Most common bugs and problems with LG G4: How to fix them

The LG G4 has reportedly been affected with a spate of bugs and issues in the recent past, despite being an evolutionary smartphone from the company.

Unlike its predecessors, the G4 brings a host of impressive features to the table such as its trademark rear button layout, removable battery, expandable storage and a slew of back cover options including the leather variants.

IBTimes UK explores some of the most common problems affecting the LG G4, while also discussing the likely fixes to resolve them, using the latest troubleshooting guide posted below:

Performance issues

Although LG G4 is known to offer a power-packed performance, some users have reported that the device exhibits a delayed start when using double tap to wake or Knock Code, wherein you will see a noticeable stutter when switching between apps.

Potential solutions

• Download the Greenify app from the Google Play Store which will show you a list of applications that are active on waking the phone. You can then change the settings for these apps, which might help fix the slowdown problem.
• Try booting into Safe Mode and check if the issue persists. If not then it could be an app-related issue wherein you need to delete the last few apps you have installed just before the problem started, or perform a factory reset. However, make sure that you back up your important data, as this process will erase all user data.
• Try disabling native LG features like Dual Window, the QSlide apps, Smart Bulletin and Smart Notice, which could help boost performance.

Overheating issues

Although it is not a common issue unlike on devices powered by the Snapdragon 810, some LG G4 users have been complaining that their device gets abnormally warm, even while not performing any processor-intensive tasks.

Potential solutions

• Power saver mode can be used to cool down the device faster, if it is getting overheated.
• Try removing the external case while running processor intensive tasks, such as gaming.
• Try booting into Safe Mode to check if the overheating issue has anything to do with a buggy third-party app. Uninstall the last few apps you downloaded before the issue started, and check if that fixes it. Alternatively, try performing a factory reset.

Touchscreen Issues

Some LG G4 users have been reporting about a slew of touchscreen issues in the recent past, wherein the device often fails to register taps and swipes and sometimes results in a delayed response that apparently affects native features like Knock Code.

Affected users have mostly been complaining about a very sluggish default keyboard, besides facing issues while accessing the notification dropdown menus.

Potential fixes

• Launch the Dialer and enter 277634#*# or 3845#*Model# (where model is the version of the device, e.g. 811, 815, etc.) to enter the Service Menu. Go to Device Test > Service Menu > Manual Test > Touch Draw Test and select Manual. Try touching, tapping, and swiping on the test area and look for any missed touches, indicated by the lack of a red mark in that area.
• If service menu cannot be accessed, just download the Multitouch Test app from the Google Play Store, and check if there are any issues with the touchscreen.
• The LG Keyboard lag can be fixed by installing LG's latest software update to handle this problem, and this seems to have alleviated the issue. If you missed this update, try a third-party keyboard from the Google Play Store. However, some users have reported that problems persist with these as well.
• Alternatively, this issue can be resolved by using "Force GPU Rendering" in the Developer Options. To unlock these settings, go to Settings > General > About Phone > Software Info and tap on the build number continuously until you see the message: "You are now a developer". After this message appears, go to Developer Options in the Settings menu, and activate Force GPU Rendering.
• Those who are using screen protectors on their phone can fix this issue by just removing it.
• In case of the entire screen being unresponsive to touch, it is likely to be a hardware fault, and picking up a replacement could be the only viable solution.

Charging issues

Some LG G4 units are reportedly charging a lot slower than expected, while some others are apparently facing issues finding the right charger to make use of the device's quick-charging capabilities.

Potential solutions

• Although LG G4 comes with Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 support, the shipped AC charger in the box does not support fast charging and the device might seem to be charging slower than it is.
• Some third-party chargers with support for QuickCharge 2.0 seem to be incompatible with the LG G4 and hence are not charging fast. Affected users can check out this thread on XDA Developers forum to see which third-party chargers are actually compatible.
• Avoid using the device when it is plugged into the charger as the charging seems to slow down significantly when the screen is on and instead you can wait for it to be fully charged.
• Some users have reported that the LED light of the device flashes while it is charging, and it vibrates when charging is complete. Here is a simple workaround to get around this issue.

Notification LED issues

The notification LED issues have been reported on some G4 handsets, wherein the phone's notification LED keeps flashing randomly even when no notification has been received. In some rare cases, it is ascertained that the LED continues to blink even after dismissing the notification.

Potential solutions

• This is a relatively common issue found in Android 5.0 Lollipop, which can be fixed using the Clock application that can be downloaded here. Although this is not an issue with the Clock app itself, it is a means to fix the Notification LED issue.
• The issue seems to occur on some devices after receiving notifications from third-party messaging apps like Whatsapp. Such faulty apps could be removed to check if the problem persists. If the issue is gone after the removal of the app, you may need to install the latest app update from the developer to resolve the issue permanently.
• If everything else fails, just turn off the LED completely, by going to Settings > Sound & Notification > Notification LED.

Connectivity issues

Connectivity issues with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices could be a common scenario with newly acquired devices.

Potential Solutions

Wi-Fi Issues

• Turn off the router to which your phone is connected, wait for a few minutes before turning it back on.
• Forget the preferred network under Wi-Fi settings on the device, and then fill in the details from scratch.
• Check the level of activity on your current channel with the Wi-Fi Analyzer application. Try switching to a different channel if you are facing bandwidth issues.
• Disable Power Saving Mode via Settings.
• Find the MAC address for the phone via Settings > About Phone and ensure it is listed by your router.

Bluetooth Issues

• Disable power saving mode.
• Turn off Bluetooth on your device and then turn it back on.
• If the issue persists, clear the Bluetooth cache via Bluetooth Settings.
• Restart the phone after clearing the data and cache.
• Check if you have reached the limit for saving a number of profiles on Bluetooth. If yes, delete old and unused profiles, and try setting up the connection once again from scratch.

If nothing else works, try steps for soft reset, factory reset, booting into Safe Mode, and how to access the hardware key control mode.

Soft reset

• If the screen is unresponsive, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds, until the device restarts.
• Alternately, just remove the battery to shut down the phone.

Hard reset

• Turn off the device.
• Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down key simultaneously. Wait until the LG logo is displayed and release only the power button. But, hit the power button again, and wait till the factory reset menu shows up.
• Tap the power button to continue, or use volume keys to cancel.

Booting into Safe Mode

• Turn off the phone and restart it. When the LG logo appears, press and hold the volume down key until the home screen boots up; the device should now be in Safe Mode.
• Alternatively, press and hold the power button when the phone is on, till the shutdown options appear. Then select the "Power off" option till a confirmation pops up and tap OK. This will boot the device into Safe Mode.

Hardware control mode

If the display of the phone is broken or damaged, you can still perform some basic functions using the hardware buttons.

• Power off the phone.
• Press and hold the power and both volume keys together for more than 10 seconds to enable the hardware key control mode.
• Use the volume keys to select the option you want, and then tap the power button to confirm.
• To answer a call, you can now press both volume keys at the same time.
• Press the power button during the call and this will end the call.
• To stop the alarm, press and hold the volume keys together when the alarm rings.

[Source: Android Authority]