Bubble Trouble: How to Get Rid of Screen Protector Bubbles

You’ve taken the leap and got a screen protector for your phone – good for you! You followed the application directions as carefully as humanly possible. And now, when you’re finally finished, you look down at your phone…only to see bubbles staring back at you.


What’s the deal? Where did those bubbles come from – and are there any methods to get rid of screen protector bubbles?


Besides being aesthetically unappealing, these bubbles can make it difficult to perform touch gestures and can obscure your phone display. While your first instinct may be to buy a new screen protector or throw your phone in frustration, we don’t have to go there just yet. 


Keep reading to learn all about screen protector bubbles, including how to fix screen protector bubbles on your phone!

Common Causes of Screen Protector Bubbles

We know you want to get straight to how to get rid of screen protector bubbles, but it’s important to understand why they happen. After all, you don’t want them to appear again!

Bubbles are typically caused by a few things, including:


Improper Installation: Some screen protectors can be extremely difficult to install, especially when it comes to alignment. If the alignment is off or you’ve touched the adhesive, it can end up causing bubbles to form.


Debris & Dust Particles: Maybe you forgot to wipe your phone with a microfiber cloth before installation. Maybe there was microscopic dust and debris caught beneath the screen protector. Those tiny particles can create air pockets, causing immediate bubbles or even bubbles to occur months later due to a pressure shift created from drops and bumps.


Oily Fingerprints: Our skin has natural oil on its surface – including our fingertips. Fingerprints can prevent a seal from forming on your phone and may cause bubbles.


Low-Quality Screen Protectors: Lower-quality screen protectors might be flimsy and have poor adhesives, making them difficult to install and properly seal to your screen.

Bursting the Bubble: How to Get Rid of Screen Protector Bubbles

If you have questions about screen protectors, we have your solutions! Try these tips to get rid of bubbles under your screen protector.

How to Fix Screen Protector Bubbles with a Plastic Card

For this method, you’re going to need a plastic card. This could be a credit card, your driver's license, or even an old gift card. Make sure it’s clean!


To get rid of screen protector bubbles with a plastic card, take off your protective phone case, and place your phone on a flat surface. Working from the center to the outer edges of your phone, apply gentle pressure and push the bubbles out using the card’s edge. Push in one direction if you can to ensure a firmer grip.


You might notice that the bubbles just moved to another position or change shape. That’s normal. Just keep working with the card until the bubbles are completely gone.


If you have an air bubble in the corner that won’t budge, try using the card to briefly lift the screen protector edge that’s closest to the bubble to remove it. If you’re trying to remove air bubbles from tempered glass screen protectors, this tip works for tempered glass too. Some screen protectors will come with a squeegee to push out bubbles – no card required.

 

Ditch the Dirt and Debris with Tape

Sometimes learning how to fix or get rid of screen protector bubbles starts with hitting the root cause. You’re going to need tape and a clean plastic card for this method, which you will use to remove any dirt and debris you may have missed during application.


Using your card, very carefully peel back one corner of your screen protector. Try to avoid touching the tape’s adhesive with your fingers, since your skin’s natural oils can weaken the adhesive. Dab the area of your screen that had air bubbles with the tape to remove any dirt, debris, or lint.


Lower the screen protector’s edge back down once you’re finished, pressing down from the center to the edges of your device. Repeat for any other corners to get rid of screen protector bubbles and dust particles!

Remove and Reapply the Screen Protector

If the bubbles persist after the above methods, you can try reapplication. Keep in mind that this method should only be done shortly after installation as a last resort. But, if done properly it can be a decent method to remove air bubbles from tempered glass screen protectors since they’re more forgiving than plastic.


It can be a tricky process because you can accidentally pick up small dust particles just from holding the screen protector or laying it flat with the adhesive facing up. If you still have the liner, you can try to place the shield back on it while you re-clean the phone screen. But, chances are you won’t put the liner back on perfectly which means some adhesive will still be exposed and it can make things worse 


If you want to try to reapply, first, use a plastic card or another thin object to lift up and around the corners of the screen protector and remove it from your phone. Then thoroughly clean your screen with a cleaning solution and microfiber cloth to remove any dust particles or fingerprints. When finished, reapply the screen protector, ensuring that you have the proper alignment.


Your bubbles should be gone!

 

How to Get Rid of Screen Protector Bubbles: Troubleshooting and Alternative Methods

In your search for getting rid of bubbles under a screen protector, you’re bound to have seen many methods. One popular technique is using a translucent oil, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or olive oil on a cotton swab to wipe the edges of a screen protector. The idea is that the oil gets under the screen protector to form a seal.


But, if you want to get rid of screen protector bubbles, we do not recommend this method. While some may claim success, oil risks damaging your device, especially if it seeps into its ports. 


If the recommended methods for fixing your screen protector bubbles don’t work for you, it may be time to get a new screen protector. 


High-quality screen protectors from trusted manufacturers like ZAGG are significantly less likely to get bubbles thanks to their easy installation. Some, like ZAGG’s Glass XTR3 screen protection, even offer precise, anti-dust installation so the adhesive lays smooth over most dust.

Protect Your Device

Our methods for how to get rid of screen protector bubbles will have you saying goodbye to bubbles in no time! For better phone protection, choose ZAGG. Our technologically advanced screen protectors provide world-class screen protection and offer an easy, precise application that ensures proper alignment. Explore 360-degree protection with ZAGG, today!

FAQs

No need to panic – you have a few different options for removing air bubbles from both plastic and tempered glass screen protectors. You could use a plastic card (like a credit card) to push each bubble from the center to the edges until they’re gone. Other options include lifting a corner edge to remove bubbles and dust, and even reapplying your screen protector. Keep in mind that reapplying plastic screen protectors can get tricky since the adhesive can wear off and more dust can be attracted in the process!
If you need to know how to fix or get rid of screen protector bubbles before they happen, follow these steps: wipe your screen with a microfiber cloth for a clean display, line up the screen protector correctly with the phone’s outer edges, and let the screen protector adhere naturally – don’t readjust after it’s already made contact with the screen. Some high-quality screen protectors come with installation trays to ensure proper alignment.
You could clean your screen and try applying it again as a way to get rid of screen protector bubbles. Just be sure not to do this too many times, as it may weaken the adhesive. You may want to try other methods like lifting a corner of the screen protector with a credit card to remove the bubbles or running the bubbles out with a credit card.
In your search for how to get rid of screen protector bubbles, you may have seen the oil trick: dip a cotton swab in a translucent oil and wipe the edges of the screen protector so the bubbles magically disappear! But this isn’t a recommended method to fix screen protector bubbles. If you’re not extremely precise with your application, you can damage your screen protector and even your phone if the oil seeps into its crevices.
Bubbles can be caused by improper application of your screen protector, the presence of tiny dust particles between the phone screen and screen protector, incompatibility with your phone model, or applying a low-quality screen protector. Make sure you always buy a screen protector made from a high-quality material like tempered glass, and one that’s compatible with your screen size and phone to avoid bubbles in the first place.

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