How to Get Air Bubbles Out of a Screen Protector

Feeling deflated about the air bubbles in your screen protector?

It’s one of those minor annoyances that can build to a big one over time. Worse, they can also mess with your touchscreen’s sensitivity. So what can you do to get air bubbles out of a screen protector?

Here are a few tips on how to get air bubbles out of a screen protector.

Blow Them Away

Use a hairdryer on low heat: This is probably the quickest and most effective way to get rid of bubbles. Just hold the hairdryer a few inches away from the screen and blast the bubbles with low heat until they disappear.

Be sure to keep the hair dryer moving, at the recommended distance for use, and on a very low heat to ensure you don’t damage your screen protector or phone.

Use a Cloth

If you don’t have a hairdryer, you can try using a lint-free cloth. Just dampen the cloth with a little bit of water and then gently press it against the bubbles. The heat from your fingertips should cause the bubbles to expand and pop.

Make sure you don’t wet the cloth too much. You don’t want to accidentally get water on your phone — after all, the screen protector is there to keep things like that from happening (see this article for other things it protects you from.)

Use a Credit Card (Free of Charge)

This approach involves some more direct action. Just take a credit card or something similar and place it over the bubble. Then, apply a bit of pressure and drag the card across the surface of the screen. The bubble should pop and disappear.

Life on the Edge

For bubbles near the edge of the protector, you might be able to lift the screen protector slightly with something thin. Avoid doing this with your hands, because it might disrupt the adhesive on the protector.

The goal here is to lift the protector, allow the air to escape, and then put the protector back in place. With a little finesse, you should be able to get rid of the bubble without damaging the protector.

Start Over

Truth is, it’s not always worth it to try and defeat screen protector air bubbles — particularly if you find yourself spending a lot of time on it.

Often, the best course of action is to simply remove the screen protector and start over from scratch. This time, take care to avoid any air bubbles in the first place by gently pressing down on the center of the screen while working your way out to the edges.