Touchscreen acting strange after iOS 14 update

I found a fix that might work for others with this issue (especially if typing is the problem). Go into your keyboard settings (settings-general-keyboard) and disable the slide to type function. After disabling that function, my keyboard is no longer the bane of my existence.

This issue had been driving me insane since it makes the phone almost unusable. Hopefully it stays fixed and Apple resolved the issue WHICH IS CLEARLY A SOFTWARE PROBLEM!!!

Update—I took my iPhone to Genius Bar at Apple Store (Express) and asked for the iPhone X Display Module Replacement Program for Touch Issues. The program ended already technically, since it's valid for only 3 years since the first sale of iPhone X, but I had compelling evidence with videos of the iPhone acting up—as well as case numbers from AppleCare reps in October/November 2020 who never mentioned the program, though they should have—and Apple's Geniuses ended up replacing the screen on the house.

I'd suggest trying this before it's too late! https://support.apple.com/iphone-x-display-module-replacement-program

So far so good. I had to connect to my computer and do a restore. Then when setting it up I had to set it up as a new phone. I was able to go to the App Store and click on the apps I had previously downloaded and redownload them. It was a bit of a pain to redo everything but it works. This is the only way to correct software errors. Restoring from the settings app only reinstalls the problems. I hope this helps.

Hi people, I certainly told all of you my problem here and on multiple days updated you every time I did someghing. So I had the iPhone X, when updated to iOS 14 my screen would suddenly go unresponsive, after that I tried to narrow it down to know how to trigger it, still nothing, at last I restored my iPhone through iTunes on October the 2nd and it took the display 44 hours to do that again. (I’ve had my iPhone X for 2 years now and the display already has been changed for the ghost touching issue for free, the unresponsiveness issue started after iOS 14 update). So I took the phone to the authorized service provider yesterday, the display wasn’t triggered in front of him so he confiscated the phone to check and call me in five days, anyway he called me today telling me that I can get my device tomorrow and informed me that the changed the panel for me for free, apparently the display had a faulty part again! I don’t know how or when since it was already fixed before, but seems like the apple advisor that I talked to 10 days ago was correct, software updates can sometimes trigger a hardware problem or cause it. Anyway I’m grateful that it qualified for the iPhone X screen program. But I figured I should tell you this, so you should be filled with courage when you take your phone in for a repair and know exactly what to tell them.

hi guys! just letting you all know that i’m no longer experiencing any problems mentioned before. it has been exact 4 days now since last Saturday i’ve Reset All Setting + disabled Slide to Type. thanks to @Madholm for that! Both options totally works for me! problem solved! xx

Hi rhan273, to answer your questions, yes it was the authorised service provider here, they changed the panel for me when I was experiencing ghost touching in 19 Feb 2019, and they changed the panel again with the unresponsiveness issue on October 7th 2020, both for free since the phone qualified for the screen replacement program, so don’t worry just take your phone to them and they’ll do the necessary steps to fix the issue.

This is an update to my last post and a further discovery:

I have now confirmed to myself that the issue is significantly relieved by simply turning off Background App Refresh (vis Settings/General/Background App Refresh. By turning this off you are basically sigificantly reducing the multi-tasking time-slice load or in simpler terms, the amount of time ios gives control over to application running in the background. While there are still other processes in the ios that require time slices, turning refresh off for apps gives ios lots of opportunity for the app in the foreground - the one you have problems typing into for example - to do its job. Closing all apps except the one you’re working on (as i suggested in my previous post) accomplishes the same goal as turning off Background App Refresh - it’s just a lot easier to leave the apps open that you use frequently and leave Background Refresh off. A few things about doing this: 1) this means that apps that download data (podcasts, video, streamers, etc) will stop downloading when they are not actively being used; 2) apps in the background will not be able to share the physical display - for example nfl gamepass will not display a small window into part of the screen with the current game. 3) if you decide to go this route, i suggest that the first tome you do this you first close all apps. then turn off background app refresh and only then shut down and restart your iphone. And still there are no guarantees this will be perfect since what i said earlier about misbehaved apps that worked well under earlier ios versions but mess up under ios 14 still holds. In the process of testing out my discoveries, i have found one such app.

At the end, I took my iphone X for a checkup and repair. It seems SPRAYING alcohol all over the screen (due to covid 19 measures) is not a good idea as it damaged the top side of my screen. I could not use touchscreen on that area. It seems ios 14 just made things worst as it just took the last breath on my screen. it seems Alcohol penetrates somehow into the screen module and do big damage because it is a solvent. I learnt it the hard and expensive way as I replaced the whole screen and also my battery was highly degraded (not related to the main issue)

This might be an isolated thing regarding ios14 and my screen. Use some wipes but dont spray alcohol all over it. . I cant stress this advice enough.

After replacing the screen and battery, it seems the iphone X works fine with ios 14 installed....for now.

There are many people that have reported the same issue after update. It is a software issue. I have a 2 month old phone and had the same issues. Performance seems to be fine after disabling slide to type function. Settings/General/Keyboard

Mine is a general response to all the suggestions in this thread. Clearly this is a software problem, not one of hardware. After trying several of the solutions suggested, the only thing that seems to “help” (in quotes because I’m not sure it helps completely nor that it is even a reasonable solution) is to close all open applications. If you are experiencing what I am - having to click many times to get a character to appear; having the click on one part of the screen invoke a different part; complete freezing of the touchpad and screen) - closing all open apps and then opening and closing apps one at a time as you need them produces a better result - a far better result. This tells me that apple’s ios 14 memory management system is not functioning well - at least not on legacy devices like my iphone 7 plus. As I said, this is not a reasonable solution, but since apple is unwilling to call it for what it is and provide a fix/update, it’s something of a temporary bandaid that seems to get me through tasks on my iphone I otherwise cannot get through. I haven’t experimented trying to figure out if there’s a profile for apps that hog memory more than others such that it wouldn’t be necessary to close all the open ones, but just the ill-behaving ones. As for the issue of ill-behaved programs: some programs that function well under earlier ios versions may no longer do so well under 14x. This could also explain the observed problems and also explain why closing them produces a better result. Maybe apple is aware of this and simply didn’t feel compelled to force developers to update/rewrite their apps for ios 14.

At any rate, I hope this helps someone.

I have the same problem with my XS Max. Started after updating to IOS 14. My phone is pretty useless.

contacted Apple and they said software checks come back ok. They said it’s a hardware problem. Advised to take it to Genius Bar. They checked it and hardware is ok. They said it’s software. Been in contact with Apple again and they confirm it’s a software problem.

They are aware of the problem and it’s been escalated to the engineers in California.

they are also aware that many other people are having the same problems since updating to IOS14. My phone is out of warranty and Apple wanted to charge me £500 for a replacement. Told them no chance as it’s a software issue that they introduced on IOS14.

waiting for a call back from Apple with a resolution. Likely to be a software update.

In the meantime I’m having to use my iPhone 6.

I did the same. Kept on contacting Apple and eventually they replaced the screen free of charge. Not had a problem since.

im sure Apple know of the issue but are playing dumb.

Strange why they’re doing a free screen replacement on IPhone XS.

Unfortunately that’s the fix. Apple are replacing screens on the iPhone XS, but for some reason they’re not doing FOC replacements on the XS Max. It’s the same issue.

I kept on contacting them, so in the end they admired it’s a problem with the screen and replaced it at their expense.

Disabling slide to type function worked for me also. So far so good!