I may have mentioned that my fiancee is blind. This makes certain aspects of operating her smartphone more complex. For instance, when she’s on a call, it doesn’t always respond to her spoken command to disconnect. Since she doesn’t have physical buttons on the screen, it’s difficult to find the “hang up” icon.
This morning, while I was using Superglue to make a minor household repair, her sister suggested that I put a single drop of it on the appropriate spot, so that when it dries, there will always be a tactile bump on the screen that she can easily find. While this is true, I have some concerns that I’d like to clear up before proceeding with this ahem unauthorized field change.
First, is there any chance that such an artifact on the screen of a smartphone (iPhone 13, ftr) might render it non-functional in any way? Pretty sure the glass is not quite the same as in the bedroom window pane. Also, and perhaps less importantly, should the day come when she wants to upgrade, would this affect her phone’s eligibility to be traded in?
I don’t have an answer as to whether the superglue will damage the phone screen (though I doubt it) but what if you put a plastic or glass screen cover over the screen and put the superglue on that?
Voice control r fun, not. Anyway, I’d be leery of superglue or even highmark. Touchscreen tech varies, but usually anything between glass & flesh will make the screen not sense touches. Example, i put layer of shirt between screen and finger and it wont sense touch. More comments after dinner.
Touchscreens used on phones are capacitive, so, up to a point, if there is a solid material on the screen it doesn’t tend to cause any issues. The slightest air gap and it fails. Screen protectors rely on this. Messing about with a screen protector rather than the glass proper is a great idea. However CA glue may have trouble staying stuck. I have a feeling they choose plastics with pretty low surface energy.
My suggestion would be to try the opposite. Get a screen protector and punch a small hole in just the right place. The edge of the hole should be easy enough to feel.
It isn’t as if screen protectors are expensive. You can try all manner of ides.
This company has iPhone screen protectors with dots placed to make it easier for blind and visually impaired people to use the phone, along with the screen reader feature of iOS.
Silicone RTV sticks really well to glass. Can be removed from glass with a razor blade. Super glue outgases as it cures and will leave a cloudy film on the screen that possibly cannot be cleaned off. The outgassing of super glue is used by police to develop finger prints on objects.
