Touchscreen Not Working on iPhone 8? Here’s How to Fix It

If your iPhone 8 touchscreen isn’t responding or seems completely frozen, it could be due to a software glitch—or worse, hardware damage. Before heading to a service center, try these troubleshooting steps to rule out any fixable issues.

1. Force Restart Your iPhone

A frozen screen can often be fixed with a simple reboot.

Here’s how to force restart your iPhone 8:

Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
Press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.

If the issue is caused by a minor iOS hiccup, this should clear it up.

2. Make Sure the Screen Isn’t Just Too Dim

Sometimes the screen may appear unresponsive when it’s just set to very low brightness.

To check and adjust brightness:

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open Control Center.
Drag the brightness slider up.

Or go to Settings > Display & Brightness and increase the slider manually.

Also, check if Auto-Brightness is causing problems:

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
Scroll down and toggle Auto-Brightness off.

3. Remove the Screen Protector

Low-quality or misaligned screen protectors can interfere with touch sensitivity. Carefully remove the protector and test the screen again.

4. Try a Different Charger and Cable

It may sound unrelated, but some users have fixed touch issues simply by charging with a different Lightning cable and power adapter. A faulty charging accessory could be messing with the touch controller.

5. Uninstall Recently Installed Apps

If the problem started after installing a certain app, that app might be the culprit.

To delete it:

Touch and hold the app icon until it jiggles.
Tap the X or Remove App, then confirm Delete App.

Try using your screen again afterward.

6. Toggle 3D Touch On and Off

Some users found success by resetting the 3D Touch settings.

To do that:

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > 3D & Haptic Touch.
Toggle it off and then back on.
You can also try adjusting the sensitivity slider.

7. Use DFU Mode for Full Software Restore

If your touchscreen is completely unresponsive and you’ve ruled out damage, you can try restoring your iPhone in DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. This is a deep-level restore that can fix serious iOS corruption.

Here’s how to enter DFU mode:

Make sure iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later) is installed on your computer.
Connect your iPhone 8 to the computer with a USB cable.
Press and release Volume Up, then press and release Volume Down.
Press and hold the Side button for 10 seconds.
While holding the Side button, press and hold the Volume Down button for another 5 seconds.
Release the Side button but keep holding Volume Down for another 5 seconds.

If the screen stays black but your computer recognizes the device, you’re in DFU mode. Follow the on-screen prompts in iTunes/Finder to restore your iPhone.

8. Contact Apple Support

If none of the steps above work—and especially if:

The screen is physically cracked
The phone has been dropped or exposed to water
DFU mode doesn’t work

Then it’s likely a hardware problem, and you’ll need to contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store or authorized service provider for repair.