How to Disable the Touch Screen on Your Phone

Edited 14 hours ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

Touch ScreenSmartphoneDevice ManagementAndroidiPhoneMobile OSCustomizationPerformanceSecurityUser Guide

Disabling the touch screen on your phone may sometimes be necessary, whether it is to prevent accidental touches, to stop your kids from playing with your phone, or to troubleshoot problems related to touch responsiveness. Whatever your reason, there are several ways to accomplish this task. Below is a detailed description of how to disable the touch screen on different operating systems such as Android and iOS.

Disabling the touch screen on Android

There are several ways to disable the touch screen on an Android device, including using built-in features and third-party apps. These methods are:

Method 1: Using the Screen Pinning feature

Android devices have a feature called "Screen Pinning" that can help you disable the touch screen to some extent. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
2. Scroll down and tap Security or Security & Location.
3. Scroll down, and you will find the Screen Pinning option. Turn it on.
4. Now open the app you want to pin.
5. Open the Recent Apps screen by tapping the Recent Apps button.
6. Tap the app's icon at the top of the thumbnail to see more options.
7. Select PIN.

When an app is pinned, your phone's touch screen functionality is disabled for other parts of the phone. To unpin the screen, you may need to press and hold the Back and Recent Apps buttons at the same time.

Method 2: Using a third-party app

There are many third-party apps available on the Google Play Store that can help you disable your touch screen. One popular app is called Touch Lock. Here is how you can use it:

1. Go to the Google Play Store and search for Touch Lock.
2. Download and install the app.
3. Open the app and grant it the required permissions.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to enable the app's functionalities.
5. Once setup, you can activate the app by swiping up from the notification bar and tapping Touch Lock.

Touch Lock will then disable the touch screen and give you the option to unlock it according to your configured settings.

Method 3: Using Developer Options

For more advanced users, there is an option to disable specific components through Developer Options:

1. Go to Settings and scroll down to About Phone.
2. Tap Build number seven times to enable Developer Options.
3. Go back to Settings and open Developer options.
4. Scroll down to the Inputs section.
5. Turn off Show touches and enable pointer location (optional).
6. To temporarily disable all touch input, you may want to enable the Disable HW Overlay option. Note that this is not a permanent disablement, and your screen functionality will resume after you reboot the device.

Method 4: Using ADB Commands

Those who are familiar with the command-line interface can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) command to disable the touch screen:

1. Enable developer options and USB debugging.
2. Install ADB on your computer. You can follow the official documentation for installation instructions.
3. Connect your phone to your computer via USB.
4. Open command prompt/terminal and navigate to the ADB installation directory.
5. Type adb devices to make sure your device is recognized.
6. To disable the touch screen, type the following command:

   adb shell input keyevent 26

   (This command will lock the screen, effectively disabling touch input.)

Once you issue the command, your screen will lock. To unlock the screen (and re-enable touch input), you'll need to press the power button and unlock the device as you normally would.

Disabling the touch screen on iOS

For iOS devices like iPhone and iPad, the process is a little different but the end goal is the same. Here's how to do it:

Method 1: Using Guided Access

Guided Access is a built-in feature in iOS designed to help users lock their device to a single app. Here are the steps to use this feature:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Accessibility.
3. Scroll down to Guided Access and tap on it.
4. Enable Guided Access and set a passcode.
5. Now open the app that you want to lock.
6. Click the Home button (or Side button on newer iPhone models) three times.
7. Tap Start to begin Guided Access.

Once Guided Access is activated, you can draw circles around the areas of the screen you want to disable touch for and follow the on-screen instructions. To exit Guided Access, simply triple-click the Home or Side button again and enter the passcode.

Conclusion

Disabling the touch screen on your phone can be a straightforward process, as there are many built-in features and third-party apps readily available. The methods listed here will help you handle such scenarios efficiently, whether you are using an Android device or an iOS device. Understanding how to use these features ensures that you can quickly adapt to situations that require limiting your phone's functionality, providing both safety and convenience.

Although these methods may meet different specific needs, the end goal remains the same: to temporarily or permanently control your device's touch input. By following these methods and instructions, you will find it relatively easy to get the desired settings for your device.

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