The Samsung Galaxy is one of the better smartphones on the market, as indicated by the number sold every year. It has a precision touch screen, like all the best smartphones, that is responsive to your every command. In certain situations, though, the screen’s responsiveness might not be as effective as it used to be, or it might have stopped working altogether. In either of those scenarios, you’ll want to figure out what’s wrong so that you can go back to using all of the device’s functions as soon as possible.
Some Possible Reasons for a Samsung Galaxy Touch Screen Not Working
The touch screen of your Samsung Galaxy not working can be due to several different things. If the screen is broken, with visible damage to it, then that is obviously why it won’t respond. It might also be that the phone was submerged in water or another liquid, and the touch screen subsequently stopped working. It might be that there is a software issue that is causing the screen not to work rather than the hardware being to blame.
Let’s go over some fixes for each of these issues.
What to do if Your Samsung Galaxy’s Screen is Cracked
Let’s say that you dropped the Galaxy, and the screen broke. You’re probably going to be upset about that, as it won’t respond to your taps or finger swipes.
The one good thing about the situation is that the reason why your screen isn’t working is obvious, so you won’t have to try and solve the mystery. Your only move, in this case, will be to take the device to your local Samsung store to get a replacement screen. If your Galaxy is still under warranty, then it should not cost you anything to get a new one. If your warranty has expired, then you will have to pay for a new screen. Hopefully, it will not be too expensive, and that is the only new element that you’ll need to restore the device’s full functionality.
You Can Also Try Cleaning the Galaxy’s Screen
You might also try cleaning off the screen. If there is any sort of residue or buildup on it, then that might be interfering with the device’s recognition of your finger taps and swipes.
First, remove the screen protector if you have one. If the phone is in a case, then remove it. Set it down on a flat surface, then take a clean, soft cloth and wipe away anything that you see on the screen. You can also moisten the cloth very slightly if the residue is stubbornly clinging to it. The phone is moisture-resistant, even if it is not waterproof, so dampening it a little should not harm it.
See if that helped the screen’s responsiveness. If it did not, move on to the next option.
Restart the Galaxy
The next move, before you get into more complicated DIY software fixes, would be to restart the Galaxy. That might be all that it takes to get the touch screen working again if it’s a software glitch that’s behind the problem.
Press down your Power button and wait for the screen to go black. Let the device sit for a couple of minutes, and then power it back on. See if the touch screen is responding to you any better now.
You Can Remove the SIM Card and Memory Card
Occasionally, you might get positive results by removing the phone’s SIM card and memory cards and then putting them back in. First, power off the device, as we described in the previous fix. Remove the back cover of the Galaxy. You ought to be able to do this by grasping the tab at the bottom-rear of the phone. Unlike with an iPhone, you should not need a straightened paperclip or a special tool to do so. Your fingers should be enough.
You will see both the SIM and the memory cards located above the battery. You should be able to remove both from their slots easily enough. When you put them back in, make sure that they are facing the right way. Be delicate. Both of these cards are small and easily damaged, and they are expensive to replace.
Once both of them are back in their slots and you have replaced the back cover of the Galaxy, power it back on and try the touch screen again. In many cases, the problem will be resolved.
Try Putting the Galaxy in Safe Mode
If there is a third-party app that you have installed that is causing the touch screen to be nonresponsive, then you can put the phone in safe mode. In that mode, all the third-party apps that you installed should be disabled. If your touch screen starts working again when the phone is in safe mode, then that is a sure sign that it is one of the apps you downloaded that is causing the trouble.
Power off the Galaxy, then press and hold down your Power button until it reboots. When you see the Galaxy logo come up on the screen, let go of the Power button and press and hold down the Volume Down button. Release the Volume Down button when you see the Safe Mode indicator come up on the screen’s bottom-left hand corner.
If this doesn’t seem to work, then you can also put the device in safe mode another way. Hold down your Power button until the Power Options menu comes up. Long-press the Power Off option. You should see then a message asking you if you want to reboot the device in safe mode. Tap OK to do so.
You Can Try Factory Resetting the Galaxy
You can also elect to reset the Galaxy if nothing else has worked so far. First, you should do a backup to your Google account so that none of your photos, videos, contacts, or other data is lost.
From your Home screen, head to Settings, then Accounts and Backups. Go to Backup and Restore. From there, toggle on the Back Up My Data switch. Tap Backup Account. Tap the account that you wish to use, and then toggle on the Automatic Restore switch.
Now, you are ready to do the factory reset. Tap the Menu key, and then tap Settings. Scroll down to Privacy and hit it. Tap Factory Data Reset. Hit Reset Phone, and then hit Erase Everything. This will return the phone to the factory settings. You can restore it afterward and try the touch screen functionality again.
Calibrate the Touch Screen with Your Apps
There’s one last thing that you can try, and that would be calibrating your phone’s touch screen to improve its responsiveness and accuracy. You can do this through apps in the Google Play Store. There are several of these apps available. What you will want to do is go to the search bar and type in “Touch Screen Calibration.” Read the reviews of each one, and then select the one that you think will work best for your situation.
Now you know a few different things to try in the event that your touch screen is not working as it should be. If nothing has worked, then you can always take the device to your local Samsung store and get the employees there to look it over. There might be some obscure problem that only they can diagnose. If there is no store near to you, then you can send the phone through the mail.
