Comments on: Britt asks, “Why don’t touchscreens respond to my touch?”

By: leein

leein — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 01:39:56 +0000

This feels like vindication to me. My wife got me a smart phone and I hate every second of it. It frequently takes three to five attempts to make it register each command, making texting, gaming, even answering the phone a nightmare. She just thinks I’m clumsy and/or don’t understand technology, despite me assembling her computer from scratch, building a few RPGs and shooters as a hobby, and am a jeweler as a profession. I think I know how to aim my finger. To make matters worse, I’m on a family plan and can’t exchange or replace my phone for about 6 months, since I have to go back to where my parents live and have them present, in the store, at the time. yay. I’m not exited about having to use special gloves or a little wand just to answer the phone. I guess they only thought various hipsters and millennials would use smartphones, not hard working folks with calluses.

By: jamesqf

jamesqf — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 19:32:35 +0000

The other side of touchscreens that don’t react to my fingers is that sometimes they will over-react, doing several (additional, unintended) things from a single touch… That’s why I have a non-smart slider phone.

By: sikelabent1

sikelabent1 — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 01:19:50 +0000

I dont have what look like any different fingers, but i do play guitar and that hands fingertips did take years of abuse to get used to being abused daily. So there is probably areas where the skin is indeed tougher but not as in the normal ugly callous. However this does nothing to explain why the side of the fingers seem to respond the same.

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 19 May 2016 15:57:50 +0000

Thank you for this article. I am sending people here that don’t believe me when I say I cannot operate a phone. I have never been able to operate a touchscreen. They very seldom respond to my touch, and when they do, they go crazy. I have never owned a smartphone and never will as I cannot use them. A stylus is a fair work around, but is difficult to use for me. I only use the stylus as my job bought me an iPhone 6 and insisted that I have to use it, so a stylus-ing I go! Everything these days is going to touchscreens, and it’s a little frightening as I will be left out due to a physical issue that I cannot correct. In ten years, I am going to have to buy those pens on chains and swap them out for styluses, then mount them all over my house, and in my car too…….. sucks!

By: Peabo

Peabo — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 00:18:43 +0000

I am unable to use Apple products. iPhone, iPad….none of the issues listed. I really think it’s my own electrical conductivity. People act baffled when I demonstrate. Zombie finger mystery.

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 16:36:29 +0000

They don’t work for me, either. Zero calluses, clean hands, and my other fingers aren’t close to the screen. Very frustrating. I exchanged a new iPad Air 2 because of it. Same problem with the replacement. I have fingerprints so fine that the naked eye can barely detect any, but I’m told that’s not it. I am physically sensitive to many things, require less frequent and less volume of food than others, my BP is 85/58. Do I put out less electricity than others? Beats me.

By: Terence

Terence — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 08:32:10 +0000

I have zombie fingers. Newer devices like the iPhone and iPad that use “predictive capacitive” touch can detect my fingers, but older cheaper devices that use “Surface capacitive” touch panels do not work for me. From my understanding, surface capacitive devices need to send the electrical charge into my body in order for the device to determine when and where it is being touched.

in addition to zombie fingers.. I can detect electrical currents in devices by touch. I can feel when my cell phone is plugged in and charging. The same goes for some laptops.

By: Rivenburg

Rivenburg — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 22:28:09 +0000

My index finger tips are scarred from my pre-IT work in mining and machining, not only do most touch screens require work to operate, I have to modify keyboards so I can feel the F and J nubs to touch type.

By: Cherrie

Cherrie — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 16:50:54 +0000

I’m heading out to find a capacitive stylus. I can’t use touch mouse’s either. Not only do I have hot and often clammy hands, (no callused fingertips though), as an energy healer, I have an inordinate amount of electrical current in my hands…I get shocked on nearly everything I tough…including water…and weird stuff like produce. I’m wondering if it might have more to do with our own electric conductivity more than any of the other things you’ve mentioned. Wonder if there is a study for that?