There are times when iPhone touch screen stops working out of nowhere. It is gets really annoying – you touch it and nothing happens. You cannot swipe or tap and your iPhone becomes pretty much unusable at this point. If you are in one of those situations where your iPhone is not responding to touch then this troubleshooting guide might come in handy for you.

There are several reasons why iPhone touch screen might become unresponsive. Some of the usual suspects are:

• Software issues.
• Dirt on the screen.
• Damage to the phone or the screen.
• An app has gone rogue causing the system to freeze.

No matter what it is, you can try out the below listed troubleshooting steps and see if that could help you fix the iPhone screen not working issue.

Also read: My MacBook Restarts Randomly and Here’s How I Fixed it.

1. Perform a Hard Reboot

Simply restarting your iPhone can help fix most issues but when the screen doesn’t work, that is out of the question. That is where hard reboot comes in.

Depending on the model of iPhone you own, the way to hard reboot varies a little bit.

• iPhone 7 and newer: Hold down the Volume Down button along with the Power Button until you see the Apple logo.
• iPhone 6s or older: Hold down the Home button along with the Power Button until you see the Apple logo.

If it is a simple software issue with the iOS or an app, the hard reboot should get that fixed and your screen should start working now.

This issue is more common than you would think. This had happened to me a couple of times and a hard reboot always helps.

2. Clean your iPhone’s Screen (and your fingers)

The second thing we are going to try is to clean things up a bit. Make sure your iPhone screen is clean and free of any layer of dirt over it. And also make sure your fingers are clean too. If you have any screen protector applied on your phone, then you might want to get rid of it try this fix.

Some tips to make sure your iPhone screen is clean: Bring your phone into direct sunlight and tilt it a little bit and see if you could find any old, gunk, food residue, moisture or any other dirt that may keep interfere with the touch responsiveness of the screen.

When it is sunny outside, a time when people often use sunscreen – it easily gets on the screen of the iPhone. Wiping your iPhone’s screen with a soft cotton cloth is often enough to make sure there are no dirt on your phone screen. Make sure the cloth you use is a little damp to get out any dry dirt.

3. Free Up Storage on your iPhone

Your iPhone needs ample amount of storage in order to function properly. Pretty much anything you do on your device is stored as data. Making calls, texts, taking photos, or even simply using an app – everything utilizes space on your iPhone. And when you run out the much needed space, things can get ugly very quickly.

Make sure your iPhone has enough storage available. To check this, go to Settings > General > Storage & Usage > Manage Storage. Make sure you at least have a few hundred MB of space available to ensure smooth functioning of your device. iOS gets cranky when it runs out of space.

One of the easiest ways to get some space quickly is to delete any unused apps on your iPhone.

This is more common when there is absolutely no space left on iPhone – I am talking 0 bytes. As I said earlier, even simply using an app needs space. The thing is, apps use something called cache to store any information of your actions. This cache is nothing but the space on your device. When the space hits zero bites, the app can no longer perform any action and thus the whole system stops functioning. Always make sure you have ample free space on your device to ensure smooth functioning.

Once you free up some space, simply reboot your iPhone.

4. Delete, Update, or Reinstall the Problem Causing App

Even a single app on your iPhone has the power to bring down your entire system. If that is the case, there is no issue with your iPhone rather an app has gone rogue when your are using it this making it seem like your entire iPhone screen has stopped working. While the touch screen does not work, you can always press the physical home button (good old days, eh?) to quickly go back to the home screen.

If the touch screen stops working because of a particular app, then the first thing you need to do is to check if there is an update available for it. If yes, please go ahead and install the update and see if that fixes your issue.

If the issue still persists even after updating it, then you can try deleting the app and then re-installing it again from the App Store. Even then, if the issue still persists, then you need to uninstall the app altogether. The app might have an issue that might need to be addressed by the developer via an update.

5. iPhone Touch Screen Cracked or Screen Damaged? Was the iPhone Dropped and/or Damaged?

This is one of the obvious reasons. If there is any crack on the iPhone screen or if there is any damage to it, then it can become totally unresponsive suddenly even if it was working until then. Similar, any other physical damage to your iPhone could also cause your iPhone screen to stop working completely.

Even water damage can quickly cause iPhone screen to stop working.

If you see any visible damages to your iPhone screen or the iPhone itself, then physical damage is likely the cause of your issue. Pay a visit to an authorized Apple service center or Apple store and get your device checked by an expert.

6. Backup/Restore via iTunes

If your iPhone screen is still not working, then it is time to dial things up a bit. Try to backup your iPhone via iTunes and then try restoring from the backup. Make sure backup your device data to iCloud just to be on the safer side. Even if your contact Apple support line, they will have you go through the restoring process any way. So it is safe try this step before contacting them.

If the iPhone is disabled or if the iPhone is stuck on apple logo, then it is a whole different issue and has nothing to do with touch screen issues.

iPhone touch screen still not working? Get professional help.

We have ran out of options at this point. Please do get in touch with Apple Support or visit an Apple Store or Apple authorized repair center and get your device physically checked in person by an expert. It could be a hardware problem or software bug that you might have overlooked.