9 Android Troubleshooting Tips to Fix All Kinds of Problems (2024)

Although Android phones have come a long way, they are still vulnerable to some issues. Whether your phone has connectivity problems or an app misbehaves, you can fix it quickly with simple troubleshooting techniques.

Here are ways you can troubleshoot your Android for problems.

Force Stop Apps

Unresponsive apps are a common issue that smartphones face. So, if an app is unresponsive, either slow, freezing, or crushing, the best thing is to force-stop it.

Force-stopping apps usually shut down processes running in the background. Opening the app again restarts the process afresh.

To force stop an app, head to settings and then to the apps page.

Here, choose your unresponsive app and tap the ‘Force stop” button.

Clear App Cache

Clearing your app's cache is another troubleshooting step you can take. Clearing caches improves app performance by freeing up space and resolving glitches.

Clearing your app’s cache simply deletes corrupt data and residual files and gets rid of bugs that might be slowing the app.

To clear your apps’ cache, head to settings and choose the apps category. Here, you can select the app you want to troubleshoot.

Here, you can then tap on the ‘clear cache’ option. Once you clear the cache, you can see the storage amount reduced immediately

.

Free Up Storage Space

Insufficient storage space is a major reason leading to phone issues. For instance, insufficient storage space can cause unresponsive apps, files, and even camera issues. Remember, taking photos and videos requires enough storage memory.

You can free up your phone storage space by deleting unnecessary videos, photos, apps, and files. Also, you can clear your phone’s cache or transfer your files to an SD card or cloud.

Update Apps

App updates usually address issues present in the previous app version. These updates mainly include security enhancements that were absent in the previous version. These security updates help respond appropriately to new and upcoming security threats

.

Steps to take to update your apps are:

Head to the Google Play store, choose an app you would like to update, and click the ‘update’ button. Note that you can only update apps when updates are available.

Alternatively, you can set an automatic app update on the Google Play Store. This means your apps will automatically update once updates become available.

To set automatic updates, open the Google Play Store and click the icon on the top right

.

Once a menu opens, click on the ‘settings’ option.

Click on the ‘Network preferences’ options and choose ‘Auto-update app.’ Here, you can choose whether to update your apps over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Check App permissions

Some apps need permissions to some of your phone’s features. These features include a microphone, location, camera, contacts, etc. Not granting permission to these features can prevent the app from functioning.

The quickest way to check these permissions is to long press on the app icon. A pop-up beside the icon will appear. Click on the top right icon for the “i/ App info” feature. Once on the app info page, tap on the ‘App permissions’ button.

Here, you will see mobile features that fall under two categories, ‘Allowed’ and “Not allowed.” You can choose the features to grant or deny permission

.

Restart your device

This is a common way to fix most devices, including Android devices. The benefits of restarting an Android device include:

• Allowing pending updates to install correctly.
• Clearing temporary files and background processes that take up memory.
• Refreshing network connections to resolve Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi, and mobile data issues.
• Fixing apps and software glitches.
• Optimizing battery usage by closing background apps and processes.

Restarting your phone is easy. Long press the power button, and a menu will pop up. Click on the ‘restart/reboot’ icon.

If this fails, press the power button for about 15 seconds to forcefully restart your device. Alternatively, if your device has a removable battery, you can remove it and put it back, then long press the power button for a restart.

Conduct and System Update

Always update your device system once an update is available. Lack of regular system updates makes your phone vulnerable to bugs, glitches, and easy security attacks.

Perform a system update by clicking on the ‘settings’ app and choosing the ‘Software update’ option on the menu.

For other phones like Redmi, you must click on the ‘About phone’ option. Tap on the top left button that states the MIUI version and your device will then search for available updates. If available, click on the ‘download’ button below.

Ensure you have mobile data or Wi-Fi available for a successful update.

.

Format/Factory reset your device

A factory reset might be the best solution if you face constant unresponsive phone issues. Factory resetting your phone restores it to its original new state. This means a factory reset will erase all your data, leaving only pre-installed files and apps.

Although a tough choice, this troubleshooting technique gets rid of all glitches, bugs, and even viruses in your device.

To factory reset your device:

• Head to the ‘Settings’ page, then to the ‘General management option’. For other phones like Redmi, click on the ‘Additional settings’ option on the ‘Settings’ menu.
• Scroll down and press the ‘Factory reset’ button.
• Click on the “Erase all data’ button and click on ‘Confirm.’ Alternatively, for other phones like Redmi, you will need to input your password and lock pattern for confirmation.