How to Prevent Shattering Your Smartphone Screen

If you have ever shattered the screen on your flip phone, it wasn’t necessarily a big deal. Annoying? Certainly, but not the end of the world. It’s a bit different when you crack your smartphone screen, however. You’re likely to slice your fingers six ways to Sunday, what with no option other than touchscreen functionality. You’ll pay for every swipe with blood.

In other words, it’s best to avoid this state of affairs if at all possible. Smartphones are slippery little suckers, though, always popping from your grip and landing just so on the corner of the coffee table or counter. How can you prevent them from cracking or shattering? Here are a few precautions to employ.

Screen Protector

One fun feature of modern smartphones is you can swap out covers with ease. One day you might go for your dark and brooding Kylo Ren case, the next you could throw on your Kate Spade Liquid Glitter one. You could also order custom creations on websites like Etsy, where vendors are cranking out one-off smartphone cases with 3D printers.

Unfortunately, not every smartphone case is designed with screen protection in mind. Most will stop damage from occurring to the parts they cover (the back and edges), but not the screen. What can you do?

Try a screen protector. These stick-on products are designed to prevent not only scratches to your screen, but also the cracking and shattering that can result from impact. Many also have extra features like smudge-proof or tinted surfaces (for privacy). Whether you use a case or not, you might want to spring for a screen protector.

Protective Case

Although protective cases can make your smartphone significantly bulkier, they definitely do their job when it comes to preventing damage should you drop your phone. Some come with screen protectors while others simply have rounded or rubbery edges that protrude enough to cause a bit of bounce or take the brunt of an impact.

The latter won’t necessarily stop damage should the center of your screen hit a sharp corner, for example. However, the average protective case is designed to stop the majority of damage, if not all, from occurring. Some offer extras like waterproofing, and a few come with warranties that will pay for your phone should damage occur.

Tipping the Scales

It turns out that preventing cracks may be as simple as tipping your phone when it falls. Even if you can’t catch it, fumbling your smartphone can help it to tumble end over end.  This makes it more likely to land on an edge than flat on the screen, potentially preventing cracking and shattering.