<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It starts with a tiny black dot on your phone screen.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Then, before you know it, your device is down with a bad case of 'pixel cancer'.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fast-spreading and incurable, it occurs when pixels on a digital display 'die' due to physical damage and it can make parts of the screen completely unusable.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-nsw-rain-flood-risk-forecast-warnings-updates/01a8b26d-c110-46a6-8f1e-dcec52c7bd7e" target="_blank"><strong><span>Millions facing days of flood risk as torrential rain eases</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But </span><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/today" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Today"><span>Today</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="A Current Affair"><span>A Current Affair</span></a><span>'s resident tech expert Trevor Long told 9news.com.au it doesn't always mean you need to fork out for a brand new phone.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Your phone has well over a million pixels on the screen, each pixel is used to display a colour and together they make the picture we see," Long he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If a pixel loses its connection to power or for some reason just fails, it will be 'off' permanently."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/technology/black-dot-phone-screen-what-is-pixel-cancer-how-to-fix/c64f5377-8c7a-4e49-85ef-e984c0a75b6c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A dead pixel will no longer display colour or respond to touch, so a large cluster of dead pixels can make parts of a touch screen unresponsive.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"What actually causes that to happen is tough to say, but in most cases it's physical damage," Long said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bassam-hamzy-prison-attack-goulburn-brothers-for-life/34267c3b-3b67-4238-b132-e55efbe26d35" target="_blank"><strong><span>CCTV shows violent attack on one of NSW's most notorious prisoners</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2024/12/02/12/00/20-inventions-that-changed-the-world"><img alt="" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/JzkSUk_a1LdIQ_RzhLsBGlc2lgc=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F9cc6d598-c700-486e-b51b-6ff4d0d29ec8" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/JzkSUk_a1LdIQ_RzhLsBGlc2lgc=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F9cc6d598-c700-486e-b51b-6ff4d0d29ec8 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/IV8MZB3RIsPwfWopDHMdyMGLhf4=/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F9cc6d598-c700-486e-b51b-6ff4d0d29ec8 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Here are 20 inventions that changed the world</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2024/12/02/12/00/20-inventions-that-changed-the-world">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When a single pixel fails on its own, it's unlikely the damage will spread.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But when the problem is caused by phsyical damage to the screen, the risk of it spreading to other pixels (so-called 'pixel cancer') skyrockets.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And your chances of being able to fix the dead pixels plummet.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Sadly, it's unlikely you can fix the actual issue but it's only the screen that has damage, so you don't need a whole new phone," Long said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A new screen on an older phone is far cheaper than almost any new phone, and a new screen on a more recent phone, while likely expensive, is still far cheaper than buying the same phone again."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/why-is-it-so-wet-in-nsw-dry-melbourne-extreme-weather-explained/5584f062-b265-467f-9bac-9b3b943e26d3" target="_blank"><strong><span>Great for Melbourne, bad for Sydney: The factors causing August's strange weather</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Common causes of 'pixel cancer' include direct physical damage to the front of the screen or bumps to the edge of the screen at the wrong place or on the wrong angle.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Long recommends investing in a high quality protective phone case to prevent physical damage.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also said it's a good idea to update your case from time to time, as they can become soft over time and offer less protection.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Also, don't drop or bump your phone - it's worth a lot of money."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news 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