unresponsive touchscreen? - Nexus 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My nexus 7 currently has an unresponsive touchscreen. Almost none of my touches are working now and yesterday the tablet was working just fine but some of the touches were not working. Now almost all the touches arent working, did the hardware just fail on me?

lovenokia said:
My nexus 7 currently has an unresponsive touchscreen. Almost none of my touches are working now and yesterday the tablet was working just fine but some of the touches were not working. Now almost all the touches arent working, did the hardware just fail on me?
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Click to collapse
Here is what I posted yesterday on another thread, but short answer is that yes it's most probably hardware fault (I don't have picture at work, so can't attach it here).
I purchased my Nexus 7 from Staples during business trip to San Francisco. My device started having touch screen issues after few hours. Factory reset did fix it and I liked the device a lot so I didn't return it as I thought touch screen issue was just a SW glitch. Issue came back at the airport . Unfortunately I didn't have time to return the device at that point. Issue wasn't manifesting itself all the time, but seemed to come up every time I plugged the device in charger. Symptoms were exactly as in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVkvCXDKU2M and the other one in which multitouch is demonstrated. I suspected different applications as a reason to the problem as well as faulty charger. Then I found this thread and became assured that this must be a HW problem.
As I'm living in Finland and don't know when my next business trip to USA will take place I decided to try and fix the problem myself. I took off the back cover and touch screen worked perfectly. Initially I suspected grounding problem but pretty soon came to conclusion that it can not be the case. The problem in my case was the "sponge" pushing (what I assume is) display / touch flex. I have marked that in the attached picture. Even a very light touch to sponge caused touch screen to go crazy. As I don't have the luxury of immediate warranty repair I decided to remove the sponge and my Nexus 7 has been working flawlessly ever since. I can even charge and everything works as expected. When I started charging the device I placed my Nexus 7 on the table. It probably caused slightly increased pressure on back cover and therefore to "sponge". After removing the sponge I can't see any of the touch screen problems I was having. Couldn't be happier as I don't have any of the other problems people have found and device is working as it should, at least for now.
I don't encourage anyone to do what I did, but if you are in the same situation as I was with imported device, you can try to take off back cover and see if the problems are fixed. You should be very careful though not to break the device especially when it's powered on with back cover off. Hope this helps someone.
EDIT: 22.8.2012. Forgot to mention, that turn of WiFi if using device with back cover off. Turning off NFC and GPS won't hurt, although GPS is receiving only. Reason is that antennas are located on back cover.

Related

Unresponsive touch screen :(

The top part of my phone does not respond to touch anymore... it is impossible to bring down the notification bar... and once in a while the whole screen goes unresponsive.. tried factory reset but still the same problem..
am having the same problem since 2 days back
after reading some of the posts i found that the Digitizer For HTC G6 Legend A6363 should be replaced with new one i ordered mine from ebay
ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5039.m570.l1313&_nkw=Digitizer+For+HTC+G6+Legend+A6363&_sacat=See-All-Categories
waiting for the item to be delivered
I've also got a touchscreen issue: the area of the notification power widgets is unresponsive... the rest of the screen works fine, but I don't know for how long :/
nnssxx said:
I've also got a touchscreen issue: the area of the notification power widgets is unresponsive... the rest of the screen works fine, but I don't know for how long :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have widgetlocker, by any chance ?
Or a lockscreen replacement which disable the notification bar during the "slide to unlock" state ?
I didn't know there was such thing as widgetlocker. I use CM7 latest nightly, never seen that thing.
I also facing this problem from last 2 weeks and i also think this is digitizer problem. If anyone else found the solution else changing the digitizer, then please post.
This is beautiful phone but htc added a poor quality things in it, due to which many users facing such problems.
Nah.. I dont think its because of widget locker.. its the digitizer..
well that's a shame, gotta buy a new digitizer on ebay after just over 1 year of use...
I know.. this sucks... Im planning to upgrade though.. Any of u guys have any suggestion?
Depends on your carrier if you want suggestions for an upgrade.
...but that would drive the post off-topic.
Sent from my HTC Legend using XDA App
I have the same problem. my screen doesnt work anymore because some water got in from the grill above the screen :S
should I try to take apart and dry off or shall I buy a new digitizer directly?
I think it may be a good idea to try disconnecting your digitizer and reconnect it as it just might be helping. I did it on my girlfriends legend and it has been working perfectly ever since. Maybe a good idea to at least try that before buying a new one. So i guess it could be in the connector to? At least this worked for me.
My touch screen dosent work at times. but after rebooting the phone the problem becomes solved. But the problem comes again after a week or so. Any suggestions guys??
Earayil said:
My touch screen dosent work at times. but after rebooting the phone the problem becomes solved. But the problem comes again after a week or so. Any suggestions guys??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also have this problem, but if I wait a couple of minutes the touchscreen
becomes responsive again. Half of the screen works when it's unresponsive (right half of the notification bar and down). It's quite annoying but I cannot afford a new phone at the moment.
I'm also wondering if this might be temperature related, this problem reoccurred very often during the summer but stopped during the winter. But now (spring) it's back again.
My problem got worse and the phone became totally unresponsive, changed it, got a new phone.
Tanayar said:
I also have this problem, but if I wait a couple of minutes the touchscreen
becomes responsive again. Half of the screen works when it's unresponsive (right half of the notification bar and down). It's quite annoying but I cannot afford a new phone at the moment.
I'm also wondering if this might be temperature related, this problem reoccurred very often during the summer but stopped during the winter. But now (spring) it's back again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exact same problem here, mine works when it feels like working, totally random, I simply can't understand why, I doubt it's the temperature... I think its in the device theres something wrong, I smack it numerous time and it works right after a big smack on the screen, or rub your whole hands on the screen, also, the angle you are holding the phone affects this problem, if none of these work, a phone restart always makes it work at the beginning. Oh boy did my phone took and taking much beating... oh well, I wish I could permanatly fixed the problem here, as I was thinking of handing the phone to my brother when I upgrade, I'm using CM 6.1.
I still recommend the same thing that i posted earlier here, her screen still works perfect.
I had the same problem few months ago. The problem is with the touch digitizer. I bought a digitizer on ebay and replaced it myself. After that my phone has been working fine. Its not that hard to replace it if you have a small knowledge about hardware.
I use to get that unresponsive screen issue only in the summertime, plus it gets worse if I add humidity (read: sweat). I just need to give it some time then to dry off/ cool down outside my pocket, and it's all fine again.

Should I RMA(multi touch problem)?

For reading books it's fine, but I get 180 turns in Dead Trigger but I'm not sure it is related to that as discussed here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1789450
P.S I also have a slight cracking issue on the left side if I push to hard on it(no lifted screen problem).
From what I asked around almost everyone has this touch problem, so I don't know if it's a feature or a problem.
I got mine RMA'd and the replacement was flawless except for having this issue. I'm starting to think this is an overall design flaw of the Nexus 7.
You can try the lock unlock cycle. For me it fixes the issue until the next time. Which suggest it's a software fault. Returning it over and over is unlikely to fix anything.

Touchscreen Controlling Itself

I picked up my Nexus 7 about a half hour ago, woke it up and all of the sudden it started clicking things on its own. I wasn't even touching the screen at all. I had to lock the device for it to stop doing it, and after waking it back up the touchscreen was twonky. I would touch, but it wouldn't register until like the 3rd click. I restarted the device and its fine again.
I have the screen separation issue, though its not bad and doesnt bother me so I havent considered sending it back. But now that it has a mind of its own, its kind of freaking me out. I am unable to replicate it so far and I can't find anybody on these forums who has the same problem. Any ideas what is going on?
it's another ghost unit...
Sent from my Nexus 7
sharp2G said:
it's another ghost unit...
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it's a hardware issue and I should get it replaced?
I had the same thing happen to me a couple weeks ago.
After waking it up from sleep it started touching itself.
I restarted the device and it hasn't happened since.
Hope I don't have to return it.
My god! IT'S ALIVE!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I had the same thing happen on Saturday. There were odd solid white line outlines around the icons as well. I had to force it to power off and restart it. It's been okay since.
Ken
I too experienced the issue. I can replicate the issue by running "Gallery" app, select an album, set it on Slide Show mode. Within 15 mins or so, it will start malfunctioning.
I've discovered how to reproduce the problem on my tablet:
1. Put the tablet to sleep by closing smart cover or using a magnet
2. Plug in wall charger
3. Open the smart cover and the touchscreen malfunctions
The screen does not malfunction when I put the device to sleep by pressing the power button and insert the charger.
Can anyone else confirm this happens to them or is it just me?
My nexus7 is controlling itself after 10 mins of playing a game... this is nuts?
EDIT:
Really PI$$ED off now. Travelled to the shop where I bought it. Told them they said "they have to see the problem" I sit there for 25 minutes playing a game, google earth...anything to create this problem.
NOTHING.
get back home!! gusss what? stupid tablet is controlling itself again! OMG this crap is annoying.
edit: I sold the nexus. It had a fault on the screen. I paid £70 and managed to get £80 for it so am happy with that at least
Same issue!! Is someone remotely hacking in??
I have seen the exact same issue on mine. Weird and very worrying. Have seen apps being opened and pages being scrolled. Has only happened twice in the past few weeks (that I have noticed). Have checked firewall logs on my home network, but unfortunately my ISP has made the UI more 'user friendly' even in advance mode so can't get any actually useful information from the logs (though I don't have any port forwarding active). My only guess is that it is therefore:
A) Random HW/SW issue - seems unlikely, but possible I guess
B) Some nefarious app giving external access (all apps from Play Store though)
Will try and get a video of it next time to put on Youtube nad have installed the logcat app (though to be honest I don't really know how to use it).
Anyone else seen this or have any suggestions on what to do?
drsp123 said:
I have seen the exact same issue on mine. Weird and very worrying. Have seen apps being opened and pages being scrolled. Has only happened twice in the past few weeks (that I have noticed). Have checked firewall logs on my home network, but unfortunately my ISP has made the UI more 'user friendly' even in advance mode so can't get any actually useful information from the logs (though I don't have any port forwarding active). My only guess is that it is therefore:
A) Random HW/SW issue - seems unlikely, but possible I guess
B) Some nefarious app giving external access (all apps from Play Store though)
Will try and get a video of it next time to put on Youtube nad have installed the logcat app (though to be honest I don't really know how to use it).
Anyone else seen this or have any suggestions on what to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I ask. Have you used a case that has a magnet that may have touched the screen? I theorized that this may have happened to mine because right where the magnet clipped the case is right where fault started. When i touched the screen just on the edge in that spot it started going crazy.
So I sold as faulty
restlessrob said:
May I ask. Have you used a case that has a magnet that may have touched the screen? I theorized that this may have happened to mine because right where the magnet clipped the case is right where fault started. When i touched the screen just on the edge in that spot it started going crazy.
So I sold as faulty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - I have briefly (only use it when travelling and have it in a bag to protect it from knocks and scrapes), but the case was never around when the screen has been off doing it's own thing....so I would be surprised if there was a link between a small magnet being near it a few times and a recurrent fault of some kind.
drsp123 said:
Hi - I have briefly (only use it when travelling and have it in a bag to protect it from knocks and scrapes), but the case was never around when the screen has been off doing it's own thing....so I would be surprised if there was a link between a small magnet being near it a few times and a recurrent fault of some kind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read somebody else used a case with a magnet and thought that slight chance that it could've caused the fault. I know on the one I had I could instantly recreate the problem by touching in that place a few times. perhaps just a coincidence?
Didn't work for me, just registers my own touches
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
alimhaque98 said:
Didn't work for me, just registers my own touches
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My device has a similar issue randomly. Detects inputs that aren't there. Most of the time it is one prolonged input. Sleep then wake and problem solved. I don't know if I have the screen seperation issue or not. My device is only two weeks old and has never seen a magnet before.
formerfreeagent said:
My device has a similar issue randomly. Detects inputs that aren't there. Most of the time it is one prolonged input. Sleep then wake and problem solved. I don't know if I have the screen seperation issue or not. My device is only two weeks old and has never seen a magnet before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought 4 Nexus 7's for the family for Christmas and one unit had this issue. Read up about it before returning it the next day. Apparently it's a problem with the digitizer (I think that was what the hardware piece was called). Basically made the N7 unusable because it'd detect other "ghost" touches. Especially annoying when trying to unlock the device. Long story short, the unit was returned to Staples and replaced with a new one. So if you're is still under the "new buy" warranty I'd definitely try for a replacement.
Aes28 said:
,,, Basically made the N7 unusable because it'd detect other "ghost" touches. Especially annoying when trying to unlock the device. Long story short, the unit was returned to Staples and replaced with a new one ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto, + 1 here and my ex-N7 16GB WiFi unit was from local Staples, 1 of 2 "open-box" ones that they had in stock, no wonder manager was "kind" enough to approve a 10% discount for it, hmmm - SOB quite possibly knew it was a problem unit returned by another customer & just wanted to pass it on. It had 4.1.2 loaded and intially, the OTA upgrade to 4.2 seemed to make things better (false.)
It was horrible with the sluggish & un-responsive touchscreen and even unlocking, especially bad over time as I had managed to unlock the bootloader & root it to load custom Rom. It's as if the hardware had a keylogger installed and/or was hacked remotely, trying to take over the tablet and typing its own command as I input gmail account info & password - freaking mad crazy, to the point as others said, I started checking the wireless router's firewall & security logs, etc. for signs of breach, etc. and even release the DHCP to get a new external IP on our Fios link. Disabling WiFi seemed to at least "calm" it down but made the device useless. GPS radio/receiver also seemed to be defective. To make a long story short, it has been returned to Staple as we are within the holidays/14 days technology product return & exchange timeframe - and, of course, all 16GB WiFi models are out of stock everywhere - ended up paying the difference & traded up to a 32GB WiFi model - S/N beginning with "CAO"s and has 4.1.2 on it
Noticed the immediate difference - this one is perfect and no hardware issues whatsoever - and so far so good and with all the issues cited about 4.2 - staying with 4.1.2 for now by disabling the fraemwork, etc. to stop the annoying OTA upgrade reminder. Unlocked & rooted, tweaked it with the goodies & Flash Player 11.x loaded with Chrome browser removed, this is what a N7 should be like.
I have had a similar issue twice. I was reading a webpage when all of a sudden a pop up appears asking where I want to send it to, then it gives me a list eg. Dropbox , email, etc. I never press anything and I didn't even know what wanted to be sent lol. Hopefully its nothing serious.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
nexus7
Fowarek said:
I picked up my Nexus 7 about a half hour ago, woke it up and all of the sudden it started clicking things on its own. I wasn't even touching the screen at all. I had to lock the device for it to stop doing it, and after waking it back up the touchscreen was twonky. I would touch, but it wouldn't register until like the 3rd click. I restarted the device and its fine again.
I have the screen separation issue, though its not bad and doesnt bother me so I havent considered sending it back. But now that it has a mind of its own, its kind of freaking me out. I am unable to replicate it so far and I can't find anybody on these forums who has the same problem. Any ideas what is going on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have the same problem,had my nexus since nov 2012 just started to do this mind of its own thing 1 week ago at any time for no reason any ideas anyone?????
mine does it to all the time especially if i slightly squeeze the bezel? i get random touches all over the screen?

N7 screen issue + not recognized by PC

So I have an issue with a 2012 N7, warranty is long gone. I've tried all suggestions from billykxda's thread, but no luck thus far. I've also tried Google's official page on the topic as well.
I've left the device charging for many consecutive hours, both via AC power and USB, and I suspect my issue resides with the LCD screen. Also tried a hard battery pull. It's also important to note that I haven't undertaken any mods on the device at all, i.e. the bootloader is still locked and USB debugging is not enabled yet.
When I plug the device into my PC the Win7 driver notification bubble pops up, usually reporting either an Unknown Device or an "APX drivers not installed" message. I'm unable to get it to boot into Fastboot, Recovery, or Android OS. Plugging/unplugging the device via USB yields these driver messages over and over again, along with the Win7 sound notification, so the device isn't totally dead, but no amount of button combinations or 30-60+ second button holds are getting any response.
Has anyone else experienced these issues before? Do you think my device is totally dead?
AvidPhisherman said:
Has anyone else experienced these issues before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes; I am also experiencing similar issues. Unfortunately, I have not reached a solution. I just replaced a broken screen for a friend. Once I got the screen in, I tried turning it on but didn't see anything happen. I began to research and thought I had the dead battery issue that most people get when leaving it unplugged for an extended period of time. I plugged it in using the wall adapter for a few hours, used the power+volume buttons and still didn't get any response. Finally, I decided to charge it with my PC. The PC recognized something was plugged in, installed drivers, and now I have a Nexus 7 in my connected devices list. While connected to my PC, I hold power+volume down and hear the USB disconnect, reconnect, and have an unrecognizable device attached. This leads me to believe that the Nexus 7 is working properly and the screen is not working. I have taken the entire device apart to re-seat all connections 3 different times and still cannot get it to work. I hope someone can shed some light on our issues!
Edit: I forgot to mention, I also tested the battery with a digital multimeter. It reads approximately 3.79 volts DC. I thought it may be important to state this in case the issue is battery related. I'm not certain what the correct value should be for it to work properly.
I am currently trying to diagnose this problem. Yesterday, I hopped on Craigslist and bought a working Nexus 7 for 50$. I am currently taking it apart to rob parts from it and figure out where the problem is. So far I have tested the battery. The battery reads approximately 3.78 volts DC so I can probably rule this out as my problem.
Also, I noticed something strange yesterday. I took the broken Nexus with me when I went to meet up with the man selling the used/working Nexus. While I was outside in very bright sunlight, I pushed the power button on the broken Nexus. I noticed that I could actually see the screen doing something. It was all fuzzy and had lines running every where, but you could in fact see it doing something. I think the replacement screen I received is bad, but I won't know until I start swapping parts.
AvidPhisherman, for now maybe try taking your Nexus out in very bright sunlight and see if you can see the screen do anything when you press the power button. Also, I'm not trying to hijack the thread. It seems that we have very similar issues. I hope to find something that fixes both of our problems.
Success.... kinda. I tried combining the broken Nexus 7 motherboard with the working Nexus 7 screen but it wouldn't fit since one is the 3G model, and the other is the Wifi only model. Next, I put everything back together on the broken N7, but this time I used the LCD ribbon cable from the good N7. Success!!! It powered up, and I can see the screen. My problem now, is that the screen is mostly unresponsive and acts like you are touching it in random spots, when you're not touching it at all. I'm taking it apart to re-seat the connections... again.
__redfox__ said:
Success.... kinda. I tried combining the broken Nexus 7 motherboard with the working Nexus 7 screen but it wouldn't fit since one is the 3G model, and the other is the Wifi only model. Next, I put everything back together on the broken N7, but this time I used the LCD ribbon cable from the good N7. Success!!! It powered up, and I can see the screen. My problem now, is that the screen is mostly unresponsive and acts like you are touching it in random spots, when you're not touching it at all. I'm taking it apart to re-seat the connections... again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey redfox thanks for taking in interest in this! You're not hijacking the thread, your posts are very helpful. Good to know I'm not the only one experiencing these issues.
I'm just a hobbyist with an interest in fixing things, although I don't have much experience with DIY fixing. I didn't have a chance to try turning the screen on under direct sunlight, but yesterday I took both my non-working Nexus 7s (the first one I mentioned in my OP, the second one just has a bad/hollowed out USB port) in to a repair shop for a free diagnosis. I'm actually a business user, my company owns the tablets but I'm responsible for maintenance/tech troubleshooting.
Please keep me posted with updates as to how your progress is going. I'll post again once I get a report from the repair shop re: my issues.
Hi,
I have been having the same problem,
I bought my wife a used Nexus 7 and it worked just fine for almost a year then all of the sudden the screen would not function
there would be lines going through it but it remain dark.
thank you for researching the matter i will try to buy the part online and see if i can get it to work now!
if i understand it correctly there is no need for a new mother board but just a new LCD ribbon cable?
godnessy said:
Hi,
I have been having the same problem,
I bought my wife a used Nexus 7 and it worked just fine for almost a year then all of the sudden the screen would not function
there would be lines going through it but it remain dark.
thank you for researching the matter i will try to buy the part online and see if i can get it to work now!
if i understand it correctly there is no need for a new mother board but just a new LCD ribbon cable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cannot guarantee that it will fix your screen, but it is possible. When I had this one out in the sun, it did the same thing. The screen was super dark, and I could see crazy lines. Hopefully a new ribbon/cable will fix your problem. They are only a few dollars on Amazon.com
godnessy said:
Hi,
I have been having the same problem,
I bought my wife a used Nexus 7 and it worked just fine for almost a year then all of the sudden the screen would not function
there would be lines going through it but it remain dark.
thank you for researching the matter i will try to buy the part online and see if i can get it to work now!
if i understand it correctly there is no need for a new mother board but just a new LCD ribbon cable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
__redfox__ said:
I cannot guarantee that it will fix your screen, but it is possible. When I had this one out in the sun, it did the same thing. The screen was super dark, and I could see crazy lines. Hopefully a new ribbon/cable will fix your problem. They are only a few dollars on Amazon.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello fellow users! Quick update, I finally heard back from the repair shop.
Bad news - they tried swapping out the screen, then the battery, USB charging port, display cables, etc. etc. and nothing worked. Their diagnosis is that the tablet has a fried motherboard, and they're unable to repair and/or replace it
Good news - it cost me nothing to receive this diagnosis
Hopefully the outlook is not so grim for your respective N7s. Just wanted to post an update as to what I learned from this whole experience.
Hi guys, Reporting in.
Toke a while but i got the part AND found the stupid device!
After ALOT of fiddling, taking apart and putting back again i found out that the problem was the battery!
it looks like it was on its last leg and that caused all the strange screen stuff.
I dont have another battery to replace it so instead i hooked it up straight to a USB cable and into the socket and it works just fine
thanks for the tips and hopefully this helps someone else!

[Q] Nexus 4 Touchscreen goes crazy.

Hello.
​Firstly I would like to say that I am well aware, that there have been threads regarding this problem, however, none of them were of any help. Did not help on solving the problem or even determining the cause. So here is the deal.
​My nexus 4 is nearly 2 years old. It has had some tumbles, one of them was in January and caused my screen to crack. The touchscreen was unresponsive, but picture was showing just fine. I figured that I would change the screen and digitizer all together. And that is what I did, and it worked beautifully. I was quite happy to have my phone back, and it was working like this for nearly four weeks now with NO problems, what so ever. This evening has been a bit different. My touchscreen has been going crazy. Sometimes it recognizes the touch, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it registers the touch in a different area and the phone just goes to **** all together. The phone hasn't suffered any damage lately, no falls or anything. As You can see in the screenshots, the screen appears to have a dead zone, right in the middle. Also, the phone lags quite badly, when the touches go crazy.
​Any help would be greatly appreciated, I would really like to avoid spending any more money (that i do not have) on spare parts, if the phone is unusable anyway. Some of the things I tried, that were suggested as possible solutions :
Factory Reset (both from booted phone and recovery mode) And the touch problems got even worse after that.
Clearing the cache (recovery mode as well)
Opening up the phone and checking the connections (which seem to be fine, since)
Hopefully You guys can help me find a solution, that wouldn't require me any more spare parts, cause getting stuff from ebay is not easy in my country. And I cannot even dream about a new phone, firstly cause I do not have any money, secondly - I love my nexus4, I am very used to it. It'd be a shame to let my friend gather dust on a shelf.
EDIT - At some point, the dead zone was non existent, as You can see in one of the screenshots I uploaded. The phone was opened up at the time, the dead zone was gone, but it was back after some lag.

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