Common Smartphone problems and how to fix them

These days, it seems like as the sales of smartphones rise, the issues found on these devices rise. Thankfully, some of these common problems can be fixed without having to take it to a technician; all you need is the knowledge of how to fix them. To help with the acquisition of this knowledge, Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 6 common smartphone problems and how they can be fixed.

Smartphone is Running Slowly

This is the most common smartphone problem. This problem is most of the time caused by keeping apps running when not in use, installing unnecessary apps that choke your device’s RAM storage and saving numerous files on your device which congest your internal storage.

Solution: Close apps that are not in use, uninstall and disable unnecessary apps, free up your device’s storage and clear your cached data. If the issue still isn’t resolved you can download diagnostic apps like Phone Doctor Plus and Z-Device Test to help pinpoint the problem. You can also perform a factory data reset to wipe your device clean, leaving the software of your phone the way it was when it was first turned on.

Bluetooth Issues

Most Bluetooth issues are either pairing or interference issues. These can occur over time, sometimes due to the build of cached data in the ‘Bluetooth share’ system app or due to interference from sources like microwaves, wireless speakers, certain external monitors and LCD displays, Direct Satellite Service (DSS), power sources like power lines or stations, 2.4GHz or 5GHz phones or wireless RF video.

Solution: You can try switching off and switching on on your Bluetooth, if it is malfunctioning. If it still doesn’t work, go to Settings> Apps> Systems Apps> Select Bluetooth Share> Clear Cache. The steps vary for different smartphone brands, but the important thing to know is that ‘Bluetooth Share’ is a system app and should be sourced from the system apps of your phone.

For interference issues, either switch off the source of interference or take your device away from it. For pairing issues, you should make sure your device’s discoverable mood is on, get away from or power down likely interferers and make sure the devices you are attempting to pair are in close proximity to each other. If these don’t work, you can try powering your phone off and back on and limiting the data shared between the devices, before trying the above suggestions again.

Cracked Screen or Immersion in Water

We all know water and electronics are not a good mix, but unfortunately accidents happen and devices suddenly get immersed in water or have a hard impact with the floor when they mistakenly slip.

Solution: To avoid such accidents, a sturdy mobile phone case and screen protector can help to protect your phone. Though relatively expensive, it’s a worthy investment because they can help prevent cracked screens and water entering the phone’s ports.

Battery Problems

Battery problems are also fairly common in smartphones. The common battery problems are battery drain, slow charging and ‘system-hogging’ apps. They are mostly caused by users’ abuse.

Solution: To solve this issue you should start by stopping unnecessary apps from running and desist from using defective or wrong chargers to charge your phone. Google Play Service is a feature on most Android phones that drains a lot of battery, so you should clear the cache at least once a month to stop it from draining your battery. Also, you can reduce your screen’s brightness; shorten your screen timeout; and reduce the frequency your widgets and background apps update.

Phone or Apps Crashes

This is indeed a frustrating problem. It can be caused by bugs in your apps, too many apps open at a time, too little memory on the phone etc.

Solution: If your apps crash, you can clear the app data from ‘App Info’ or ‘App Manager’ (depending on how it’s named on your device). Also, learn to clear your cached data and avoid opening too many apps at a time.

For phone crashes, you can try troubleshooting your device for random restarts, troubleshooting apps on your device for random restarts, remove the case and external battery of your device for a short while, or performing a factory data reset on your device.

MicroSD Card Not Working On Your Smartphone

There are a lot of microSD cards in the market, but unfortunately not all of them will work on your smartphone. That can be frustrating.

Solution: There are mostly two types of microSD cards that you’ll come across – SDHC and SDXC. Before you buy any of them, you need to confirm the one which your smartphone supports. In terms of speed, most smartphones support these three primary speed classes of microSD cards: Class 10, UHS-1 Class 1, and UHS-1 Class 3. There are also UH-2 cards but only a limited number of mobile devices support them.

You should watch out for these labels when buying microSD cards for your smartphones. MicroSD card type (SDHC or SDXC) and capacity (GB or TB) are labeled on the card. The three speed classes above also have logos to signify their minimum speed. Class 10 is the letter C with the number 10 inside. UHS-1 Class 1 and Class 3 are the letter U with a 1 or 3 inside, respectively. Finally, you may also see a I or II label on the card, which references a UHS bus speed.