iPhone screen edges not registering wide touches

Question

Level 1

4 points

iPhone screen edges not registering wide touches

Hello, I have a question about my iPhone.

On my iPhone 17 running iOS 26, I noticed that when I touch near the edge of the screen with a wide touch (for example placing a larger part of my finger or my knuckle), the screen sometimes does not register the touch. However, if I tap with a normal fingertip (a small and precise touch), it works correctly.

For example, when I try to double tap near the edge of the screen to fast-forward a video in apps like TikTok or Facebook, it only works if I tap with the tip of my finger. If I touch the same area with a wider part of my finger, the touch is often not detected.

This behavior only happens near the edges of the display. The center of the screen responds normally.

Is this expected behavior related to edge touch rejection or palm rejection, or could it indicate a touchscreen sensitivity issue?

Thank you.

iPhone 17, iOS 26

Posted on Mar 14, 2026 6:00 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

SravanKrA

Level 10

433,088 points

Mar 14, 2026 8:12 AM in response to lilwuang

On newer iPhones (including iPhone 17 with iOS 26 or later), the touchscreen is designed to ignore certain touches near the very edges of the display. This helps prevent accidental input while you’re holding the device.

When the system detects a broad contact area—such as the side of a finger, a knuckle, a flat finger press, or part of the palm—close to the edge, it often interprets it as an unintentional grip and disregards it.

By contrast, a small, precise fingertip touch is recognized as deliberate and registers normally.

Reply

Answer 2

Takamado

Level 1

14 points

Mar 17, 2026 1:05 PM in response to lilwuang

I Think its a problem with phone, I have the same issue on iPhone 17. My girlfriend has iPhone 15 running on iOS 26.3 and doesnt have this issue, there I can touch screen however I want. Also iphone 17 pro has the same thin bazels but there isnt any issue like this.

Reply

Answer 3

lilwuang Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 14, 2026 9:21 AM in response to SravanKrA

Thanks for the explanation.

I’m curious: is this behavior mainly controlled by the iPhone’s hardware (the touchscreen/digitizer), or is it part of iOS?

For example, if an older iPhone runs iOS 26, would it have the same edge touch rejection behavior, or is it specific to newer hardware like iPhone 17?

Reply