Category: Phone FAQs

If you own a smartphone, one of the most important things you can do is prevent accident calls from occurring. 

A study showed that 30% of 9-1-1 calls made from smartphones were accidental butt dials. Emergency calls aside, you might accidentally call someone late at night and disturb them, or may accidentally have them hear a personal conversation. 

The infamous butt dial is an issue that several people deal with from time to time. You owe it to yourself to find some ways to nip it in the bud completely. 

These tips will teach you how to prevent butt dialing. 

Get a Phone Case or Clip

Investing in a phone case or clip is one of the best ways to prevent butt dialing from occurring. The case stores the phone in a way that covers the screen and doesn’t put it in proximity to be accidentally dialed.

These cases are also protective and can help you prevent screen scratches and other issues. Choose a case that is stylish, durable, and made with quality materials. 

Set a Lock Screen

It’s important to set a lock screen to prevent pocket dialing. With a lock screen, you can’t push any buttons on your phone or accidentally access any apps or functions. Consider setting an auto lock on your phone so that this occurs after every 30 seconds to a minute or so go by without phone activity.

When the phone locks itself, you’re safe from placing phone calls to anyone accidentally.

Learn Your Phone’s Mechanisms

If you’re asking yourself, “Why is my phone calling people?”, consider whether or not you actually know how to use your phone. 

You’ve probably done some Android or iPhone troubleshooting in the past, but one of the most important forms of troubleshooting is to understand your phone’s functions. Make sure that you can locate the power button, the section where calls are made, and any shortcuts that help you call previous or favorite contacts. 

The more familiar you get with these mechanisms, the easier it’ll be for you to keep pocket dials at bay. 

Use Security Measures

Keep in mind that you can also add security measures to your lock screen. Rather than just swiping it open, these security measures can require you to punch in a code or other form of authentication to access your phone screen. 

This can be done through facial recognition, thumbprint, voice access, and a host of other ways. Not only do these security measures prevent other people from accessing your phone content, but you will also be less likely to accidentally call somebody. 

Find your security functions in your smartphone and put credentials in place that only you can access. 

Re-Arrange Your Front Screen

You may also owe it to yourself re-arrange the various apps on your front screen. Sometimes, pocket dialing occurs because you accidentally hit a call or previous contact button. 

If this is an accident that you’re constantly running into, it may behoove you to put the app on another part of your phone. You might choose to bury it further within your phone’s content so that you don’t accidentally access it. This is particularly helpful if nothing else you’ve tried has worked. 

Remove Raise-to-Wake Access

If you’re always accidentally calling people, it could also be because raise-to-wake access is on. When this happens, it removes your phone lock, making it fair game for an accidental call. 

Your phone might mistakenly think that you’ve raised it when the phone is in your pocket and the motion of your walking triggers this function. This overrides the lock if you had previously set a passcode, even if you didn’t intend to do so. 

Clear Your Recent Calls

Do a little tidying of your call list and it’ll also prevent the likelihood of butt dialing someone. This often happens by calling back someone that you had recently spoken to. 

If you clear out your call history then you are less likely to deal with this. Get into the habit of clearing your call history, particularly if it has piled up significantly. 

Set Your Phone on the Table

One of the best ways to prevent butt dialing is also one of the simplest things to do — put your phone down. Rather than having it in your pocket, simply set it down on the table beside you and pick it up when you’d like to use it. 

This keeps your phone in plain view so that you can use it if you need to, but won’t accidentally access any controls that you aren’t trying to. Be mindful of any voice commands that the phone might also pick up on. For instance, people today talk to “Siri” and “Alexa” when using virtual assistant functions. If you own an Android or iPhone, you know that sometimes the virtual assistant thinks that you are talking to it when you really aren’t. 

That can also lead to accidentally calling somebody when you didn’t mean to. Keep your phone screen visible on a table so that you can override one of these situations if they happen. 

Learn How to Prevent Butt Dialing

If you’re trying to learn how to prevent butt dialing, the points above are worthwhile. Following these steps can save you some trouble and prevent you from avoidable accidental phone calls. 

Fruit Fixed can assist you with any type of phone repair you’re looking into. Find us at any of our Central Virginia store locations to learn more about how we can help you. 

Do you have a smartphone that set you back more than $500? Do you have a tablet that you spent almost $1,000 on? Or do you have a laptop that costs you at least a couple thousand dollars, if not more?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, the last thing you want to do is have your kids accidentally break one of these electronic devices. It might put you in a position where you’ll have to fork over a small fortune to get it fixed—and it might even force you to replace one of your expensive tech items altogether.

Fortunately, you should be able to kid-proof your tech so that this doesn’t happen. By taking time to child-proof gadgets, you can keep them in excellent condition and avoid costly repairs.

Here are the best ways to kid-proof all your electronic devices.

Tell Kids Not to Touch Electronic Devices

First things first: If you have expensive tech items in your home like smartphones, tablets, and laptops, you should keep them where your kids can’t access them. This alone should stop them from being able to do any damage to them.

You should also take this further and let your kids know they are not to touch your electronic devices if you forget to put them away. You should emphasize this point to show how serious you are about them not playing on your expensive tech items you aren’t around.

Put Cases on All Your Electronic Devices

As a parent, you know that telling your kids not to do something isn’t always work. They might still try to get their hands on your electronic devices when you aren’t looking so that they can try them out.

Because of this, you should invest in cases for all your various devices. You can child-proof a computer, smartphone, or tablet by sticking a case on it.

Doing this will protect your electronic devices from more than just your kids. You’ll also ensure you don’t inadvertently break any expensive tech items.

In the past, studies have shown that the average American drops their smartphone four times per week. So putting a case on something like a phone will make all the sense even if you don’t have kids.

Ask Kids to Wash Their Hands Before Using Electronic Devices

Ideally, you should try not to let your kids use your pricey electronic devices if you can avoid it. But there might be times when you’ll want to show them something on your smartphone or have them type something up on your laptop.

In these instances, you should always ask your kids to wash their hands before using your devices. It’ll get whatever might be stuck to their hands off them and stop them from messing up any of your devices with their sticky hands.

Have Kids Sit While Using Electronic Devices

If you allow a child to play with your electronic devices while they’re walking or running around, you’ll be asking for trouble. They’re bound to bang these devices up against a wall or trip and fall with them in their hands.

With this in mind, you should always have your kids sit down any time they use your electronic devices. It’ll reduce the risks associated with them holding these devices in their hands.

Advise Kids to Keep Food and Drinks Away From Electronic Devices

Generally speaking, it’s a fantastic idea for anyone using an electronic device to keep food and drinks away from it. It’ll reduce the chances of food or drinks getting spilled on a device and damaging it.

You can help your kids develop good habits while using electronic devices by encouraging them not to eat or drink around them. They’ll know that they shouldn’t do this when they secure devices of their own one day.

Give Kids Their Own Electronic Devices

Speaking of your kids getting their own electronic devices, you may want to kick around the idea of buying them devices that they can use so that they aren’t always using yours. There are lots of cheap tablets and laptops that are developed specifically for children.

Just make sure you try to limit a child’s tablet or laptop usage. You don’t want to raise kids who get used to being on devices all the time.

Arrange to Make Repairs to Electronic Devices ASAP

Accidents happen no matter how hard you try to kid-proof your tech. And unfortunately, they might occur when your kids are using your electronic devices and damage them.

If your kids break one of your devices, you should resist the urge to yell at them and use it as a teaching moment. You should also make a strong attempt to get your devices fixed ASAP.

Fruit Fixed can help you bring just about any electronic device back to life. We can repair devices quickly and get them working like new without breaking the bank.

Contact Us to Schedule Repairs for Electronic Devices

Did your kids just break one of your expensive electronic devices? Or did you do it yourself? Either way, you can rely on Fruit Fixed to repair your expensive tech items.

We specialize in repairing smartphones, tablets, laptops, and almost any other tech products you own. If you failed at trying to kid-proof your tech, count on us to make things right.

Get in touch with us today to arrange to have your devices repaired.

Did you know that there are a combined 4 billion active smartphones between Android and Apple devices? As time goes on, mobile tech becomes faster, more reliable, and more convenient to use. However, dealing with a broken phone is still an issue that many people have to deal with.

A situation like this often leads to the need for photo recovery. We’ve put together a brief guide on how to recover photos from a broken smartphone. Let’s take a closer look.

Check for Internal Memory Backup

Check to see if your phone has an internal memory backup feature that may allow you to transfer data from the phone even when it is broken. When operating systems can’t be accessed because of a broken screen, a backup feature may still have the pictures saved.

This will restore all of your data that’s stored on the phone and transfer it to another device. Unfortunately, not all phones have an internal memory backup. So, not everybody will be able to take advantage of this feature.

External Hard Drives

If your phone has an external memory card slot, you can use this to transfer photos from the device before it is damaged. If your phone has a USB port, then you can plug it into an external hard drive and transfer any data that was stored on the device even if it is damaged. External hard drives are a great way to keep your data safe if you ever find yourself in this situation.

Of course, this assumes that you previously backed up your photos to an external drive. Otherwise, the content you are looking for won’t be present.

Using Third-Party Software

It’s possible to use third-party software to recover deleted photos from a broken smartphone. There are several options available, many of which will allow you to recover data even when the device is severely damaged.

It’s important to remember that this method may not work for all phones and always back up your data before attempting any type of software recovery.

However, third-party software can be expensive. It could also be unreliable. Some applications carry the risk of further damaging your device, so it’s important to do research before investing in any type of software.

Connect Your Phone to a Computer

Connect the phone to a computer via a USB cable and attempt to access its internal storage directly. This should allow you to retrieve any photos that may be stored on it.

When you connect the phone to your computer, you may be asked for a PIN or passcode. This is to prevent unauthorized access to your personal information.

Take the Phone to a Repair Shop

Take the phone to a professional repair shop that may have the equipment and expertise necessary to retrieve any remaining data from your device.

So, it’s important to take the phone to a reputable repair shop that has experience with this type of recovery. In practice, they will use professional software to access the data on your device.

In many circumstances, they can then recover your photos for you.

Try Cloud Backups

If you have previously enabled cloud backups on your device, there may still be copies of photos stored online that can be retrieved by accessing them through the appropriate cloud account backup platform/service provider (Google Drive, iCloud, etc.)

Cloud backups can be a great way to make sure that your data is safe, even if the device itself becomes damaged. Most cloud platforms will store your photos securely and allow you to access them even if the device is no longer functioning.

However, you might need to enter certain passwords or security codes in order to access the backup files.

Reasons Why Photos Become Inaccessible

One of the most common reasons why photos become inaccessible is due to a broken phone. Even in the most extreme cases, however, there may still be ways to recover your photos.

Following the steps outlined above should help you retrieve any data that may still exist on the device. In some cases, it’s possible to access data even if the device has been damaged beyond repair. Occasionally, photos may become corrupted.

This occurs when the file is incomplete or damaged in some way, which can make it difficult to view or access. Reasons for corruption include virus infection, hardware malfunction, or simply accidental deletion.

What Should I Look For in a Professional?

If you choose to work with a professional to retrieve photos from a broken smartphone, look for one who is experienced in data recovery.

Make sure that they have the expertise and the right tools and software to safely recover your data without compromising it. It’s also important to find out what their fees are upfront before you agree to work with them.

Finally, ask for references or reviews from other clients who have used their services. This will give you an idea of the quality of their work and if they provided sufficient results.

Knowing How to Recover Photos Is Easier Than It Seems

Although it might seem complicated at first, understanding how to recover photos from a broken phone can be simple. If in doubt, contact a professional data recovery service provider who can help you access any photos stored on your device.

Looking for more information on how we can help? Feel free to get in touch with us today to see what we can do.

These days, phones are more than just phones. 97 percent of Americans have cellphones that they use — and this isn’t just because they like to communicate on the go. Our phones are portable dictionaries, encyclopedias, checkbooks, and calenders. However, mobile phones come with a serious disadvantage — batteries. Many people run around their daily lives with low battery anxiety. If you want to keep your phone working, you’re going to have to care about the health of your phone battery. 

But how exactly do you take care of this pesky part of modern technology? Read on as we walk you through everything you need to know. 

1. Stop Charging at 100 Percent 

Of course, if you want to keep your battery healthy, you’re going to have to charge it. Our tradeoff when we switched from a connected-by-wires world to a mobile world was that we’d have to make sure we loaded up these devices with limited lives. 

However, it’s possible to charge your phone battery for too long. 

If you charge your phone after it hits 100 percent, you run the risk of overcharging your battery. If this happens, you’ll create unstable conditions inside of the battery, which can lead to reduced efficiency. 

2. Run a Charge Cycle

To make sure that your battery stays healthy and calibrated, run a “charge cycle” every once in a while. This is when you let your battery drain completely to zero until it turns off. Then, let it charge all the way — without use — straight up to 100. 

This will effectively remind your battery of its full capabilities. It will reduce those annoying severe drops that can happen when your battery isn’t very healthy. 

3. Keep Your Phone Out Of the Sun 

Did you know that direct sunlight can damage your phone’s battery? The effectiveness of a battery is vastly influenced by its temperature. This is why your laptop has fans to keep it cooled down. 

If you leave your phone out in the sun, your battery could very easily get corroded. If this happens, you’ll notice a serious drop in the quality, efficiency, and charge of this phone’s battery. 

The sun can also cause your battery’s fluid to evaporate. If this happens, you’ll see a similar drop in quality from your battery’s performance. 

Heat can also overcharge your battery, which as we mentioned earlier, is never good. 

On top of all of this, excessive heat isn’t good for any part of your phone. Leaving your touchscreen out long enough will cause your touchscreen to lose efficiency and might even cause data loss. 

4. Close Your Apps 

It can be hard to keep track of all of the apps you have open on your phone.

On your computer, you have a large screen to look at. Every one of your tabs and apps are evenly laid out. 

This isn’t true on your phone. It’s easy to accidentally minimize a window instead of exiting out of it completely. You can go days without realizing that you still have this window open. 

Certain apps drain a lot of your battery. If you have several of these open at once while running about with standard phone activities, you can cause your battery some serious strain. 

Make it a point to clear out all your windows and apps at the beginning and end of the day. This will ensure that your battery stays healthy and doesn’t get overworked. 

5. Get it Serviced

Sometimes, you have to simply admit defeat. If your phone maintenance mission has failed, you don’t need to fret. Realizing that your phone needs phone repair is also very important in making sure that your phone battery stays healthy.

Check out the electronic repair section of our website. From there, you’ll see that we’ll be able to repair the battery of any sort of smartphone you might have. 

6. Limit Your Location Settings 

GPS tracking services cause a serious strain on your battery. It’s impossible to completely get rid of these, as they allow you to use many of the contemporary technologies that we consider parts of our daily life.

However, your phone might be set to automatically always give out your GPS information. If this isn’t what you want, then altering your GPS and location settings can help you out. 

Your phone’s battery-saving mode is already able to reduce certain GPS capabilities. If you want to save yourself some privacy and battery health as well, consider turning on your battery-saving mode. 

7. Switch to a Dark Theme

If your phone has the capability of switching to a dark theme, you should try it out. The brighter and lighter your theme is, the more battery it will drain. 

If you don’t want to go dark all the time, your phone might be able to automatically switch to a dark mode exclusively for the night time. 

If your phone doesn’t have a dark theme, you might be able to improvise something. Set your wallpaper as simple and dark and you’ll notice results. 

8. Limit Your Wifi 

Your phone is largely automated to try to help you out. However, as we saw with location settings, this can end up damaging your battery. 

Your phone might have a feature where it automatically tries to link up with whatever wifi is nearest. This can be annoying if you have a good data plan and simply want to use your data. It will also drain your battery. 

Turn off this capability and you’ll see your battery performance improve. 

Keep Your Phone Battery Healthy 

Phone batteries are one of the most important — but one of the most annoying — features of modern technology. If you want to enjoy the amazing things that contemporary cellphones can bring you, you’re going to have to take care of your phone battery.

Make use of the above tips and you’re more likely to have a healthy phone battery. 

For more information on the health of your phone, check out the rest of our blog. 

Did you know that cell phones have over 17,000 bacterial gene copies on them? This might have you feeling a bit grossed out. Even prior to the pandemic this is cause for concern, as the bacteria has the potential to make you sick.

But before you go dunking your phone in water and bleach, think again. While chemicals like bleach can definitely be heavy-duty germ killers, they can damage your phone!

So how can you clean your phone so you don’t have to worry about those germs anymore?

Read on to find out how to clean your phone in a safe and efficient way.

Turn Off Your Phone

Before you start cleaning your phone, you need to turn it off first. This ensures that if any liquid accidentally gets inside the ports, it won’t malfunction.

This is true for all smartphones, even those that are water-resistant. To decrease the risk of damage, it’s best if you avoid getting liquids in your phone, period.

You’ll also want to remove it from its case and unplug all the attachments so you can completely clean all surfaces on your phone.

Wash Your Hands

Another thing you’ll want to do is wash your hands thoroughly before cleaning your phone. Otherwise, you’ll just get more germs on it after cleaning, which will defeat the purpose of even doing so in the first place!

While most of us know how to wash our hands, it never hurts to have a refresher. You’ll want to wet your hands, lather them with soap, and scrub for at least 20 seconds (hum the birthday song; its length is around 20 seconds long). Then rinse off the soap and dry your hands off completely.

Use Antibacterial Wipes

If you’ve got something like Lysol wipes in your house, these are perfect for cleaning your phone! Grab a sheet and wipe down the entire outside of your smartphone.

If you’re wondering how to clean your phone screen, you can use the wipes still. Make sure to wipe gently to ensure you don’t accidentally scratch the surfaces and/or screen.

If you have a cracked screen, you might want to get that repaired first before you start cleaning your phone. The liquids can get in the cracks and possibly damage your phone further!

Now let your phone air dry for at least 15 minutes. Not only does this give the antibacterial wipes more time to work their magic, but it also ensures that you’re not putting your phone back into its case wet, which can cause it to grow mold or mildew.

Use an Alcohol-Based Disinfectant Cleaner

If you don’t have antibacterial wipes, then you can use an alcohol-based disinfectant cleaner instead. Make sure it has at least 70% isopropyl, as this is the strength needed to kill germs effectively.

Get a microfiber cloth and spray it with the cleaner. Now wipe your phone thoroughly with the cloth.

Like with the antibacterial wipes, you’ll want to allow your phone to dry for at least 15 minutes before you touch it again.

How to Clean Your Accessories

In addition to cleaning your phone, you’ll want to clean your accessories as well. Here’s some advice on how to get a completely clean phone!

How to Clean the Case

The way to clean your case will depend on what material it’s made of.

Plastic is more durable, so it’ll be easier to clean. Simply make a bleach or dish soap solution, soak your case for 5-10 minutes, and then scrub it with a sponge or toothbrush to get rid of dirt and grime. Then rinse it off completely.

For all other materials, you’ll want to use a dish soap or vinegar solution. These are gentler!

You can clean your case thoroughly once a month and then use things like antibacterial wipes once a week for maintenance.

How to Clean Your Earbuds

First, pop off the silicone covers if there are any. Soak them in a dish soap solution for at least 30 minutes. After that, dip a Q-tip in the solution and scrub them to get rid of excess dirt and grime.

You can then rinse the covers and leave them to air-dry overnight.

To clean the earbud mesh cover, dip a Q-tip in isopropyl alcohol and rub it over the mesh. Make sure you don’t use too much alcohol since it can drip in and damage your earbuds.

Now dip a microfiber cloth in the isopropyl and wipe the outer surfaces of your earbuds. You should also clean the cords if you don’t have wireless earbuds.

Lastly, let your earbuds air-dry for at least 15 minutes.

How Often to Clean Your Phone

Now that you know how to clean your phone, you might be wondering how often you should do so.

In general, you’ll want to clean your phone and its accessories once a week. However, if you use your phone quite a bit, you’ll want to bump it up to a few times a week, or even every day if you’re out and about daily. On the other hand, if your phone’s pretty neglected, you can get away with a less frequent cleaning schedule.

The important thing is that you clean it on a regular basis so the bacteria doesn’t get a chance to multiply and thrive, which can make you sick.

Know How to Clean Your Phone Right

After reading this article, you should now know how to clean your phone in the correct fashion, as well as your case and accessories.

Make sure you clean them on a regular basis since your phone is a hot touchpoint. Considering we’re in the middle of a serious pandemic, it wouldn’t hurt to step up your cleaning schedule so you can get peace of mind about staying healthy!

If you’ve already tried some ways to clean your phone prior to reading this post, then it might not be functioning correctly. In that case, we’re here to help! Start a smartphone repair with us now and we’ll get you back up and running again!

Whether it’s patching up a cracked screen or dealing with a faulty OS, sometimes having a smartphone can feel like more hassle than it’s worth. One problem that many end up tangling with that complicates this matter is slow mobile data. And when data controls things like your ability to navigate or communicate, slow data can prove much more than an inconvenience. 

So what can you do to alleviate this problem and help your phone run a bit smoother?

Well, we’re glad you asked. It’s time to take a look at the causes of slow mobile data and how to fix them! Now let’s not waste any more time and get right into things!

Poor Signal Causes Slow Mobile Data

The first big culprit when it comes to slow mobile data is not having a good signal in whatever area you’re in. Rural areas tend to have fewer towers to access than urban areas, and some buildings with high concentrations of metal or concrete dull or cancel out cell signals.

In some cases, your data will roam, or give you a weaker signal from a different provider than you have. This happens when your phone cannot find a signal from your provider. This will also give you slower data, with the added downside that you’ll usually get charged extra on your phone bill for any data you use while roaming.

The easiest way to fix both issues is to move to a different area, preferably an open one in a more urban environment. You may also want to look into switching to a network provider with better coverage in your area. 

Outdated SIM Card

If you’re using an older model of phone, an outdated SIM card could prove responsible for your lethargic data speed. This is because older SIM cards are designed to work with the network of their era (like 3G or 4G) and thus cannot connect to newer networks like 5G to gain a faster connection.

That said, swapping the SIM card out for a newer model should do the trick. You’ll just need to find a SIM card of the correct size to fit your model of phone. 

Crowded Network

Sometimes, you’ll experience slower mobile speeds due to the fact that there are too many people using the network at once for it to handle.  As a result, the network slows the connection to compensate for the added load. The most common network jam times tend to sit around first thing in the morning and the evening, though you may experience different high-traffic times. 

To get around this, figure out which times your network is under the most duress and try to schedule your data use away from those times. You can also use Wi-Fi to circumvent the clog in the mobile provider’s network. 

Issues with Mobile Provider

Another frequent cause of slow data speeds on smartphones comes courtesy of the data limit imposed by your mobile provider. Some providers impose data limits on plans (even “unlimited” ones), meaning that you get unlimited data but will experience reduced speed once your usage hits a certain number. It’s important to note that your speeds will also go down if someone else on your plan goes past the limit.

This saves the provider money, as it reduces the strain on their network and saves them from having to buff it up more to meet demand.

Of course, if you have a limited data plan, you could also experience slow speeds (or no speed at all) once you’ve used up all your data for the month. You’ll want to upgrade to a bigger data plan or swap providers to help turn those speeds around. If that’s out of your price range, you can also try spacing out your data usage more across the month to avoid hitting that cap. 

VPN Use and Other Settings

While VPN’s (or virtual private networks) are great for adding extra security to your data and spoofing different locations, it’s not so great at bringing your reliable data speed. This is because a VPN works by taking all the data you send and filtering it through a private network before it hits the Internet. Even though this happens in less than a second, the delay between networks still means that your data speed gets slashed down.

So, if you don’t plan on handling sensitive data, try switching off your VPN the next time you use mobile data.

While we’re on the subject of network settings, it’s also worth looking to see if you have the data saver option turned on. Disabling this option will increase your data consumption, but also give a slight speed boost.

Your Phone is Clogged Up

How many data-using apps do you have open at one time? Having too many of these apps open at once divides your speed into small pieces to give each app something, meaning you’ll end up with a lot of slow apps. Close any apps that aren’t in use and try to only keep one or two open at a time to maintain peak data speed.

That said, sometimes the data clog comes from your phone’s memory getting overstuffed, which saps speed for all tasks your phone runs (even those that don’t require data). Get rid of old files, or clear your Internet browser cache. This removes temporary files your phone uses to recall information you’ve entered on websites.

Finally, sometimes your phone needs a quick restart. Whether it’s an OS update you missed that needs a restart to finish or a chance to purge some more temporary files, a restart can do wonders for data speed. 

Back to Lightning-Fast Speeds

And that’s all there is to it! Now that you know about the different causes of slow mobile data and how to fix them, you’re equipped to bring your phone back up to lighting-fast data speed! 

But what if your phone needs fixing or a tune-up to get back to its former glory? In that case, reach out to us and check out the wide variety of repair services we offer!

Are you becoming frustrated with your phone due to a lack of battery? Have you noticed that your smartphone isn’t charging as it should? Many people find themselves wondering “Why isn’t my phone charging and what can I do about it?”

If that’s you, then we have good news: there is a solution! In fact, there are a few things you can do at home to troubleshoot the issue before reaching out to a professional service. Either way, it will be resolved in no time!

See below for an in-depth guide on why your phone isn’t charging and what you can do to get it back into fighting shape.

Try Different Power Sources

Unfortunately, a phone not charging properly isn’t all that uncommon. Many phone users assume that, when that happens, it means there is something wrong with the smartphone. That isn’t always true.

Imagine the horror of paying hundreds of dollars to get your smartphone fixed, only to find out that it was the outlet in your room that wasn’t charging. 

To avoid this problem, we recommend that you try different sources of power. First, try plugging your USB phone adapter into an outlet. If you already tried that, then try a different outlet, just to ensure it wasn’t the one outlet you’d been using.

If the outlet doesn’t work, then take your USB adapter and plug your phone into your computer or laptop. Make sure the computer/laptop is on, or else it won’t power the phone at all. 

If the outlet and the computer/laptop didn’t work, then there’s one last hope: a power accessory. Try plugging the USB adapter (and phone) into a docking station to see if the phone starts to charge.

For those of you that tried all three power sources to no avail, more drastic measures will need to be taken. You’ll need to take it to a professional repair service for an assessment.

Common Reasons the Battery Stopped Working

It’s understandable to wonder why your battery stopped working. Why—seemingly all of a sudden—isn’t your battery able to charge? What happened while you were sleeping that make your phone’s battery suddenly malfunction? Here are the most common reasons a battery would start experiencing some trouble.

Dirt Buildup

Even though it might seem like the battery stopped working overnight, this was probably a long time coming. 

One of the most common reasons that a battery stops charging is due to dirt and dust buildup inside the phone’s charging port. The good news? This will cost less for you to get fixed since it doesn’t require opening the phone at all.

Some of you might try to DIY cleaning a charging port, but we wouldn’t recommend it. Leave it to the professionals so that you don’t cause long-term damage to the port.

Software Isn’t Updated

Believe it or not, the software on your phone could be causing your phone to stop charging. If the software isn’t updated, then it can quickly drain the battery, as well as cause all kinds of weird occurrences to the phone.

To see if you need to update your software, start by opening your settings app and clicking on “Software Update”. If there is an update available, then click on “download and install”. 

Hopefully, the software resolves the issue. Obviously, if your phone is completely dead and not charging, you won’t be able to try this method. Better to take it to a professional repair service right away.

The Phone is Old

It’s never easy to say goodbye. However, if your phone is getting up there in age, then the unchargeable battery might be your phone’s way of saying “it’s time.”

However, don’t drop hundreds of dollars on a new phone if you don’t have to! Take it to Fruit Fixed to see if there’s any way to save the current battery/phone. 

We’ll give you an in-depth quote so that you can determine whether you’d like to repair the current phone or sell it and purchase a new/used one.

Why Trust Fruit Fixed

If you’ve tried all of the DIY methods and tricks we mentioned in this article without any luck, then it’s time to bring in the “big guns” by hiring a professional phone repair service.

Here at Fruit Fixed, we take tremendous pride in repairing phones, tablets, computers, smartwatches, game consoles, and more. A stubborn phone battery is just an average day in the office for us, we’ll take care of it in no time at all!

You can visit the smartphone repair page on our website to select your phone brand, model, and service need to get an immediate estimate for your repair. For example, getting the battery repaired on an iPhone 12 will cost you $198.00 on the dot!

You can also use our website to schedule a time to drop your phone off at one of our locations. We’ll troubleshoot the problem, then get right to work on fixing it. We promise a quick turnaround for you, no matter what the problem ends up being.

If you’re in the Richmond area, be sure to stop by to have us take a look. We have a burning passion for all things technology!

Why Isn’t My Phone Charging: Hire an Expert Service

Now that you have seen an in-depth answer to your question of “why isn’t my phone charging?”, be sure to use it to your advantage.

Take the time to read this blog article for more information on what you should do when your iPhone’s charging port isn’t working as it should. Be sure to reach out to us by phone at 804-698-0004 and we will be happy to assist you further.

85% of Americans rely on smartphones. Despite the promise of the power of a computer in your pocket being a major selling point for smartphones, the many things a smartphone can do drains the battery of the phone and leaves your phone dead at the worst possible times.

If you have been struggling with keeping a charge, keep reading for the best practices on how to increase battery life on any smartphone.

Turn off Background Apps

The main source of a draining battery is applications that run in the background of your phone while you aren’t using them. These can be anything from social media using your location to games sending you notifications.

Be sure to regularly close apps after you finish using them. With an iPhone, you can do this by swiping up from the home button and swiping away any open apps. You should also be sure to regularly delete any apps you don’t use often.

You can also check your settings to see which apps are running in the background. From your settings, you can customize individual app settings to turn off background refresh.

If you are in an area where you are not using your phone and need to save battery, turning on airplane mode will significantly increase your iPhone battery life. Airplane mode does a few things at one time; it turns off your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and cellular data. This shuts down any background applications that rely on these services. 

Battery Saving Mode

Battery saving or low power mode reduces the power that your smartphone is getting, which allows your iPhone battery to last longer. Like airplane mode, this mode affects background processes on your phone but without turning off complete access to important features on your phone.

Battery saving mode stops or limits automatic downloads, background refreshes, email fetching, and visual effects. Some smartphones have settings that allow you to choose the power mode. This creates a flexible way to have more or less power while still maintaining your battery’s charge.

Dim Your Screen

Many people don’t realize that your screen’s brightness is one of the biggest usages of your battery power. If you are keeping your phone screen on often, your battery is likely to drain much quicker.

Dimming your screen prevents the amount of power that is needed to light your screen. Though it can make your screen hard to see in direct light, it is especially helpful in maintaining battery during the day.

If you aren’t using your phone or are only listening to something in the background, consider turning off or dimming the screen while you listen. This way, you can save power while still listening to your video or song.

Charge Responsibly

While it may seem smart to always keep your phone plugged in and ready, you can actually damage your iPhone battery by overcharging your phone. It is recommended that you charge your phone to 80-90% rather than the full 100%. 

While charging your phone to 100% won’t overload your battery, the energy used in maintaining the 100% charge can generate heat and affect your battery life. 

It also isn’t recommended to let your battery drop to 0% before charging either. Instead, plug your phone in around 25-40%. Creating this balance in your charge will improve battery life over time.

Avoid Outdoor Conditions

Believe it or not, the weather can have an effect on your iPhone’s battery. Extreme heat, extreme cold, and even direct sunlight can cause your battery to drain faster. If you know you will be exposed to these conditions, it is important to know what to do to save your phone battery.

If you are dealing with cold, keep your phone covered and close by using a thick case and putting it in an interior pocket. Keeping your phone off and contained in a warm space is the best way to prevent your phone from bricking. If your phone happens to turn off from the cold, keep it turned off until you are in a warm, safe location.

While the cold drains your battery faster, extreme heat can permanently damage the capacity of your phone’s battery. This means that your phone will be unable to consistently hold the same level of battery that it should or, in worse cases, can completely stop your phone from turning on.

To prevent this, try to prevent using your phone to decrease the heat it is producing. Following our other tips, such as turning down your brightness and closing your background applications, will help with this. If you find your phone overheating, take off the case and wait to charge your phone again until the temperature returns to normal.

Buy a Portable Charger

If all else fails, considering buying a portable charger. While these chargers won’t help your battery life, they can help you hold a charge whenever you need to leave the house and can’t plug your phone in.

There are many different portable chargers that all hold different amounts of charge. Be sure to read the reviews and find out which charger works best for your phone and the amount of charge you need.

If your phone is refusing to charge at all or drains very quickly, you might have a larger issue with your phone’s battery. Be sure to have it checked out by a smartphone repair shop like our own.

Follow Our Steps on How to Increase Battery Life

The steps we laid out should guide you on how to increase battery life to keep your phone battery from dying longer. Overall, it is important to be aware of where your phone’s power is going. Be sure to keep track of how quickly your phone is draining in case you have more serious battery issues that should be addressed by a professional.

If you are still having problems with your iPhone battery and don’t know what to do, check out our smartphone repair! By calling us or stopping by one of our stores, we can do a more thorough inspection of your phone’s battery.