How To Fix Ghost Touch Bug On iPhone XS After iOS 13 Update

A ghost touch bug is one of the unusual post-update errors affecting some iPhone models. If it’s not inflicted by an iOS bug, a ghost touch may likely be attributed to a defective touchscreen or display component on your iPhone XS. But since the onset of the problem is following an iOS update installation, ruling out software bugs and glitches could be the ultimate solution. If you happen to experience any symptoms of ghost touch on your iPhone XS like when your phone starts to type in numbers on its own or apps are opening and closing without you doing anything, then you can use the given solutions below to fix it. Read on and find how to deal with a ghost touch bug on your iPhone XS after iOS 13 update.

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Troubleshooting ghost touch bug on iPhone XS after iOS 13 update

Before you begin troubleshooting, make sure your iPhone screen is clean. If necessary, use a fiber cloth to clear out any dust or grime on the screen. Also remove any third-party accessories like tempered glasses and protective cases as these may also affect the display sensor and may trigger atypical behaviors. If none of that helps, rule out software-related factors that might have triggered occurrence of ghost touch bug on your iPhone XS in iOS 13.

First solution: Reboot your iPhone XS

During a software update, your phone’s system could encounter random bugs that could cause disturbance on its performance. These glitches often interacts with different functions including those that handles gestures on the phone’s touchscreen. A common workaround that’s been performed to clear minor glitches on devices is rebooting. Doing so optimizes your phone’s performance and might resolve the ghost touch bug.

You can try executing a soft reset with the steps below:

  1. Press and hold the Power/Side button and either of the Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
  2. Release both buttons once Slide to Power off prompt appears on the screen.
  3. Drag the Power off slider to the right to turn off your phone.
  4. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until you see the Apple logo.

Ghost touch bug can also hinder you in performing a soft reset as the screen might not function as intended. If that’s the case, the alternative method to reboot your device is through force restart. This process involves hardware keys instead of touchscreen. Just follow these steps:

  1. Press and release the Volume Up button quickly.
  2. Press and release the Volume Down button quickly.
  3. Lastly, press and hold the Side button for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo.

Once the phone is done with the reboot process, use it as normal to see if the ghost touch bug is gone.

Second solution: Check and install all pending app updates

Another reason why a device experiences random errors could be due to outdated app versions on your phone. Major iOS updates like iOS 13 are made to enhance system performance and add more features on your device. Incompatibility issues could directly affect the outdated apps. To remove this culprit, checking and installing all pending app updates could be the answer in fixing the problem on your touchscreen. Simply follow these steps to manually update the apps on your iPhone XS:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on App Store to open it.
  2. Tap on Today tab at the bottom.
  3. Then tap on the user profile icon on the top right corner of the screen.
  4. You should see the account details.
  5. Scroll down to the Available Updates section.
  6. Tap on Update next to the app to update individual apps.
  7. Tap on Update All to update all apps simultaneously.

For the changes to be fully implemented, perform a reboot on your device once all app updates are installed. After the reboot, you may now use the device to check if the ghost touch bug has been resolved.

Third solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone XS

Factors like invalid settings could also trigger a ghost touch bug on your phone. There’s no other best way to handle it than performing an all settings reset on your iPhone XS. Performing this process eliminates incorrect settings that could have been altered via iOS overrides and revert them to the default values and options. Do not worry as your personal data should remain intact as it will not affect the phone’s internal memory. If you wish to give this a shot, here’s how:

  1. Access Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down to and then select Reset.
  4. Tap the Reset All Settings option.
  5. Enter your device passcode once prompted.
  6. Then tap to confirm all settings reset.

Right after the reset is done, your phone will reboot automatically. Wait for it to boot up then check if this rectified the issue.

Fourth solution: Factory reset your iPhone XS

In-depth errors that’s lurking inside your phone’s system may have been causing this ghost touch bug if the previous steps did not fix the issue up to this point. Restoring your iPhone XS to its default factory settings will wipe out all contents on your device including those stubborn errors. This process is best performed to handle complex system errors. Just be reminded that prior executing the steps below, make sure to create backups via iTunes or iCloud as all data will be deleted on your device. Once ready, follow these steps:

  1. Access Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down to and then select Reset.
  4. Tap the Erase all contents and settings option.
  5. Enter your device passcode once prompted.
  6. Then tap to confirm all settings reset.

Your phone will reboot automatically once the restore process is completed. Set up your device like a new one in order to use it again.

Fifth solution: Perform a recovery mode restore on your iPhone XS via iTunes

Errors that can’t be tamed with the procedures being performed on your phone may need an advanced solution. There could be a fatal system glitch embedded with the new software on your phone’s system that’s causing this problem. Since all steps is unsuccessful in eliminating it, you may need to restore your iPhone via iTunes. Doing a recovery mode restore will allow you to restore backups that were previously created prior updating to iOS 13. In order to carry out this process, you’ll need a Mac or Windows laptop/computer with the latest iTunes installed. If you have these requirements, follow the steps below:

  1. Using the supplied USB/Lightning cable, connect your iPhone XS to the computer then open iTunes on your computer.
  2. Press and release the Volume up button quickly.
  3. Press and release the Volume down button quickly.
  4. Then press and hold the Side button until you see Recovery Mode on your phone. Do not release the Side button if you’ll see the Apple logo screen as you will need to enter recovery mode to restore your device.
  5. Once iTunes prompts you to Restore or Update, select Restore. This will allow iTunes to download the software for your device. Your phone will exit recovery mode if the download takes more than 15 minutes. If that happens, just repeat the steps to enter recovery mode again.

Do not disconnect your phone and keep it connected until the entire restore process is finished.

Still troubled with ghost touch bug on your iPhone XS in iOS 13

The above solutions are typically aimed at handling absurd issues like a ghost touch bug in iOS devices. If the problem persists after executing all the outlined steps, then there’s a better chance that you’re dealing with a hardware issue. At this point, you may opt to report the problem to Apple support for further recommendations. Otherwise, visit the nearest Apple-authorized service center in your place and ask an iPhone technician to examine your device.

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