When you are experiencing your iPhone’s touch screen malfunctioning, for example, its multi-touch is not working or the screen is flickering, then it is possibly caused by the Apple Touch Disease.
Such touch screen problems in Apple devices are called the Apple Touch Disease. Although it is not like an actual disease that happens to humans, it has given a catchy name as “Touch Disease” to gain attention or to create awareness. Whatever it is! The truth is, for Apple users it is a headache.
According to Apple, touch disease occurs when the device has fallen on a hard surface multiple times. But, many users have also claimed that their iPhones screen started flickering or misbehaving without even going through such a damage like falling on the hard surface or so. Moreover, according to the claim of IFIXIT – an electronics-based software, it occurred due to a design or programming bug of iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 PLUS. So there is an insoluble debate for the actual reasons that cause Apple touch disease.
Which Devices get the Apple Touch Disease?
“Do only iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 PLUS devices suffer from the iPhone Touch Disease?” – this was commonly asked by many users a lot of times, as many iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus were suffering from touch screen problems back then. But soon after it was revealed by Apple that – the touch disease can occur to any version of iPhones due to a fall or screen damage. For example, some iPhone X GATE and iPhone 12 MINI users have also experienced these touch screen issues known as Apple touch disease.
What are the Symptoms of Apple Touch Disease
An iPhone that is having the touch disease mainly shows the following two symptoms –
1. iPhone’s Multi-touch Screen is not Working
iPhone’s multi-touch functionalities such as zooming in and out, long press, double taps, or pinching are not working properly or at all! This may also show your phone’s screen going through a total breakdown.
2. iPhone’s Screen is Flickering
Some flickering grey colored bars are visible on your iPhone’s display.
How to Fix an iPhone from Touch Disease?
Earlier I have mentioned that the causes of an iPhone touch disease might be debatable or unknown but if you are having touch disease issues with your iPhone then of course you might have identified your cause of getting it as well! So before digging into the following fixes, I suggest you go through the following question first:
- Has water got inside your iPhone and the touch screen problem started after that? If YES, then read this article for the best solutions.
If not, then I hope you find your fix here in the following. Stay Tuned!
1. Uninstall the App
This solution is for the users who have been noticing their iPhones having touch screen issues after installing or while using a certain application. As there is a possibility of the app to misbehave with the phone’s systems, be it a bug or a programming glitch! So it is better if you uninstall or delete that app.
To delete the application from your iPhone:
- Long press on the app.
- When the options appear on the screen, tap Remove App.
- Tap Delete App to confirm the deletion.
2. Update System Software
Sometimes using an older version of operating systems leads to many problems with an iOS device such as an overheating iPhone or an iPhone not charging etc. iPhone touch disease can be one of them as well. If you are having touch screen flickering problems and using an older version of iOS then you should update to its latest version available. Give it a try, it might work in fixing iPhone touch disease!
To install the latest version of your iPhone’s system software:
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and open General.
- Tap and open Software update.
- Choose the latest version if there are several updates available.
- Tap on Install Now.
3. Force Restart your iPhone
If your iPhone’s screen is partially working then first try a soft reset. It refers to restarting your iPhone normally. But if your iPhone’s screen is not working at all, then you can restart it without touching your iPhone’s screen. Here is how!
For iPhone 6, 6s, or earlier:
- Press and hold the home button and the power button at the same time.
- When the Apple logo appears on the screen, release pressing.
For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus devices:
- Long press and hold the volume up or down button along with the power button at the same time.
- Release after you see the Apple logo appearing on the screen.
For iPhone 8 or newer versions:
- Press the volume up button first and quickly release it.
- Immediately, press the volume down button and release it quickly as well.
- Lastly, long press and keep holding the power button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
4. Perform Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU)
The last thing you can try in order to fix your iPhone’s screen issues on your own is performing the DFU. Enabling the DFU mode can get your iPhone back to working. Here is how you can enable the DFU mode!
How to enter the DFU mode on an iPhone?
To enter the DFU mode on iPhone 6 or earlier devices:
- Press and hold the home button and the power button at the same time for about 8-10 seconds continuously.
- Then release the power button but continue holding the home button for about 5 seconds more.
For enabling DFU on iPhone 7 or 7 PLUS devices:
- Press and hold the power button and volume down button continuously for 8-10 seconds at the same time.
- Release the power button but continue pressing the volume down button for 5 seconds more.
For Phone 8 and earlier versions of iPhone:
- Connect your iPhone with your computer (PC, Mac, Laptop).
- Press the volume up button first and quickly release it. And immediately, press the volume down button and release it quickly as well.
- Then press and hold the power button and wait until the screen turns black.
- Long press the volume down and the power button at the same time for about 5 seconds.
- Release the power button only but keep pressing the volume down button for 5 seconds more.
If a black screen appears, then your phone has entered the DFU mode. Then iTunes will detect your device as in recovery mode. Make sure you have restored all data from your device before performing DFU.
In order to exit from the DFU mode, simply restart your phone or go for the force restart, as mentioned above.
5. Repair your iPhone’s Screen
If performing the DFU has not got you any solution, then be sure that your iPhone is having a hardware problem. It is possible that the touch screen has gone out of function totally. In this case, the best solution for you would be repairing your iPhone from the professionals of Apple.
Before trying the fixes, please have your iPhone data backed up.
Disease Recovered!
Having a touch screen device and its touch is not working properly can be very frustrating for anyone. And for iOS users, it seems more disappointing because Apple is best known for its unique design and smooth performance. However, iPhone touch disease is real and I hope your device has come out of it after trying the above-mentioned fixes.
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