Touchscreen problems in mobile devices like delayed response or a completely unresponsive touchscreen can be an indication of hardware damage particularly on relevant components within the display circuit board of the device. Common symptoms are screen flickering and no display. However there are also some touchscreen issues that are caused by software problems like sluggish or delayed response to touches as well as frozen display. Problems like these can sometimes be tied to insufficient memory or other memory issues that occur to any type of mobile devices.
Even the ones tagged as sturdiest and powerful smartphones can succumb into such same troubles. Given the small size, it is inevitable for someone to drop the phone or exposed it to liquid by accident. And when this happens, your device is most likely to accumulate physical or liquid damage, which can lead to bad symptoms including those that are tied with the display. The issues being addressed in this post are particularly the ones encountered by a number of iPhone 6s users. Thus, if you need some help dealing with touchscreen problems like very slow or delayed response, random freezes or completely unresponsive iPhone 6s display, this content might be able to help. Read on to learn the possible causes of touchscreen problems on the iPhone 6s and how to deal with them.
What causes your iPhone 6s touchscreen to show delayed response or not responding to touches at all?
In general, we can say that the problem might be due to software glitches or damaged hardware. In order to make it more specific ,we will try to explicate the possible factors in the iPhone’s software structure that can trigger these symptoms to arise.
Basing on prior reports, touchscreen problems on the iPhone 6s are usually caused by some corrupt or misbehaving applications and faulty updates to apps or iOS. One thing that can help you determine the possible culprit is to figure out what has happened before the onset of the problem. Did your iPhone 6s touchscreen start to become sluggish or unresponsive after downloading or installing some contents? Did it begin after you make some changes to the display settings or did it happen right after installing an iOS update for your iPhone? Answering these questions can help you pinpoint the root cause and apply appropriate actions to rectify the glitch. Following this troubleshooting approach will help you isolate the problem easily and save time from performing any unnecessary troubleshooting procedures.
So here are the common factors that can cause your iPhone touchscreen to become sluggish, frozen, or completely unresponsive.
Software bugs and glitches
Corrupt downloads, faulty apps, random apps glitches, and iOS bugs in general can be the main reason as to why your iPhone touchscreen suddenly becomes sluggish or completely frozen. These factors usually affect the iPhone’s software functions and therefore results to the aforesaid symptoms. It is possible that the iPhone could not get to run a certain app or file simply because it is corrupted. The same problem can happen after installing a faulty update. The update has apparently messed up the iPhone’s normal operation and thereby causing the device to stop working, become frozen or unresponsive. Often times, minor software glitches like these can be remedied by a reboot on the device but there are also other cases where the main culprit is tough enough to withstand this method.
Memory problems
In some cases, display issues like unresponsive or delayed touchscreen are tied to memory problems like insufficient memory on the iPhone. Running and adding more contents to any device that is running low in memory space can result to performance issues that are often manifested by display errors. This is likely the case if you have stored lots and lots of multimedia contents on your device. In time any device can run out of storage and this is where you need to do some remedies to free up more space to load more contents and apps without having to go through some performance issues.
Physical or liquid damage
This is the worst possible cause you can think of when it comes to touchscreen problems. The problem you are dealing with might be an indication that something went wrong on any of the iPhone’s display circuit board components, which needs repair or replacement. You can consider this as the root cause if there were previous instances of accidental drops or liquid exposure on the iPhone.
Now that you already have a hint on the possible causes, you may now attempt to fix the problem using any of the given solutions below. Unless no hardware damage is present, you are most likely to end up having your iPhone 6s touchscreen to work as it normally does again.
Potential solutions and workarounds for your iPhone 6s touchscreen issues
The solutions and workarounds that are highlighted in this post will only work for touchscreen problems on the iPhone 6s that are software-related. If none of these methods works on your end, it denotes that the problem might be related to hardware damage. This is usually the case if you happened to have dropped your iPhone or exposed it to any sort of liquid. The symptoms you are dealing with right now are most likely indications of physical or liquid damage on the iPhone 6s, which can only be rectified by a tech service. So here’s a list of possible solutions and suggested workarounds for you to try on.
First Solution: Reboot or soft reset
Should the underlying cause lies within the software layer, there is a higher chance for the problem to get resolved by a reboot, otherwise known as soft reset on the iPhone. Basically you will just power off your iPhone for a few seconds and then turn it back on. Doing so will eliminate any glitch or corrupt files from the system registry as well as clears up some space of the iPhone’s internal memory. As a result, you will give your device a fresh clean start. Most of the time, this workarounds does wonder to many people. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee for a soft reset to work on everyone given the root cause variations. Minor glitches that result to touchscreen problems can occur randomly and are usually remedied by a reboot. Having said that, it won’t hurt to give it a try on your end and see what happens afterwards. For those who are still new to iOS, here’s the proper way to perform a soft reset on your iPhone 6s:
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the slider appears.
- Drag the slider to Power off the iPhone completely.
- Wait for at least 30 seconds.
- After the elapsed time, press the Sleep/Wake button again until the Apple logo appears.
Once your iPhone reboots, try to see if the touchscreen is already working as intended.
Meanwhile, there are cases where the above steps won’t be applicable like when the iPhone screen does not respond to touches. In this case, a force restart would be necessary. Here’s how it is done:
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.
- Wait until the iPhone completes the reboot process.
After the reboot try to see if the touchscreen is already working normally as it should.
Both the usual reboot (soft reset) and force restart are considered safe methods as they won’t affect any data on your device.
Second Solution: Diagnose or manage third-party apps
The iPhone touchscreen can also become frozen due to certain app malfunctions. When an app misbehaves, the iPhone’s normal functions are might as well become inconsistent. The problem can be isolated to an app, built-in or third party. If the iPhone touchscreen started to freeze, become sluggish, or completely unresponsive after downloading or installing new apps or contents, then that recent file download is most likely the culprit. Try to uninstall the suspected app or content. Here’s how:
- If the problem is isolated to an app, locate the problematic app on your iPhone’s home screen.
- Tap and rest your finger over the app icon until all the icons begin to jiggle.
- When the X shows up on the upper-left corner of the icon, tap on the X.
- Tap Delete to remove the app completely.
If your iPhone 6s touchscreen is still not working that app is not the culprit. You can reinstall the app and try the next solution.
Third Solution: Configure display settings and options
Adjusting the 3D touch settings on your iPhone 6s can also help rectify any issues with the touchscreen. In fact, many iPhone users were able to deal with the problem with this workaround. This can be a possible solution to your case so you might as well consider giving it a try and see what happens then. Follow these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap 3D Touch.
- Adjust the sensitivity settings.
- Reboot your iPhone.
After the reboot, try to see if the touchscreen is already working fine. Adjusting the 3D Touch sensitivity is used to fix problems related to 3D Touch presses that are not working as intended.
Fourth Solution: Manage memory or iPhone storage
If you think your iPhone is already running low on internal storage space and that you are having trouble with delayed touchscreen responses, random freezes, or unresponsive display, try to check your iPhone’s memory status. If necessary, remove any unwanted contents like old messages and unused apps from your device. You can also free up more space by moving some of your important contents to other devices like computer for backup purposes. Follow these steps to check the memory status of your iPhone 6s.
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Tap Storage & iCloud Usage.
- Tap Manage Storage.
Doing so will prompt you with the screen that contains details of current memory status including the available memory of your iPhone. If it shows that your iPhone is running low on storage, then you may consider removing unwanted apps and contents including old texts, emails, photos and other unnecessary contents from your iPhone.
Fifth Solution: Perform a DFU restore
A DFU or Device Firmware Update mode restore is considered the deepest type of restore you can do on your iPhone. It is often done by an Apple tech to fix various system issues on the iPhone device that won’t get fixed by other usual methods. While a DFU mode restore can potentially resolved any software issue transpiring on your iPhone, you can end up having a bricked device especially if the process gets interrupted and did not finish successfully. It is also NOT recommended to perform DFU mode restore if your iPhone has liquid damage. If some components are water-damaged, the restore might not be completed and your iPhone can become completely unusable then. That being said, make sure that your iPhone has sufficient charge and that you’ve backed up your device before you start with the following steps:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer.
- Open iTunes on the computer.
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and Home button simultaneously on your iPhone 6s for about 8 seconds.
- After the elapsed time, release the Sleep/Wake button but keep holding down the Home button until you see the iTunes screen saying that iTunes has detected your iPhone in recovery mode.
- Release the Home button when you see that screen then.
- When your iPhone screen becomes completely black, that means you have successfully entered DFU mode. If not, go back to the very first step.
- Restore your iPhone using iTunes in DFU mode.
Your computer will then start to erase and reload every bit of code that controls the software and hardware on your iPhone.
Other recommended workarounds
Some iPhone users who have dealt with touchscreen issues have found remedy by performing the following workarounds. So if you’re still unable to fix the problem, consider giving each of them a try and see what happens.
- MacGyver Method. The MacGyver method is a user-defined solution that is done by pressing down on the part of the iPhone screen where the cables connect to the logic board (upper-right side). It’s found to be an effective solution to touchscreen problems that occur after a mild drop. When you drop your iPhone, it is possible that some components in the display circuit board get loose and result to various touchscreen issues. The cables can also become dislodged from the impact. So even if there is no apparent physical damage, the touchscreen may still fail to work. Should you wish to try it, go ahead and try pressing down directly and carefully over the logic board connections on your iPhone. Just be careful though so as not to cause more damage to your iPhone display.
- Remove third-party casing or screen protectors. Screen protectors especially those that are made by third-party manufacturers may not actually fit the iPhone’s body scheme. It’s therefore possible that some of the iPhone screen components are barred and couldn’t get to work properly. If you are using any, try to remove them and see the difference on how the touchscreen works without these accessories.
- Clean your iPhone screen. Sometimes the touchscreen may fail to recognize touches due to some oils and dirt on the screen. Be sure to keep your fingers and iPhone screen clean in that case. If necessary, clean your iPhone screen using a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth.
- Charge your iPhone. If you are dealing with black screen, it’s possible that your iPhone has just ran out of power completely. Should this be the case, connect your iPhone to the power source and let it charge for at about an hour or two.
- Update iOS. If you haven’t done it already, update your iPhone 6s to the latest iOS version available. Doing so will not only let you get the latest features and enhancements but also be able to rectify any existing software issues that are caused by some bugs. Updates also contain bug fixes that are designed to address existing bugs affecting the current iOS device software. To check for available software update, head over to Settings-> General-> Software Update. You will see a notification if an update is available. If you can, backup your device before you start downloading and installing the update.
Seek More Help
If none of these methods is able to fix the touchscreen problem on your iPhone 6s, then you should consider taking your device to an authorized technician at this point. It is possible that your iPhone has some sort of physical damage on the touchscreen components, which can only be resolved by a physical repair or touchscreen replacement. Alternatively, you can contact your iPhone carrier or Apple Support to seek further assistance and recommendations