Can You Repair Cracks In A Touch Screen

You could almost see information technology happening in tedious motion: your smartphone is in your hand one moment, and the next matter y'all know, it'south barreling toward the ground in a nosedive. Sometimes the layers of glass and plastic will hold up, but all as well often, this scenario volition lead to a chipped, cracked, or cleaved screen.

Thanks to the right-to-repair movement, the options for mending a damaged broken screen accept expanded. Between unproblematic DIY fixes, third-party repair shops, and even manufacturer-sponsored mail-in programs, in that location'south an option for everyone.

Swoop DEEPER. ➡ Read best-in-class tech explainers and become unlimited access to Pop Mech, starting now.

So take a deep breath before yous pick up your broken screen/phone to examine it. Even if the cracks radiate out like a spiderweb, there'due south a fix.

Why Do Screens Break Then Easily?

Artur Debat Getty Images

Ah, the perennial question: Why is this $i,000 device so prone to damage in the first place?

It all boils down to a difficult-to-reach compromise between consumer desires and engineering reality. In other words, we want phones with maxed out displays that also characteristic an elegant pattern. Nonetheless, those slim edges and well-nigh bezel-less screens accept to make some concessions in the durability department.

Only regardless of the design specifics, it's really about elastic energy, co-ordinate to Crimson Zombie, a Clearfield, Utah-based repairs and accessories shop.

"When you drib your telephone, elastic energy stored in the phone'southward drinking glass is converted into surface energy, which is why your glass cracks," the visitor notes in a September 2022 blog post. "[West]hen you driblet your telephone, the force of impact volition overcome the surface pinch, resulting in pocket-size stresses that could pb to the shattering of your screen."

To combat this reality, manufacturers like Apple and Samsung are constantly experimenting with tougher kinds of drinking glass to blot the affect. Cerise Zombie says well-nigh companies mix zinc into aluminum to create a strong base for the body of the phone.

What to Do Correct Abroad

Broken screens come in various levels of severity—from low-cal scratches, to spiderweb-similar patterns, to entirely missing chunks of glass—and you could be dealing with anything from a completely shattered display and a broken phone, to a uncomplicated cosmetic issue.

First, you should appraise the impairment, which means getting your phone on a solid surface and under a skilful lite, not merely giving information technology a quick once-over before stuffing it back in your pocket. With a piffling bit of stress testing and careful prodding you should be able to work out whether the screen is about to fall off or fail completely. In a lot of cases information technology will stay in identify, cracks and all, so yous can at least keep tweeting, as long every bit the screen is nonetheless visible and functioning.

If the phone is seriously damaged, back up your data as quickly equally you tin, making sure all of your photos, videos, and important files are saved somewhere else just in instance information technology dies completely and you tin't become the phone working again. If it's already stopped functioning, so a professional repair is probably your best bet.

Here are the solutions, in ascending gild of professionalism.

Option #i: Packing Tape

The name of the game here is, "hold out until I'chiliad eligible for an upgrade." If yous desire to keep using the cracked telephone, and don't want to hazard losing glass or slicing up your fingers, cover the screen with a layer of packing tape. Line everything up carefully and trim it with an X-Acto knife and it may look nearly like a real screen protector.

Scotch Heavy Duty Aircraft Packaging Tape

Option #ii: Screen Protector

Douglas Sacha Getty Images

This is the gussied-up version of the packing record solution. It ensures yous have no seams and a clean line around the edges of the screen. Granted, that might non be much of a concern when there's a spiderweb of cracks underneath.

Option #3: Supercede the Screen Yourself

MirageC Getty Images

It's possible to supercede a phone screen on your own. Nosotros'll refer you to iFixit for their excellent, step-past-footstep guide with photos. A few key things to go along in mind here: Before you make up one's mind to get this route, look into the cost of the replacement screen. Today's phone screens, which incorporate touch interaction and maybe biometric sensors, don't come up cheap.

You lot should besides wait into the warranty situation. If you're the kind of person who is willing to fix a telephone yourself, you lot're probably non too worried near maintaining your warranty—only information technology even so tin can't injure to know if you're going to void information technology.

Finally, unless you're already accomplished at repairing mod solid-land electronics, you probably lack the specialized tools you lot'll demand for the chore. Luckily, iFixit sells a handy kit that includes pretty much everything y'all'll need, with the possible exception of the iOpener, a tube yous heat up and utilize to the phone to soften its adhesives.

Screen Repair Kits

Selection #4: Call In a Pro

You tin can ever just take your broken telephone screen into the shop. If you lot're an iPhone person, look for your local Apple Store here or consider trying out Apple tree's new mail service-in repairs program. All-time Purchase volition piece of work on iPhones and Samsung phones. And finally, UBreakIFix has more than 400 locations across the country.

Kevin Dupzyk Kevin is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn.

Courtney Linder Deputy Editor Earlier joining Pop Mech, Courtney was the technology reporter at her hometown newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.