They say the honeymoon phase with the bae lasts anywhere between six months to a year. With your Android, it may be even shorter. As it becomes your constant companion throughout the day and night, it’s put through the wringer. Eventually, even the most advanced Google and Samsung flagships start to show wear and tear. Yours may be struggling just a few weeks out of the box!
It’s not time to upgrade already. Keep scrolling to see if your phone problems stem from these common issues. Each one has a quick fix that doesn’t involve buying a new phone.
Your phone has a fever
When you wanted the hottest smartphone money could buy, you didn’t mean it quite so literally. A phone warm to the touch can seem like an inevitability with the summer on its way, but there are some things you can do to help keep its temperature in check.
Perhaps the most obvious tip is to remove your phone from heat sources. Don’t leave it in direct sunlight or in your car when the humidex tops three-digits.
That removes external causes for the rise in temperature, but your phone generates enough heat on its own just by performing simple tasks. You’ll have to tweak your habits if you expect your Pixel or Galaxy to keep its cool.
To prevent it from burning up while you scroll through Insta or binge-watch the Ted Bundy documentary, try out these other fixes:
- Close unused apps: Keeping apps open in the background makes your Pixel work harder than it has to. This trick will also help you conserve battery power.
- Disconnect from Bluetooth: A set of wireless headphones will change your world once you pair it with your Galaxy’s playlist — just make sure to disconnect it when you aren’t listening, as Bluetooth can generate a lot of heat.
- Dim your screen: Don’t make the societal faux pas of an unnecessarily bright phone screen in a dark room. Lower the brightness to take some of the heat off your phone, especially when you’re outside.
My battery is low and it’s getting dark
If you’re a slave to the battery drain, you’ll spend most of your day scoping out rooms, searching for available outlets. Otherwise, you’re stuck with a distressingly low battery, threatening to die at the most inopportune moments — like when your boss calls you, when you’re using Google Maps to find your date’s restaurant, or just when your podcast started to get good.
Although all Androids, including Pixels and Galaxies, have a set number of charge cycles, it’s unlikely you’ve reached the end already. Both were released last fall, so they’re likely too new to have spent their charge cycles.
It’s more likely nefarious apps and bad phone behavior are draining your battery. Go through your settings to find your battery usage tab. There you’ll be able to see which apps use the most power. Consider uninstalling power-hungry apps you rarely use.
While you’re in settings, you can also try adjusting the time limit for your screen’s sleep mode. It takes a lot of battery to keep your display “awake” when not in use, so you stand to save a lot of juice by making it turn off within 30 seconds or less. As for your Galaxy, disable its “Always On” display.
You have butterfingers
A typical morning starts after several whacks at the snooze button, meaning you’re rushing out the door juggling your coffee thermos, bag, umbrella, keys, and phone in hand. In the fumble to lock your door before you leave to catch the bus, you drop your Pixel.
It may not show any outward appearances of damage, but a drop from waist height can cause something to knock loose inside. How this internal damage manifests can vary. Your next call might not connect well, Snapchat may shut down every time you try to open a snap, or your display may show several dead pixels.
To stop your mobile life from becoming one big inconvenience, you should invest in a case that lowers the chances you’ll ever drop it again. The world’s grippiest phone case is here, made from extra-grippy materials to keep it in your hands. It’s also skin-compatible, so you can design a unique Pixel skin or Galaxy wrap to customize the look of it. But don’t worry, even without a Pixel 3 skin or Galaxy S9 wrap, a well-designed grip will look good.
Most problems have their solutions. Whether you’re struggling with a hot phone, draining battery, or simple butterfingers, you’re in luck. Fixes to these common issues are easy and a whole lot cheaper than a replacement!
