How the test works
Tap Start and the screen turns into a dark fullscreen surface. Every finger you place on it draws a yellow ring that follows the finger around, with a number above it in order of arrival. The caption in the corner shows how many fingers are down right now and the highest number seen since the run began. Lift all fingers, put them down again, use both hands, ask a friend for theirs: the maximum is kept until you tap ×.
The test reads standard pointer events, the same ones every website receives, and filters them to touches only. Each finger has its own identifier for as long as it stays on the glass, which is exactly what the digitiser inside the panel reports. Positions are drawn once per frame on a canvas, so ten moving rings stay smooth even on a modest phone. Nothing is sent anywhere and the only thing stored is your best result, in the browser's local storage on this device.
Before you start, the preview shows how many touch points your browser claims the device supports. That number comes from the browser, not from the panel, and it is often a rounded value: a browser may say ten for a panel that can do more, or five for one that tracks ten. The test itself is the ground truth.
What the result means
The result card shows the most simultaneous touch points seen during the run, and the context line repeats what the browser reported and your best result so far on this device. Typical outcomes:
- 10. The normal result for phones and tablets made in the last ten years. Everything from pinch-to-zoom to two-handed games works with room to spare.
- 5. Common on budget Android phones and on older devices. Fine for everyday use, but some games and music apps that expect ten points will drop touches.
- 2. Enough for pinch and rotate gestures and nothing more. Expect this on small in-car screens, e-readers and some kiosks, not on a modern phone.
- Fewer than the browser reports. Either the operating system cancelled the extra fingers for a system gesture, or the panel is losing touches. See the FAQ on the counter stopping at five.
- Rings that flicker, jump or vanish while you hold still. The panel is dropping and re-acquiring fingers. One flicker is normal noise; constant flicker points to a failing digitiser, a bad screen protector or electrical noise from a cheap charger.
What to do about a low or unstable count
Unplug the charger first. Noisy chargers and cables are the most common cause of lost and jumping touches, and the fix costs nothing. Then remove the screen protector and the case and run the test again with clean, dry hands; moisture between the fingers and the glass merges two touches into one. Disable system gestures that use several fingers, such as three-finger screenshots and four-finger app switching, because the operating system swallows those touches before the browser sees them.
If the count is stable but lower than you expected, the digitiser controller simply supports fewer points and no software change will add more. If the count is unstable after the steps above, the hardware is failing, usually the touch controller or its flex cable, and it will get worse; back up your data before it does.
When to return or claim the warranty
A brand-new device that tracks fewer points than its specification sheet promises, or that drops fingers while you hold still, is defective. Exchange it within the return window rather than opening a warranty case. For a warranty claim, screenshot the stage with all fingers down so the numbered rings and the counter are visible, and repeat the test after a factory reset so the shop cannot blame an app. Unstable multi-touch without physical damage is covered; a screen that drops touches after a fall or a liquid spill is not.
Frequently asked questions
How many touch points should a phone support?
Almost every phone and tablet sold in the last decade tracks ten fingers, and many panels can do more. Some budget devices and older models stop at five, and a few in-car and kiosk screens at two. The number is a property of the digitiser controller, not of the operating system, so it will not change with an update.
The counter stops at 5 but I know the screen does 10. Why?
Two things cap the number. The browser reports its own limit in navigator.maxTouchPoints, and some Android browsers announce five even on a ten-point panel. Then the operating system may cancel touches once a gesture is recognised, for example a three-finger screenshot or a four-finger app switch on a tablet. Turn off system gestures and try again before you conclude the panel is limited.
Why does a finger sometimes get a new number when I lift another one?
Numbers are assigned in order of arrival and freed when a finger lifts, so the next finger to land takes the lowest free number. A ring that keeps its number while others come and go is being tracked correctly. A ring that jumps position or is re-numbered while you hold still means the panel briefly lost that finger, which is a sign of a failing digitiser or a noisy charger.
Does this test work with a stylus or a mouse?
The counter only counts fingers. A stylus is reported as a separate pointer type and is ignored so it does not inflate the result, and a mouse can never produce more than one pointer. On a laptop with a touch screen you can use your fingers on the display; the trackpad does not count.
What is the best result kept on the result card?
The card remembers the highest number of touches ever seen on this device in this browser and shows it as the best so far. It lives in your browser's local storage, never leaves the device, and disappears if you clear site data.