How can I unlock my iPhone 12 from my laptop if the screen won’t respond?

My Apple iPhone (12) decided to stop working. I haven't dropped it in water or dropped it at all, but the top half of my screen just slowly stopped responding to touch. I tried restarting it, forgetting I wouldn't be able to put in my passcode. So now I am stuck with a phone that I can't unlock. I've tried connecting it to my laptop (also Apple), but it won't let me unlock it as it "needs to have been recently unlocked with wifi connection." please help!

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: unlock unresponsive phone from laptop