Broken phone screen prank
for iPhone and Android.

Why a fake cracked phone screen works so well

Almost everyone has dropped a phone and felt that half-second of dread before turning it over. That shared experience is exactly why the broken phone screen prank lands. A phone screen is small, held close and usually bright, so a realistic crack — with a crushed impact point, long radial lines and rings of broken glass — reads as real damage before anyone thinks to question it.

On this page the cracks are drawn at your phone's real pixel density, which on most phones is three device pixels for every point. That keeps every hairline sharp. Stretched cracked-screen photos look soft on a modern phone, which is the fastest way to give a prank away.

Broken screen prank on iPhone, step by step

1. Open abrokenscreen.com in Safari.
2. Tap the Share button, scroll down and choose Add to Home Screen, then tap Add.
3. Open Broken Screen from the new icon. It opens without the Safari address bar or toolbar.
4. Choose a crack style and a background, set When should it break?, and tap Start the prank.
5. Hand the phone over. To exit, press and hold anywhere for about a second and tap Exit prank, or swipe up to leave the app.

If you do not want to add a shortcut, the prank still works straight from Safari or Chrome; it simply fills the page below the address bar. Rotate the phone or scroll slightly to make the bar shrink.

Broken screen prank on Android

Android is easier. Open the page in Chrome, Samsung Internet, Firefox or Edge, pick a crack, and tap Start the prank. The browser switches into true full screen and hides its own bars, so the broken glass covers the whole display. Phones that support it give a short double vibration when the glass breaks, which makes the moment feel physical. To exit, use the back gesture, press and hold the screen, or press Esc on a connected keyboard. You can also choose Add to Home screen or Install app from the browser menu so the prank opens full screen from an icon.

Use their real lock screen

The most convincing version of the prank uses a screenshot of the victim's own phone. Take a screenshot of the lock screen or home screen (side button and volume up on iPhone, power and volume down on most Android phones), choose My screenshot on this page, and select the image. The cracks are drawn over it, so when they look at the phone they see their own wallpaper, clock and apps under the broken glass. The screenshot is processed on your phone and never uploaded.

No screenshot? The built-in Lock screen background shows a live clock and today's date on a modern gradient wallpaper, which is close enough for a quick hand-over.

Which crack looks most like a dropped phone?

• Corner drop — the most realistic for phones. Most real breaks start at a corner because that is where a falling phone lands.
• Edge hit — cracks spreading from the side, as if the phone was knocked against a table edge.
• Hairline — a long thin crack across the glass. Subtle, and great for slow-burn pranks where they notice it on their own.
• LCD bleed — when the display underneath is damaged too: a black ink spot, purple glow and coloured lines.

Cracked phone wallpapers for every model

If you would rather set a broken screen as a wallpaper, open Download and choose your phone from the device list. Sizes include iPhone 16 Pro Max (1320 × 2868), iPhone 16 Pro (1206 × 2622), iPhone 16 and 15 (1179 × 2556), iPhone SE (750 × 1334), Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (1440 × 3120), Galaxy S24 (1080 × 2340) and Google Pixel 9 Pro (1280 × 2856), or pick This screen to match whatever phone you are holding. More designs are on the cracked screen wallpaper page.

Keep it a joke

Phones are expensive and personal, so reveal the prank quickly — before your friend starts searching for repair prices. Never use a fake crack on a phone you are selling, returning or claiming on insurance. For more set-ups and reveal ideas, see the broken screen prank ideas, or try the full broken screen prank with every crack style.