Google Pixel 7 registering ghost touches and notification bar not dropping down.

[Salil]

My Google Pixel 7 screen is registering ghost touches and the notification bar only falls down from the home screen. So, while I am in several apps, the screen suddenly starts registering ghost touches and often my genuine touch on the screen is not registered. This happens pretty randomly where I would be using an app and all of a sudden the screen would start jumping around like there are ghost touches being registered etc. This points to a hardware issue where it seems like the screen is dying. But then, the notification bar doesn't drop from anywhere else other than the home screen. I have tested this in safe mode also and the problem with the notification bar not dropping exists in safe mode too. Till yesterday, I was on the Android beta program and I had Android 16 beta 1 installed. I thought maybe the issue is with the beta update and I did a factory reset and went back to Android 15. The problem still persists. My current build is Android 15, Build number BP1A.250305.019, Android second security update of March 5 2025. How do I test whether this is a software problem or a hardware problem?

 

[B. Diddy]

If you're on the stock firmware and it's still happening in Safe Mode, then it's probably a hardware problem. You don't have a screen protector on, do you?

 

[Salil]

If you're on the stock firmware and it's still happening in Safe Mode, then it's probably a hardware problem. You don't have a screen protector on, do you?

Yes it's happening in Safe mode also. But I was wondering, why would the notification bar not drop in all applications? But as soon as I go to the home screen, it does drop. That seems to be a software problem to me. That's one issue that happens consistently, whereas the random ghost touches happens randomly. Is there any app that can be used to test the screen such that it displays where the device thinks the touches are happening?

 

[mustang7757]

Check in settings if touch sensitivity is on? Do you use adaptive brightness?

 

[Salil]

Check in settings if touch sensitivity is on? Do you use adaptive brightness?

No touch sensitivity is not on, neither is adaptive brightness.

 

[mustang7757]

No touch sensitivity is not on, neither is adaptive brightness.

Try turning adaptive brightness on and see if any changes

 

[Salil]

so I enabled developer options and clicked on show tabs and now I can see that on the phone at the very top of the phone just below the notification bar there are ghost touches it's only in this area it's in a straight horizontal line that these touches appear I was wondering if there is anything that I can do for this? Like, can I set the system up such that it ignores tabs in a specific area?

 

[Salil]

Upper part of my Google Pixel 7 screen is registering phantom or ghost touches. Is there any way I can force the Android system to ignore that part of the screen and just display everything in the lower part of the screen? My phone has become unusable and I cannot use even any touch blocker applications to cordon off a part of the android touch screen, because it registers so many phantom touches that as soon as I use the app I can't give any sort of input because the phantom touches are distorting the input to the program

 

[B. Diddy]

I doubt it. The top part of the screen is important for Android's UI, so ignoring it would cause additional problems for usage. I think you'll have to either contact Pixel Support (through this site: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/?hl=en#topic=7078250) or bring the phone to a repair shop.

 

[Salil]

For the time being, I've used the following command ".\adb.exe shell wm size 1080x2000" to reduce the screen resolution and the ghost edges have gone away, but it has reduced my screen real estate.