Phone screen issues: Display is black, bleeding or not responsive

Your phone screen may not be working due to dirt or debris on the screen or screen protector. This issue can be solved with careful cleaning. Your phone screen may also not be working due to the phone case. You can try simply removing the case. Or, you might have an incompatible accessory or cable plugged into the phone that's causing issues.

Learn how to Check for Physical Damage - Screen.

Non-physical issues can also cause the phone screen to stop working. Phone touch screen failures may be due to:

• Battery issues
• Software issue (e.g., virus, app or OS problems)
• Storage issues
• And more

Learn more about these issues below.

If your phone's screen is frozen, it may be due to any of these reasons:

• Your phone needs to be restarted. Try restarting your phone normally. If restarting doesn't fix your frozen phone screen you can try resetting your phone.
  
  Resetting removes all your personal information so make sure your device is backed up first. And be sure your device is plugged in:
  • Factory reset (Android) - Tap Apps > Settings > Backup and reset. Then tap Factory data reset > Reset Device > Erase Everything.
  • Restore your phone (iPhone) - Tap Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. Choose Erase All Content and Settings.
• Your battery is low. Check to see that your phone is properly charged.
• Your phone is running out of storage space. View files and programs and delete what's not needed:
  • Android - Go to Settings > Storage.
  • iPhone - Settings > General. Scroll to iPhone Storage.
• Certain apps are incompatible with your OS, or your operating system is outdated. Check that you have the latest versions of your apps and your OS.

When not in use, your phone screen may autolock and go dark. However, your phone screen turning black during use could be caused by:

• Hardware problem (i.e., broken screen).
• OS software crash:
  • Android - Force shutdown the device by pressing and holding the Power and Volume Down buttons til the screen shuts down. Release the buttons when the screen lights up again.
  • iPhone - You can try a hard reset to see if that fixes the black phone screen issue:
    • Press and quickly release the volume up button, press and quickly release the volume down button, then press and hold the side button. When the Apple logo appears, release the button.
• Using a faulty charger to charge the phone. Try checking the charger and then try charging again.
• Installing incompatible apps.
• Apps on the phone that have viruses.
• Your app caches need to be cleared:
  • Android - Open Settings > Apps. Choose the apps to clear. Choose Storage and Clear Cache.
  • iPhone - Settings > General. Scroll through apps and choose the ones you want to clear.

Does your phone's display screen show purple bleeding (or other colors)? This usually means the pixels in the screen are damaged. Damage can be caused by dropping or hitting the smartphone.

Unfortunately there is no simple way to fix bleeding without replacing the entire component. Check if you have device protection that may cover the repair.

Many issues can cause a smartphone's screen to flicker. Common causes are:

• Loose internal connections, possibly from the phone being dropped.
• Phone damage caused by water.
• Phone isn't properly charged.
• An OS software issue.
• An app issue - especially if the flickering only happens when using that app.
• Faulty hardware.

You can see if these fix the flickering:

• Check that your device has the latest OS version.
• Check that your apps have the latest versions.
• Check that your charger and cable are working properly.
• Turn off blue light filter apps if you installed them.
• Restart your smartphone:
  • Android only - Restart in Safe Mode to see if third party apps are causing issues:
    • Swipe down on your notification bar at the top of your screen. Choose Power options. Select and hold Power off. "Reboot to safe mode" appears. Choose OK.
    • Your device restarts and you see "safe mode" in the bottom corner.
    • See if the flickering still happens. If so, the flickering is likely due to damage to the phone.
  • To leave safe mode, tap Power options again and choose Restart.

Is your phone touch screen not responding to your touch? First, make sure your screen is clear of grime or dirt. Try removing any screen protector that's on the device.

If that doesn't work you can:

• Restart your phone normally or try a hard restart:
  • Android - Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons til the screen shuts down. Release the buttons when the screen lights up again.
  • iPhone - Press and quickly release the volume up button, press and quickly release the volume down button, then press and hold the side button. When the Apple logo appears, release the button.
• Close all open apps and apps that are running in the background.
• Clear your phone's cache:
  • Android - Open Settings > Apps. Choose the apps to clear. Choose Storage and Clear Cache.
  • iPhone - Settings > General. Scroll through apps and choose the ones you want to clear.
• Check for and install any software updates and install them.