How to Resolve Redmi Note 12 Unresponsive Touchscreen

Discovering your Redmi Note 12 touchscreen is suddenly unresponsive or won’t react to taps and gestures can certainly be frustrating. You likely rely heavily on the screen for using apps, messaging, web browsing, and more. When it fails to register touch input, even simple tasks become impossible. But don’t panic just yet – an unresponsive screen is usually caused by a minor software glitch or hardware issue that you can often resolve yourself with a few troubleshooting steps.

By isolating potential software issues from hardware defects, you can get your Redmi Note 12 touchscreen working smoothly again. This guide will outline the most common causes of unresponsiveness and practical solutions you can try yourself before needing to visit a repair shop. Just a small amount of guided trial and error can revive your touchscreen.

Common Causes of Unresponsiveness

Some typical reasons a Note 12 screen may become unresponsive include:

• App crash or freeze – A crashed app can make the system interface freeze and the touch unusable. Rebooting/force closing apps usually fixes this.
• Partial hardware failure – If part of the touchscreen digitizer fails, it may only cause issues in certain areas.
• Faulty touchscreen digitizer – Complete digitizer failure prevents any touch input from registering. Requires full digitizer replacement.
• Loose display cables – Damaged display cables prevent touch signals from transmitting to the motherboard properly.
• Moisture damage – Liquid seeping under the display can short circuit digitizer contacts, causing complete or partial unresponsiveness.
• Software glitch – Bugs in the Android OS software can sometimes disrupt touchscreen driver operation until fixed.

Troubleshooting Procedures

Glitching apps and other software-related issues are usually the main reason why a smartphone experiences random performance issues and stops working unexpectedly. To rule these software-related factors out, you can try these fixes:

1. Force Restart the Phone (Alternative Reboot)

A force restart is a way to restart your phone when it is frozen or unresponsive. It is different from a regular restart, which is done by pressing and holding the power button.

To force restart a Redmi Note 12, follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time.
2. Continue holding the buttons until the Redmi logo appears.
3. Once the logo appears, release the buttons.
4. Your phone will then restart.

Here are some things to keep in mind when performing a force restart:

• A force restart will not erase any of your data.
• A force restart can be used to fix some problems with your phone, such as a frozen screen or a boot loop.

2. Inspect Screen Physically

The digitizer is the part of the phone that converts touch input into electrical signals that the phone can understand. If the digitizer is damaged, it will not be able to register touch input, which can make the phone unresponsive.
Here are some indications of physical digitizer damage on Redmi Note 12:

• Cracked or shattered screen: The most obvious sign of physical digitizer damage is a cracked or shattered screen. If the screen is broken, it will not be able to display images or respond to touch input.
• Dead pixels: Dead pixels are individual pixels on the screen that do not light up. They can appear as black, white, or colored spots.
• Touchscreen unresponsiveness: If the touchscreen is unresponsive, it means that it is not registering touch input. This can be caused by a number of things, including physical damage to the digitizer, a software problem, or a hardware problem.
• Ghost touches: Ghost touches are unwanted touches that occur on the screen even when you are not touching it. They can be caused by physical damage to the digitizer, a software problem, or a hardware problem.
• Display flickering: Display flickering is when the screen on your phone keeps turning on and off. This can be caused by a number of things, including physical damage to the digitizer, a software problem, or a hardware problem.

If you are experiencing any of these problems, it is likely that the digitizer on your Redmi Note 12 is damaged. You will need to take your phone to a qualified technician to have it repaired.

Here are some tips to prevent physical digitizer damage on Redmi Note 12:

• Use a case and screen protector to protect your phone from drops and scratches.
• Be careful not to drop your phone or put it in situations where it could be damaged.
• Avoid exposing your phone to extreme temperatures or humidity.
• Do not use harsh chemicals or cleaners on your phone.

3. Factory Reset Device (Hard Reset)

A hard reset or factory reset is a process of restoring a device to its factory settings. This means that all of the data on the device will be erased, including apps, photos, videos, and settings.

A hard reset can be done on a Redmi Note 12 by following these steps:

1. Turn off your phone.
2. Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time.
3. When the Redmi logo appears, release the buttons.
4. Use the Volume Down button to scroll down to Recovery Mode and press the Power button to select it.
5. Once you are in Recovery Mode, use the Volume Down button to scroll down to Wipe Data/Factory Reset and press the Power button to select it.
6. When prompted, select Yes to confirm the reset.
7. Your phone will then restart and the hard reset process will be complete.

Back up data first, then reset your Note 12 to factory default settings to eliminate any software issues disrupting touch response.

4. Run Diagnostics

Initiate device diagnostics by dialing ##6484## to analyze touchscreen response times and accuracy for hardware issues.

Touchscreen diagnostics is a test that can be used to check the functionality of the touchscreen on a Redmi Note 12. The test will check the following:

• The ability of the touchscreen to register touch input
• The accuracy of the touchscreen
• The responsiveness of the touchscreen

To initiate touchscreen diagnostics on a Redmi Note 12, follow these steps:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap on the Settings icon.
3. Scroll down and tap on Additional settings.
4. Tap on Touchscreen.
5. Tap on Touchscreen diagnostics.
6. The touchscreen diagnostics test will begin.

The test will display a series of circles on the screen. You will need to touch each circle as it appears. The test will also display a score at the end of the test. A higher score indicates that the touchscreen is working properly.

If the touchscreen diagnostics test fails, it means that there is a problem with the touchscreen. You may need to take your phone to a qualified technician for repair.

5. Wait for Software Fix

If a known bug, you may need to wait for Xiaomi to provide a MIUI update that addresses the specific touchscreen problems for your model. Avoid updating again until resolved.

A software update can help when your phone is unresponsive in a few ways:

• It can fix bugs: Software updates often include bug fixes, which are changes to the software that address problems that have been reported by users. If your phone is unresponsive due to a bug, a software update may fix the problem.
• It can improve performance: Software updates can also improve the performance of your phone by optimizing the code and adding new features. This can make your phone feel faster and more responsive.
• It can add new features: Software updates can also add new features to your phone, such as new apps or new ways to use the phone. This can make your phone more versatile and useful.

If your phone is still able to respond normally, you should check for a software update and install it if one is available.

• To check for a software update, go to your phone’s settings and look for the “Software update” or “System update” option.

Here are some things to keep in mind when updating your phone’s software:

• Make sure that you are connected to a Wi-Fi network before you start the update. This will prevent you from using up your data plan.
• Make sure that your phone has enough battery power before you start the update. The update process can take some time, and you don’t want your phone to run out of power in the middle of the update.
• If you are using a custom ROM, you may not be able to install the latest software update from your phone’s manufacturer. You will need to check with the ROM developer to see if there is an update available for your ROM.

If you have any problems with the software update process, you can contact your phone’s manufacturer or your carrier for help.

Contact Xiaomi Support

For hardware-related screen issues, contact Xiaomi Support to arrange inspection and digitizer/display replacement or motherboard repair for cables/connectors as needed.

Consider Replacement

For older Note 12 models, replacing the phone fully may be more cost-effective if display repairs are excessive. Backup data first before replacement.

With some analysis and isolation of potential causes, you will hopefully see your Note 12 touchscreen working normally again. Seek professional repair if hardware issues are confirmed.

FAQs about Redmi Note 12 Unresponsive Touchscreen