So your Android device has begun to act weirdly . . . you’re freaking out . . . what to do? Have no fear; Droidweb is here with some troubleshooting tips for your Android device.
Note that this is by no means a be-all, end-all guide to fixing your Android’s problems. This is just a list of various things I’ve done to fix some of the problems I’ve encountered over the past year with my G1. I’m sure some of these extend to other Android phones. Feel free to post your own fixes in the comments below or email them to me (or even tweet them my way @droidweb).
1. Check the Free Memory
This is especially true if you’re using the G1, which has notoriously little hard drive space. I’ve gotten caught out there with an irresponsive phone after loading the root drive to near capacity. I had a custom skin which interfered with the “Low Space” warning from being shown. It doesn’t hurt to check how much memory space you have left every once in a while by going to Settings > SD Card and Phone Storage > Internal Phone Storage:
Pictures courtesy of T-mobile Forums
The more free space you have, the faster your phone will run. Ideally you’d like to have between 20-25 MB free (not the 5 MB I currently have free. That is a dangerously low amount of memory to have free . . .).
2. Check the SIM Card
There have been reports of SIM cards causing malfunctions in Android devices. Ideally you’d like to be running a new SIM card (or at least one that is as young as your phone)–but we don’t live in an ideal world, do we? Furthermore, if you swap out SIM cards–as I do–then the G1’s design isn’t supremely SIM card-friendly. The manner by which you have to slide in the SIM card causes a bit of abrasion.
- If the phone repeatedly has trouble recognizing your SIM card, then try pressing the SIM tight against the phone (yes, this requires you to boot the phone with the cover off. Be careful when you do this).
- If your phone randomly dies, then try cleaning the SIM card contacts.
3. Clean the Contacts
This brings us to point 3. Clean the contacts on the phone. A q-tip dipped in some rubbing alcohol should be fine for this purpose. Try cleaning:
- Battery Contacts
- SIM Card Contacts
Of course you should only clean these contacts with the phone powered OFF and you should let the contacts fully air dry before putting the battery and SIM card back in and powering on the phone.
4. Is the Battery Charged?
This seems like a no-brainer, but I’ve had a near heart attack thinking my phone was broken just to find out . . . oh . . . the battery isn’t charged. This is especially something to look out for when trying out custom ROMs / Themes and new software in general. Some software absolutely emasculates the battery power of your device. Be wary of:
- Constant internet usage (Updating at the speed of Twitter streams is a bad idea for battery power)
- GPS usage (the GPS drains the battery quickly)
- Keeping the screen fully lit for too long. (Gaming on Android is battery intensive)
5. Factory Reset Time
If all else fails, then it’s time you meet your friend: Mr. Factory Reset. This essentially wipes all the data you put on the phone (apps and all) and returns the phone to its pristine, right-out-of-the factory state. This is only for those in need of a serious fix (a bricked phone, an app taking over and crashing the phone constantly, the year 2012, finding out Darth Vader is your baby’s daddy, etc).
To execute a Factory Reset on the G1:
- Power OFF the phone
- Hold the Home and Power buttons for about 20 seconds
- A triangle with an exclamation point /!\ and a picture of the G1 should appear. Press ALT + W.
6. Give it a Rest . . . Literally.
This is the most unscientific way of fixing the phone, but . . . it mysteriously worked before for me. Instead of poking and prodding the phone until near death, just let it rest. I’ve done this before and voila! Come morning, things were better.
7. Check the Forums
Usually if you’ve had a problem with your phone, then someone else has had it before–and there are forums to help. Here are a few sites at which you should begin your search:
