Cell phones – almost all of us own one. There are actually more cellular devices in the world than people, although only 5 billion people are actually using them. With so many phones in the world, the chances for them to go wrong are higher than ever. Companies sometimes like to charge you a lot to get your phone fixed, so it can be tempting to sort out the problem by yourself. Although that isn’t always possible, some DIY techniques should help you get it back to working order.
Fixing battery life
The longer you’ve owned your phone, the more chance there is that it’ll stop working properly. One of the problems you’ll start to experience in this situation is a loss of battery life. This happens because the battery starts to degrade, something that can only truly be fixed by getting it replaced.
If you’re not able to shell out money for a new battery (or a new cell phone), then there are things you can do to slow down its depletion. For instance, there might be some apps that drain power much quicker than others. If that’s the case, identify them and delete them (unless they’re super important). Most cell phones these days have information in their settings on how much battery power an app uses.
Alternatively, you can turn on battery saving mode, which makes your phone run at lower power. This should help slow down power loss enough that you’re not charging your phone 24/7. It’s not a permanent fix, but it will help tide you over until you’re ready to spend money.
Preventing app crashes
Have you ever been using an app and then suddenly it crashes? Has that happened two, three, four times in a row? There’s no point in having all these apps on your phone if you can never access them. To solve the problem, first, try uninstalling it. For some apps like Facebook or Twitter, this won’t be a big deal as your data is all saved in your profile. For games and other apps, though, it’s possible this might make you lose progress. Be sure to backup your cell phone first.
Upon reinstalling the app, check to see if it runs smoothly again. If the issue persists, there may be a bug with the application itself. In this case, make the problem known to the developer through an email or review.
Crashes might also be caused by problems like overheating or lack of storage space. The former can happen because of a unreliable charger, so keep an eye on how hot your phone gets when its plugged in. If you’ve been using an off-brand charger for your cell phone, you may need to buy a new one from a more reputable source.
Turn it off and on again
It’s advice most commonly given to people having problems with their computer, but it works just as well for cell phones. If you’re having an issue, see if turning it off and on again sorts it out. Sure, it may not solve any major problems with the hardware, but you’d be surprised how often this method works. Sometimes, your phone is just having a moment, and it needs to be reset to sort itself out.
It’s possible that a factory reset might also be necessary. This will restore your phone back to its original settings and can be useful if there’s a software problem causing trouble. Make sure to backup everything on your cell phone before you do this, though, otherwise you’ll lose everything.
No-one wants to be without a phone, which means a problem needs to be dealt with as soon as it appears. If none of these tips are working, you may have to get some expert advice and potentially buy a new phone. It’s a painful cost, but sometimes there isn’t another choice.
