[Tony Henrich]

I have a Lenovo Phab Pro phone with Android 6.0.1. Lately and often, the phone doesn't respond to touches unless I touch the Home button first. I restarted the phone several times but it didn't help. A factory reset might help but I am not willing to lose my apps and data. Looking for other possible things I can try.

[VidJunky]

How long have you had this device?

Factory resetting your device shouldn't cause you to loose any apps and most data is or can be backed up through Google Backup. You will probably have to sign-in to things again but other than possibly some game saves you shouldn't loose much, if anything. Not that I'm suggesting that at this point, just saying.

Do you have a screen protector on this device?

I'm assuming that you've cleaned the screen as well or it's not dirty?

You say touching the home button is the only way to wake it before the screen responds, which sounds like something is running. So like if you had an app open you would have to close the app or go to your home screen to get out of it before you could do the next thing. This brings a few things to mind;

Is it only the home button, or can you get the phone to respond by pressing the back button too? Does this mean that you cannot pull the notification bar down as well?

Have you ever just started at the top of the screen tapping left to right like a typewriter to see if any other potions of the screen respond?

Have you checked the settings for an accidental touches setting?

So does it do this every time you open the phone? If you open the phone touch the home button to open an app, close the phone immediately and open it back up, you still have to touch the home button first or will it remain responsive for a short time, until it has been sleeping for awhile?

Two things I would try after checking for the answer to the last question are clearing the cache partition. Follow these steps. Then check and see if anything has changed.

If not I would check this behavior in Safe Mode. Follow these steps. Then because you tested if it happens every time you lock and unlock the phone, you'll know how to recreate the conditions that cause the issue and will be able to check it while in Safe Mode. If it stops happening in Safe Mode there's a good chance that it's being caused by an app. Finding that app may not be easy. You could, while in safe mode open each app individually, then close it, then try to reproduce the issue based on what you learned locking and unlocking the screen. When you start having the issue it would be one of the apps you just closed because in safe mode apps cannot auto start. You have to first open the app.

While trying to work through all of this one other question occurred to me, are you using a launcher besides the default app launcher?

[Tony Henrich]

I can't reply to a reply to my question. There's no reply button. I read that I have to register. What does that mean? Where's the registration option?

[pkcable]

You ARE registered, it appears you have had this account since 2013. You SHOULD be able to reply in the Ask A Question thread you may have started while signed out. Perhaps our system is flagging your posts because of your low post count? What's the thread in question. I would be happy to take a look.

[pkcable]

Cleaning the screen can help tremendously! And his other suggestions.

And I agree you will NOT lose any apps WORST case you can get them from Google Play, under the Library tab.

[Tony Henrich]

I asked a question today about why I am unable to reply to a reply to my question. Someone posted a reply to post the question in hand. Well.. I can't reply at all to your request!

What is this!? A catch-22 situation?

I am logged in. That was my second question now and I see no reply option. Something about lost post count since 2013 I can't reply to increase my post count to begin with!!

[mustang7757]

I asked a question today about why I am unable to reply to a reply to my question. Someone posted a reply to post the question in hand. Well.. I can't reply at all to your request!

What is this!? A catch-22 situation?

I am logged in. That was my second question now and I see no reply option. Something about lost post count since 2013 I can't reply to increase my post count to begin with!!

What are you using?
Android central app or Android forums app?

[Rukbat]

If you're using a web browser, just type in the empty editing box at the bottom.

If you're using the Android Forums app, hit the little arrow at the bottom right.

(I don't know about the Android Central app - I don't use it.)


And pkcable asked you a question in your other thread, but you didn't answer it (you could have answered it here - putting @pkcable in the post would let him know that he'd been mentioned, and he'd probably look).

[Tony Henrich]

I finally found a way to make the reply box show up. I am using a desktop browser. The problem seems to be how I get to a post. I got an email for this post and followed the link to here and I was able to see the box. But if I am inside the forum after I post, I don't see the box. Also I didn't get an email from my first post (id 6576609) but figured out the issue from this post. I don't know what's going on but the reply box doesn't show up depending on how I came to the post.

Link from email which shows a reply box:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/sh....php?p=6576609

Link which doesn't show reply box and that's how I came to the post from within the forum after posting:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/ge...=1#post6576609

[Tony Henrich]

@VidJunky I had the phone for over 2 years. I am not using a screen protector and the screen is clean. If the screen was dirty, why would it work reliably every time I tap the home button.

Can you elaborate more on the accidental touches setting part? I don't see touch settings.

I will check the safe mode, clearing partition cache and factory reset ideas. Thanks.

[VidJunky]

@VidJunky I had the phone for over 2 years. I am not using a screen protector and the screen is clean. If the screen was dirty, why would it work reliably every time I tap the home button.

Can you elaborate more on the accidental touches setting part? I don't see touch settings.

I will check the safe mode, clearing partition cache and factory reset ideas. Thanks.

Touch screens can be finicky so there's no reason it would or wouldn't work reliably but dirty screens can cause ghost touches.

You might, I don't remember when Android added the search ability to settings, be able to search "accidental" or "touch" in the settings menu and see what pops up. I'm not familiar with your brand and it may be a more recent addition to Android/MFGs so it may not appear on your device.

You say you'll check out Safe Mode and the Cache but you didn't answer if the back button or even the multi-tasking button work? I mean it would be kind of odd if the only touch input available is the home button and the screen registers nothing else. I'm still thinking along the lines of it being an app if we go down that road and Safe Mode will or could answer that question. So really either way we'll know more when you report back.

[VidJunky]

So does it do this every time you open the phone? If you open the phone touch the home button to open an app, close the phone immediately and open it back up, you still have to touch the home button first or will it remain responsive for a short time, until it has been sleeping for awhile?

I felt like this was a very important question too...

[belodion]

Three threads merged, to keep everything together.

[Tony Henrich]

I found the culprit. An app that was doing this. The app displays ads but for some reason sometimes its displays an overlay on top of the desktop and it acts like it has a see through body. When I am trying to launch an app, it seems I am actually tapping on the invisible ad. Very annoying.


The app was Smart Video Resizer. Never install it.

[pkcable]

The app was Smart Video Resizer. Never install it.

You get your own "best answer" lol