If you are using a smartphone or tablet, touch operations may occur at unintended timings.
This phenomenon is called ghost touch (ghost tap), and a place different from the place where you originally tapped may be tapped, or a touch operation may occur even though you have not operated anything.
In this article, we will explain what to do when the ghost touch of your smartphone/tablet is terrible. The content of the countermeasure is assumed to be Android / iPhone / iPad.
Method 1: Reboot the device
There may be cases where the ghost touch phenomenon occurs due to a temporary smartphone/tablet system problem.
If the cause is a temporary system problem, restarting the device often resolves it.
So try restarting your device and see if the ghost touch improves. To restart the device, follow the steps below.
For Android:
- Press and hold the “Power Button” and tap “Restart“.
For iPhone / iPad (without home button):
- Press and hold the “Side / Top Button” and “Volume Adjustment Button” simultaneously, and drag the power off the slider. When the power is turned off, press and hold the “side button / top button” to start it.
For iPhone / iPad (with home button):
- Press and hold “Side Button / Top Button” and drag the power off slider. When the power is turned off, press and hold the “side button / top button” to start it.
After restarting the device, check if the touch operation can be performed normally. If restarting the device does not improve Ghost Touch, proceed to the next solution.
Method 2: Remove the charging cable
Ghost touch on smartphones and tablets often occurs when using while charging.
Therefore, check if a ghost touch occurs with a disconnected charging cable if you are using it while charging.
If disconnecting the charging cable improves ghost touch, there may be a problem with the charger or charging cable, and you should proceed to the following action.
If the ghost touch still occurs even after disconnecting the charging cable, proceed to “Action 4: Clean the touch panel”.
Method 3: Replace the charger/charging cable
If stopping charging your phone/tablet improves ghost touch, there may be a problem with your charger or charging cable.
Ghost touch often occurs when using a non-genuine, inexpensive third-party charger/charging cable.
Therefore, if you are using a third-party charger/charging cable, consider replacing it with a genuine or high-quality charger/charging cable.
Method 4: Clean the touch panel
If the surface of the touch panel is dirty or has water droplets on it, the sensor will react, and ghost touches are likely to occur.
Therefore, if the surface of the touch panel is dirty, wipe it clean.
When the surface of the touch panel is clean, check that the touch operation can be performed normally.
Method 5: Remove the protective film/case
Ghost touch may occur due to the protective film or case attached to the smartphone/tablet.
Therefore, if you have a protective film or case attached, check if a ghost touch occurs with them removed.
If the touch operation is regular when removed, consider using a different protective form/case.
Method 6: Cool the device
Ghost touch may occur due to abnormal heat generation of the device due to app overload or room temperature.
The device’s abnormal heat generation can also lead to hardware failure, so put the device to sleep or leave it turned off for a while to cool it.
Once the device has cooled sufficiently, operate the device to see if the ghost touch has improved.
Method 7: Perform a system update
There are quite a few cases where ghost touch occurs due to a defect in the OS or firmware of the smartphone/tablet.
The update will fix OS and firmware defects, so perform a system update to update the system.
Follow the steps below to perform a system update.
For Android:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Tap “System.”
- Tap “Detailed settings.”
- Tap “System Update.”
- If “Update is available” is displayed, tap “Download” to execute the update.
- Follow the displayed procedure to proceed.
For iPhone / iPad:
- Launch the “Settings” app.
- Tap “General.”
- Tap “Software Update.”
- When you find the update, tap “Download and install.”
- Enter your iPhone / iPad passcode.
- Tap “Install Now.”
Once you have performed a system update to update your system, check to see if Ghost Touch has improved. If you already have the latest version of your system, try another workaround.
Method 8: Initialize the device
Some users have reported that initializing the device solved the ghost touch phenomenon.
Therefore, consider initializing the device if the ghost touch is severely disturbing even after trying the solutions so far.
However, when you initialize the device, all the data in your smartphone/tablet will be erased, so be sure to make a backup before doing so.
To initialize the device, follow the steps below.
For Android:
- Turn off the device.
- Start recovery mode.
- The recovery mode differs depending on the model as follows. If you don’t know how to start it, refer to the manual or help page.
Hold the power button and volume down button.
Hold the power button and volume up button.
Hold the power button, volume up button, and home button.
-
- Select “Wipe data / factory reset” with the volume button and execute with the power button.
- Select “Reboot system now” with the volume button and run with the power button when you’re done.
For iPhone / iPad:
- Open “Settings” from the iPhone home screen.
- Select General> Reset> Erase All Content and Settings.
- A confirmation screen will be displayed, so tap “Erase iPhone” to initialize.
- After the initialization is completed, proceed with the initial settings.
- When the “Apps and Data” screen appears, restore the data from the backup you created.
After initializing the device, restore the backup if necessary and check if the ghost touch is gone.
Method 9: Repair the device
If the ghost touch does not improve even after trying all the countermeasures, the touch panel or sensor may be defective.
Therefore, we recommend that you consult the manufacturer’s support about the condition of your device and request repairs if necessary.
If the device you are using is old and you think the hardware has deteriorated, consider replacing it with a new model.
