Samsung Tablet Display Problem: Causes and How to Fix It

Two main reasons are behind Samsung tablet display problems. On the software side, these can include system crashes, glitches, or misbehaving third-party apps. Hardware issues that could affect a tablet’s display include a dead battery, a battery that is deeply discharged, loose internal connections, or even physical damage.

Water damage can lead to all sorts of problems on your Samsung tablet. For example, you may see a black screen, flickering, discolored patches on the screen, or an unresponsive touchscreen. If the screen is responding incorrectly (erratically), then there might be a problem with the touch controller in your tablet.

In this article, I’ll walk through how to try fixing these problems.

First, let’s consider what happens when a tablet screen freezes or appears to be working properly, but then fails. A forced restart should always be your first attempt at fixing the issue. In most cases, restarting a tablet should fix it, either temporarily or permanently.

If that doesn’t work, charging the tablet will help determine if the issue is related to the battery itself. The tablet may not be able to charge properly or may be failing to recognize the connected power supply, leading to the display problems.

Next, we’ll check for any issues caused by downloaded apps by booting your tablet into Safe Mode. Finally, if the issue involves your tablet’s touchscreen not working correctly, you’ll want to disable Touch sensitivity.

You don’t have to take a tablet to Samsung support if it isn’t responding properly. However, if you’ve exhausted all the self-troubleshooting options listed below and your tablet is still acting up, you’ll need to contact Samsung Support via their website, chat, or through the Samsung Members App.

Forced Restart

When your Samsung tablet has a frozen or blank screen, a forced restart should always be your first step in trying to fix it. A restart typically works because it clears out temporary memory and refreshes the operating system. If it doesn’t, you’ll have more information about the problem, and know exactly which steps to take next.

To force restart a Samsung Galaxy Tab, press and hold both the Power button and the Volume Down key at the same time. Hold them firmly together for between 10 and 20 seconds until your device reboots. Alternatively, press and hold just the Power button alone for around 10 seconds. If the screen recovers afterward, it was likely a software glitch.

Battery Charging

Sometimes a tablet display won’t respond properly due to its batteries being dead or too depleted to provide sufficient power. In some situations, simply charging the tablet may solve the issue.

Connect the tablet to a charger, using the original charging cable that came with your device. You’ll need to charge the tablet for around 30 minutes, and then try turning it on again.

If the screen still does not respond, you’ll need to move on to the next step: booting your tablet into Safe Mode.

Boot Into Safe Mode

The majority of problems with a tablet screen freezing or otherwise appearing to malfunction is caused by a downloaded app or a third-party application misbehaving. If you’ve already tried rebooting the tablet and that hasn’t fixed the issue, booting it into Safe Mode allows you to test whether or not a specific app is causing the problem.

To boot a Samsung tablet into Safe Mode:

Turn off the tablet.

Press and hold the Power button until the “Power Off” option appears.

Tap on the “Power Off” option to turn off the tablet.

Then, hold down the Power button until you see the Samsung logo appear.

Release the Power button once the Galaxy logo begins to fade.

Once your tablet starts booting, immediately begin pressing the Volume Up button repeatedly.

After three or four presses, your tablet will boot into Safe Mode. Once booted, you can use your tablet as normal. Any apps installed after the initial release of your tablet will now be disabled.

Try using your tablet without touching or interacting with the touchscreen at all, and if it performs correctly, you’ll know that one of the apps on your tablet is the cause of the problem. To identify the app that’s causing the issue, go to Settings → Apps & notifications, and look for apps that are either crashing or draining battery life quickly. Disable those apps to prevent them from causing further problems.

Touchscreen Issues

Some tablets are affected by physical input conditions that cause the touchscreen to fail. Specifically, gloves, dust on the finger, fingernails, or a ballpoint pen might prevent the tablet’s touchscreen from registering touches. Other times, the tablet may respond erratically or unpredictably to touchscreen inputs. Either way, there are fixes available for each scenario.

To disable Touch sensitivity on your Samsung Galaxy Tab:

Open Settings.

Go to the “Display” section.

Under “Touch settings,” tap the switch next to “Touch sensitivity.”

If disabling the Touch Sensitivity setting causes the touchscreen to function normally, leave the setting turned off. Otherwise, enable the setting back on, and see whether you’re able to use other options such as “Touch gestures.” If not, contact Samsung Support directly.

Self-Troubleshooting vs. Contacting Samsung Support

You don’t have to take a tablet to Samsung support if it isn’t responding properly. However, if you’ve exhausted all the self-troubleshooting options listed above and your tablet is still acting up, you’ll need to contact Samsung Support via their website, chat, or through the Samsung Members App.