Smartphones are becoming smarter and more powerful as technology advances. Though most of you may never encounter any issues with the hardware or the operating system, however in case of a problem it might not be that easy fixing minor issues.
Here is a list of common problems and solutions. There is a single solution to all of your problems and that is the factory reset. However a factory reset will delete the data and the apps that you might have installed, so use it as a last resort.
Smartphones does not start
Most likely the battery is dead or completely discharged. Remove the battery, insert it again and try charging the handset for few hours and then try again. If that doesn’t work visit the service centre.
How to reboot the handset without removing the battery
What do you do when your smartphone hangs / freeze and does not respond. Well most of you would pull out the back cover, remove the battery, insert it and then start the phone.
The other alternative is to press and hold the power button for a longer duration (about 10 to 20 seconds) until the handset restarts. Those using a smartphone with non-removable battery can use this method.
Just try out, press and hold the power button for a longer duration.
Black / White dots on the screen
The permanent black dots are called dead pixels and white dots are live pixels. These are manufacturing defects but acceptable as long as there are just one or two dots on the screen that do not increase with time.
Smartphone showing less memory / storage that what was mentioned on the box
Not all of the memory or storage that was mentioned on the box pack / specifications will be available some of the space will be used by the operating system.
Google Sign-in on Android device fails or not able to login to Gmail, YouTube and Google Play
Make sure the network is working, go to settings -> apps (management) and look for google play store, Gmail tap each of these apps and clear data / clear cache and then restart the phone. If this does not work try a factory rest (all data on the phone will be lost).
Low Battery Performance
Try using the 2X battery saver app or any other battery saver app – see if it makes a difference. You will get a better battery life if you avoid using apps that consume a lot of processing power.
Battery Percent inaccurate
You will usually find this issue on new handsets. Just use the handset for few days, ignore the faulty reading, and charge the handset only when the battery drops too low. Accuracy will improve with time.
Invalid IMEI number and how to fix it
This is very rare error that rarely happens when installing a customized ROM. In case you get this error it can be easily fixed by visiting the service center or try these steps. Before you begin you need to note down the IMEI number. There will be 2 IMEI number in case of a dual SIM handset. You can find the IMEI number on the box pack and/or mentioned in the battery compartment.
This may or may not work on your handset, but worth trying. Open the dialer and type *#*#3646633#*#* you will enter the engineering mode. Then enter the CDS information option and tap radio information and then tap phone 1. Now enter the command
AT+EGMR=1,7,”THE-FIRST-IMEI-NUMBER”
And press enter.
For second SIM tap phone 2 and type this command
AT+EGMR=1,10,”THE-SECOND-IMEI-NUMBER”
And press enter.
If *#*#3646633#*#* does not work and if you are using a MediaTek powered handset you can download the utility called MTK Engineering Mode for free from Google Play, it will do the same.
GPS not getting a lock
Make sure to enable EPO / A-GPS and also enable EPO download if available. Tap the GPS in settings and you will get more option. Also make sure that the net is working and try again, you should get a lock within a minute or two. Don’t let the handset go into sleep mode (screen goes off plus you need to press the lock/unlock button) because the GPS lock process will restart.
If none of the above works then download the GPS test app (search on Google Play). Try getting a lock using this app, you can also see the number of satellite locks achieved.
Micro SD card not recognized
Most probably a defective SD card, try another card and see if that works. You can also try formatting (fat 16/32) the card that is not working.
MicroSD card Damaged
If you get this error check the card on some other phone or on the PC using card reader. Most likely the card is damaged you can try formatting and see if that works or get a new card.
If you have used the micro SD card on some other phone before then make sure you format the card before using on a new phone. This is just to avoid issues that might crop up.
Can I still use app installed on MicroSD card if I use the card on a new smartphone?
If you have used an android phone before and using a new android phone again you can continue using the card without formatting (assuming there is not a big difference between the OS version). You will however need to download apps even if they were installed on the external storage (i.e. the MicroSD card that you will be using on a new android handset), some files will be downloaded on the internal storage, but the major part (in most cases) that is already on the micro SD card will not be downloaded.
Phone get too slow at times
Download RAM optimizer and System optimizer / booster app and see if that helps. In general remove apps that you had downloaded and are not using.
Unfortunately app has stopped error
Just go to settings, app and look for the app that is creating the problem, tap it and clear storage data and also clear the cache. Then restart the phone and check, it should work.
There could be many other issues and there is one solution to all of these issues and that is the factory reset. Unfortunately a factory reset will erase all the info that is the only disadvantage. But if you have synchronized your Gmail account, most of your important data will populate back once you add your Gmail account on your smartphone.