This post highlights a few potential solutions to a display issue known as “ghost touch bug” on an iPhone. Read on to learn how to deal with ghost touch on iPhone 13 in iOS 15.5.
iPhone Ghost Touch Bug
Is your iPhone unexpectedly loading apps or executing commands without you touching the screen? If so, then it’s likely experiencing the ghost touch bug.
As the name suggests, ghost touch bug refers to an iPhone issue in which automatic screen taps occur on the device.
If it’s not a faulty display, software-related factors such as settings conflicts, buggy apps, and errant updates are to blame.
Ghost touch bug is possible to fix by performing a few tweaks unless of course hardware damage is present on the phone.
If by any chance you would bump into the same scenario wherein your iPhone 13 executes unexpected app launches and screen taps, you can try the given solutions below to rule out common software-related triggers.
Troubleshooting Ghost Touch on iPhone 13
The following procedures are based on the interface of the iPhone 13 running on iOS 15.5. If you’re experiencing a ghost touch bug or other relevant display problems on your iPhone and your device is running on the same iOS version, you can also use these solutions.
Before you begin troubleshooting, remove any screen protector or third-party accessories that may adversely affect the iPhone’s screen responses. Also make sure that the iPhone screen is free from any sort of dirt, oil or grime.
Feel free to start whenever you’re all set to troubleshoot your iOS device.
Solution #1: Reboot the iPhone.
Many types of iOS problems can be addressed by rebooting the device. Thus, an iPhone reboot is usually one of the first recommended solutions when dealing with unexpected adverse system behaviors.
If your iPhone was working perfectly fine and then suddenly the screen started acting up, then it could be just due to some random system glitch that can easily be corrected by a system reboot.
If your iPhone is still able to respond properly, then performing the normal reboot (soft reset) is recommended.
- To soft reset the iPhone 13, just press and hold either Volume button and the Side button simultaneously and then release both when the Power off slider appears. Drag the slider to power off the device completely. Wait for 30 seconds and then press the Side button then release when the Apple logo appears. Shortly after, your iPhone should power back on.
If your iPhone screen becomes unresponsive as ghost touch occurs, performing a force restart would be necessary. This is an already reboot procedure that’s carried out when an iPhone gets stuck or frozen.
- To force restart the iPhone 13, press and quickly release the Volume Up button then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Wait for the phone to finish booting up and then re-establish network connections. As soon as the system becomes stable, start using your phone as you normally do and see if the ghost touch recurs..
Solution #2: Install new updates.
Faulty apps may likewise trigger some abnormalities with the iPhone’s display behavior. Apps that are more prone to glitch are those that aren’t updated. Thus, keeping apps and system software up-to-date is highly recommended.
If you haven’t enabled automatic updates for your apps, then there’s a good chance that you’ve missed to install some critical updates for certain apps and that eventually led to software-triggered display issues like ghost touch.
Should this be the case, manually downloading and installing app updates via App Store is recommended.
But before you do, make sure that your iPhone has sufficient storage space to allocate new update files. Your phone must also have fast and stable internet connection in order to access the update servers. Finally, your device must also be sufficiently charged to ensure updating is completed successfully.
By then you may go ahead and launch the App Store then navigate to the Updates section. You may opt to update apps individually or simultaneously.
After updating apps, reboot the iPhone to implement all recent software changes and likewise to refresh apps and system services.
Aside from updating apps, also ensure that your iPhone is running on the latest iOS version available. Similar to app updates, iOS updates released by Apple periodically also contain essential patches that are programmed to fix existing system glitches triggered by stubborn bugs and malware.
You can check for new updates over-the-air by heading to your iPhone Settings-> General-> Software update menu.
If a new update is available, just follow the onscreen instructions to Download and install. Just ensure that your iPhone has ample storage, battery life and stable internet connection to avoid bumping into updating errors.
Solution #3: Optimize iPhone storage.
Screen flickering and other display-related issues on an iPhone including ghost touch bug may likewise be attributed to memory-related performance instability. This is usually what happens when the device storage is running low.
Although new iPhones are packed with plenty of storage space, that would run out eventually. When the iPhone’s memory is running low, its performance also devalues.
Since Apple iPhones don’t support microSD cards like Android phones do, manually deleting old and unused contents is recommended to free up space for new apps and files added.
- To access and manage your iPhone storage, just go to Settings-> General-> iPhone storage menu. There, you will see a list of recommendations for optimizing storage followed by a list of installed apps and the amount of storage each of them utilizes.
If there’s a need to free up space, consider offloading unused apps or completely uninstall those that you’re no longer using.
Solution #4: Adjust display settings (3D touch).
New iPhones are equipped with numerous display features that are designed for individual user’s ease and convenience when using their respective devices.
One of these features is the so-called 3D or haptic touch sensitivity. It’s an Accessibility feature that allows users to change the amount of pressure when touching your iPhone screen.
While such a feature is aimed at rendering benefits, some iPhone owners have associated ghost touch symptoms while this feature is enabled on their iOS device. This was confirmed when the adverse display behavior stopped after disabling 3D touch from the iOS accessibility settings.
Apparently, it’s a temporary tweak but can also be the only way for you to stop your iPhone screen from acting up.
Should you wish to give it a shot, you can adjust your iPhone’s display settings and turn off the 3D/haptic touch toggle.
- To access and manage this feature on the new iPhone 13 series, just head over to Settings-> Accessibility-> Touch-> 3D & Haptic Touch menu and then toggle 3D Touch Off.
After making necessary changes, reboot the iPhone to clear and refresh system functions and then see how it behaves afterwards. If the ghost touch symptom continues, then that confirms that the problem isn’t attributed to the 3D or haptic touch being enabled in the system.
Another iOS 15 display feature that can help deal with touchscreen problems is the Touch Accommodations option. This feature is accessible through the Touch menu.
Enabling this feature will allow you to adjust the settings to change how the screen will respond to touches.
Solution #5: Reset all settings.
Restoring default values and options may likewise fix display issues that are attributed to iOS glitches including those that trigger the ghost touch bug in iOS 15 and later devices.
The iPhone offers different types of reset commands that users can trigger when needed. Each of these commands has a distinct function and purpose.
To deal with recurring system issues, resetting all settings on the iPhone might help. This reset is different from a factory reset as it does not affect any user data from the iPhone storage.
Resetting all settings deletes all recent system changes including custom networks, keyboard options, personalized display and other relevant configurations without deleting any important user information.
- To reset all settings on the iPhone 13 in iOS 15.5, just head over to Settings-> General-> Transfer or Reset iPhone-> Reset-> then select Reset all settings from the given options.
Read the reset details and then tap Reset settings to confirm.
You may be asked to enter your device passcode beforehand, so be sure to comply.
The entire reset process only takes a few seconds. After the reset, the phone reboots on its own and then restores all the default options.
In order to use necessary features that are disabled by default, you will need to re-enable them on your iPhone individually.
Setting a default app for specific file type or data protocol is also necessary because your previous app preferences have been deleted from the reset.
Still experiencing Ghost Touch on your iPhone?
The above solutions are usually good enough when dealing with random display issues on an iPhone, particularly those that are tied to a glitching app or errant system files and services. If the problem continues, then resorting to iOS restores can be regarded among other drastic solutions.
iOS restore via iTunes
There are different types of restore commands you can do on your iPhone. These would include factory reset via settings and iTunes restore.
These options are usually considered among the last resorts when resolving complex system issues including those that are triggered by post-update bugs.
While restoring an iPhone often yields a positive outcome, the main downside is that the process deletes all your downloaded apps and files.
To recover all your files, backing them up beforehand is recommended. You can back up files from your iPhone to your iCloud account or to a dedicated folder on your computer using iTunes.
Use third-party iPhone repair software
If iTunes failed to fix your iPhone, resorting to third-party iPhone repair tools can be considered as the next option.
Like iTunes, these tools are programmed to integrate dedicated commands to fix complex iOS errors including software-related display problems.
You can download and install any of these tools to a compatible computer for free or via one-time purchase. Just pick a compatible and reliable tool for your iPhone and then try to see if that will get rid of the ghost touches.
Hardware solutions
Unable to fix iPhone ghost touch with the above solutions? It maybe because you’re dealing with a hardware issue.
Ghost touch can also be a direct indication of hardware damage like a broken screen component on your iPhone.
This is often the case if the problem started after dropping your iPhone or exposing it to any sort of liquid.
To deal with hardware-related display issues, repair would be necessary. That said, you can take your device to the nearest Apple authorized service center in your place and ask a technician to diagnose your device.
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