The situation when the touch screen of a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone completely stops responding to touch, but the device continues to work, is one of the most unpleasant for the owner: you can not unlock the gadget, answer the call or just turn it off in the standard way through the menu. This creates a feeling of hopelessness, especially if the phone starts to warm up or hangs on the banner advertising.
Fortunately, the Android operating system that runs the MIUI and HyperOS shells has hardware controls that allow you to control the device even without touchscreen. There are proven methods to perform a forced reboot or a complete power outage without requiring access to the desktop. Below we will look at all the available options for solving this problem.
Before we go to radical measures, we should try to use the usual functions of the system. However, if the screen is dead, we will have to rely on physical buttons or external tools. It is important to act consistently and not panic, since improper actions can lead to data loss, although in the case of a complete sensor failure, the choice is often between the risk of data and the inability to use the device at all.
Forced reboot with power buttons
The fastest and most affordable way that every Xiaomi smartphone owner should try when getting stuck is a combination of physical keys. Engineers have designed Force Reboot, which works at the level of low-level interruptions of the processor, which ignores software interface failures and forces the device to restart the system kernel.
To do this, you need to hold the Power button for a long time. Unlike a short press to lock the screen, it requires a shutter speed of 10 to 20 seconds. If conventional holding doesn't work, try the combination of the On button and the Volume button.
The algorithm may vary slightly from model to model, for example, on some Redmi budget series, only long retention (over 15 seconds) works, while flagship Mi models often react to a combination of buttons. If the screen goes out and a vibration or brand logo appears, you did it.
⚠️ Warning: If the phone is in Do Not Disturb mode or has an alarm set, the forced reset may not turn off the alarm immediately after turning on.
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If the phone is hot, remove the protective case before restarting to improve heat removal during system boot.
Use of USB-OTG and computer mouse
If the hardware buttons do not give the desired effect or it is critically important for you to turn off the phone correctly through the menu (for example, to extract the phone from the phone). SIM-The maps, technology will come to the rescue USB OTG (On-The-Go? Virtually all modern Xiaomi smartphones support peripheral connectivity directly through the charging port.This turns your phone into a computer-like experience, allowing you to control your cursor with a normal computer mouse.
You'll need a USB-to-Type-C adapter (or Micro-USB for older models) and any wired mouse. Once you plug the manipulator into a charged phone, a shooter cursor should appear on the screen. Even if the touchscreen is broken or not working, the optical mouse sensor will be processed separately by the system. PIN-code if the on-screen keyboard is visually working and reach the off menu.
This method also allows you to back up important data before sending the device to the service. You can transfer photos and contacts to a flash drive connected via the same device. OTG-adapter, or simply turn off the device in the normal way, selecting the item "Switch off" on the screen.
- 🖱️ Find the adapter. USB OTG, compatible with your smartphone connector.
- 🔌 Connect a regular computer mouse to an adapter and then to the phone.
- 👆 Use the left mouse button to emulate touching with your finger, the right button to go back.
What to do if the cursor does not appear?
Disconnect via ADB (for advanced users)
For those who have previously activated USB Debugging mode in the Developer Menu, the most powerful software management method opens up. Android Debug Bridge (ADB) debugging interface allows you to transfer commands from computer to phone, ignoring a broken touchscreen, a professional method often used by service center engineers.
You will need a PC with installed drivers ADB, USB-And you can put the phone on the cable and the smartphone, and you can send a command to shut it down, and it's important to understand that for the first connection, the computer needs to get permission from the phone, so this method will only work if you've previously confirmed debugging on that particular PC.
If debugging is enabled, but permission to access from that computer is not given, the method may not work. However, trying to send a command sometimes wakes up the system. The shutdown command looks like a system request to complete all the processes.
adb shell reboot -pOr an alternative team option:
adb shell input keyevent 26(This command emulates a short press of the power button, which can trigger a shutdown menu if the screen responds to program signals.)
| Team team. | Action. | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| adb reboot | Rebooting the device | Included debugging |
| adb shell reboot -p | Full shutdown (Power off) | Root rights or special access |
| adb shell input keyevent 26 | Pressing the power button | Included debugging |
| adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.POWER_USAGE_SUMMARY | Opening the battery menu | Included debugging |
☑️ Checking readiness ADB
Full discharge method of the battery
When neither buttons nor a computer mouse help, the most primitive but guaranteed physical method is to wait until the battery is completely depleted. Modern lithium-polymer batteries in Redmi and POCO smartphones have a controller that forcibly cuts power when a critical voltage level is reached to prevent deep discharge.
It doesn't require any technical skills, but it takes time. If the phone is active (screen is on, apps are working), the battery will sit down faster. If the device is stuck in a black screen, the process can take from several hours to a day.
To speed things up, you can try to put a load on the processor if the phone is responding in any way. For example, if you were able to run a heavy app or game before you freeze, leave it on. Also, the brightness of the screen, if it doesn't go out on its own, is the main energy consumer.
⚠️ Warning: Do not leave a fully discharged phone in storage for long periods. Once the device is turned off, charge it to avoid degradation of battery chemistry.
What to do if the phone turns on itself after turning off
Sometimes users are faced with a paradoxical situation: they managed to turn off the smartphone, but after a while it turns on its own. On/Off (Auto-on/off. It is designed to periodically restart the device at a given time, but when the sensor is broken, it becomes a headache.
If you've managed to connect a mouse or use ADB, the first thing you do is turn it off. The path to it is usually in the Settings menu → Battery and Performance → Battery → Scheduled tasks. Here you need to uncheck the on and off points on a schedule.
Also, the cause of spontaneous switching on can be a sticky power button. If the physical mechanism of the button is damaged, it can constantly send a signal "On", in this case, only neat tapping of the case (in the area of the button) or, in extreme cases, removing the battery, if the design of the phone allows it (which is rare in modern monoblocks).
Prevention and preparation for the future
Problems with touchscreen are often sudden, but their consequences can be minimized with proper preparation. Xiaomi smartphone owners are advised to set up certain functions in advance, which will become a lifeline in a critical situation, for example, enabling face unlock or fingerprint will allow access to the menu even with a partially working screen.
Also worth keeping at home is a lying USB OTG adapter, a cheap accessory that takes up minimal space, but opens up access to the phone's file system when the touchscreen fails, and regularly backing up to the Mi Cloud cloud or your computer ensures that you don't lose contacts and photos if you need a full flashing.
Remember that long-term work with a faulty touchscreen, which can produce ghost touch, can lead to overheating of the processor. So if the phone is behaving strangely, it is better to immediately initiate the shutdown procedure, without waiting for the final system failure.
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The presence of an OTG adapter and enabled debugging over USB are the best insurance against problems with a broken sensor.