Updated October 3, 2026.
Four risks that grow
The short answer: often yes, for a while. A crack in the glass does not stop the phone. Plenty of people use one for months. But four things get worse the longer you wait. Here they are, in order.
1. Cuts
Cracked glass sheds tiny slivers. They can cut a finger or a cheek. Some end up in your pocket or your bag. A sharp edge can also snag a case or a sleeve.
Cover the crack today. Clear packing tape works. A tempered glass protector works better and holds the pieces in place. Do not run your thumb along the crack to feel it.
2. Touch and ghost taps
The glass sits on top of a touch layer and a display layer. A crack that stays in the glass only looks bad. A crack that reaches deeper does more.
Watch for touch that misses. Or taps you did not make, often called ghost taps. That usually points to the touch layer. Lines, black spots or a green tint mean the display itself is damaged, not just the glass. Those spots tend to grow.
3. Water and dust
A sealed phone keeps out rain and dust. A cracked one does not. Moisture gets in through the crack and sits on the board. Dust gets under the glass and shows up as dark specks.
This is the risk that costs the most. A wet board can turn a screen job into a board job. Keep it dry. No shower, no rain, no kitchen sink. Read more on water damage repair.
4. The crack spreads
Cracks grow with heat and pressure. A hot car. A back pocket. Keys in the same pocket. Each one pushes the crack a little further. One day a small corner crack runs across the whole screen.
Keep the phone out of the sun and out of tight pockets. Set it down face up, on a flat surface.
5. What to do tonight
- Back it up. iCloud, Google or a computer. Do this first, while the screen still works. A dead screen makes a backup much harder.
- Tape it. Or put a protector over it.
- Lower the brightness. Less heat, less spread.
- Keep it dry. And out of the heat.
6. Bring it in when
Any one of these means it is time. The same day if you can.
- Black spots, lines or a green tint.
- Touch misses, or the phone taps by itself.
- The crack reaches the camera or the edge of the phone.
- You see moisture under the glass.
- Glass is lifting or falling out.
We look at it free and tell you the price. You decide before we start. Many popular phone screens take about 15 minutes when the part is in stock. Screen repairs come with our 60-day warranty. If we cannot fix it, you pay nothing.
Reviewed September 2026. Screens vary by model.