How To Fix iPhone 12 Mini Touchscreen Not Working (Unresponsive)
Posted in Bug Fixes by Vlad on August 13, 2021
iPhone 12 mini unresponsive touch screen
Has your iPhone 12 Mini touchscreen become unresponsive? Is the touch screen not working ever since you’ve updated to iOS 15 Beta 5? You’re not the only one facing this issue. Apparently, this beta release can render some iPhone 12 screens unusable. Thankfully, a quick fix will help you restore the screen’s functionality!
iPhone 12 Touchscreen Not Working Bug
Users affected by this iOS 15 Beta 5 issue aren’t able to interact with their iPhone via the touch screen at all:
- Flashlight and Camera icons on the Lock Screen are grayed out.
- It’s also impossible to type in the Passcode to authenticate!
- Face ID won’t work either, because you’re required to enter the Passcode the first time you authenticate after a reboot. The iOS 15 Beta 5 software update, like any other update, triggers an iPhone restart to mark the end of the process, thus requiring the user to authenticate with a Passcode.
- More, the iPhone can’t also be turned off because swipes aren’t recognized either.
- Connecting iPhone to Mac or Windows computer for troubleshooting is also not possible, because the device is locked!
How To Fix iPhone 12 Mini Unresponsive Touchscreen
Fortunately, the device is responsive to the input of its buttons. This allows you to force restart it! A hard reboot will flush this bug away and you can use the iPhone 12 mini normally:
- Click and release Volume Up -> followed by Volume Down.
-> Press & hold the Side Button until the white Apple logo flashes on the screen.
-> Release the Side Button and be patient until the iPhone reboots.
Does the touchscreen work now? Use the comments section and let us know. Share your feedback if you encountered the same bug in iOS 15 Beta 5. We’re curious how spread out this problem is.
Related: How to fix iPhone screen wakes up randomly without anyone touching the display or a new notification getting triggered.
Didn’t update, the phone just had the same issue after I powered it off tonight. Won’t work even after a force restart
Thanks for the report. Sorry to hear about this. Is this also happening on the iPhone 12 mini?
Yes. I have a 12 mini. Followed the instructions and it booted right up.
Didn’t work for me with an iPhone 12 mini. Then tried again after discovering the mute button (above the volume up button) still worked. No joy until I selected mute (red showing). Then Volume Up release, Volume Down release, RH Side button press and hold etc. Worked! :)
Thanks for the feedback Mark. You mean that the device only force restarts when the Mute switch is ON?
I removed the sim card, and the touch screen started to work. Removing the sim card and placing it back helps the touch screen function.
Thanks for your contribution Sai. Let us know if it comes back. Thanks.
Hi Patricia,
Yes, the device started to work right after I placed the sim card back. I rebooted the phone using slide to power off option in the screen. No issues so far with the touch screen.
OMG – a lifesaver!!! Brand new iPhone 12 mini frozen – nothing worked. Took out SIM card (don’t know if it is necessary) . Turned mute button to red and pressed up volume, down volume and held side button until Apple logo. Works like a charm now. Thank you, Mark!!!
It’s working. Thank you so much for your guidance
This was a life saver. After a restart from a dead battery, my touchscreen was completely was visible, but completely unresponsive. I restarted with the side buttons, and it brought it back to life. I’m so unbelievably relieved right now…. thank you!!!!
Glad we could help!
I’m using stable ios15 still I got that. but thanks for these steps. it’s fix after reboot
Thanks for reporting and for the feedback.
This worked for my iPhone 12 mini! Thank you so much.
You’re welcome. Glad we could help.
Woke up to this mess. Restarted still not working. Phone updates are controlled by my company.
Thanks for reporting Eric. What iOS versions is your device currently running?
YES! This worked thank you so much for the step by step
You’re welcome. Glad we could help.
Does not work on my iphone 12 mini. Have the latest ios I have been prompted to download
Sorry to hear this. Can you provide more details? Is the touchscreen fully unresponsive or just occasionally?
doesn’t rebooth, but makes imergency call, what am i supposed to do know
Are your Volume buttons working? click and release Volume Up, followed by Volume Down, then quickly press Power button and hold until Apple logo is displayed on the screen. Device will reboot!
Thanks worked like a charm but I was used to the older phones so tried holding all three buttons down and some alarm goes off and it wants to call 911 thank you
Thanks for confirming Tatiana. Glad that we could help.
Hi my iPhone 12 mini still doesn’t work after I do the bottoms. Is there something else I can do
What iOS version is it running?
After these actions: “Click and release Volume Up -> followed by Volume Down. -> Press & hold the Side Button”.
I Have gotten: “Slide to power off”.
But it is impossible to slide because the touchscreen does not work.
I see “Slide to power off” already 2 hours and the white Apple logo does not appear on the screen.
I have iOS 15.
Thanks for the feedback Svetlana. You sure that you’re doing this correct. Check out this YouTube video and please confirm that you’re applying the same sequence:
https://youtu.be/kooAC1GVSfA?t=80
What if volume up and down does not work?
If Volume Buttons won’t work and neither does the touch screen you’re in a rare scenario. What you can do is wait it out until the battery depletes completely and device shuts down. iPhone will reboot as soon as you connect it to a power source. Let us know if this helps.
Thank you SOOOOOO much! i almost lost hope
You’re welcome. Glad we could help!
omg thank you. i though my phone was done for. i put it in a bag of rice thinking maybe moisture had gotten inside somehow. that method has worked for other phones but this time no dice…. so i went to google, this was the first thing that popped up so i tried it and it worked. i’ve been without a phone for almost 24 hours now and since i got it going, notifications wont stop!! thank you
You’re welcome Crystalline. Glad that we could help! Happy Holidays!
This worked for me on my iPhone 12 mini, thanks. I hadn’t yet installed the latest software update (ios 15.2), so am doing that now. Is there anything else I need to do to keep this from happening again? Thanks.
Glad that it worked. Please let us know if the issue occurs again. Hopefully, it won’t be the case.
I am sick of this phone and the screen freezing. I have tried the method above and it is unresponsive. I have had it a year and it has been doing this intermittently since I bought it. Apple really is crap.
Sorry to hear this Lindsey. iOS 15.2.1 is out. Small chances that it could fix it but it’s worth a shot. I recommend you to update.
Ty! It was working advice
You’re welcome. Glad we could help.
Mine is still not working after a forced re-start and I now have the message ‘iPhone unavailable’ 😭
It’ worked. Thank you
Thank you. This worked for me. IOS 15.3.1
Cannot believe it worked like magic! My phone died and after put on charging it wouldn’t respond to touch. I tried this and instantly got a new life! You guys are a saviour!
Thanx it worked I couldn’t believe it thanx you saved my life
Soooooo happy I found this. All fixed. Thank you!
Nothing works, Tried the mute button, restart, and took the sim card out, but Nothing
Thanks for the feedback Nicole. Have you recently replaced the display with an aftermarket part?
Thanks – it worked. Checked ios version- 15.5.
You’re welcome. Thanks for confirming.
It worked on my 12 mini! Thanks
You’re welcome. Glad it did.
When I am applying this technic, it is asking about the passcode, which is I am not able to press as touchscreen is not working of my Iphone 12 Mini. What should I do for restarting it?
You’re not doing it properly. Device can force restart without passcode, just follow the sequence carefully and keep the Side button pressed until the Apple logo is shown on the screen.