the calibration process, which is carried out in a similar way, the device must be rebooted.
Touchscreen Calibration App
As already noted, this method is suitable for users whose devices do not have a built-in screen calibration function. This application is more in demand in comparison with analogues due to ease of management and efficiency. To calibrate the device using Touchscreen Calibration, you must:
- Download the application on Google Play and install it.
- Launch the program and click on the blue Calibrate button in the window that opens.
- The calibration process will begin, during which it will be proposed to adjust the angle of the screen in several touch modes, you need to go through each of them.
- Throughout the operation, the smartphone should be located on a flat horizontal surface for maximum calibration accuracy.
- At the end, you must press the OK button, and reboot the device.
Hardware method
If none of the listed methods of unauthorized pressing has brought the desired result, most likely the problem lies in the malfunctioning of the components of the mobile device. Usually they are subject to Chinese smartphone models, for example, Oukitel, HOMTOM, Lenovo. Phantom clicks of the touchscreen cannot be "cured" by the calibration method. Why? We explain: since the assembly uses resistive displays, in other words, glass with a flexible membrane. Compared to capacitive displays, they are poor in performance and quickly deteriorate.
Often, in Chinese phone models, the components are attached to each other by means of low-quality double-sided tape, which undoubtedly affects the touchscreen. In both cases, the problem can be fixed and the sensor restored to work only by a qualified service center master who has the necessary knowledge and equipment to fix each specific smartphone model.
On the forums, if the information about what can be "cured" the touchscreen by heating. If you decide to try this, check out the video above. But remember: you are responsible for your actions, the service center may refuse warranty service after such manipulations.
If clicks do not always appear
Sometimes it happens that the unauthorized behavior of a smartphone or tablet is not permanent. It seems that the device lives its own life. This can happen with any device, such as Asus. How to "treat" phantom touchscreen clicks, we will consider further.
Often people have these problems:
- While charging. Unauthorized behavior may be caused by the charger itself. The fact is that during the connection it skips the output phase, which is why the device is “buggy”.
- Moisture. Even the smallest amount of liquid entering the screen or under it can cause pressure. Often people have such problems after rainy weather or high humidity in the room. As a rule, “treatment” is not required here. Allow the device to dry.
- Another nuance of the problem can be a protective glass. If it is not glued correctly, all the requirements are not met, then phantom clicks occur because of this. It is enough to change the protective element, but entrust the manipulation to a specialist.
Full reset
If you detect a false triggering of the touchscreen in Android and spontaneous button presses, you should try to completely reset all settings to the factory level. In order not to lose all the available media files and applications on the mobile device, you must first create a backup copy and save it on your computer.
To "treat" phantom touchscreen clicks on Xiaomi or any other device, you must follow the instructions:
- go to the “Settings” tab;
- select the section "Personal data";
- in the window that opens, select the line "Reset and Restore";
- Scroll the page and find “Return to factory settings”;
- reset settings by clicking on the appropriate button;
- in the window that opens, confirm "Reset device settings".
In most cases, if the cause was a software failure, after these actions the touchscreen starts working correctly, the backup is restored and the gadget is used in the usual mode.