Dropped Your Phone Face-Down? What to Check First

It happens to everyone. The slow-motion moment, the slap of glass on pavement, the flip-it-over with one eye closed. If you dropped your phone face-down, work through this checklist before you panic — or before you relax too early.

Step 1: Don't press on the screen

If the glass is visibly shattered, do NOT run your finger over it or press the display. Fine glass slivers embed in skin easily, and pressing can push shards into the panel beneath. Pick the phone up by the edges.

Step 2: Is it the protector or the screen?

Cracks on a tempered glass protector run in straight, spidering patterns with a slightly raised edge you can feel with a fingernail (carefully). A cracked display often shows black or colored blotches, dead pixels, or light leaks around the fracture. If your screen protector shattered but the display beneath looks and responds perfectly — celebrate. The protector did exactly what it exists to do.

Step 3: Check touch and display

• Swipe every edge of the screen — dead zones on one side can mean digitizer damage.
• Open a full-white and full-black image: blotches, lines or light bleed show panel damage.
• Test the cameras — a face-down drop can also crack a lens.

Step 4: Remove a broken protector safely

Lift from a corner with a fingernail or a plastic card, and peel slowly toward the opposite corner. Slide a card under as you go to keep the shards from raining down. Clean any adhesive residue with the same wipe kit your protector came with.

Step 5: Replace it immediately

An unprotected screen invites the next drop to write directly on your display. If you kept a spare from a Duo or Family Pack, install it now with the alignment frame — it takes under a minute. No spare? The Arctiqo™ 3-in-1 ships fast, and the Duo pack means you'll never be unprotected again.