How to Repair Android Software Issues from Minor to Major
Sometimes, it’s mostly your phone’s software that has an issue and not the hardware itself. These problems range from minor to major in terms of how difficult they are to implement and the consequences of the fix.
Minor Fixes: Apps
If the problem with your phone is that it’s way too slow, then the way to fix this could start with just uninstalling some of the apps on your phone. You can do this by going into your app drawer, and then tapping and hold on any app you don’t really need. Then, you drag the app icon over to the uninstall option. Some apps aren’t the kind you can uninstall based on your phone. This is because some phones have what is called “bloatware.” This means that your phone company partnered with the maker of the phone and made it so that some apps will stay on the phone no matter what.
Depending on the phone, it may be possible to at least uninstall all the updates for the app, deactivate it, and remove it from the main screen, which will at least help a little.
Minor Fixes: Junk
It’s also important to wipe the browser of cookies from time to time. These files can really build up and cause a huge slowdown in your machine over the long run. You can usually wipe cookies through the browser settings option for the Android version of Chrome. This can also go a long way to clean up your phone’s operation since chances are good you’ll be using it to do browsing on the internet frequently if not as the primary function of the device.
Moderate Fixes: A/V
Another reason why the software on your phone is failing to work is because you have some issue with viruses. There are actually are plenty of mobile device viruses these days including for Android even if they are less numerous than those on PC. An example might include the Heartbleed bug. If you’ve exhausted other means of fixing software issues with your phone, then one useful option is to download an antivirus app from the app store.
You can then do a scan with the app which will take a few minutes, and finally remove any viruses causing problems with your phone’s operation. There are a number of different options including Norton, McAfee, and others. Just about any app that you can download on the Google Play Store for apps that’s on your phone as a default should be acceptable, as long as it has good enough ratings. Even then, the app will likely just have efficacy problems without being actively dangerous, since Google Play does test for that ahead of time.
Phone Wipe
If nothing you do seems to work out, the best thing to do is call a professional. If you can’t, or if that still doesn’t work for whatever reason, then the last resort is to do a factory reset of your phone and start over.
The way to do this in Android is to hold down the power button and the Volume down button at the same time. Then, you’ll get a boot screen. At this screen, you have the option to do a “factory wipe.” You have to hit the volume down button until you get to this option and then you need to hit the power button in order to select it.
Before you do, however, it’s important to make sure that you have a plan your data. If possible, you should do a backup of the data first. If you don’t need to backup any of the data like phone numbers, contacts, or anything else because it’s saved on Google’s cloud, then you’re good, of course.
Other Options
It’s also worth noting that there are other things that you can do with the boot screen if you want to make sure you can correct some kind of software issue. Instead of a full factory reset, for example, you could load previous versions of the operating system your phone currently has. This can often be done from the bootloader when it comes to phones like a Nexus, but it could be done using a different approach with a different phone.
In general, you will also need software on a PC or laptop in order to load something onto the phone. This could be a previous version, which will generally be freely available online, or it could be an entirely different ROM. There are other versions of Android you can install if the one you have isn’t working for you. The famous one is called Cyanogen with its successor Lineage OS, and it’s often free to install. It is true that this could potentially cause problems with your warranty, however, so you should only do it if you’re not worried about this and if you are confident enough in figuring out a process which is often highly technical in nature.
Ultimately though, you’ll have to decide exactly how much speed is necessary for your phone to be fixed, because there are definitely baked in limitations to the natural android operating systems. Other ROMs like Cyanogen are designed to allow for things like faster transitions and speedier navigation in general for your phone, after all.
In the end, you’re probably going to have your best luck if you go to a professional who can help you figure out exactly what you want from your software.
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