Cracked Phone Screen: How to Deal with It

Nothing is more annoying than a cracked phone screen.  It is bumpy; it slows down the touchscreen sensitivity, and it just looks hideous!  Shattering your phone screen is one of smartphone owners’ most dreaded fears. Sure, you may have tried the toothpaste-fixes-your-cracked-glass method in an effort to salvage your screen only to be disappointed. While toothpaste may smooth the scratches a little bit, the cracks still remain, visible for everyone to see. Anyone who’s had a cracked phone screen knows not only how unsightly it is, but also how expensive it can be to replace it with a new one.  No wonder many of us go for months with broken phone screens! But there are options when your phone screen cracks and even ways to prevent it from happening in the first place.

So you’ve cracked your phone screen.  Now what?

Your phone insurance may have you covered

You probably should not wait until your phone is damaged to check the kind of coverage your phone insurance offers. If you did not know, not all phone insurance plans were created equal. So while the word “insurance” sounds reassuring, it may not mean what you think it does.  The wise thing to do would be to find out what a plan covers before purchasing it. Some plans simply do not cover damage caused by accidents, so if you are an accident-prone person, you might want to make sure your plan includes accident protection.  The odds are that it’ll be worth it, especially if you have a super-expensive phone. That is not to say you won’t come out of pocket. Most insurance plans will charge you a deductible to fix your cracked phone screen, and it may run high depending on how many claims you have submitted previously.

Fixing your screen may just not be worth it

Have you had a smartphone screen repaired before?  If you had to pay anything in the double digits, then you’re one of the lucky few.  For most of us, repairing or replacing a cracked phone screen usually runs north of $100-that is if you have no insurance on your phone.  Apple’s screen repair costs run from $129 to $329 for the iPhone XS Max.  Talk about expensive! So unless you like throwing money down the drain, you will probably opt for a brand new-or refurbished-iPhone 5s instead of spending almost twice its cost in screen repair.  On the other hand, if you have a relatively new iPhone, then you should look for some affordable iPhone screen repair and get your phone back to normal. You may do it begrudgingly, but at least you won’t be paying $500 or more for a new device. But what is better than all of this is not having to go through any of it at all.  The tips below will help you avoid the dreaded cracked phone screen altogether.

Ways to prevent your screen from shattering

Choose glass over plastic

Remember when screen protectors worked but only as long as you didn’t drop your phone too hard?  I remember! That was my life until I bought my first tempered glass screen protector. Compared with plastic screen protectors, tempered glass is sturdy and fields most of the wear and tear on behalf of your smartphone’s screen.  Not to mention that it looks as clear and feels as smooth as the actual screen on your phone. The only downside is that tempered glass screen protectors can feel a little thick, but hey, it’s worth a safe screen, and usually, you can’t tell if you use it with a phone cover.  Check out this article we wrote about choosing the right cover and screen protector for your smartphone.

But isn’t Gorilla Glass stronger than tempered glass?

Yes and no.  For one, the two are seldom used interchangeably.  Smartphone manufacturers, like Apple and Samsung, have recently leaned more heavily toward Gorilla Glass.  The allure of Gorilla Glass lies in its resistance to scratches and durability, according to Android Authority.  On the other hand, tempered glass is made with strength in mind. The way that tempered glass is made, heated then quickly cooled, makes it hard to break, which is why many screen protector manufacturers choose to use it. That explains why, even when shattered, tempered glass screen protectors still do not fall apart.

If we could help it, our phones would remain in pristine condition forever.  Unfortunately, that is not the reality of things. A forgotten phone in your back pocket can prove disastrous and cost you hundreds of dollars.  Looking at a cracked phone screen can be frustrating yet fixing it can burn a hole in your pocket. The best way to avoid this frustration is to protect your phone and definitely ensure your newer-release smartphone.