10 Ways Your Phone Can Get Damaged And How To Fix It

If you’re like most Americans, your cell phone is a part of your life and plays a nonpareil role in your daily activities. You use your phone to communicate with people, take pictures and videos, post on social media, set up alarms, and surf the internet.

Because your phone is such an essential part of your life, it’s pretty normal to expect it to always function smoothly. However, your cell phone is still a machine, and it can get bugs, crash, or pick up damage over time. So when your phone does develop an issue, it’s also pretty normal to feel panic at the thought of giving it away for repairs.

Fortunately, you can fix most mobile phone issues at home, especially if you know how the problems happen. But, even if the problem is beyond your ability to fix it, knowing what the problem is will help you deal with it properly. So, this article lists the top ten ways your phone can get damaged and what to do about it. 

#1 Your Phone Screen Breaks

If you use a smartphone, the screen will likely break. How likely, you may wonder? Well, according to Statista, at least three out of ten people with damaged phones had cracked screens. Most people break their phone screens by accidentally dropping them. You can also crack your phone screen if you put it in your pocket with metal keys or sit down while it’s in your back pocket.

While some may claim that there are ways to repair a broken phone screen, the solutions will never make your phone’s screen look as good as new. Your best bet is to find a reliable repair center to have it repaired or replaced.

Look through your phone’s warranty to see it covers phone screen damage. If you have a cell phone insurance plan that covers screen protection, you’re definitely in luck. Simply take the phone to the repair center, and it’ll be good as new.

If, however, you don’t have active phone insurance or warranty cover, you’ll need to foot the bill to fix or replace your phone screen.

#2 Your Phone’s Charging Port Goes Bad

If at some point, your phone begins to take longer to charge or stops charging completely, it’s usually because the charging port is faulty. The port becomes faulty when a small metal connector in the USB Port does not correctly connect to the charging cable. This improper connection could occur when dust or debris blocks the contact or stops power from reaching the device. Your phone could also stop charging if it gets wet and the connector becomes corroded, or you drop your device - causing hardware damage.

How do you know if the problem is connection-based and not a hardware issue? First, try switching the data cable or plugging your phone into a different charger to see if it’ll work. If a separate charger works, then it’s probably a port issue.

If your phone’s hardware is not damaged, you’ll be able to get its charger port working again. Simply use a needle and soft cloth to clean the charger port and then gently centralize the pin per your charger’s pin shape. If, however, you find that it’s a hardware problem, take your phone to a professional for repairs.

#3 Water Damage 

Phone water damage is the second most commonly reported phone problem after broken screens. Many people spill drinks on their phones or mistakenly drop them in bathtubs, swimming pools, and toilets.

Water-damaged phones usually end up with irreversible problems. So, if your phone falls into a liquid, here are some tricks you can use to protect it from water damage.

• Remove the device from the liquid and power it down immediately.
• Take out all removable parts like the battery, SD card, SIM card, and phone case. Use a soft cloth to dry them, and set them aside.
• Fill a plastic bowl of silica gem and place your phone inside it to remove all moisture. Leave the phone standing for up to a day, and it should be good as new if the water damage is not too bad.

The best way to mitigate water damage is to keep your phone safe from liquids. You can keep your phone in a waterproof pouch, which will come in handy if you need to use your phone around pools or at the beach.

#4 Your Battery Is Draining Fast

While some phone owners might complain about their batteries not charging correctly, others complain about their batteries quickly running out of power. Unfortunately, there are many reasons a phone’s battery can get depleted faster than usual. Below are a few common reasons and their fixes:

• Leaving background apps running: Always remember to close apps when you’re done using them.
• A problem with a third-party app: If this is the culprit, you can fix it by rebooting your phone into safe mode. If your phone’s battery behaves correctly in safe mode, that confirms that the challenge is with the third-party app. Next, delete your recently downloaded apps to bring your phone back to normal.
• You have too many apps on your phone: Yes, having too many apps can suck your phone’s battery, so you should consider deleting the ones you don’t use. You can also look over each app’s power usage by going to Settings > About Phone > Battery Use.  There, you can find the apps that drain your device’s power and delete them if they are unnecessary.
• Your phone is running outdated software: You can go to Settings > System Updates to see any available updates for your phone. If there is, download and install them at once.
• Your phone receives too many notifications and spam calls: Your phone’s battery will get drained if it’s always buzzing with notifications and spam calls. Visit Settings > Manage Apps > Notifications to disable any notifications you don’t need to see. You may also list your phone number on the Do Not Call registry, so telemarketers can finally leave you alone.
• Charger problems: If you don’t use an original charger to power your phone, the battery may not be getting optimal juice. Use an original charger, and remember to keep your phone between 20-80% battery power whenever possible.

#5 Your Phone’s Speaker Stops Working

If your phone’s speaker suddenly starts to act up, the first thing you’ll need to do is check the headphone output. Is your phone still sending output to your earphones? This might be a minor app fault. To correct this, simply reboot your phone.

If your phone’s speakers are still acting up, check the speaker settings to see if the volume is too low. Then, turn it up and see how that goes.

You might also want to take a look at what mode your phone is in. For instance, if you have the “Do Not Disturb” mode enabled, it may stop your phone’s speakers from working. Confirm by going to Settings > Do Not Disturb.

If none of the above work, a final way to resolve the phone speaker issue at home is to perform a factory reset. If a factory reset doesn’t work, then you’ll need to get a professional to take a look at the device.

#6 Your Phone Is Almost Always Hanging 

If your phone hangs continuously, you’re either overtaxing your RAM or there's malware on your phone. To solve this problem, try some of the following tips:

• First, regularly clear out the phone’s cache data.
• Do not download apps outside the Google Play Store.
• Avoid heavy games if your phone has less than 3GB of RAM.
• Regularly update your phone system and apps.
• Go through your phone regularly and delete unused files and apps.

When your phone first hangs, begin your troubleshooting by removing heavy apps. Then, restart your phone and clean up the RAM. If your phone keeps hanging, then consider performing a factory reset.

If your phone is still hanging after following these steps, take it to a professional for repairs.

#7 Your Phone Is Overheating 

Minor or short-term heating is fine for most phones. This is because every phone generates heat through its CPU, battery, and screen. However, some circumstances may lead to regular and significant heating. For instance, a software or application glitch could cause the phone to overheat. Also, a phone can overheat if you place too much pressure on the CPU, battery, or screen. Here are some ways to keep your phone from overheating:

• Regularly update your phone system and apps
• Try not to play HD games and videos for extended periods
• Use an original charger, keep your phone battery between 20% - 80% full, and never charge it overnight.
• Keep your phone away from direct exposure to sunlight
• If your phone begins to overheat, put it down. If it’s charging, unplug it immediately. For best results, turn the phone off until it cools down.
• Once the phone cools, restart it and remove any unused or overtaxing apps.
• If you’re using a phone case, remove it.

#8 Your Phone’s Buttons Stop Working

Sometimes, your phone’s buttons may refuse to work when you’re typing messages, trying to select something, or dialing phone numbers. Problems like these usually arise due to a software or app glitch that hinders your phone’s soft key functionality.

A quick way to bypass the problem is by downloading a third-party app. Two popular options are the Back Button app and the Navigation Bar app.

If you want a more permanent solution, you’ll need to try a few things. First, reboot your phone. If that doesn’t work, then reboot your phone into safe mode and use it that way for a while. If your buttons work fine in safe mode, you may have to delete your most recently downloaded apps. If deleting your apps doesn’t work, you can try resetting your phone.

If your phone’s buttons begin acting up after you accidentally drop your phone on the ground or in water, then it’s a hardware problem. Thus, you’ll need to take the device to a professional as soon as possible.

#9 Apps On Your Phone Keep Crashing

Many phone owners experience this problem. When an app on your phone keeps crashing, it’s usually because the app is buggy or its most recent version is incompatible with your phone’s operating system.

App developers typically add new features and functionality to their products for an improved user experience. Unfortunately, the operating system does not accept the update properly in many cases, causing the app to crash whenever you try to run it.

Fortunately, this problem is easy to solve. Your first step should be to check the app’s update status. If there are any updates available, install them and restart your phone. Next, go to your phone’s App Manager and clear your app cache data.

If the app keeps crashing, uninstall and reinstall it. Following these steps should fix the problem.

#10 Your Phone’s Camera Flashlight Stops Working

You need your phone’s flashlight to take well-lit pictures. Here are some things to check if the flashlight stops responding:

• Firstly, be sure that the flash is enabled. If it isn’t directly enabled, it may not activate—even when you set it to auto mode.
• Check the mode your camera is in, and be sure it supports flash use. For instance, your phone will automatically disable the flash when you use Time Lapse or Light Painting modes.
• Make sure your phone’s battery is sufficiently charged. Some phones set the flash to disable if the battery goes below 15% or 10%.
• If you’ve been using the flash for a while, it may cause overheating and stop working. If that happens, wait till your phone cools down to try again.

If none of these steps works for you, try resetting your app by going to  Settings > Camera > Storage > Clear Data. That should resolve the problem.

Conclusion

Our phones are an integral part of our lives. Unfortunately, as with most human creations, they are prone to breaking down over time. For example, your phone screen can crack, the charging port can break down, and the phone itself can overheat excessively.

Thankfully, you can fix many of these problems at home with no extra help. However, if your phone develops issues beyond your ability to handle them, make sure you contact a professional.