How to fix your iPhone 8 Plus touchscreen that is not working, not responding to touch inputs [Troubleshooting Guide]

Got an iPhone 8 plus not responding to touch inputs? The new iPhone 8 Plus is crafted with the best quality hardware components and programmed with advanced system functions. Even so, this new Apple device isn’t exempted from system flaws. In fact, a number of problems have already been reported by some iPhone 8 Plus owners. Majority of the problems are attributed to software errors and occurred as minor issues.

One of these is on the problem about the iPhone 8 Plus touchscreen that suddenly stops working or becomes unresponsive. If ever you’re troubled with the same problem in which your iPhone 8 Plus touchscreen is not responding to touch inputs, I’ve mapped out some simple solutions you can try on. Read further for more information.

But before anything else, if you have another issue with your phone, drop by our troubleshooting page as we have already addressed hundreds of issues reported by the owners. Odds are that there are already existing solutions on our website or at least, there are similar problems we already fixed. So, try to find ones that are similar or related to your problem. If you need further assistance, however, feel free to contact us by filling up our iPhone issues questionnaire.

ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone touchscreen that is not working, unresponsive

First solution: Force restart your iPhone 8 Plus.

If this is the first time for your iPhone touchscreen to stop working or become unresponsive, then it could be just a random software error caused by rogue apps or corrupted files. Should this be the case, you can try the simplest possible solution to try on is a force restart.

Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
Finally, press and hold the Power/Side button until the Apple logo appears.

Like the usual reboot or soft reset, a force restart help clear out minor software glitches and errors that might have caused the touchscreen system to act up and stop working. You don’t need to back up files as they won’t be affected in the process.

Second solution: Update iPhone through iTunes.

Corruption of system data might can also cause your device to misbehave and the unresponsive touchscreen could be the emerging symptom. The system usually gets corrupted when afflicted by malicious software or system bugs. And one of the effective solutions to bug-inflicted system issues is software update installation. Software update typically offers fix patches to random bugs that caused minor and complex system issues on a device. Given that your iPhone touchscreen is not responding, updating wirelessly wouldn’t be possible. As alternative method, you can update your iPhone manually using the latest version of iTunes software on a computer. Your computer must be connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet network. Once you’re all set, follow these steps to update your iPhone 8 Plus to the latest iOS version via iTunes:

Connect your iPhone to your computer using the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable.
Open iTunes on your computer then select your iPhone 8 Plus when it’s recognized.
Navigate to the Summary section in iTunes then click the button to Check for Update. iTunes will then start searching for updates and then prompts an update notification if available.
Click the Download and Update button to continue.
If prompted, enter your passcode.

Then follow the rest of the command prompts to finish downloading and installing the latest iOS version on your iPhone 8 Plus.

Third solution: Factory reset your iPhone 8 Plus using iTunes.

A full system reset may be necessary if the problem continues after applying the previous workarounds. You’re probably dealing with a complex system error that requires more advanced solutions including a master reset or factory reset on your iPhone. The simplest reset is done through settings but since your iPhone touchscreen is not responding, you can use iTunes instead. To do so, you’ll need to secure a computer. A Windows PC or Mac will do for as long as it runs on a later, if not the latest version of operating system. Your computer must also have the latest version of iTunes software installed. Once you have all the requisites ready, refer to these steps to carry out a factory reset or master reset on your iPhone 8 Plus via iTunes:

Open iTunes on your computer.
Connect your iPhone to your computer using the original Lightning cable or USB cable. Remove any other USB devices from your computer to prevent them from interrupting the syncing process between your iPhone and the computer system.
If prompted to enter your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, tap OK to confirm and then follow the onscreen instructions.
Select your iPhone 8 Plus when it shows up in iTunes.
Navigate to the Summary section and then click the button to Restore iPhone.
Tap Restore to confirm.

Your iPhone will then instigate wiping of system data and restore the default options and factory settings. Proceed with the initial setup process to set up your iPhone as new and ready for use.

Fourth solution: Restore your iPhone 8 Plus in recovery mode using iTunes.

If a factory reset failed to fix the problem, then you can try a recovery mode restore. This will put your device in a recovery state, clears major system errors, and then restore the operating system. Again you will need to use iTunes on your computer to get this done. Here’s how to carry out a recovery mode restore on your iPhone 8 Plus.

Connect your iPhone to the computer using the supplied USB cable or original Lightning cable.
With your iPhone connected, quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then press and release the Volume Down button and finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the phone reboots. Continue holding the Side/Power button even when you see the Apple logo.
Release the Side/Power button once you see the Connect to iTunes screen.
Go to iTunes and you should see a message saying that “There is a problem with the iPhone that requires it to be updated or restored.”
Select the option to Restore, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the entire iOS restore process in recovery mode.

Follow the rest of the onscreen prompts to finish the recovery mode restore process. If it’s not successful and the problem persists, then you can continue to troubleshoot and try the last option.

Fifth solution: Restore your iPhone 8 Plus in DFU mode using iTunes.

The last option and possible solution you can try on if all else failed to fix your iPhone is a DFU mode restore. DFU stands for Device Firmware Upgrade, a deepest iOS state in which the iPhone can still communicate with iTunes on a computer without activating the bootloader. This is usually done by Apple technicians to fix major system issues caused by major data corruption. Again this will result to data loss as everything is wiped out in the process. Should you wish to continue, then you may refer to these steps:

Connect your iPhone to the computer using the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable then open iTunes.
Quick-press the Volume Up button.
Then quick-press the Volume Down button.
Hold down the Side/Power button until the screen turns black.
As soon as the screen goes black, hold down both the Side/Power button and Volume Down button.
After 5 seconds, release the Side/Power button but keep holding the Volume Down button. If you see the Apple logo, it means you’ve held the Side/Power button for too long and that you’ll need to start all over.

If the screen remains black, it means that your iPhone has successfully entered DFU mode. iTunes will then show up an alert message saying that your iPhone was detected in recovery mode. At this point, you can proceed and carry out iOS restore through iTunes.

If your iPhone shows the Connect to iTunes screen, you’ll need to start all over. To exit DFU mode, just carry out a force restart on your iPhone 8 Plus.

Other options

If none of the given solutions is able to fix the problem and your iPhone 8 Plus not responding to touch inputs or touchscreen is still not working, then you may now opt for service. Visit the nearest Apple-authorized service center in your area and have your iPhone hardware assessed thoroughly by an authorized technician. This should be considered a must-do if your iPhone was accidentally dropped or got wet. Having the same problem after exhausting all applicable workarounds could mean that you’re dealing with a hardware problem.

You can also contact Apple Support for further assistance in performing more advanced solutions.

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If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page or our Youtube channel. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 8 Plus. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.