13 fast fixes for common Android problems

Confession time: I know embarrassingly little about car repair, and I couldn’t fix a misbehaving house appliance if my life depended on it (which, on at least a couple occasions, it almost has). Heck, I can barely hang a piece of wall art without screwing something up along the way. When it comes to Android phones, though, well — I’m practically a modern-day mechanic.

Now, hang on a sec: It isn’t nearly as impressive as it sounds. I don’t have any fancy power tools or even a pair of cool-looking coveralls with my name on ’em (not yet, anyway). I’ve mostly just been using and studying Android for a long time now — since somewhere in the mid-1800s, give or take — and when you pay close enough attention to something for a long enough period, you start to see the same basic patterns popping up time and time again.

The truth is that for as “magical” as they may occasionally appear, our sleek and shiny smartphones are ultimately just appliances. And more often than not, the issues most folks have with their phones are pretty darn consistent. That means whether you’re troubleshooting your own device or trying to come to a struggling co-worker’s rescue, the odds are good that your problem can be addressed without too much trouble.

Consider this your guide — a collection of some of the most common complaints I hear about Android phones and the simplest solutions I suggest in those scenarios. Apply the knowledge to your own ailing device or pass it on to someone else who needs it, and you, too, can experience the joy of feeling like a mobile-tech mechanic (with or without the coveralls).

Android problem #1: Low storage

Ah, yes — the age-old problem of finite space. When you see a phone’s storage starting to run low, just remember this catchy little adage: “Stop hoarding stuff, you unruly digital packrat.” (Okay, so maybe it wasn’t quite as catchy as I had hoped.)

In all seriousness, though, most of us really don’t need much stored locally on our smartphones these days — especially on Android, where cloud syncing is simple and automated management is easy. Start by installing the Google Photos app and setting it up to back up all photos and videos as they’re taken. That’ll let you delete the local copies (as well as have a great way to get to all your memories from any device, anytime, even if you lose or break your current Android phone), and that alone is bound to free up tons of room.

Second, install the Files by Google app. It’ll show you all the unnecessary space-takers lurking within your phone’s storage — including those now-redundant local copies of cloud-synced images along with junk files, duplicate files, and other easily eliminated things — and it’ll give you simple one-tap buttons to clear any of that crud away.

Just tap the three-line menu icon in the app’s upper-left corner and then select “Clean” to get started.

The Files by Google app identifies areas where you can free up space and gives you a quick ‘n’ easy way to zap unneeded items away.
JR Raphael / IDG

Finally, if you’re using one of Google’s Pixel phones, look in the Storage section of your system settings and tap the line labeled “Smart Storage.” There, you can configure your phone to automatically remove any redundant copies of already-backed-up photos and videos anytime your storage starts to get low again.Finally, if you’re using one of Google’s Pixel phones, tap the Files app’s menu icon once more and this time select “Settings” — then look for the option labeled “Smart Storage.” Activating the toggle alongside that will cause your phone to automatically remove any redundant copies of already-backed-up photos and videos anytime your storage starts to get low.

Android problem #2: Subpar stamina

We could talk about Android battery life all day, but the fastest way to make an immediate difference in your phone’s longevity is to adjust your screen settings.

First, turn down the screen’s brightness (either in the Quick Settings panel that comes up when you swipe down twice from the top of your screen or in the Display section of your system settings). The display burns through more power than anything else on your device, and the lower you can comfortably use it, the longer your phone will last with each charge. On most reasonably recent devices, you can also look for an Adaptive Brightness option that’ll automatically adjust the brightness level for you based on your current environment.

Second, set your “Screen timeout” setting (also in the Display section of your system settings) to as low of a value as you can tolerate. The less time your screen stays on when you aren’t using it, the less unnecessary battery power your phone will burn through.

If you want to manage that more intelligently — with a powerful system that lets you configure your screen to stay on automatically when you’re holding the phone at certain angles (thus indicating that you’re actively looking at it) or when you’ve got specific apps open but then to shut itself off quickly in any other scenarios — consider this advanced screen timeout trick.

Last but not least, look in that same Display area of your system settings for the Dark Theme option. Darker colors tend to consume less power than the bright hues present in most interfaces by default, so switching to the Dark Theme either all the time or on a sunset-to-sunrise schedule should extend your phone’s battery a fair bit.

The other common culprit in a stamina shortcoming is a random app that’s misbehaving and using far more resources than it should — often because it’s getting overly aggressive with background updates and completely unnecessary refreshing (paging Facebook…).

If you look in the Battery section of your system settings, you should be able to find a battery usage breakdown that’ll help you do some detective work and suss out any such offenders — then either uninstall them entirely or clamp down on their ability to do stuff when you aren’t actively using them.

Android problem #3: Too much bloatware

Unless you’re using Google’s Pixel phones, your Android device likely came loaded with lots of junk you don’t want — ranging from superfluous manufacturer-provided services (hi, Samsung!) to carrier-added crapola (to use the highly technical term). But fear not, for most of that can at the very least be hidden out of sight, if not eliminated entirely.

The simplest way to do that is to look in the Apps section of your system settings to find the complete list of installed applications. When you see an app that you don’t want, tap its name and then look for either the Uninstall button — or, if that isn’t present, the Disable command. You may not be able to get rid of absolutely everything that way (paging Bixby…), but you’ll be able to clear out a fair amount of clutter.

Android problem #4: A home screen mess

From built-in search bars you don’t use to silly news streams you’d rather not see, Android phones’ home screens are often anything but optimal out of the box. But you don’t have to live with what your device-maker gives you. Android has a huge array of third-party launchers — alternate environments that completely replace your phone’s stock home screen setup and app drawer arrangement. And there’s something available for practically every preference and style of working.

Third-party launchers such as Nova Launcher and the Microsoft Launcher, seen here, can clean up your home screen and make it custom-suited to your work style.
JR Raphael / IDG

Look through my Android launcher recommendations to find what’s right for you — then check out these Android productivity tips for making the most of your spiffy new setup.

Android problem #5: A slow-running phone

Just like us mortals, smartphones are prone to slowing down over time as their virtual wits become worn. Unlike our mushy mammal brains, though, your phone’s response time can actually be improved.

Some of the things we just went over, in fact, should make a noticeable difference: cleaning up your storage, uninstalling unused apps (both ones that came pre-installed on your phone and ones you installed yourself but no longer use), and trying out a custom launcher for a more optimal home screen environment.

Beyond that, some of the same steps I describe in my Android data-saving guide can bring a meaningful boost to your overall device speed — things like eliminating unnecessary background activity, compressing your mobile web experience, and shifting to lightweight versions of apps. (See that article for a step-by-step breakdown in each of those areas.)

And finally, allow me to direct your attention to a tucked-away Android system setting that may make the most perceptible impact of all. It’s buried within the Android accessibility settings, but it can be beneficial for just about anyone.

So head into the Accessibility section of your system settings, then — on a Pixel phone:

Tap “Color and motion” within the “Display” area of the screen.

Find the line labeled “Remove animations.”

Flip the toggle next to it into the on and active position.

On a Samsung Galaxy device, meanwhile:

Tap “Vision enhancements.”

Find the line labeled “Reduce animations.”

Flip the toggle next to it into the on and active position.

If you’re using another type of Android device beyond that, the exact placement and phrasing of the option may vary somewhat — but you should be able to find it either by hunting around in that same Accessibility section of your system settings or by searching your settings area for the word animations.

Android’s animation-disabling switch, hidden away in the system’s accessibility options, can make any phone feel instantly faster.
JR Raphael / IDG

Now, just head back to your home screen and try moving around your phone — opening your app drawer, swiping down the notification panel, going in and out of apps, and so on. Everything should feel significantly snappier than it did before.

Android problem #6: Lasting lag (or other odd behaviors)

If your phone woes extend beyond slight slowness — and/or you’re seeing strange things happen in general, with no obvious explanation — a rogue app is almost always the answer.

The easiest way to confirm this is to boot your phone into a special state called safe mode. That puts the device into a stock-like environment, without any added apps present, so you can see if things are working normally without any of those extra variables. If they are, you can be pretty confident that an app is causing your issue.

To enter safe mode on your phone, press and hold the on-screen power icon — the same one you usually use to turn the phone off. That’ll reveal the option. (And don’t worry: It’s a temporary state. Everything will go back to normal the next time you reboot after using it!)

The exact interface may vary from one Android device to the next, but long-pressing the on-screen power icon (at left) should always reveal an option to enter the system’s safe mode (at right) for advanced troubleshooting.
JR Raphael / IDG

Provided things seem fine while in safe mode, the best next step is to perform a full factory reset on your phone (after making sure all important data is synced or backed up somewhere, of course). Then, when you sign back into the device anew, do not accept the option to restore your apps and instead opt to start with a completely blank slate.

At that point, your phone should be working flawlessly. And you can then slowly add apps back into the mix one by one, manually, as you need them.

If your issues return at any point along the way, you should be able to narrow down the app that’s causing them quite easily — since you’ll know it’s the most recent thing you reinstalled.

And as a side perk, the reset in and of itself will likely lead to your phone feeling faster and smoother than it has in ages. It’s a good thing to do periodically to clear out the cobwebs and give yourself a fresh start.

Android problem #7: Too much rotation

Our phones are designed to work in both a portrait and a landscape orientation — but sometimes, the sensors get a little oversensitive and end up flipping between views more often than you’d want.

There are some easy answers, though:

First, on any recent Pixel device, march into the Display section of your system settings and tap the line labeled “Auto-rotate screen.” Make sure you tap the words and not the toggle.

On the screen that comes up next, confirm that you have the toggles for both “Use auto-rotate” and “Face Detection” in the on and active positions. That’ll allow your phone to use its front-facing camera to detect which way your face is positioned relative to the screen at any given moment and then have the screen’s orientation match that.

If you’re using any phone other than a Pixel — or if that Face Detection setup isn’t working the way you want — you can instead just disable the auto-rotate function entirely and then decide for yourself how you want your screen to be oriented on a moment-to-moment basis.

On any phone that follows Google’s core Android interface, simply turn off the toggle next to “Use auto-rotate” within the Display section of the system settings.

On a Samsung phone, the feature curiously isn’t present at all in the system settings — but you can find a toggle for it in the Quick Settings area that comes up when you swipe down twice from the top of your phone. Look for the icon labeled “Auto rotate” and tap it once to disable it (which will change its title to “Portrait,” somewhat confusingly — but that’ll do the trick).

From there on out, anytime you rotate your device, it won’t automatically change the screen’s orientation and will instead place a small icon in the corner of the screen. You can then tap that icon to change the rotation or ignore it to leave it as-is.

Android problem #8: Tiny text

Stop squinting, would ya? If the words on your phone are too damn small, head into the Accessibility section of your system settings and try out two options: “Font size,” which will increase text all throughout your phone, and “Display size” or “Screen zoom,” which will increase the size of everything on your screen.

On a Pixel phone or another device that follows Google’s standard Android interface, both options will be within the “Display size and text” area of the system accessibility settings. On Samsung devices, you’ll need to tap “Vision enhancements” and then select either “Font size and style” or “Screen zoom” to make the two adjustments.

Android problem #9: Annoying notifications

Whether it’s an overly aggressive app or, ahem, an overly aggressive texter, stop notification nuisances at their source by pressing and holding your finger to the next unwanted alert that pops up. That’ll pull up a control panel of sorts that lets you turn off the associated type of notification entirely — or just silence it so that it still shows up but doesn’t actively demand your attention.

Less annoying notifications are always just a long-press and a tap away.
JR Raphael / IDG

And if you’re really feeling crafty, you can create powerful filters for your Android notifications to customize and control exactly how different types of alerts behave — and even, if you’re so inclined, to summarize similar notifications and make your list of pending items less overwhelming.

Android problem #10: The contacts conundrum

It’s 2024, for cryin’ out loud. Your contacts shouldn’t be accessible only on your phone — and you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to “transfer” them from one device to another.

If you’re using a phone made by anyone other than Google, go into its Contacts app and make sure it’s set to sync your info with your Google account — not with the manufacturer’s own proprietary syncing service.

This is particularly pertinent for Samsung owners, as the company tends to sync contacts with its own self-contained service by default. That’s fine if you only want to access that info from that one phone and if you plan to purchase only phones made by Samsung in the future — eternally — but in any other scenario, that setup is not going to serve you well.

Once you make this change, your contacts will be synced with Google Contacts — which means they’ll always be immediately available within the Google Contacts website on any computer where you’re signed in and on any phone where you install the Google Contacts Android app.

Android problem #11: Call-ending challenges

Ever find yourself scrambling to end a call — but then your screen won’t come back on fast enough? Or maybe the screen comes on, but the command to hang up isn’t right there and ready?

An Android accessibility option can make your life infinitely easier by empowering you to press your phone’s physical power button anytime you’re ready to say goodbye. No need to hunt around for the right icon or even look down at your phone at all — just one button press along the device’s edge, and the person on the other end will be gone (thank goodness!).

All you’ve gotta do is look for the “Power button ends call” option in the Accessibility section of your system settings. On Pixel phones and other devices that follow Google’s standard Android interface, it’ll be within a “System controls” submenu in that area. On Samsung products, you’ll have to tap “Interaction and dexterity” and then “Answering and ending calls” to find it — and it’ll be labeled “Press Side button to end calls” (even though the “Side button” is more often than not actually just the power button).

If you dig around enough in Android’s settings — on a Pixel phone, at left, and a Samsung device, at right — you can find a switch that’ll make it much easier to end a call.
JR Raphael / IDG

However you get there, flip that switch on — and get ready to get off a call more easily than ever.

Android problem #12: A frozen phone

One of the most frustrating Android problems of all is having a phone that’s either stuck on some process and not responding or stuck in a powered-off state and refusing to turn on. But no matter how dire things may seem, there’s almost certainly always a solution.

The simplest one is a hard reboot: Depending on your device, you’ll want to press and hold either the power button by itself for 30 seconds to a minute — or press and hold the power button and either volume-down or volume-up button together for that same amount of time (or until you feel a vibration and see something show up on the screen). If you see a strange-looking menu that says “Start” and has a picture of an Android robot, don’t worry: Just press the power button again, and your phone should boot up normally.

If nothing happens with either of those processes, try leaving your phone plugged in for a solid few hours, just to make sure the battery isn’t depleted. Then try again.

If things still aren’t coming up — and if you aren’t seeing even the standard battery indicator graphic appear on the display when you plug the phone in — well, my friend, it’s time to make your way to our final Android issue.

Android problem #13: A non-charging phone

Last but not least is the problem to end all Android problems: an Android phone that simply won’t charge (and thus also won’t power up, once its battery has been run all the way down). I’ve been there. And while it’s certainly possible that you could be facing some sort of hardware-related defect, it’s also quite likely that this is something you can fix in a jiff.

So try this: Take something like a toothpick or the end of a paper clip and very carefully and very gently dig around a little in the phone’s charging port to clear out any lint or debris that’s built up in there. It sounds crazy, I know, but sometimes, enough gunk gets collected in that area that the power cable isn’t able to establish a good connection and charge the device (or charge it consistently, without the connection coming in and out and making it difficult for much charging to happen).

Once you’ve cleared out a good amount of gunk, plug the phone in again and see if something happens. If the battery was totally dead, you might have to leave it plugged in for a while before you see any results. But there’s a decent chance this will work — and then, in a matter of minutes, you’ll be back in business.

Sometimes, the simplest fix is the most satisfying one of all.

This article was originally published in August 2020 and updated in July 2024.