If the name Android Authority isn’t enough of a giveaway, we are huge fans of the Android operating system here. Fanboying aside, we have to admit that Android smartphones are far from perfect, and various issues pop up from time to time. While some are device-specific, some problems are caused by the OS itself. Here are some general problems that Android users face and potential solutions on how to fix them!

Editor’s note – We will be looking at some specific problems users face with Android 12. The steps below may also differ depending on your phone’s UI. However, all general troubleshooting tips will work for other versions as well.

Potential solutions:

• For quite a few users, a third-party app ended up being the cause. To see if that’s the case for you, boot the device in Safe Mode (you can find the instructions on how to do so below). Charge the phone to a point above the discharge percentage. Wait for the battery to drain until it gets below that number again. If the phone works as expected with no early shutdown, an app is behind the issue. Remove recently installed or updated apps until the problem goes away. If you can’t figure it out manually, you may need to perform a complete factory reset.
• It could also be a hardware issue for some due to the degradation of Li-ion batteries. This is more common if the phone is more than a year old or refurbished. The only option here is to contact the device manufacturer and try and get the phone repaired or the battery replaced.

The “forced sleep” bug is quite common and has been a problem for numerous devices. When the screen is off, it doesn’t wake up when the power button is pressed. Instead, users have to press and hold the power button for ten seconds and force a restart.

Potential solutions:

• The forced restart will fix the problem, at least temporarily. However, this isn’t a long-term solution, and only an upcoming software update will permanently fix this issue. There are some workarounds, though.
• Some users have found that a screen protector, particularly of the tempered glass variety, causes the problem. Removing the screen protector helps but isn’t an ideal option.
• Enabling ” Always On Display ” on some phones with this feature helps fix it.
• De-activating the Active Edge feature on Pixel phones with the feature is a helpful workaround.
• Some phones let you change what the power button is used for and add extra functionality, like launching the Google Assistant. This could also be an issue with the settings. Go into the device settings and ensure that everything is how it should be.