Glitchy iPhone 11 Touchscreen? Apple May Replace It for Free (Here’s How to Find Out)

While we’ve been hearing about a lot of iPhone 12 problems lately, ranging from battery drain issues to loss of cellular connectivity, it seems there’s a hardware problem with the iPhone 11 that’s been flying under the radar until just recently.

Although we haven’t heard a lot of complaints about this particular problem, it seems that at least some iPhone 11 users have been experiencing non-responsive touchscreens, and it’s serious enough that Apple has taken the somewhat rare step of acknowledging the problem and proactively offering a service program before it’s even become widely known.

Of course, Apple offers up the usual language in its announcement of the program, emphasizing that “a small percentage” of iPhone 11 displays may be experiencing the problem, which is indicated by a lack of response to touch, and is apparently caused by a hardware issue with the display module.

Apple has determined that a small percentage of iPhone 11 displays may stop responding to touch due to an issue with the display module. Affected devices were manufactured between November 2019 and May 2020.

Apple Support

Apple’s iPhone 11 Display Module Replacement Program for Touch Issues only applies to the iPhone 11, and not the iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max, which makes sense as these higher-end models use entirely different OLED screens, and would therefore use an entirely different display module compared to the Liquid Retina LCD display used on the iPhone 11.

Notably, while the iPhone XR used the same Liquid Retina display technology, it’s likely that earlier model also used a different display module that wasn’t impacted by this problem, as the iPhone XR is not a part of the replacement program either.

How to Find Out If You’re Covered

Apple notes that the program applies to devices that were manufactured between November 2019 and May 2020, which should be the only devices that included the dodgy display modules, so if you bought your new iPhone 11 within the first 2–3 months after it launched last year, it shouldn’t be affected and therefore isn’t included.

However, Apple is helpfully offering a lookup tool on its website where you can simply enter your iPhone serial number to see if it’s covered under the program.

Here’s how to find your iPhone serial number:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap About.
4. Your serial number should appear in the top section.
5. Tap and hold on the serial number until a “Copy” option appears.
6. Tap “Copy” to copy the serial number to your clipboard.

If you open Apple’s replacement program page directly in Safari on your iPhone you can then paste your serial number right into the appropriate field.

Note that even if you see your iPhone 11 is included after entering your serial number, it doesn’t mean that your device will necessarily have this problem, as not every iPhone is affected. Apple won’t replace your iPhone 11 unless it’s actually exhibiting the problem.

If you are having problems with a non-responsive touchscreen, however, and your iPhone 11 is on the list of eligible serial numbers, you can take it to an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider to have it verified and serviced free of charge.

If that’s not an option, you can contact Apple Support by phone to arrange to have it mailed in, and if you have AppleCare+ you may also qualify for Apple’s Express Replacement Service to have a replacement iPhone 11 sent back to you more quickly.

Keep in mind that Apple will only repair/replace the display module, so if your iPhone has any other damage that may impact the repair, such as a cracked screen, you will still need to pay to have that repaired.

If you find your iPhone 11 on the list and it’s not encountering the problem, there’s no need to worry about it just yet, as the program will cover affected iPhone 11 devices from the date of their original purchase