Why you can't use a smartphone with a broken screen

Why broken glass on the screen is dangerous for a smartphone

1. The screen suddenly stops responding to pressing

Usually, the front panel of a smartphone consists of a tempered protective glass, a touch panel that reads touches, and a matrix that shows a picture.

Broken smartphone screen is a serious problem: the screen suddenly stops responding to taps

In high-end devices like the latest iPhones or Samsung's Galaxy S line, the touch panel is built into a protective glass, and the matrix is located at a minimum distance from it without an air gap. This is necessary to reduce the thickness of the smartphone and make the picture more expressive. The icons on the home screen seem to be right under your fingertips.

At the same time, sharp temperature changes affect the protective glass: during charging and loading, the device heats up, in cold air it cools down quickly. Friction and other forces act on it: you touch it and put it in your pocket, it shakes in the bag.

If the glass is intact, nothing will happen to it even with active use, but the damaged one will continue to collapse. A small crack will gradually enlarge, and after 2–4 weeks small fragments will begin to fall out of it.

The first to suffer from this will be the touch panel, which suddenly stops responding to pressing. You will not be able to answer an important message or receive an emergency call. In the 21st century, it can cost work and sometimes life.

2. Broken glass will damage the inside of your smartphone

To fit a modern processor, a capacious battery, a vibration motor and other components inside the device, manufacturers place them at a minimum distance from each other.

Broken smartphone screen is a serious problem: cracked glass will damage the insides of the device

The components of the smartphone are fixed in a monolithic body made of hard plastic, glass and metal. They do not move, so they cannot damage each other as long as the structure is not broken. When the glass is broken, the situation changes.

The first thing to suffer is the matrix. Glass begins to press on her. In its general state, it reliably protected the matrix from damage, and now it will become the main enemy and cause of breakdown.

A broken screen also puts other components at risk. They begin to move, rub and beat against each other. Each touch of a gadget can be fatal both for the entire motherboard and for individual components on it.

The hardest thing for the insides of a smartphone is when you are actively moving around the city, shaking in public transport, playing sports.

Even the smallest damage to components can cause them to fail unexpectedly. So a broken screen, the replacement of which was postponed until later, can significantly increase the cost of repairs or make it impossible.

3. Moisture will get inside and begin to destroy the components

The main enemy of the internal components of a smartphone is water. That is why manufacturers glue them with gaskets that do not allow moisture to pass through. The Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS are generally IP68 rated and can be submerged for 30 minutes at over 1 meter.

A broken smartphone screen is a serious problem: moisture gets inside and begins to destroy components

Everything changes when the protective glass is damaged. Through it, moisture enters the inside of the case: it is even in the air, so perfectly dry hands of the owner will not help to avoid breakage.

Most of the internal components of a smartphone are located on the motherboard. It consists of electrically conductive metal tracks, which are pressed between several layers of PCB and glue. The motherboard is connected to the battery. Therefore, the moisture that turned out to be on it is especially dangerous. Due to the voltage, the corrosion process begins, short circuits of the internal components occur.

During normal use, a minimum amount of moisture gets inside the crack. Therefore, the components of the device will not fail instantly. But they will gradually oxidize and stop working at the most unexpected moment.

If you drop your smartphone with broken glass into the water, you won't have a chance to save it. The corrosion process will accelerate and irreversibly damage all components of the device.

What to do if there is no way to replace the glass

You may not have time to repair your smartphone. You may have crashed it while traveling away from the service center. You may be intimidated by the cost of replacing the protective glass itself or the entire front assembly complete with the touch panel and matrix.

In this case, you need to protect the entire smartphone as a whole, its screen and internal components from further damage. There are two options for how you can do this.

1. Apply a protective film or glass to the screen

They will protect your fingers from possible cuts, reduce physical damage to the smartphone screen, and partially protect the touch panel and matrix of the device.

Thanks to protective films and additional glass, less moisture will enter the housing, and this will reduce possible corrosion of the components.

2. Place your smartphone in the waterproof case

Usually, these cases have a special transparent film for the front of the smartphone. It will protect it from further damage and prevent moisture from getting inside.

Broken smartphone screen is a serious problem: place your smartphone in a waterproof case

Check out the Catalyst Waterproof Case or Lifeproof FRĒ. You can actively use them after repairing your smartphone. You can also buy a universal waterproof case-bag - they are sold in Duty Free, supermarkets, electronics stores.

What should the service do with a broken screen

Depending on the device model, you may be offered three repair options: install a new glass, replace the glass along with the touch panel, or the entire screen assembled.

While working in the service, they still need to check the condition of the internal components after a fall, as well as replace the gaskets that protect the smartphone from moisture. Repair costs may vary from device to device.