36 Common Problems In Android Phones With Their Solutions

Android Phones can cause problems which seem too complex to handle at the time but their solutions are really simple. Here are the solutions to the most common android phone problems that users have encountered:

1. My Android phone has frozen

You just need to restart your phone to kickstart a frozen android phone.

2. My smartphone Wi-Fi does not remain connected

This may solve the problem. Just go to Wi-Fi > Settings > Menu > Advanced and choose to stay connected to Wi-Fi during sleep.

3. Why do I keep running out of memory?

Among other reasons, the most prominent problem can be a full cache which affects the efficient running of apps. You can download apps like Cache Cleaner or Clean Master from Google Play to clean the cache for specific apps. This will free up some memory to resolve the issue. You will also have to either uninstall or move apps to an external SD card to free up more physical memory.

4. My SD card is no longer recognised

SD cards can get corrupted and the most effective solution is to reformat them using a desktop or laptop PC.  It works more often than trying to format it on the phone itself.

5. My screen is difficult to see in bright sunlight

You can increase screen brightness to maximum or use ‘anti-glare’ screen protector to see the screen in bright sunlight.

6. How do I remove apps?

Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications and then select the app you wish to uninstall. Now tap the Uninstall icon to remove the app.

7. My screen has cracked! Should I buy a new phone?

Cracked screens can be replaced as most phones have parts available from various suppliers both online and offline. Do your research before buying a new phone.

8. Entering my password takes forever!

Go to Settings > Security > Set up screen lock > choose enter a pattern rather than a password. Pattern is quicker and securer than a password.

9. My location is not always accurate in maps

Go to Settings > Location > check ‘Use GPS satellites’ and this will ensure much greater accuracy when navigating.

10. How do I wipe my Android smartphone completely?

Go to Settings > SD & Phone storage > Factory Data Restore. Go through the process twice to be completely sure that everything has been removed.

11. I dropped my phone in water!

Take the battery out as quickly as possible and dry as many parts of the phone as you can then leave it for 72 hours in a dry room. Try it again, it may work.

12. Can I make the text on my Android smartphone bigger?

Go to  message settings and use ‘Set text size’ option to increase the size of the displayed text.

13. Can I update my apps automatically?

Go to Google Play > Menu > ‘My Apps’ > select an app and choose auto-update option for trusted apps only. This option can be seen half-way down the screen.

14. I want to hide my search history.

Go to www.google.com/history in your Android browser and login. Here you can choose to remove your previous searches and not to save future searches.

15. How do I take screenshots?

Some smartphones will let you press the back key and the home button twice to take screenshots but the method varies for different android phone models.

16. How do I download music directly to my phone or tablet?

You can install Amazon MP3 from Google Play  which lets you purchase and install MP3 files directly to your phone without the need of a PC.

17. Some apps won’t install to my SD card

You may be able to move apps to an SD card using Settings > Manage Applications after installating the app in the phone memory.

18. How can I change the language on my phone?

Go to Settings > Language & keyboard and choose the language you require.

19. Can I remove pre-installed apps on my phone?

You can, but the process will require rooting the device and then downloading an app called Root Uninstaller. This can make your phone unstable and the amount of memory saved will not be worth it.

20. Can I speed up my Android phone?

There are apps available such as SetCPU which will let you speed up your phone through overclocking the processor. It will also let you slow down the processor to save memory. However, you need to be careful because you may end up frying your phone if you push it above the set maximum speed.

21. What’s the best way to backup my phone?

There are multiple solutions available to backup an Android phone and Titanium Backup PRO is considered to be one of the best solutions available. This app has the ability to backup every part of your phone and even export the backups through email or sync them to Dropbox.

22. How can I stop viruses from attacking my phone?

You can download anti-virus applications such as Kaspersky Mobile Security or AVG which offer real-time protection against a host of threats.

23. The volume on my phone is too quiet

If your Android phone suffer from low volume then you can download AudioBoost from the Android market. It can increase the volume up to 30% and is also activated from home screen widget.

24. The Live Wallpaper uses too much battery life

The simple solution is to use a static wall paper instead.

25. My clock keeps losing time.

This problem can occur if your phone’s clock updates time automatically from your network.  If the network clock is slow, so will be your phone clock. Go to Settings > Date & time > untick the ‘Automatic’ box at the top.

26. Can I block unwanted callers?

If your network provider does not offer this facility then you can download Extreme Call Blocker Droid. This app can block incoming calls but it is not the cheapest Android app available. You can explore other apps on the market too.

27. My phone is slow at times. Are there any tools to help?

You can make your phone fast if you remove all unnecessary apps and data you do not need. An app like System Tuner Pro can tune many parts of your phone automatically to ensure the best possible performance.

28. My phone has been stolen. Can I track it?

You can install a third party app to help track your phone if it gets stolen. PhoneLocator Pro can remotely track a phone using GPS as well as let you wipe or lock the phone.

29. Why can’t I use iTunes with my Android device?

You can use iTunes with doubleTwist AirSync which lets you synchronise media between iTunes and an Android phone or tablet without a physical connection. However, you won’t be able to access DRM protected media.

30. How do I close an app that keeps freezing my phone?

Go to Settings > Applications > ‘Manage applications’. Now choose the app that is misbehaving from the list and tap ‘Force stop’. If the app continues to misbehave try to uninstall and then reinstall it.

31. Can I close running apps quickly?

You can use the default task manager in Android to deal with running apps. It also lets you manage all of your running apps with a couple of taps.

32. Why does auto-correct not know all the words I need to use?

Auto-correct cannot possibly know all the words but you can add new ones quickly and easily. When you type a word, look for the ‘+’ sign below the text field, tap it and the word will be added to your dictionary for future use. The more words you add, the more accurate your typing will become.

33. Switching between keyboards takes forever!

Simply press and hold the ‘123’ button on the keyboard. You will be given the list of all the keyboards installed from where you can choose the desired one in just about a second.

34. Why does my screen turn off when charging?

Go to Settings > Applications > Development and check the ‘Stay awake’ option to keep the screen on during charging.

35. Can I reinstall a paid app?

You can reinstall a paid app from the Android Market. Go to  ‘My Market Account’ >  orders tab which include a list of the purchased apps. You can choose an app and then tap ‘Install’ to complete the process. Google Play does not charge you for reinstalling an app.

36. How do I know if I have the latest version of Android on my phone?

Go to Settings > About phone > ‘System software updates’ > click ‘Check now’. You will be notified if any new updates are available or all the updates have already been installed on your phone.