Mobile hardware troubleshooting lab

Match swollen-battery, digitizer, liquid, and charge-path FIRST actions; leave factory-reset-first and buy-a-phone unused.

Match FIRST mobile hardware actions to each ticket. Leave factory-reset-first and buy-a-phone unused.

Physical mobile troubleshooting: swollen cells, digitizer vs panel, liquid safety, and charge-path triage before FRU shopping.

Back glass lifting off the frame

Phone sits uneven on a desk; case will not click. User still wants to 'top it off overnight.'

Wallpaper perfect, touch dead

Display shows the lock screen. Finger and stylus do nothing. External mouse over USB-C works in a desktop mode dock.

Dropped in a sink, still powered

User fished it out and plugged a charger 'to dry it.' Stop the bad ideas.

Won't take a charge after gym bag

Cable feels gritty in the port. Battery % was fine yesterday. Pick the BEST FIRST path.

Still on the bench

Power off, do NOT charge, replace swollen OEM pack — A swollen cell is a fire risk. Stop charging and treat it as a hazardous FRU.
Digitizer / touch assembly — image still correct — If the picture is fine and touch/pen is dead, target the digitizer path first.
Power off, do not charge, dry/inspect — no rice myths — Liquid + power is how you etch boards. Safety before wipe or battery swap.
Known-good cable/brick, inspect port debris, then battery health — Most 'won't charge' tickets are cable, brick, or lint — not a blind battery order.
Factory reset as FIRST action on a swollen or wet phone — Reset does not deflate a cell or dry a board. Make it safe first.
Tell the user to buy a new phone before any inspect — Exam wants FIRST triage and safety, not an immediate procurement leap.