Touchscreen calibration on Android. Touchscreen calibration on Android phones and tablets

In order to see the image as it will appear when printed, you need to calibrate your monitor. This is especially important if you are a designer or photographer. You don't want to spend a lot of time choosing the perfect color scheme only to see a mismatch in the printed image. Therefore, calibrate your monitor to see the image exactly as it will appear when printed.

Steps

Part 1

Make sure there are no reflections or glare on the screen and that there is no strong, direct light shining on it. The room should not be dark, but the light should not prevent you from seeing the image on the screen clearly. If your monitor screen is dirty (stained), wipe it thoroughly before continuing.

• If you are working with color images, make sure that the light level does not change during the day or between work.

1. Check your screen resolution. If you have an LCD monitor, check its “native” resolution in the instruction manual and set it to that resolution. For other monitors, set the resolution to the highest available resolution that allows text to be clearly visible.

   Adjust color quality. Set your monitor to "millions of colors" and, if additional options are available, set the color depth. Color depth is the number of bits used to determine the color of each pixel, or the number of bits used to determine the color of each component of a pixel (red, green, and blue). These alternative definitions make the terminology a bit confusing: 8-bit, 24-bit, and "millions of colors" are equivalent in a modern monitor. The image at 16-bit or “thousands of colors” is noticeably worse, but it uses less video card memory, and the image at 8-bit or “256 colors” looks very bad on modern monitors. At 30-bit and higher, additional settings are available that are not needed (at least for most users).

   Make a test print of the image on a good professional printer. Skip this step unless you plan to edit the images before printing them. Moreover, skip this step if you have a high-quality printer and good photo paper.

   • We recommend printing multiple images on one page, including black-and-white photos, color photos taken in natural light, photos taken in low light, and photos of people with natural skin tones.
   • Keep the sun's rays out of your printed photos to ensure correct color reproduction.

2. Before calibration, the monitor should warm up for 30 minutes (especially if it is a CRT monitor). This ensures that the monitor reaches operating temperature, which affects color quality.

   • If you use a computer, disable automatic monitor shutdown.

Part 2

1. Consider free calibration options. You can do this using system utilities or online tools such as Photo Friday or displaycalibration.com. After selecting a utility or tool, follow the onscreen instructions and/or do the following:

   Buy good monitor color calibration software. Most users don't need it, but professional designers and photographers need it. Often such programs are supplied with colorimeters.

   • Some versions of Photoshop are sold with "Adobe Gamma" color calibration software, but this is only intended for CRT monitors and older operating systems.

2. Adjust brightness and contrast. The settings buttons are located on the front of the monitor or on the screen in the color calibration utility. Typically, two or three gray scales are displayed when adjusting brightness and contrast. Follow the instructions on the screen. For best results, the screen image should include at least four colors: black, dark gray, light gray and white.

   • Squint and move away from the monitor to fine-tune brightness and contrast.
   • On many laptops, the contrast cannot be adjusted.

3. Adjust the gamma. When you increase the brightness of the pixels, the voltage supplied to the monitor increases. However, the relationship between voltage and brightness is quite complex and is determined by "gamma correction". Some calibration options allow you to set (using a slider) the gamma to your preference, but usually only set two values.

If your Android phone's screen stops responding to touch after being dropped, dropped into water, or due to technical problems, you may need to calibrate the screen. Well, if there is a problem in determining the position of the phone in space, it will be necessary to adjust the accelerometer.

What is screen calibration

Screen calibration is the fine-tuning of your device's sensor. It may be required if the screen partially or completely stops responding to touch. And it is also possible that the sensor is triggered in a different place than where you touch it with your finger. In any of these cases, calibration should help, unless, of course, the screen is damaged. Calibration may also be required after replacing the device screen.

How to calibrate the screen

There are different ways to calibrate the screen of an Android device. It will be useful to consider each of them.

Screen calibration through device settings

It is possible to perform calibration without installing third-party applications. For this:

It's also worth knowing:

Unfortunately, some Android devices do not have a built-in touchscreen calibration feature. In this case, it can be done using other methods.

Calibrating the screen sensor through the engineering menu

The engineering menu is a menu of hidden phone settings. They are intended only for the most experienced users, as they offer quite detailed phone customization. If you are not careful, you can damage your device. You make all changes in the engineering menu at your own peril and risk.

The method to get to the engineering menu also differs depending on the specific phone model, but usually this requires entering a special combination of characters. Search for your phone model and enter the appropriate command. For example, for Samsung devices this could be the command *#*#8255#*#*.

Once you are in the engineering menu, you need to select the “Touch Screen” item.

It is in this section that you can check the current sensitivity, as well as make detailed settings on your device’s screen and how it responds to touches.

Android screen sensor calibration via computer

If your phone's screen does not work at all, or a serious error has occurred after calibration and now the sensor does not respond to touches, calibrating through a computer can save the phone and save time on a trip to the service center. To complete this, you will need to install the MSP RemoteAlignment program.

By installing this program and following the instructions, you can do the following:

• calibrate your device from your PC without having to press anything from your phone;
• save the results of the calibration to your computer;
• “align” the picture relative to the device screen and also save these settings.

Managing this program is very simple. Pressing the Skip button will automatically perform the calibration, skipping the remaining steps. The Retrive button will load previously saved calibration results, and the Alignment button will enable manual calibration on your phone.

Android screen sensor calibration apps

If you cannot calibrate the screen without using third-party applications, or if you want more options for customizing and controlling the sensor of your screen, you should use applications designed for this.

Calibration apps can help, but they won't work wonders. They are suitable as a last chance before contacting a service center if other screen calibration methods have already been tried.

Touchscreen Calibration app

The Touchscreen Calibration app is a fairly simple solution and has an extremely minimalistic interface. After you press the only active Calibrate key, the sensor setup will begin directly.

You will need to do a few very simple actions like swiping the screen or double tapping.

Swipe is a special gesture when you place your finger on the screen of a smartphone or tablet and move it in the desired direction across the screen.

Once you complete all the specified steps, the program will evaluate the accuracy and complete the calibration. It's really a very simple app that can give you everything you need if your device doesn't have a calibration feature.

Touchscreen Calibration is a very easy to use app

Video: Screen calibration using the Touchscreen Calibration app

Display Calibration App

The Display Calibration application works on a completely different principle. You don't have to manually align the sensor. All you need to do is launch the application and set the brightness slider to a certain position. In this way, the center of the device screen and other coordinates will be determined, from which the program will start. Next, you need to click the Calibrate button, which is the only one on the screen. After a few seconds, the calibration will be completed.

What else can you do to configure the sensor?

If you have tried all the methods available on your version of the device and did not achieve results, all that remains is to contact the service center. After all, the problem with the screen may not lie in the sensor settings at all, or it may not be solved in such a simple way. At least you'll know that you did everything possible to restore your device's sensor.

Setting up the accelerometer of a phone based on Android OS

The phone's accelerometer determines its position in space or the applied acceleration when it is displaced. It is essential for the following device functions:

• changing page orientation when rotating the phone;
• counting the distance traveled when using the device as a pedometer;
• determining the position of the phone in various applications;
• control the phone by shaking or tilting.

You will not be able to set up call acceptance with a gesture, comfortably use the browser and other phone functions if the accelerometer settings are lost. In this case, it is necessary to calibrate it, and special applications for this will help.

GPS Status & Toolbox App

Let's look in detail at how to calibrate the accelerometer through the GPS Status & Toolbox application. After launching the application, do the following:

Video: Accelerometer Calibration Using GPS Status & Toolbox App

Clinometer app

The Clinometer program can determine the angle to the surface with an accuracy of ten degrees. But it is interesting to us for another reason - it can be used to calibrate the accelerometer, because it is with its help that the angle is determined. This program is simpler than the previous one, but it fully satisfies our requirements.

Possible problems when calibrating the screen sensor and accelerometer

During the screen or accelerometer calibration procedure, unexpected problems may arise. However, they will be easy to deal with if you follow the tips.

Requires root rights

If you want to calibrate the device through the engineering menu, you may not be able to do anything without root rights on the device. Root rights provide full access to the device settings and are needed precisely to protect inexperienced users from dangerous changes. But getting them is not that difficult and, in fact, there are two options:

• On the Internet you can find many programs that will easily allow you to obtain the necessary rights. All of them are extremely easy to use and will give you access in one click, so all that remains is to give the names of some of them. Programs such as Universal AndRoot, Unlock Root, z4root and others can help you;
• the second method will require you to install modified firmware on your phone. In many custom firmwares, root rights are initially open, or they are opened extremely simply.

After this installation, you should have no problems accessing the engineering menu and you will be able to calibrate the device.

The screen sensor works on its own, involuntarily

A problem with the screen responding on its own usually points directly to a problem with the device’s sensor itself. If calibration does not help, you can try the following before contacting the service center:

• install a protective film between the sensor and the device display;
• Make sure that there is no physical distortion of the device sensor.

If all this does not help, then all that remains is to replace the sensor.

There are many ways to calibrate your device's touchscreen, and there are also apps you can use to adjust the accelerometer. Now you can configure your device yourself and solve your problem with the screen or gyroscope.

Many owners of Android devices consider the sensitivity of the sensor to be a pain point of their gadgets. It happens that the screen of your phone or tablet does not respond correctly to touches. For example, the user clicks on the lower left part of the screen, but the sensor interprets this as clicking on the upper right corner.

But the emerging problem is not at all a reason for despondency and an urgent trip to the service center. It is quite possible to try to “curb” your sensor at home by using screen calibration.

Screen calibration (also known as sensor calibration) is the setting of the display, the purpose of which is to optimize the operation and improve the response of the sensor to pressing and touching with fingers or a stylus .

And although calibrating sensors on Android is generally not necessary, it is recommended for all users of devices with both resistive and capacitive touch displays. It is advisable to calibrate resistive screens immediately after purchasing the device. With a capacitive sensor the situation is somewhat different since it is possible to check whether calibration is necessary, or whether the display will work clearly without such an operation.

To do this, you need to remove the film from the gadget’s screen, wipe it with a damp cloth (preferably a special one), and then check the sensor’s response. The best way to check is by typing a text message. If there are frequent typos when typing, this is a sign that the touchscreen needs to be calibrated. It should also be noted that it is quite possible that this procedure will have to be done more than once.

Before you begin the screen calibration procedure on Android, you need to find out what caused the sensor to malfunction.

• It is quite possible that the pie eaten with tea left you with a reminder of itself in the form of traces left on the screen when answering an urgent call.
• The proximity sensor or Air Gesture function is not working properly.
• Using custom (not official) firmware.
• Installing applications from dubious sources.
• The device has been dropped, hit, or wet.
• Replacing the touchscreen, etc.

As we know well, it is the cause that needs to be eliminated, not the effect. It is clear that if your smartphone has the “wrong” firmware installed, which was the cause of the failure, you can calibrate the sensor until you “drive the carrots”, but the desired result in this case, alas, will not be achieved.

However, even if the device does not need calibration, it would not hurt its owner to know the intricacies of setting up the touchscreen, since this is a fairly simple manipulation that does not require much time, much less a huge layer of knowledge.

To calibrate the screen of any device running on the Android operating system, you can use special programs and utilities, of which there are a sufficient number, and absolutely free. You can also access standard services found in the device menu.

Manual setting

Here it is necessary to explain that the adjustment options, including screen sensitivity, vary greatly depending on the model of your gadget, and it is quite possible that it will not be suitable in your case. The fact is that mobile device manufacturers install their own shell on top of the standard Android OS settings, while changing (or completely eliminating) the possibility of one or another setting. The calibration method for devices with standard settings is described below:

1. Go to the settings menu.
2. Select “Phone Settings”.
3. Go to the “Calibration” menu, where a window will open in the form of a cross-target with a dot inside
4. Click the center of the target three times
5. Calibration is complete. Next, you should check the sensor using the manipulations indicated earlier.

If these steps are not relevant for you, then you need to check on the manufacturer’s website exactly how you can calibrate your device, or use a special application (read about this method below).

Using special software

At the moment, there are countless utilities and programs that help you configure the touchscreen of an Android device. Among the proven programs that have really helped many users, the following programs can be noted:

Touchscreen Calibration is a simple and free tool that can help you quickly and easily calibrate the sensor. Step by step steps:

Download the application, open it, press the “Calibrate” button:

Then, we start the calibration process by clicking on the gray field on the screen:

After that, in the gray field we execute the commands that appear in the green squares:

Unfortunately, the utility is not Russified, but what and how to do is shown quite clearly. Just in case, we suggest you watch the video

Sometimes the tablet's touchscreen or G-sensor calibration fails. The device begins to incorrectly determine the position of pressing on the screen or orientation in space. Depending on what type of display is used in your device, you can judge whether the situation can be somehow corrected. It is very easy to find out which display is in your device - just read the instructions for it, or look on the manufacturer’s website.

Resistive display sensors

Resistive touchscreens were the first to appear and were previously the most widely used. They are still used in some phones and tablets, as well as in the vast majority of car navigators. Now a little theory so that you have an idea of ​​what kind of resistive displays these are. Try not to fall asleep while reading.

The design of such a screen is very simple - two plates, hard glass or plastic and flexible plastic, covered with a conductive layer and separated by point microinsulators. When you press on a flexible plastic plate, it bends, and at a certain point on the screen a short circuit occurs between the plates. The sensor controller measures the resistance of the plates up to this point and determines the coordinates of the press. This type of sensor has several disadvantages: low light transmission, fragility, the sensor responds specifically to pressing and not to touch (therefore, you can control it with a regular stylus or any other fairly hard object, such as a match), the inability to detect several simultaneous presses, and also Due to manufacturing features, the parameters of the plates for each sensor may vary slightly, which causes inaccuracies in control.

To configure the controller of such a sensor, calibration is required. Usually this function is located in the display settings, called sensor calibration or touch screen settings (may be called differently, but the meaning is the same). Since I have a capacitive screen, I don't have these settings and I can't take a screenshot.
After starting the calibration, the setup program will ask you to press several times at certain points on the screen and will remember the settings. After this, the sensor readings will be adjusted in accordance with these settings, which will ensure an accurate determination of the location of the press.

Capacitive sensors

There are two main types of such sensors: surface capacitive and projection capacitive. The first ones are designed quite simply: an alternating voltage is applied to the corners of the conductive plate of the sensor, and leakage currents caused by the introduction of foreign capacitance (for example, from a finger) are checked. Based on the current ratio for each angle, the point of contact can be determined. These sensors do not respond to a regular stylus or gloved hand. Such sensors are quite rare, do not support multiple simultaneous touches, and also require calibration. Calibration is performed as for a resistive sensor.

Projected capacitive sensors, the most common today, have a complex multilayer design consisting of a matrix of individual sensors combined into a rectangular structure. You can control several simultaneous touches (multi-touch). Such a sensor is sometimes made directly on the glass of the screen, which reduces distortion (there is no air gap between the screen and the sensor). The controller is most often structurally integrated with the sensor itself, the parameters of which are known to it and do not require calibration. In many tablet models and rarely in phones, the controller is located on the main board of the device. Most often there are no problems with phones, but with tablets it happens that the same main board is used for screens of different diagonals, and the sensor parameters may vary.

Usually no configuration is required, but sometimes after firmware or software failures the controller may need to be calibrated. This can be done through the engineering menu (you need to figure out how to get there specifically for your model) or using special programs, such as TouchScreen Tune (available in the Google Play Market). Sometimes a capacitive sensor may not work correctly when charging due to interference from a non-original charger. There is no need to calibrate anything here - the charger goes into the garbage chute.

Accelerometer calibration (G-sensor)

This sensor, also called a gyro sensor or accelerometer, is used to determine the position of a device in space. G-sensor calculates the speed and rotation angles of the device. The simplest example of use is the “auto-rotate” function in Android and controlling games by tilting or rotating the phone (tablet). Air mouse remotes also use this sensor. Accelerometer calibration is usually not required; many games and programs allow for adjustments. It’s another matter if, after a “crooked” firmware, the accelerometer does not work at all or is difficult to configure normally. The engineering menu will help you here; there you can test and calibrate the G-sensor, or install normal firmware.

• To enter the engineering menu, hold down the volume down button and the power button at the same time, and wait until the menu appears.
• Using the volume up/down buttons, navigate through the menu and select the item Test Report, and in it - G-Sensor cali.
• Place the tablet on a flat surface and press Do Calibration (20%) until the numbers at the very top take the following form - +0.xxxx +0.xxxx +9.xxxx
• Calibration is completed, press volume up 2 times, and then - Reboot.

A short video on calibrating the G sensor (accelerometer) using the example of a Chinese tablet

Bottom line

In general, first find the reason why your display is behaving inappropriately. Don't rush to calibrate, figure everything out first. Perhaps you share lunch with your tablet, leaving grease marks or jam marks on the screen. Dispose of them carefully. It happens that a person accidentally touches the display with a finger of the hand with which he is holding the tablet, and the sensor is triggered. Just hold it differently.

Following the example of Pontius Pilate, I wash my fingers with which I typed this article and declare that all responsibility in the event of data loss or software failure lies entirely with your conscience.

Let's now figure out how to calibrate the screen (touchscreen) of an Android phone or tablet, as well as what signs indicate that it is time to do calibration. Let's consider methods through the built-in capabilities of Android (not all models have it), as well as special programs from Google Play.

This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 9/8/7/6: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.

Signs that your screen needs to be calibrated

While the phone is new, the sensor works well, responds to touches quite quickly, and accurately determines the point the user pressed. As the operating time of the gadget increases, the quality of the sensor’s performance decreases significantly, and inaccuracies and errors begin to occur.

How do you know when you need to calibrate the display on your Android smartphone? Often this needs to be done when errors appear that significantly interfere with work:

• Some actions work poorly or are not recognized, but not all. For example, tapping may work fine, but swiping does not work every time, or vice versa.
• – some actions are not recognized, and the device does not react in any way.
• The wait time after various touch screen actions has increased significantly.
• The location where the action took place is not precisely determined. For example, it is not the way the button is pressed that you actually touched.
• In graphics applications, the line being drawn is interrupted.
• When using a stylus, the display began to work worse, or vice versa, when using a finger.

However, there are cases when the touch screen itself could fail as a result of impact or moisture. Here it will be necessary to replace it with a new one, which cannot be done without the help of a service center.

When does it become necessary to calibrate the screen?

The first reason for the decline in sensor performance quality is long-term use of the device. All modern touchscreen phones are susceptible to this process, and the greater the degree of susceptibility the more the device has a lower-quality screen.

A similar phenomenon occurs in a situation where the phone was previously actively used, and then was left inactive for a very long time. Screen debugging may also be required after purchasing the phone, as it happens that the sensor is not configured correctly initially. Calibration is almost always necessary after changing the display.

The speed and quality of the sensor are affected by changes in software settings. These could be software problems, viruses, or user-changed settings. For example, the sensitivity of the sensor can be changed to make working with the phone more convenient.

A decrease in the quality of its work may occur due to the application of a low-quality protective film, scratches on the screen, the appearance of bubbles under the protective film, etc. In this situation, calibration will not be effective and the problem will not be resolved.

How can you calibrate your Android screen?

Calibration is a touch screen adjustment that is made by the device based on the user’s actions with the sensor. The standard calibration process consists of displaying dots, circles, and crosses in random order on the screen, and requiring the user to click on them.

Based on this process, the system will build a certain scheme of areas and points on the screen, determining which of them are more responsive and which are less, which have higher accuracy and which have lower accuracy.

After this diagnosis, the system performs troubleshooting and adjustments. If you use a stylus on your phone more often, then it is with it that you need to calibrate the screen, and if you use the gadget manually, then calibrate it with your finger.

Calibration through the settings of the phone itself

The Android system has quite a wide range of functionality that allows you to perform many device settings.

To calibrate the smartphone sensor through the standard menu, follow these steps:

• Go to the gadget settings.
• Select the item “Phone settings”. Another calibration option may be located in the “Screen” section.
• Select “Calibrations”.

This procedure involves successively clicking on dots in different parts of the display. The user's task is to press the desired point as accurately as possible so that the phone remembers the correct settings. After completing the procedure, you need to check the correct response on the smartphone’s touch keyboard.

Some models do not have a standard calibration option. The solution to the problem is to configure it using the engineering menu.

There you need to enter special commands for the OS, allowing you to fine-tune the device. for each specific phone model it is called by a special combination of characters.

The engineering menu is an option for advanced users. Due to incorrectly selected settings, the smartphone may not work correctly.

Calibration using apps

There are a large number of utilities that are designed to calibrate the sensor. There are paid and free versions, some of which require root rights.

ClinOmeter

The app not only calibrates the touchscreen, but also changes the tilt height, tilt angle, and tilt of the object relative to gravity.

SGS Touchscreen Booster

The program is capable of optimizing the performance of the phone's sensor quite well.