When touch screen frequently freezes or not responding, your usual screen activities like making calls, reading emails, video streaming and using others online services will be disrupted. Thus, firmware crashes and iOS bugs can be the underlying causes. In this article, we have mapped out several troubleshooting procedures to resolve the touch screen lagging and freezing issues; starting from the very basic troubleshooting guide down to the more-advanced solutions that you can take to address the issue. Read further to learn what these workarounds are.
Troubleshooting iPhone XS Max with touch screen that frequently freezes and not responding
Screen that frequently freezes or not responding are symptoms tied to software and hardware issue. When the problem occurs after the new system implementation, software-related errors are more likely to blame. To eliminate these triggers, follow the workarounds we have lined-up below.
First solution: Force restart your iPhone XS Max to fix touch screen frequently freezes, not responding issue after iOS 13.2.3.
Minor software glitches that prompted your phone to incur freezing and lagging screen issue can be cleared out by giving your phone a quick and clean restart. Given that your phone is no longer responding to touches, you need to carry out a force restart instead of the usual soft reset. To perform the force restart (using the hard keys) on your iPhone XS Max device, follow these steps:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Then, press and hold the Side/Power button until the Apple logo appears.
This restart will also force the running apps in the background to quit. Thus, dumping out cache files from these rogue apps and clearing your phone’s internal memory.
Once you are back to the main screen of your phone, try to check for and install pending apps updates on your device. We have known for a fact that out-dated apps have the tendency to act up whenever a new system or platform is being implemented. Hence, other symptoms may arise.
Check for and install pending apps updates. It is important to install pending apps updates right after installing a new iOS version to maintain your phone’s smooth performance and preventing the occurrence of other phone issues. Here is what you need to do:
- From the Home screen, launch the App Store.
- Select your Profile icon located on the top-right corner of your iPhone screen.
- Scroll down to the updates section to view the list of pending apps updates.
- Then tap Update All to install the pending apps updates simultaneously.
After installing the pending apps updates and your phone is still responding to your touches, soft reset your iPhone XS Max device. This is also to ensure that the new apps updates will be properly implemented. Here is how:
- Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume button simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Release both buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears.
- Drag the power off slider to the right to turn off your phone.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Side or Power button again until the Apple logo appears.
Wait until your phone is completely back on. Then use your phone as you normally do to check if the freezing and lagging screen issue has been fixed. If so, continue to manage your phone’s settings as there might be some options that were automatically altered by the recent iOS update and triggered the phone to no longer respond to your touches.
Manage the 3D Touch. iPhone is designed with a pressure-sensitive feature that uses capacitive sensors coordinated to your phone’s display, and it is called the 3D Touch. Your phone screen responses to your touches depending on the degrees of pressure exerted. Here is how you manage the 3D Touch feature on your iPhone XS Max device:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Then select 3D Touch.
- Drag the 3D Touch slider and set your preferred degree of pressure to Light, Medium, Firm.
Then restart (soft reset) your phone after making the necessary adjustments.
Reset all settings. If the touch screen started to freeze or lag again after you managed the 3D Touch feature, better yet perform an all settings reset. This option will delete all customized settings on your phone including those erratic ones that led the phone to sustain screen issues. Doing so doesn’t result in a complete data loss, so creating a back-up for your files is yet necessary. Here’s how you carry out all settings reset on your iPhone device:
- Launch the Settings app from Home.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and tap Reset.
- Then select Reset all settings from the given options.
- If prompted, enter your device passcode.
- Then select Reset all settings again to confirm.
Your phone will reboot automatically after the reset and restores the default settings. By then, you can enable the features that you will be using again. Then customize your phone’s settings according to your preference. If your phone is already responding accordingly, then everything is set now. Otherwise, move on to the next troubleshooting guide to restore your phone’s touch screen function to its workable state.
Second solution: Restore your iPhone XS Max in recovery mode via iTunes.
The recovery mode restore is deemed to correct various screen issues such as lagging and freezing. The phone system being inflicted by major system error and tough bugs will be repaired with the help of iTunes. The process will also require you to have either a Mac or Windows computer. And make sure as well that you have the latest iTunes version installed on it. Once the requisites are met, start restoring your iOS using the steps below:
- Connect your iPhone XS Max to the computer using the supplied USB cable.
- Then launch iTunes on your computer.
- Once your phone show’s up in iTunes, perform a force restart.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Then, press and hold the Side or Power button and don’t release the button until the Connect to iTunes screen appears.
- You will then be prompted with the options to either Restore or Update.
- If you haven’t back-up your files beforehand, select Update. This option will reinstall the iOS without deleting the data saved in your phone’s internal memory.
- Otherwise, select Restore.
Wait until iTunes has completed the Update or Restore process. Then check if your phone is already responding to your touches and no longer freezes. If the touch screen continues to freeze or lag, try the next solution.
Sixth solution: Perform a DFU mode restore to fix iPhone XS Max with touch screen frequently freezes, not responding after iOS 13.2.3.
This option will still use iTunes to repair your phone’s operating system even without the boot loader being activated. Once the iTunes is already launch on your Mac or Windows computer, carry out these steps:
- Using the supplied USB or lightning cable, connect your iPhone XS Max to the computer.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Then, press and hold the Side/Power button until the phone screen turns black.
- Continue holding down the Side/Power button, then press and hold the Volume Down button for at least 5 seconds.
- Release the Side/Power button, but continue to press and hold the Volume Down button.
- Wait for at least 10 seconds, then a message “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before it can be used in iTunes” will appear on your iPhone XS Max screen. Your phone has now entered DFU mode.
- Then follow the onscreen prompts for iTunes to instigate the iOS restoration on your iPhone XS Max device.
Once the process has already been completed, perform a force restart to exit from the DFU mode screen.
Is your iPhone XS Max screen still freezing and lagging?
If the problem has not been resolved using the potential solutions we have mapped out above, the screen issue you are having on your phone might be tied up to hardware damage making it hard to fix. Thus, you need to bring your phone to your nearest local office for a possible repair. On the other hand, you can also contact Apple Support and ask for recommendations in case there is no Apple office available in your location. Make it known to them that the problem started after you have installed the new system update so you’ll be provided with the appropriate resolution.
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