Your smartphone is a marvel of many functioning parts. But when it suddenly stops working, it can understandably be cause for panic. Be it overheating, a frozen display, connectivity issues, or unexpected restarts, there’s a whole lot that can go awry.
There’s no single one-size-fits-all fix to all issues. Different symptoms can have different causes which require their own special fix. In this guide, we explain some of the most common smartphone issues you can encounter, their causes, and how to fix them.
Common Smartphone Problems and Quick Fixes at a Glance
Most smartphone problems are well documented. To figure out which of these is causing havoc on your device, take a look at the table below. First, identify the symptom, then understand the cause, and, finally, apply the relevant fix.
| What you notice | Possible cause | What to try first |
|---|---|---|
| Phone won’t turn on | Drained battery, charging problem or software issue | Check the charger cable and outlet, charge the phone |
| Phone screen is black | Software crash, drained battery or display issue | Charge the phone and follow the model-specific restart instructions |
| Phone keeps freezing | App, software or storage problem | Restart the phone and check available storage |
| Battery drains suddenly | Background activity, poor signal, battery wear or software updates | Review battery usage and battery health |
| Phone is overheating | Heavy usage, charging, hot surroundings or a software issue | Stop demanding tasks and let the phone cool naturally |
| Phone is slow | Low storage, resource-intensive apps or software issues | Check storage, app activity and software updates |
| Wi-Fi or mobile data stopped working | Router, carrier, settings or software issue | Check the network, signal and connection settings |
| Phone restarts on its own | Software instability, an app or a hardware issue | Install updates and investigate recent changes |
Note that the above are only ‘possible’ causes of the problem. Even though they do narrow down the issue, they may not always confirm exactly what’s gone wrong with your phone. To get a deeper, more accurate understanding about what’s happened to your phone, follow down the rabbit hole below.
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Why Did My Phone Suddenly Stop Working?
There are a few common causes for a phone to suddenly stop working. These include the following:
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A Temporary Software Glitch
Sometimes, an app can just freeze and refuse to respond. Or the operating system encounters a glitch, like auto-rotate not working or Android setup keeps stopping. Because of this, it may look like your phone has broken for good. But it’s merely a temporary issue.
Such issues are common, especially on older phones, and tend to occur when your phone is trying to juggle multiple jobs at once and gets overtaxed in the process, leading to a frozen screen.
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Battery or Charging Problems
Your phone’s battery doesn’t work in isolation. It relies on the charging adapter, the cable, and the port on your phone. Over time, however, these mechanical parts can become defective for one reason or another.
Alternatively, if your phone is charging but draining just as quickly, it’s a common sign that your phone’s battery has degraded. Though this tends to happen on old phones, new phones with a factory defect can also show signs of battery degradation.
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A Recent App or Software Update
If your phone has slowed down or is experiencing performance issues after a recent app or software update, there’s a good chance that the two are linked.
Generally, updates don’t lead to such problems. But if you downloaded or updated an app that is incompatible with your phone, it could impact performance to the degree that your phone becomes unresponsive or sluggish.
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Physical Damage or Overheating
Your phone works best when all its components are intact and its insides are cool and dry. But if liquid enters your phone or if the device gets too hot, things can break down.
A damaged display is another glaring cause. In fact, a damaged phone is the number one cause of a phone that has suddenly stopped working. These are all signs your phone is broken or close to it and requires immediate professional attention.
What to Do If Your Phone Won’t Turn On
If your phone won’t turn on at all, try the following.
Check the Charger, Cable and Power Outlet
First, make sure that the power outlet is working. Then, plug in a charger and cable that you know is in working order and is compatible with your phone.
If the phone still doesn’t charge, disconnect the cable and inspect your port using a flashlight. Do not use any metal tools, as these can further damage the port. Check for dust and debris build-up in and around the port. If needed, use a toothpick to gently loosen trapped dirt and lint, or blow compressed air into the port.
Let the Phone Charge Before Restarting
Sometimes, the phone battery is so deeply depleted that it needs enough charge to even show any indication that it is alive.
So, once you’ve made sure the charger, cable, port, and power outlet are in working order, plug in and let the phone charge for a while. Allow it to sit for an hour or two before you decide to power it on.
Force Restart Your Phone
If your phone isn’t responding or won’t turn on, you need more than a simple restart; you need to force reboot your device.
To reboot your Android phone, simply long-press the Power button for about 30 seconds. For Samsung and OnePlus phones, you’ll need to hold the Power + Volume down buttons together for 10-20 seconds.
For iPhone users, quickly press and release the Volume Up button. Then do the same for Volume Down button. Then long-press the Side button until the screen goes black. Finally, when you see the Apple logo, release the side button.
However, this method works only on iPhones with Face ID or Touch ID. For iPhone 7 and older models, the steps to force-reboot the iPhone are slightly different.
When to Seek Professional Repair
There are times when nothing less than a trip to the service centre would do. If your phone has suffered physical damage, has been exposed to liquid, or has a cracked screen or a swollen battery, you will need to seek professional help.
If your phone fails to turn on even after repeated attempts, it becomes all the more reason to take it to repairs.
What If My Phone Screen Is Black or Frozen?
A black or frozen screen isn’t necessarily a sign that your phone is broken. The following will help you determine the extent of the damage and apply a fix.
Check Whether the Phone Is Still Responding
If your phone has frozen or gone dark, be on the lookout for other signs of life. Check if the phone still vibrates when you restart it, if the notification sounds are playing, or if there is any charging indicator. You can also plug it into your computer to see if it’s recognised.
Restart the Phone Safely
A frozen display could merely be your phone’s way of telling you that it can’t keep up with the tasks. To bring it back to life, often a simple restart is enough. This will clear its working memory and allow it to start afresh.
How to Tell Whether the Screen Is Damaged
A phone that has gone black but is still on means that the issue is not with the whole phone but only with its screen. If the above checks provide sufficient signs of life, then you can be fairly certain that the display is the primary cause of concern.
Similarly, your phone can develop black or dark spots too. Often, a restart can fix this issue. But if these spots are spreading, consider taking your phone to a repair centre for professional assessment.
Why Is My Phone Battery Draining So Fast?
There could be a few reasons why your phone isn’t able to hold a charge.
Check Battery Usage and Battery Health
Some heavy apps use unusually high amounts of power that drain the battery far quickly than others. To identify these culprits, you’ll have to dig into your phone’s settings.
On Android, go to Settings > Battery > Battery usage and check the apps that are using the most amount of power. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Battery > View All Battery Usage.
If your phone is charging but depleting too fast, you may want to check the battery health on your Android phone as well. If you’re on team Apple, run a battery health check on your iPhone.
On the other hand, if your Android phone is charging too slowly, you can look into the tricks and Android settings to charge faster.
Check for Poor Signal or Background Activity
Your phone wants to offer you the best available signal. But if it can’t get a good connection, it will continue searching in the background. The longer this search goes on, the faster the battery is depleted. You may want to check the APN settings on your Android phone to ensure the problem isn't with your APN profile.
Apps with unrestricted access can also leech your phone's battery. While not all of them are unnecessary, keep an eye on ones that use the most battery.
To rein them in on Android, long-press on the app icon, tap on the i icon, then go to App battery usage > Allow background usage and make sure it is set to Optimised.
On iPhones, go to Settings > Apps > select app > and disable Background App Refresh.
Could a Recent Software Update Be the Cause?
While app and OS updates are necessary to keep your phone optimised, they can sometimes introduce elements that lead to increased battery usage. From bugs that increase background activity and reset battery settings to new features that are a little too heavy, updates can sometimes have a detrimental impact on the phone’s battery.
If you started experiencing faster battery drain after a recent phone update, the two could be correlated.
Why Is My Phone Overheating or Running Slowly?
An overheating phone not only makes the phone slower but is also dangerous for your phone’s internals.
Close Demanding Apps and Let the Phone Cool
Apps that are heavy and task intensive demand a lot from your phone. If you don’t have a phone with a fast processor or a good cooling system, it can get overworked and hot. To bring the temperature under control and speed up the phone, close these heavy apps and games. You could also turn it off and keep it to a side for a while.
Keeping your phone under direct sunlight for long periods also causes heating problems, especially in summer. To bring down the temperature, leave it in a cool and shaded environment. However, don’t just put it in a refrigerator or freezer because that can lead to its own issues.
Check Storage and Recent App Installs
A phone that is low on storage gets slow very quickly. Without enough space, your phone cannot write temporary files and cache data, or have anywhere to turn to when RAM usage is full. As such, background processes stall, apps freeze, icons disappear, and things get slower on the whole.
So make sure to keep at least 10-15% of total storage space free on your phone. At the same time, you should also clear cache on Android from time to time. Clear cache on iPhone as well if you feel it getting slow.
Check for Software Updates
Keeping the OS up to date ensures you have the most optimised version of your phone. If you haven’t updated your phone in a while, you may be using a version that hasn’t kept up with the times in terms of battery and performance optimisation.
On Android, check for software updates by going to the Settings app > System > Software updates. For iPhone, open the Settings app, then go to General > Software update.
Could My Phone Be Hacked or Infected with Malware?
Nefarious, unfamiliar apps are a bane for smartphones. They hog resources, introduce random ads, mess with your data, and slow down your phone. But early diagnosis and fixes are available.
Warning Signs to Check
Pay attention to the following signs to confirm whether or not your phone is infested with malware:
- Are there apps on your phone that have no business being there?
- Outside of the browser, are you seeing any pop-ups and ads, such as in the notification centre, the home screen, or the lock screen?
- Is your mobile data usage higher than usual?
- Is your phone heating up even when you’re not using it?
If so, consider these as warning signs that you could have malware on your phone. Besides these, you should also check if your iPhone or Android is hacked, which is a more serious issue, but one that can be fixed as well.
How to Check for Suspicious Apps
If the warning signs aren’t clear, there are a few in-built tools to help you check for suspicious apps.
Android has its own malware scanner in the form of Google Play Protect. To run a manual scan, open Google Play Store > tap on your profile icon > Play Protect > Scan. If any malicious apps are found, uninstall them right away.
iOS doesn’t have a Google Play Protect equivalent for iPhone. But its built-in security features work automatically to vet apps and keep malware at bay.
What to Do If You Suspect Your Phone Is Compromised?
If you suspect your phone is compromised, do not panic. There are ways to get your phone back on track and secure your data.
First, remove suspicious apps from your Android phone. Simply hold on an app icon and drag it to the Uninstall option at the top.
On iPhone, simply tap and hold on an app > Remove app > Delete app.
Next, review your account from the Settings app. Change the password and add two-factor authentication. At the same time, update the phone software to the latest version.
What to Do If Nothing Fixes Your Phone
If the aforementioned fixes didn’t help, there are a couple of avenues still open to you. However, do make sure you have exhausted the relevant fixes before moving on.
Back Up Your Data if the Phone Still Works
If it is still functional, back up your Android phone right away. This will preserve your data in case anything goes wrong or if you need to retrieve it later.
On iPhone, your data is backed up to iCloud. You may need to ensure you have enough iCloud storage so none of your important data is left out. But if you don’t want to buy storage, apps like Wondershare Dr.Fone can backup and restore your iPhone just as well.
Should You Factory Reset Your Phone?
Factory resetting your phone should be your last resort. Do this if nothing else has worked. As long as there isn’t a hardware problem, a factory reset will return your phone to its original state and could very well sort battery, performance, software, and app issues.
When to Visit a Service Centre
Sometimes the only way to fix your device is to visit a service centre. You may have to shell out some money to get your phone in working condition again, especially if the warranty period is over. It’s often the only course of action if your phone has suffered physical damage or if software issues persist despite applying the relevant fixes.
Fixing Your Phone Is Easy, If You Know How to Diagnose the Problem
The smartphone is a composite of hundreds of different parts, all working in sync. When it stops functioning as usual, it's an indication that something has gone wrong. Every issue warrants its own specific fix. But diagnosing the problem is as important as applying a fix.
When looking to narrow down the problem, don’t apply any random fix. Start with the symptoms first, narrow down the cause, and only then make the changes. Use the above methods to guide you.
But if the issue remains unresolved or if there is any hardware problem, don’t shy away from seeking professional support. More often than not, a single visit to the repair shop or the service centre can sort out most issues with your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my phone screen black but the phone is still on?
If the phone is on but the screen has gone black, it’s most likely an issue with the display of your phone. You may have to visit a repair shop or the service centre to get it fixed.
Why is my phone battery draining so fast all of a sudden?
A phone battery that drains all of a sudden could be degraded or swollen. Alternatively, having poor network connection, or heavy apps that continue unabated in the background also lead to quick battery drain.
Why is my phone so slow all of a sudden?
A phone that has gone slow all of a sudden may be running several resource-intensive apps at once, have a glitchy software, or have very low storage. Overheating also leads to performance issues on phones.
Why does my phone keep freezing?
If your phone is freezing, it could be because of task-intensive apps hogging resources, a buggy software, low storage space, or overheating.
