Xiaomi Phone Clicks on Screen: 7 Reasons and 12 Ways to Eliminate It

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi smartphone has started to behave strangely: open apps, scroll pages or enter characters without you? This phenomenon is called phantom touches — when the display registers clicks without physical contact. The problem is common among the models of Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4, Mi 11/12 and others, but the reasons and solutions are universal for the entire line.

In 80 percent of cases, it's not the screen itself that's at fault, but software failures or external factors. But you can't ignore the problem: phantom clicks can lead to random in-app purchases, deleting files, or even locking the device. In this article, we'll look at all the possible causes, from trivial overheating to damage to the plume, and give you step-by-step diagnostic and repair instructions. Let's start with the simplest solutions you can apply right now.

1. Testing for external factors: 3 frequent causes

Before you disassemble your phone or reset your settings, eliminate external influences, and often the problem disappears after these factors are eliminated:

• 🔥 Overheating: If the smartphone is heated above 45°C (for example, after playing or charging), the touch layer can give false positives. → Battery status.
• 💧 Humidity or condensation: Even microscopic droplets of water under film or glass can create conduction bridges, and this is true after showers, rain, or a sudden temperature drop.
• 🧲 Magnetic interference: Magnet cases, wireless charging or proximity to speakers/columns can distort the display.

To check for the effects of external factors, do the following:

Important: If the problem has disappeared after these actions, nolater returns - most likely a defect in the screen or poor contact of the plume is to blame.

2. Software failures: how to eliminate without resetting

In 40 percent of cases, phantom clicks cause software errors, and let's start with the safest methods that won't delete your data:

Method 1: Restarting in Safe Mode

Safe mode disables all third-party applications, which helps to identify conflicting software:

1. Press the power button before the off menu appears.
2. Press and hold “Switch off” until the prompt appears to go to Safe Mode.
3. Confirm and wait for the reboot (the screen will be marked "Safe Mode").

If the phantom presses are gone in this mode, one of the installed applications is to blame: Remove recently added programs or perform a factory reset (more on this below).

Method 2. Cleaning the system cache

A clogged cache can cause a sensor to malfunction, so it can be cleaned.

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
2. Select “Cached Data” and confirm the cleanup.
3. Reset the device.

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If the cache is cleaned, don't worry, it takes 10-15 minutes for the system to recover temporary files for frequently used applications.

Method 3: Updating firmware

The manufacturer regularly releases patches to fix sensor bugs.

1. Open Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. If a new version is available, download it and install it.

Redmi Note 9 Pro

POCO F3

3. Sensor calibration: Hidden MIUI function

MIUI has a hidden touchscreen calibration feature that helps with minor crashes, to activate it:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code ##6484##.
2. In the menu that appears, select “Test Mode” (test mode).
3. Pass the touch test by following the instructions on the screen.
4. When completed, restart the phone.

If this code doesn’t work on your model, try an alternative:

1. Install the MIUI Hidden Settings app from Google Play.
2. In the Sensor section, look for the Touch Screen Calibration option.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

What if calibration doesn’t help?

So that means that the problem is deeper -- maybe the sensory layer or the plume is damaged.

Hardware malfunctions: screen and plume diagnostics

If the software methods didn't work, the hardware part is probably to blame.

For self-diagnosis, do the following:

1. Remove the case and gently press different parts of the screen, and if you're pressing in some area, it's the plume.
2. Connect the phone to your computer and check if the phantom touches continue, and if so, the hardware problem.
3. Light a flashlight at an angle on the screen: if you see a stratification or bubbles, the touch film is unstuck.

⚠️ Warning: Don't try to peel off the touch film yourself or clean the plume with alcohol! This can completely disable the screen.

5. Reset to factory settings: when necessary

If all the previous methods didn't work, and if the hardware damage is ruled out, then there's a hard reset, and it'll delete all the data from the phone, so first, you can:

• 📱 Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 🔐 Write down the username and password from the Mi Account (required to unlock after resetting).
• 📝 Keep the important ones. SMS Contacts and contacts (not included in cloud backup).

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Erase all data”.
3. Enter the password from the Mi Account and confirm the reset.
4. After restarting, set your phone as new.

If you have a problem after the reset, it's a 100% hardware malfunction.

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Factory resets only help with software failures, and if it's hardware, resetting won't work, but it will delete all your data.

Temporary Solutions: How to Use Your Phone Before Renovation

If repairs are delayed and the phone is needed urgently, use these temporary measures:

• 🛡️ Turn off touch gestures: Go to Settings → Display. → Navigation type and select “Buttons” instead of gestures.
• 🔒 Lock the screen more often: Reduce the time of automatic locking in Settings → Lock screen → Sleeping mode.
• 📱 Use an external keyboard: Connect Bluetooth keyboard via Settings → Connection and sharing → Bluetooth.
• 🚫 Turn off unnecessary permissions: In Settings → Annexes → Permissions to prohibit automatic running of unnecessary programs.

For models with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or Black Shark 5) can temporarily reduce the sensitivity of the sensor through the engineering menu:

1. Enter the code ##36446337##.
2. Go to the Touch section.
3. Reduce the Touch Sensitivity setting by 10-15%.

⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings in the engineering menu can cause the phone to work in an unstable way. Do not change other settings unless you are sure of their purpose!

7.When to contact the service: signs of critical malfunctions

Some symptoms suggest that the phone needs professional repair, so delay trying yourself and contact the service if:

• 💥 The screen doesn't respond to touches completely, but phantom presses continue.
• 🔥 The phone is overheated even in standby mode (above 50)°C).
• 🔋 The battery swelled (seen on the raised screen or warping of the body).
• 📉 After a fall or impact, colored stripes or artifacts appeared on the screen.
• 🔌 The phone does not charge or shut down when charging.

The cost of repair depends on the model and type of malfunction:

For warranty repairs, contact the official Xiaomi service centers. mi.com/ru/service. If the warranty is over – choose workshops with good reviews and original parts.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions