Oppo Find 7a Update – What are ghost touches?

After reviewing the Oppo Find 7a and using the phone since the day after the official launch, I thought it was about time I posted an update. It isn’t good news though.

Anyone following GizChina will already know that I was fortunate to be able to buy the Oppo Find 7a the day of release (as I live in China). From day one the phone worked well, although being a Chinese version I did have to Root the Oppo Find 7a and then install Gapps, and then there was the annoying point the phone wont work on WCDMA 3G here in China! Anyway, these are all actions which Oppo you can do without voiding warranty so I was not worried.

But issue is my Oppo Find 7a has become nothing more than an expensive dumb phone over the past few days due to a screen issue, the dreaded ghost touches! If you are not familiar with the term it basically means the screen registers touches which weren’t made and looks as though an invisible hand is controlling your device. Here is a video of it happening on an Oppo Find 5;

The touches on my phone become increasingly worse during the day and I need to shut the phone down and start it again to improve the problem.

What causes Ghost Touches on mobile devices?

Ghost touches can be caused by a few different problems relating to hardware or software. I’ve been over then all with my phone, but in case you are having similar issues here are a few things to check;

1. If you have access to the battery check it is not “inflated”. Sometimes the battery can fill with gas and expand forcing the sreen to be pressed and thing it is being touched. If this is the case then changing the battery should solve the issue.
2. Clean your screen. Sometimes a simple wipe is enough to fix things.
3. Remove the screen protector film.
4. Have you dropped the phone? Is there damage either visible or internal?

5. Place your phone in to engineer mode and test the screen. On Oppo phones this can be done by typing in *#808# in Dial pad to enter Engineer mode -> Touchscreen -> Touchscreen auto test. You’re phone will either show a Pass or Fail message (mine is a Pass).
6. If the above steps don’t work then try clearing the cache and all data from your phone and then reinstalling the ROM. If that doesn’t work try an alternate ROM if available. This will effectively return your phone to stock.

So what do you do if your phone passes the above checks but you still have the issue? I contacted Oppo and they told me it is likely a hardware issue and I should take the phone back to the store where I bought it. Keep in mind that this is the same advice Oppo gave to a friend of mine whose Find 5 stopped working when he returned to the UK. If you bought your phone from China, Oppo International won’t/can’t help.

So today my Oppo Find 7a goes back to the store. Hopefully my phone is just a one-off dud and other Find 7a owners won’t have the same trouble, but if you do or if you have any other possible remedies let us know.