Our phones are always tethered to us to the point that they mainly feel like a phantom limb. Smartphone addiction sounds terrible, and you may think you don’t have it, but studies show that majority of people are entirely dependent on their mobiles. When things go wrong with our cell, it can be a real hassle as you lose access to the device that connects you to your work, family, friends, and a slew of lifestyle apps that you rely on to get everything done and get through the day. Thankfully, there’s often a solution to some of the most common troublesome issues that come up with phones.
It’s not hard to find a phone repair shop if the issues are too severe for your fix (or perhaps you aren’t confident with trying some fixes yourself). However, it’s good to know what might be causing your issues in case it might still be a minor hiccup instead of a problem that needs to be checked out.
- Not charging properly
Before panicking about your battery, try switching outlets first. If the power source isn’t the issue, then move on to the cable and try a different one. If this isn’t the issue, check if it’s your adapter. If your phone can still be turned on, try leaving it plugged in a while and see if that charges. If these don’t work, you may have an issue with the charging socket. You can try to adjust this carefully or position your cable in a way that still charges it up, but you’ll eventually have to have the battery changed if you don’t want to do any further damage.
- Ghosting or screen burn
This factor will depend on the type of screen your phone has, as LCDs experience ghosting while AMOLEDs get burn-in. For LCDs, this happens because of slow response time. For AMOLED, it comes down to the color production capability of the lights in your panel. For both, it’s usually caused by wear and tear from age. If your phone is new, this shouldn’t happen, and you should call your manufacturer for a replacement. Otherwise, it comes down to having the panel replaced (or just shelling out for a new phone).
- All apps running slowly
For both Android and iOS, slow-running apps can be a significant issue that is often caused by an overloaded RAM system. Free up your cache and storage space, make sure your OS is updated, and make sure you always close any unused apps. If things are still running slow after these changes, try to reboot your phone and see if this only happens after launching a specific app. Uninstalling that app should do the trick. Otherwise, you may have to get your phone checked.
- Won’t turn on
For both Android and iPhones, the first thing to try here is to hold down the power button for 10 seconds. If that fails, try a hard reset by holding down both the power button and the volume button until the screen turns on. If this doesn’t work within 15 seconds, try to leave your phone charging for around 30 minutes before trying again. If none of those work, you may have to either check for physical damage or get your phone restored or flashed depending on the model.
It’s tempting to panic when your handy device doesn’t work as it should, but try these out first and remember that a reliable repair shop can usually get it fixed when all else fails.
