Are you one of the many people who is having problems with your touchscreen on the iPhone? Hack you hacked your iPhone, unlocked your iPhone, or a non AT&T customer? Now that Apple’s warranty requires you to have an AT&T phone number to get your iPhone replaced or repaired, how do you fix your touchscreen problem?
There are a few options for you at the moment. You can purchase replacement parts, virginize your iPhone and try to return it, or modify your phone even more to try and fix the problem.If you are experiencing a touchscreen issue you can edit the sensitivity of your touch screen to make your iPhone more responsive. You simply need to replace your general.plist file with a modified version found here:
UPDATED:
Modified General.plist and Touch.plist,
updated for FW3.0, tested and working on 2G iPhone.
http://www.zshare.net/download/61836600ca79e240/
http://www.zshare.net/download/618365907ed6a23c/
Placed under:
/var/stash/Applications/Preferences.app/
You will need to overwrite your general.plist located in Applications/preferences.app
The default sensitivity on the iPhone’s touchscreen is 3.5. You have the option to set it from 0-16, where 0 is the most sensitive. Recently I have had a few issues with my touchscreen and applied this modification and everything is working 10x better.
This hack may work for the majority of iPhone users, but there may be a few that will need to replace their LCD completely.
You add the code below to the General.plist:
<dict>
<key>cell</key>
<string>PSLinkCell</string>
<key>label</key>
<string>Touch</string>
</dict>
Yost edited the General.plist file, for people who have a dead strip on the top of the screen, so that the touch option is now on the bottom right under “reset” under pref>general>touch.
(take out the “.” in the link in “rapid”)
heres the link to download it if you have a upper dead strip:
http://ra.pidshare.com/files/7620461…ral.plist.html
1.0.2 firmware General.plist for low dead strip:
http://ra.pidshare.com/files/6058341…ral.plist.html
1.1.1 firmware General.plist for low dead strip:
“is this only for jailbroken iphones? What about a regular iphone with 2.0.1?”
Thanks for the help, but I’m on a mac. I might be able to do this via Parallels. I’ll see if I can do it.
Again, thank you very much for the assistance.
I am just very frustrated by all the bugs on Apple’s hardware/software.
martijn… thanks (dank je wel?) I’ll try it tonight…
Martijn,
The files decompressed with DMG files in it, but iTuens won’t recognize any of them.
Is this for a Mac or PC? I’m on a Mac.
Thanks,
Dorian
Just updated to 2.0.2
I doubt it will do anything, but what the hell.
Thanks,
Dorian
Just updated to 2.0.2
Same bull.
Thanks,
Dorian
Dorian: do not unzip / unpack the downloaded .zip file: just remove the .zip and thus rename to .ipsw.
It’s doing it automatically. I can’t stop it from doing it. I can try downloading it from a PC, but my Mac is auto unzipping….
I just zipped it and will see if that works.
Thanks again.
Dorian
In Safari, under preferences, remove the flag before “Open safe files after downloading”. Or use Firefox.
I get the following error when attempting to restore using the image.
“The iPhone “iPhone” could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1).
Will that image work on both Mac and PC?
Does the iphone need to be unlocked to do this or can it be done w/o it?
(Martijn: thanks for posting your files but…)
Tonight I went to the Apple Store here in San Diego. The ‘Genius Bar’ folks seemed to know about the problem and offered to exchange the phone (even though I told them it was out of warranty) and I didn’t even need to really ask.
don’t go in with a hacked phone (restore it first).
FYI: it was the Fashion Valley Mall Apple Store and the ‘genius’ was ‘Nechole’. The whole experience was really good.
Thanks for the forum and hacks.
iPhone, el tiempo y los viajes | K-Government // Aug 21, 2008 at 5:07 AM
[…] un poco más al final he encontrado lo que parece arreglarlo en parte tal y como he podido hacer. La solución (en los comentarios 99 y 100) es aumentar la sensibilidad de la pantalla para que puedan ser […]
hey i would like to know if any of these files will work with the whole touchscreen not being responsive. thanks
Went to the Apple store and was not able to get a new phone because the freaking “Genius” tested the phone with a otoscope and said that it tested pink! He said that if it was only the screen the issue, that he would have exchanged it no problem.
Well the phone did not go under water,which it shouldn’t mater since a good amount of phones are said to have gone under water and after 72, where working again. So Apple is using the pink test to get out of all warranties, wether water actually does damage or not.
As mentioned by someone on this post, this sensor is apparently sensible to even low levels of humidity. This is probably what happened to my phone, but I bet that other people, might have cancelled their warranties, even extended warranties, by simply inserting a wet headphone jack. This could happen if you are by a pool and your headphones come in contact with water before you plug them in. A single drop of water would turn the white filament, pink, canceling all warranties. Way to go Apple!
I wonder what would happen if one used bleach on it, perhaps it turns back to white and then one can go back to Apple.
I’ll fix my phone and then sell it. I don’t think it’s worth this level of aggravation. I’m sure the new phones coming out will do the freaking job.
I just want to add that “the dead stripe” problem occurred to me a couple of days ago. Half a centimeter of the lower part of the screen stopped responding, so I couldn’t click on the “Delete” and “Move” button when reading email (I use version 2.0.1). Also, I noticed that the keyboard was difficult to use as well (when pressing space bar, etc.) I first enabled the “Touch” option by changing my General.plist to set the slider at 0.0 and it made the phone work better. Space bar and other keys were responding more promptly, but still I couldn’t delete email (the delete button is really in the dead area). Then I changed Touch.plist and changed the min-value to -16 and put the slider on -6.7 (or something similar) and now the phone works great! Thanks for all your help!
can someone please help me with this?? i have no idea how to do any of this stuff but i DO have the “dead stripe” and it is dead center affecting all numbers and top row of letters, but other icons work…im not understanding what to do and could def use a walkthrough, thanks to anyone who can help, jrmccurleyaz@yahoo.com is my email if thats easier to contact me. thanks again
Most folks who talk about their dead strip problems say that it does not happen on all screens ( i.e. for me the first screen works fine but other screens the first row is dead), so doesn’t that point to a software issue? thoughts?
Doesn’t mater if it’s hardware/software, the fact is that it’s happening, and Apple along with all these cell phone manufacturers are getting away with it and getting out of warranties by using the pink/red color excuse.
They can build watches for $20 that can go 30 meters underwater and have calculators, address books, etc, and they can’t make these phones water splash resistant?
Bull.
We should sue them all!
help – where do you put the general and touch plist on the iphone? I am on a pc ( winxp), can’t use any tools where I need to know my IP address ( a dead strip area problem). So I have the plist files, and was going to use ibrickr or iphone browser to upload the files but I can not figuire out where ( what folder) to put them. I have a 1st gen iphone with 2.02 jailborken installed (winpwn). This page says overwrite them in Applications/preferences.app but I think this is a mac area that I do not see/have on a pc or when I view my iphone internal folders using the tools I mentioned.
thanks, steve
Steved,
DO NOT overwrite them, I recommend you to change the name of the original files and then upload the new ones. This way you have a back up of both original files in case something goes wrong. I suggest you to use TELNET and FTP from a terminal (I recommend you to look for the putty.exe terminal). Before you go to Applications/Preferences.app, first go to the root file. Later look for path I just mentioned. I hope this helps.
Folks,
my brother’s iPhone had the same issue, the bottom strip didn’t work with the keyboard with the space bar, numbers, etc. So I said my brother that I would fix it for him (kindda in return that he fixed my mattel football game when I was a kid, like 20 years ago 🙂 .
First of all, let me tell you that all the answers are here on this post (through the 271 previous comments), only that answers are not together in just 1 comment. I spent 10 hours straight (yes, you read right) reading ALL comments reading-testing-rebooting-deleting and again reading. I’ll try to set everything that worked for me in a DETAILED way. I split the process in three steps. First read what the step is about before go on with the step, maybe you don’t even need to do that step.
Before we start, just one comment. Unfortunately the process I’m detailing here is just for MAC users… I don’t even have a clue for how to do it on windows. You require also to have wifi, I don’t know how to do this with anything else.
Also, all the files that I’m including here are from some other users as I mention calling the post from where I took them. So, my only one credit here is to write down what worked for me.
Step 1:
This step is to install the 2.0.1 firmware AND the Cydia software on your iPhone. IF you already have the 2.0.1 firmware and the cydia, just go to cydia, search for the open NTPD and install it as well as the OpenSSH.
If you do not have the mentioned firmware and the cydia, just follow the procedure contained in the following link. The process is in spanish, but the pics are very clear, just follow them or get a good dictionary : ) just start where it says Paso 1 (step 1)… or you can get any other tutorial in english to get the 2.0.1 firmware and the Cydia
http://macuserboricua.com/2008/08/20/tutorial-jailbreak-y-unlock-tu-iphone-2g-ipod-touch-firmware-202/
When you get both, go to the Cydia in your iphone and install openNTPD as well as the OpenSSH. The first one is like the operating system and the second one is what will allow your MAC to get into your phone.
Step 2:
This step is to replace 2 files from you iphone, so as you can increase the sensitivity on your screen
Look for your iphone ip address. On your iphone go to settings/General/Network/Wi-Fi on the network that you are connected there is a blue small button on the right, click on it and read the IP address.
On your mac open a terminal and type ssh root@your ip address
if the terminal asks you yes/no, say yes. When it requests the password, is “alpine” (without quotations)
You are now inside the iphone!!. Type “cd /”. (without quotations)
now type to “cd Applications/Preferences.app”. (without quotations and with caps as they are written here)
Here you will rename the files General.plist and Touch.plist in case something goes wrong, you have a back up for the original files.
type “mv General.plist General_backup.plist”. (without quotations). It should return to the terminal
type “mv Touch.plist Touch_backup.plist”. (without quotations). It should return to the terminal.
Download the files posted on 198 comment:
http://rapidshare.de/files/40045605/Archive.zip.html
You have now 3 files. Delete the General-Simulator.plist and the Touch.plist, just keep the General.plist.
Download another file which is posted also on comment 250:
http://rapidshare.de/files/40265171/Touch.plist.zip.html
get the file you just downloaded (Touch.plist) on the same folder than General.plist
now open a new terminal without closing the first one.
Type sftp root@your ip address
same password alpine
type cd/
now transfer the two files you downloaded into your MAC to the iphone, transfer them on the same folder where you modified the other two previously, on Applications/Preferences.app/
Here is how you will do it:
on the sftp terminal you just opened, type (between “put” and the “General.plist” you need to write the path where the two downloaded files are on your MAC, don’t copy-paste into the terminal what I wrote below, you have to modify the path first) :
put /Users/mymacname/Desktop/hacked_files/General.plist /private/var/stash/Applications/Preferences.app/
it should take less than a second to transfer the file. If it says 100% complete. then you are ok. If it says that can’t find the file, check your path.
Now transfer the other file the same way, correcting the path first. Type:
put /Users/mymacname/Desktop/hacked_files/Touch.plist /private/var/stash/Applications/Preferences.app/
Now turn off and on your iphone. On your iphone go to settings/General/Touch (which you just created). The default setting was before 3.5, when you go here it will say -15. First set it in 0 and test how tour screen works, if it’s not enough, now try -1… and so on. Don’t leave it on -15 on the first trial, try little by little which one works for you… mine worked on -1.2. WARNING: there is a switch that says “Show Touch”, don’t even touch it!!. The Touch.plist file that you uploaded should have this switch fixed, but you better stay away from it or the iphone may start rebooting all the time.
Step 3:
(do this only if your terminal won’t let you connect again to your iphone on step 2 with SSH after you installed the 2.0.1 firmware, the Cydia and later the openNTPD/OpenSSH, if you already completed step 2, then you don’t need this)
Basically, if you had previously got into your iphone with SSH, the info linked to your iphone’s ip gets stored into your MAC. When you install a new firmware to you iphone, the ip address stays the same, but all its info liked to it will change, then when you try to connect to your iphone via SSH, the info won’t match and it won’t let you connect for security purposes. What you need to do is to delete all the previous info.
Terminal would say that can’t connect for a security issue with the known_hosts, the message will give you the number of the host that does not match with the known_hosts folder. Type this on the terminal, replace the “n” with the value gave it by the warning message, do not leave the quotations:
vi +”n” ~/.ssh/known_hosts
Then, it should take you straight to the iphone’s ip address and all it’s info realted to the ip address. Once there, hit dd and the info will be deleted. Now hit ZZ (yes in caps) to save and close the connection to the known_hosts folder.
Now you will be able to connect to your iphone with SSH. Go to Step 2.
___________________
Now, I hope it works for you as it worked for me. Please let us know
thanks N-Aparicio
while I have putty and the other tools, because my dead strip is at the top ( first two rows), I am unable to access the iphone’s IP address, because I can not click on the settings/wi-fi area which would show my the ip info for putty.
this is why I was trying to use a non ftp approach like using ibrickr or iphone browser (although both are old and non stable with the new 2+ versions) but both of them while showing my internal iphone folder sdo not seem to have the general.plist anywhere or an Applications/Preferences.app folder.
Any alternatives for getting the ip address are apprecaited (I am at home so it is going through my cable wireless router, does that mean it is an obvious ip address that I can get in a different way?).
Well, in an internet browser you can type http://home/ to connect to your router, there you can see the details from your iphone.
The other option is, on putty type vi + ~/.ssh/known_hosts
…it should show you all the IP addresses that your PC has ever connected thru FTP or TELNET. I hope it helps
steved,
the touch plist goes in private/var/stash/applications/preferences.app folder.
Anybody gonna create a touch plist with a minus greater than martins -15 cos that did not work for me : (
ta
Thanks,
I was able to use ibrickr on a pc to see, backup and update ( -15 touch.plist from this site and others) the files in private/var/stach/applications/preferences.app ( thanks PaulG & N-Aparicio)
alas – no change: -15 shows up in the settings but my upper strip still not responsive ( irony that I can’t even change the sensitivity since it is in that dead strip).
I then tried another approach which is to change the sensitivity in touch.plist to something else and used an online tool to convert it from binary to xml (and switch to -3) but when I updated that ( now in ascii format) the iphone just kept rebooting and acting funny. Reading other forums of similar experiences, I would suggest: DO NOT assume you can upload ascii plist files even though a number of sites say you can. I am on the look out for something that converts back to the binary mode on the pc. Although with -15 not working, it my be time to give up – I probably have a really dead one ( and I’m in Canada).
Yeah i got firmware 2.0 now how in the hell do u do this to a 2.0 and can u make it alot easier?
end of my story:
1st gen iphone with upper dead strip: spent over 40 hours ( once till 5am) reading endless forums and playing with all software updates/ techniques to fix ( including all methods here) , nothing worked as far as the dead strip was concerned. broke down and just sold it for $200 to an iphone repair store ( they would have fixed the screen/digitizer for $250 but enough is enough – since apple has made it an illegal phone). sad that apple knowingly sells almost 1/2 million 1st gen iphones to non att customers , then when their new phone and biz relationships comes out they treat us all like criminals hacking on sub par hardware they sold us. while I think the browsing and video watching experience was great – it is backed by a company who does not treat their customers well. worse than what MS or ATT does IMHO. I bought a real iphone from a real apple store in the states and because I took it to another country and during the course of my time with it they made an exclusive new deal with my provided to sell 3Gs, I become a criminal and they wash their hands of a defective product because they can redfine me as a criminal who owns it. Again they made billions selling 1/2 million phones this way – that they would like those folks to simply just by a new 3G one for a new 3 year contract at outrageous prices ( in canada) to not become a criminal again. I wonder what they will do to the 3G customers in a year. there’s a good world for you corporations (who seems so hip) able to make citizens ( yes I am a us citizen) criminals if they do not upgrade and buy more of the products on longer and longer contracts. beware.
it’s now a cheap 6 yr old nokia in my pocket and a wait for google-android for me.
There is definitely a very DARK side to APPLE.
I remember the issues with the hinges on their laptops, INSANE!
Now the same with the 1st Gen iPhone.
They won’t take responsibility for anything until they loose in a court battle.
Very DARK indeed.
Stop complaining so much! I paid € 650 for a HTC P3600 (Trinity) phone and after one month the black paint came off.
This is Apple first phone, they sold millions of it and SOME of them have got problems. Mine does too, sure, but I still love and it’s the best phone I’ve had (untill now).
Grow up.
Can’t help but complain. After paying so much for it, and have it malfunction for no reason…
Also, this water problem is unacceptable. As I said before, if they can build watches for $30, that have calculators, phone books, calendars, etc. etc. and are water proof to 30 feet, why can’t they make this freaking phones simply water splash resistant??
They are simply using this water as an excuse to elude their warranties.
Not acceptable.
Understandable but please do that on one of those many ‘my-$500-iPhone-is-broken-and-now-what’ sites. Let’s concentrate on THIS site how to repair the touch sensitivity and be able to enjoy the iPhone again.
Still using mine with the aforementioned 2.0.1 patched-firmware (see post 241).
Martijn:
I’ve tryed your .ipsw file and it didnt work, and im not really technical enough to try the whole part with going in to the files.
I have an upper dead stripe, where the youtube, stocks, maps, weather, 4, 5 and 6 is, so i can’t acces the wifi either, beacuse there is no repsonse in the screen;
So im all out of hope, and i’ve looked up the price to get the screen exchanged here in sweden and its around $300(:|)
Is there anyone who have an answer on my problem ( Hence, i cant connect to an wifi)
Please send me an Email to Carljorning@hotmail.com
Regards Carl
I am using 2.0.2. My case is different. My screen works fine except in some applications like sms, cydia, installer…etc have tried replacing the general.plist and touch.plist files with ibrickr but i cant see the touch setting from general. Any solution.
N-Aparicio, outstanding instructions!!! my iPhone reboot automatically by itself. At first I thought the TOUCH or GENERAL.plist got corrupted but I find that only a clean install of the iPhone Custom_Restore.ipsw will fix it temporarily. Any ideas what could I be doing wrong?
Is there a fix for firmware 2.1?
Thanks to #160!
I have : iPhone EDGE, native 1.1.2 bl 3.9.
After few months the low screens strip was unusable (space bar and a lot of buottons).
Fw updated to 2.1 today whit last pwnage tool, but the dead strip is still there.
I used the Thouch.plist and General.plist in #160, setting value to -10 and it works perfectly!
Thanks again!
Fabs, I’m sorry it took me so long to reply your request, but I was out of the country with no internet available. Mine did the same rebooting stuff when I move the switch on the TOUCH setting added. The only thing that worked for me was to re-install one more time the 2.0.1 firmware, replace the general.plist and touch.plist as descrived and I haven’t touched the switch since then : )
try that and let me know if it works. I hope it does
Thanks guys!!!!!!
I had my iphone tripping cause I took it with me to the hot tub room, and I had a lockcode on it and my 1-2-3 numbers wouldnt work, so I played around with it, pressed number “3” on the screen like 50 times, sometimes hard and it worked, I unlocked it, replaced General.plist via iBricker and it works fine now. I got 1.0.2 thanks again!!!
N-Aparicio, thanx for the reply. Here is what I did. I REVERGINIZE the phone to it’s original state and took it back to the Apple store. Somehow they replaced it! “We have seen many of these ‘dead strip’ cases” they said. Now, I currently debating whether or not unlocking my “refurb” 2G with the same instruction that you put together, which I think you did a GREAT job, or follow the DEV. TEAM Pwnage instructions at http://hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=36686 for the 2.1 firmware. Any suggestions?
I tried downloading the files recommended here, and replacing the preferences.plist file in Applications, but there is no change in Settings, anywhere…. How to I get this sensitivity changer to show up on my phone??? THANK YOU
Iaf113, assuming that you replaced the files correctly, go to Settings > General – in there you should see the Touch settings. Select it, and the screen should look exactly as the screenshot above. Now, you can set the desired sensitivity. I would strongly recommend you follow N-Aparicio’s instructions on post 272! They worked for me!!
Increase touch sensitivity - Apple Forums | ModMyi.com | iPhone, iPod, Mac, OS X, Mods, More // Sep 23, 2008 at 2:22 AM
[…] iPhone Touchscreen Fix: Increase Sensitivity __________________ […]
N-Aparicio and others:
Thank you for your instructions.
Tonight, after many upgrades then downgrades then upgrades again using a guide on modmyiphone.com site, I finally completed transferred two files general.plist and touch.plist.
For unknown reasons, I couldn’t edit files from #272. But I used the link from #99 and was able to edit them with Windows Notepad. I moved around the Test Area and Touch Settings sections because my upper part did not work. I can duplicate few additional Test Areas by a cut and paste way.
I also found out that by setting from the min (ex: -15) to the maximum (ex: 16) the touching area will move from the top of the “circle” to the bottom of the “circle”. In my case, it actually works by setting around 7.1 (that’s right a positive setting instead of a negative setting).
I couldn’t move files using ibrickr but have a better luck with winscp.
My iphone is a 2G with 1.1.4 firmware after I had some problems with 2.0 firmware. It’s working now but not 100% perfect.
Fabs,
I checked the link you included and I got to say that the instruction on the macuserboricua site I suggested is more detailed… BUT it’s on spanish. On the other hand, I barely remember that there were a rewiew about the 2.0.2 on the Cydia that if I remember well they said not to install it, since the 2.0.1 firmware works better. I search that for you and I’ll get back on that tomorrow
Fabs,
I tried to install the 2.1 firmware but I got an error while trying to upload the bootloaders. Then I tried the 2.0.1 but now I get an 1600 error and I can’t upload the 2.0.1 firmware. I already tried many things. I’ll try some others tomorrow… in the mean time, I recommend you the 2.0.1 firmware. If you were able to upload any of the firmwares, please let me know either here or at volaste@gmail.com
Thanks
N-Aparicio –
Despite the immense amount of blogs I’ve read since I followed you instructions on how to update to 2.0.1 it seems that is done basically the same way with one exception: no need to put your iPhone in DFU Mode, just upload a new custom ipsw with the latest Pwnage Tool (2.1). Now, some say to downgrade first, other say to restore the iPhone with 2.1. It seems to me that despite the easy Pwnage instructions that we are accustomed to follow, something goes wrong along the way. To conclude, I assume that the Dev team is going to come out with a revision of the Pwnage 2.1 that will fix these common errors. I will keep on research and see if I can come out with a simple way of doing it – therefore the above should be used as reference purpose only until further notice.
i found this web page on Apples web site we can all get new iphones even with out warannty check out this link:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1827?viewlocale=en_US
read what is says at the end of the page.
I dropped my 1st gen. iphone at about 4 ft, and it caused my dial key #4,5,6 dead but the icons on the home screen at the same spot with #4,5,6 still working though. Anyways after several attempt to follow some of the instructions from some of the posters, I managed to fix the problems by using the winscp and the 2 files (touch and general) from post#160. Like someone above, I have to set my touch setting at +7 in order to get the key#4,5,6 t and the icons on the home screen to work because at some setting level caused some of the spot dead.
Currently my iphone is using the firmware 1.1.4 and I want to update it to 2.1 by using the quickpwn 2.1 and my question is: is my touch setting is still going to be there after the update? Thanks everyone for the helps.
Tim: no man. when you update or restore things like that are reset. After you jailbreak 2.1, SSH back in and mosdify the new touch sensitivity plist.