What should I do if I crack my iPhone screen?
Back it up, cover the crack with clear tape so glass does not lift out, stop pressing hard on the damaged area, and get it replaced before dust and moisture reach the display layer. A cracked screen that still works is the cheap version of the same repair — a cracked screen left for months usually is not.
The first ten minutes
Back the phone up to iCloud or a computer while it still works. Put a strip of clear tape over the crack to hold the glass together — not as a fix, but so shards do not come away in your hand or fall into the frame.
Avoid hard presses and avoid using it face-down on a table. If the edge of the glass has lifted, stop using Face ID gestures that flex the corner.
Why waiting costs more
Once a crack reaches the edge of the display, the bond starts letting in dust and moisture. Touch fails in strips, dark or green patches spread on OLED panels, and on the coast salt air accelerates all of it. The repair does not become more complicated, but a screen that was still usable becomes one you cannot read, which is when people panic about their data.
Your photos are never at risk from a cracked screen — they live on the logic board. Replacing the front does not touch them.
Living with it safely until the repair
If you have to use the phone for a day or two before the repair, a strip of clear packing tape over the crack keeps glass slivers in place and keeps grit out. Screen protectors applied over a crack do the same job and feel better under the finger.
Watch for the warning signs that the damage is spreading: a patch of the screen that stops responding, flickering along the crack, or the display dimming on its own. Any of those means stop using it and back it up now, because the next stage is a screen you cannot read at all.
Keep it away from water completely — a cracked screen has no meaningful seal left, and even rain or a wet pocket can reach the display layer.