I was watching a video on my iPhone 13 when the phone suddenly acted on its own. It liked the video, changed the playback speed to 1.5x, and began typing a string of random characters into a comment. I immediately shut the phone down. I haven't been consistent about installing iOS updates, so I'm worried that the phone may have a virus or that someone remotely accessed it. What should I check and do next?
3 Answers
This is much more likely to be an issue with the touchscreen than a virus. Clean and dry the screen, remove the case or screen protector temporarily, then restart the phone. A small amount of moisture, dirt, or pressure can cause capacitive touchscreens to register taps on their own.
A single burst of strange touchscreen activity doesn’t normally indicate remote access or malware, especially on a current iPhone. Keep iOS updated and check your Apple Account devices and recent sign-in activity for anything unfamiliar. You generally shouldn’t need to erase the phone unless the problem persists and Apple support recommends it.
If the screen has ever been replaced, a faulty or poorly fitted replacement display could cause ghost touches. Install the latest iOS update and see whether the behavior returns. If it keeps happening after cleaning and restarting, have Apple or a reputable repair shop inspect the display.
Thanks. Nothing was touching the screen, which is why I panicked, but I’ll clean it, update iOS, and watch for the problem happening again.