For centuries, humanity has wrestled with a simple problem: how to keep fingers warm without sacrificing the ability to poke at a glass rectangle. The shift from mittens to individually wrapped fingers was, per Wired, the biggest upgrade in glove history - until now. Traditional gloves still don't play nicely with smartphones, leaving you to stab uselessly at the screen before giving up and exposing your bare hand to the cold like a chump.

Enter the touchscreen glove: a garment with material or fingertip technology that actually works with capacitive displays. Wired tested each pair by answering calls, browsing the web, and sending texts, while also judging comfort, grip, and warmth in 30- to 40-degree Fahrenheit weather. Because nothing says "journalism" like typing with numb thumbs.

The guide, updated January 2026, now includes heated gloves from Venustas, streamlined picks, and updated suggested settings. Before you shop, Wired strongly recommends increasing your phone's touchscreen sensitivity. On Android: Settings > Display and touch > Touch sensitivity > toggle on Increased sensitivity (menus may vary). On iPhone: Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Haptic Touch or 3D & Haptic Touch > select Fast. You can also tweak Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Touch Accommodations. Because if your gloves are going to be dumb, your phone might as well be extra sensitive.