11 Most Common Reasons for Cell Phone Repair and Solutions

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2020-09-06
Abraham Miller

Cell phones have become an inevitable part of modern-day life, playing a nonpareil role in daily chores such as communication, social media & internet surfing, taking pictures & videos, and setting up an alarm to name a few.

So much so that most of us get habituate of smartphones and need our devices to always function smoothly. However, mobiles are eventually machines, susceptible to bugs, crashes, and other damages over time. And whenever they develop any issue, we can’t help being panic imagining they will have to be given away for cell phone repair.

The good news is, a fair chunk of mobile issues is easily fixable at home, especially if you know what causes them. Even if some of them can’t be resolved by yourself, knowing their root cause and solutions will enable you to deal with them like a pro.

So in this article, we’ve penned down the top 11 Common reasons for cell phone repair and how they can be fixed. 

 

 

1] Broken Phone Screen

Do you know most of phone users all over the world have experienced the broken screen issue at least once? The key reasons for this to happen are:

  • An accidental fall
  • Slipping the phone down due to juxtaposing at a crowded place
  • Sitting on the phone while it’s in the back pocket
  • Accompanying the phone with metal keys in the pocket, etc.

While it’s obvious to panic seeing your damaged phone screen, you better avoid wasting too much time over regretting and look for the possible solutions around. Check if your phone screen is covered by your manufacturer’s warranty or some insurance. Some phone brands provide screen protection under their warranty.

When the phone screen gets damaged, the most feasible option is getting it repaired or replaced from a reliable repair center, preferably at your brand’s authorized service center. This will ensure you get an original screen replacement professionally and affordably.

2]Charging Port Issue

When your phone experiences slow or no charging, often the prime culprit is a faulty charging port. There’s a small metal connector in the USB Port that is not connecting to the charging cable properly. The reason could be any of the below:

  • Dust or debris blocking the contact or preventing proper power supply to the device.
  • Caused by corrosion when your phone gets wet or you put it in a high humid environment.
  • Hardware damage, usually when you drop the device

You can successfully fix this issue at home if it is not hardware related. Clean the port using a needle and soft cotton. Adjust the pin gently to the center, or as per your charger’s pin shape.

But before you try this trick, don’t forget to use a different data cable and charger so as to confirm that it’s the port that’s at fault.

If the problem persists, do visit your nearest service center for a professional cell phone repair.

3] Water Damage 

Did you spill tea/coffee on your phone? Or your phone took a dip in a water tub/swimming pool or worse in the toilet? Whatever the reason, water damage is nasty and often comes with irreversible issues to your smartphone.

You can try the below tricks to save your phone from water damage.

  • Remove your phone from the liquid and turn it off immediately  
  • Split up all components like battery, SIM Card, SD card, protective case, and place them at a dry place.
  • Use a soft cloth or cotton to remove the water from these parts
  • Try the classic rice or silica gel trick to bring your phone back to life. Take a bowl full of rice or silica gem in a plastic bag. Keep your phone in it for a couple of days. These tricks have proven effective for many lucky users.

Prevention is always better than cure. You can protect your phone from liquid damage using a waterproof pouch (easily available in the market) while you head off to the pool or beach. The pouches also prove effective when you’re out in rain carrying your phone alongside.

4] Battery Draining Fast

This is yet another common phone problem that phone users often come across for cell phone repair. First let’s understand why your phone starts running out of battery faster than usual, and then their fixes as below-

  • Not closing the background apps: Make sure you close the apps when they are not in use including the ones running in the background.
  • A third-part app or system Glitch: in that case, rebooting your device can be an effective solution. If needed, use your phone in safe mode. If the battery act normally in safe mode, the issue is related to a third-party app. Then, you should delete the recently downloaded apps.
  • Using too many apps also turn out to be a battery sucker. Delete the apps that you don’t use. Also, check if any particular app is consuming too much power. Settings >> About Phone >> Battery Use. Look over the list of apps and how much battery they consume. You can delete the apps which are of no use but still consume the battery.
  • Update the phone system and software to the latest version. You can check through Settings >> System Updates to find if any update is available for your phone.   
  • Too many notifications and ads popping up frequently. You can close them. Settings >> Manage Apps >> Notifications. Disable the notification as per your needs.
  • Poor Charger or charging pattern. Make sure you use the original charger. Also, use the 20-80 rule in charging. This means always keeping your battery charging between 20-80%.

5] Speaker Not Working

If your phone speaker starts causing problems, the foremost thing you should check is the headphone output. Is your device still in headphone mode? If yes, then perform the phone rebooting. This should clear up the mess caused by any faulty app.

Next, make sure the speaker settings are accurate. Check if the volume is set too low. Increase the volume and see if it works.

Another thing that needs your attention is the “Do Not Disturb” mode. Make sure it’s not enabled as this may prevent the speaker from functioning properly. You can check it through Settings >> Do Not Disturb.

If the above methods don’t work, try ‘factory reset’ as your final attempt to resolve the “phone speaker not working” issue at home. Don’t forget to take the data back beforehand, as the factory reset erases all the data from your phone.

6] Frequent Hanging 

A hanging phone is usually a sign of your device RAM being overused. Or there are some malware applications present on the phone.

To keep this issue bay, try the following.

  • Delete the cache data regularly
  • Refrain from downloading apps from unauthorized sources. Or simply, use only Google Play Store to download an app.
  • Users with low RAM phones (like 2GB/3GB) should avoid heavy graphic games like PUBG.
  • Always keep your phone system and apps updated.
  • Every week or so, find and delete the unused files (pictures, videos, pdf) and apps. Creating more RAM space means lowering the chances of hanging. Ideally, a smartphone should have around 30% RAM space free.

When your phone starts hanging, let the troubleshooting begin with deleting the newly-installed suspicious apps. Then restart it. Then clean up the RAM. If needed, perform a factory reset. And if the problem still there, take your phone to a reliable repair center for professional help.

7]Phone Overheating 

Every phone generates heat through three main components: CPU, battery, and screen. And hence a minor and short term heating is OK, especially when you’ve been using the phone for a long time. But if the phone gets too hot, it’s a problem caused either by a software/application glitch, excessive pressure on any of the three heat-generating components, or a hardware fault. Liquid insertion is another common reason for phone overheating.

Now the solutions-

  • Keep all the apps and software in your phone updated.
  • Avoid playing HD games and videos for too long.
  • Avoid your battery charging 100% full or draining to 0%.
  • Don’t expose your phone to direct sunlight.
  • When your phone overheats, stop using it. If it’s on charging, remove the charger immediately and let it cool down. Best, you make the Airplane mode on to avoid any further functioning.
  • When the phone has cooled down, restart it. Turn off the unused apps
  • Remove the phone case, if you're using one.
  • Use only the original charger and don’t leave your phone charging overnight.

 

 

8] Internet Connection Issues

If your phone cannot connect to the internet, the reason is more likely a wrong network setting or a temporary network error from your service provider.

  • Navigate to Settings >> Mobile Network. Ensure your mobile data is ON. And you’ve selected the correct SIM for internet use.
  • Click on “SIM card info and Settings”. Here Network Mode should be 4G (preferred)/3G/2G. Data roaming should be set ON/always.
  • Also, reset your APN to default and restart your device.
  • If you still face the issue, call your network service provider (SIM company) and check if the network connectivity in your area is OK.

9] Buttons Not Working

The issue of phone buttons not working is usually related to a software or app glitch. Some incompatible apps or software issues might be hindering the functionality of your phone’s soft keys. But worry not, there are easy fixes for it.

As a temporary solution, you can try a third-party app. The Back Button (No Root) and the Navigation Bar are two popular options in this case.

For a permanent fix, the first thing you should try is a simple reboot. This will cease the intervene caused by any faulty app or software.

If restarting doesn’t work, use your phone in a safe mode for a while. See if the buttons are working fine in safe mode. If yes, then you need to delete the recently downloaded apps, or better, try the factory reset on the device.

Always keep your phone system and software updated. Delete the cache files regularly and make sure you’re using too many heavy games.

If the button issue begins after a fall or water damage, you better take your device to a professional repair center as it is likely to be hardware damage.

10] App Crashes

This problem is quite common. Thankfully, it’s not that hard to fix. It’s usually because that particular app either has got a bug or its update version is not compatible with your operating system.

Some apps regularly add new features and functionality for better user experience. And sometimes, it’s not well accepted by your operating system, resultantly the app keeps crashing every time you try to open it.

  • First of all, check if the app is updated. If not, update it and restart your device.
  • Second, go to the App manager and clear the App cache data
  • If the issue persists, uninstall the app and then re-install it. Chances are the app will work fine now.

11] Camera Flashlight Not Working

If you see the camera flashlight unresponsive, here’re some key things to check and perform to troubleshoot the issue.

  • Make sure the flash is ON. Even in the auto mode, the flash doesn’t work if there’s ample brightness out there.
  • Check if the camera mode you’re using supports the flash. In some camera modes like Time-lapse and Light painting, the flash is auto disabled.
  • Make sure the battery is sufficient to use a flashlight. In several phone models, the flash is disabled the moment the charging goes below 15 or 10%.  
  • Using the flash too much may cause it overheating, and it stops working. In that case, wait for a moment and try again.
  • Try resetting the camera app! Navigate to Settings>> Camera > Storage. Here you’ll see the option for clear the data. Do it and hopefully, your flash will work again.