How to stop my phone from freezing up

Is your phone freezing, and not responding to your touch? Yes, your phone still likes you! It probably just needs some TLC, like power cycling, or even a reset. This video shows how to unfreeze your device and get it up, running and in tip-top shape.

Table of Contents Show

Read me first
Power off and then power back on
Check your storage space
Update apps from Google Play
Uninstall third-party apps
Update your phone's software
Perform a factory reset through Settings
Reinstall apps
How do I fix my phone freezing?
What causes a phone to freeze?
Why is my phone freezing and lagging?

After watching the video, if you need more help, visit www.verizon.com/support/troubleshooting/.

Crashing, freezing, and restarting are usually signs of a software or app problem. This means your device isn't broken, but probably needs some cleanup.

Read me first

Before following the steps below, ensure the following:

Remove the battery and SD card, if possible.

Update the device software to the latest version.

Open the app store, and download all app updates.

Uninstall all apps you recently downloaded or updated.

Restart your device regularly to clear memory.

Clear memory/storage regularly. Check you have enough free space to prevent future problems.

If your device meets the criteria above but the issue persists, proceed with the applicable troubleshooting steps below.

Plug in the device for at least 20 minutes or longer to charge.
- Use the power plug and cable that came with the device.
- Try different power outlets, and plug in other things (like a light) to make sure the outlet is on.
If you have a phone case, try removing it. The case may touch a button or the charger cable might contact it when plugging in.
Look at the charging port. Make sure it's not damaged and doesn't have any lint in it.
Hold the Power key and Volume Down for 45 seconds.

Device crashes, freezes, or restarts

Check that your device has enough free storage space. T-Mobile recommends having at least 15% of the on-device storage free.
Master reset with hardware keys.
Turn off any options to back up and restore your settings, if available.
Perform a master reset.
- Turn off any options to back up and restore your settings, if available. They may carry over the problem.
- Perform the reset. Visit the Devices page, and use the Device Reset page for help.
- After resetting your device do not install any apps, email accounts, Facebook, sync services, or memory cards at first. Try the device without them.
Android devices:
- Wipe the cache partition to clear system memory (use the Device Reset page for help).
- Clear all app caches (use the Manage Apps page for help).
- Uninstall launchers or home screen apps.
- Restart the device to exit Safe Mode.
- Manage memory for your Android device
Apple devices:
- If the screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch doesn't respond to touch - Apple Support
- If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't turn on or is frozen - Apple Support
- If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch unexpectedly restarts - Apple Support

Use your fingertip to touch the screen. If you're using a glove, stylus, or fingernail, the touch screen won't recognize that touch.
Check if the problem only happens at the edge of the screen. This could be normal. Screens often have lower sensitivity there to prevent accidental touches.
Remove all screen protectors, cases, or other accessories that may touch the screen.
Clean the screen of any oil, residue, or dirt.
Check the software version is up to date. Download any updates available.
Check if this problem happens when using multiple apps or a specific app:
- If this problem happens with multiple apps, your device may be low on memory. Close all apps but the active one.
- If this problem happens in one app, clear the app cache or data. If that doesn't help, uninstall that app.
For Android, wipe the cache partition.
For Apple, perform a soft reset.
If problems continue, perform a master reset with the hardware keys.

For the specific procedures for steps 5 - 9 above for your device, visit the Devices page, select your device, and find the steps there.

FAQ
- System performance
  - How do I troubleshoot my phone when there's a problem?
  - How do I check the latest software updates for my phone?
  - Why is my phone acting sluggish and freezing?
  - Why does my phone turn off by itself?
  - What should I do if my phone gets too warm or hot?
  - What's the best way to end or close apps?
  - How do I check how much memory my phone has and how much memory is being used?
  - How do I restart my phone into Safe mode?
  - In the Notifications panel, how do I remove the notification that says a certain app is running in the background?
- Power and charging
  - How do I save battery power?
  - After the screen has been off for a while, why am I not receiving mail and instant message notifications? Internet radio broadcast also stopped.
  - What can I do if my phone will not power on?
  - How do I reboot the phone using hardware buttons?
  - What can I do if my phone keeps rebooting or won't boot all the way to the Home screen?
  - What should I do if my phone will not charge?
  - Why does my battery drain so quickly?
  - How does Doze mode save battery power?
  - Why are Power saver and Extreme power saving mode both grayed out?
  - How does App standby in Android save battery power?
  - In Settings, what is Battery optimization used for?
- Camera
  - Can I keep the camera on standby to save battery, and how?
  - Photos appearing blurred? Here are some tips
- Applications
  - Why doesn't Google Assistant launch when I say, "OK Google"?
  - I keep exiting the game I'm playing because I pressed the RECENT APPS or BACK button by accident. How can I avoid this?
  - What is screen pinning, and how do I pin an app?
  - What does "Verify apps" do, and how do I check if it's enabled?
  - How do I sign in to my Microsoft email account from the Mail app?
  - Why are the apps on my phone crashing and force closing?
  - How do I know if I've installed a malicious third-party app on my phone?
  - How do I set the default SMS app?
  - How can unread text messages be shown in bold in the HTC Messages app?
  - How can I adjust the font size in HTC Messages?
  - How do I see the list of running apps?
  - How do I enable developer's options?
  - Why can't I play WMA music files in Google Play Music?
  - Is there a way to show the weather on the lock screen even when GPS is off?
  - Can I do the same things in Google Photos that I used to do in HTC Gallery?
  - I keep getting prompted to grant permissions when using apps. Why is that?
  - Why can't I use multi-finger gestures in my apps?
- Backup and transfer
  - How do I back up my photos and videos?
  - How do I copy files between my phone and computer?
  - I was using HTC Backup before. Why isn't HTC Backup available on my phone?
  - How do I get HTC Sync Manager to recognize my phone?
  - Can I share media files to and from other phones using Wi-Fi Direct?
- Security
  - How do I get past the Google login screen after I reset my phone?
  - What can I do if I forgot my screen lock password, PIN, or pattern on my phone?
  - What should I do when my phone gets lost or stolen?
  - What is Smart Lock and how do I use it?
  - Why am I prompted to enter a password to decrypt my phone when I restart or turn it on?
  - When I removed my screen lock, a message appears saying device protection features will no longer work. What does device protection mean?
  - Why won't my phone lock even when I've already set up a screen lock password?
- Wireless and networks
  - How do I add the access point to my mobile operator's network?
  - Can the phone automatically switch to the mobile network when Wi‍-Fi is absent or weak?
  - How do I share my phone's Internet connection with other devices?
  - How do I know if my phone can be used in another country's local network?
  - I sent some files via Bluetooth to my computer. Where are they?
- Storage
  - How do I copy or move files and folders to my storage card?
  - How do I view the files and folders from my USB drive?
  - When formatting my storage card for use as internal storage, I see a message saying the card is slow. Why is that?
  - My phone is brand new, but the available storage is lower than the total capacity. Why is that?
  - What's the difference between using the microSD card as removable storage and internal storage?
- Settings and others
  - How do I find the IMEI/MEID and serial number of my phone?
  - Why is my phone talking to me? How do I turn this off?
  - How do I enable or disable a device administrator app?
  - How do I turn off the vibration when I type on the TouchPal keyboard?
  - Why don't I hear incoming call and text message notifications while I'm in a call?
  - There's recurring sound and vibration when I have unread notifications. How do I make it stop?
  - Why can't I customize the items in the Quick Settings panel?
- Calls and SIM
  - Can I cut my micro SIM to a nano SIM so it can fit in my phone?
- Audio and display
  - I think my microphone is broken. What should I do?
  - Can I change the system font style and size on my phone?
  - How do I set my favorite song or music as my ringtone?
  - How can I separately adjust the volume of ringtone and notification sound?
  - How do I turn off the shutter sound when I capture the screen?
Getting Started
- Features you'll enjoy
  - Edge Sense
  - Android 8.0
  - Truly personal
  - Convenient, single-handed operation
  - What's special with Camera
  - Immersive sound
- Unboxing and setup
  - HTC U11 life overview
  - Card tray
  - nano SIM card
  - Storage card
  - Charging the battery
  - Water and dust resistant
  - Switching the power on or off
  - Setting up HTC U11 life for the first time
  - Adding your social networks, email accounts, and more
  - Fingerprint scanner
- Your first week with your new phone
  - HTC Sense Home
  - Sleep mode
  - Lock screen
  - Motion gestures
  - Touch gestures
  - Getting to know your settings
  - Turning icon badges on or off
  - Using Quick Settings
  - Capturing your phone's screen
  - Travel mode
  - Restarting HTC U11 life (Soft reset)
  - Notifications
  - Motion Launch
  - Selecting, copying, and pasting text
  - Entering text
  - How can I type faster?
  - Getting help and troubleshooting
- Edge Sense
  - What is Edge Sense?
  - Taking camera shots using Edge Sense
  - Changing the action to take when you squeeze the phone
  - Enabling Advanced mode
  - Typing with your voice with Edge Sense
  - Adjusting the squeeze force level
  - Setting up Edge Sense
  - Assigning another voice assistant app to Edge Sense
  - Squeezing to perform actions in your apps
  - Assigning in-app actions to squeeze gestures
  - An example of assigning in-app actions
  - Turning Edge Sense on or off
  - Changing in-app actions
- Updates
  - Software and app updates
  - Installing a software update
  - Installing an application update
  - Installing app updates from Google Play Store
Personalizing
- Home screen layout and fonts
  - Adding or removing a widget panel
  - Changing your main Home screen
  - Setting your Home screen wallpaper
  - Changing the default font size
- Widgets and shortcuts
  - Moving a Home screen item
  - Removing a Home screen item
  - Launch bar
  - Adding Home screen widgets
  - Adding Home screen shortcuts
  - Grouping apps on the widget panel and launch bar
- Sound preferences
  - Changing your ringtone
  - Changing your notification sound
  - Setting the default volume
  - Tuning your HTC USonic earphones
Camera
- Taking photos and videos
  - HTC Camera
  - Choosing a capture mode
  - Taking a photo
  - Setting the photo quality and size
  - Tips for capturing better photos
  - Selfies
  - Quickly adjusting the exposure of your photos
  - Taking continuous camera shots
  - Using HDR Boost
  - Taking a panoramic selfie
  - Taking a super wide-angle panoramic selfie
  - Taking a panoramic photo
- Advanced camera features
  - Recording videos in slow motion
  - Recording a Hyperlapse video
  - Choosing a scene
  - Manually adjusting camera settings
  - Taking a RAW photo
  - How does the Camera app capture RAW photos?
Applications
- HTC Alexa
  - What is HTC Alexa?
  - Setting up HTC Alexa
  - Using HTC Alexa
- Installing and removing apps
  - Getting apps from Google Play Store
  - Downloading apps from the web
  - Uninstalling an app
- Working with apps
  - Arranging apps
  - App shortcuts
  - Controlling app permissions
  - Setting default apps
  - Setting up app links
  - Accessing your apps
  - Switching between recently opened apps
  - Working with two apps at the same time
  - Using picture-in-picture
  - Disabling an app
- HTC apps
  - What is HTC Sense Companion?
  - HTC BlinkFeed
  - HTC Themes
  - Boost+
  - Mail
  - Weather
  - Clock
  - Voice Recorder
- Google Photos
  - Trimming a video
  - Changing the playback speed of a slow motion video
  - Editing a Hyperlapse video
  - Enhancing RAW photos
  - Viewing photos and videos
  - Editing your photos
  - What you can do on Google Photos
Calls, Messages, and Contacts
- Phone calls
  - Making a call with Smart dial
  - Dialing an extension number
  - Speed dial
  - Calling a number in a message, email, or calendar event
  - Receiving calls
  - Emergency call
  - What can I do during a call?
  - Setting up a conference call
  - Call History
  - Switching between silent, vibrate, and normal modes
  - Home dialing
- SMS and MMS
  - Sending a text message (SMS)
  - How do I add a signature in my text messages?
  - Sending a multimedia message (MMS)
  - Sending a group message
  - Forwarding a message
  - Moving messages to the secure box
  - Blocking unwanted messages
  - Copying a text message to the nano SIM card
  - Deleting messages and conversations
- Contacts
  - Your contacts list
  - Adding a new contact
  - Editing a contact’s information
  - Getting in touch with a contact
  - Importing or copying contacts
  - Merging contact information
  - Sending contact information
  - Contact groups
  - Private contacts
Battery and Storage
- Battery
  - Battery optimization for apps
  - Tips for extending battery life
  - Using power saver mode
  - Extreme power saving mode
  - Displaying the battery percentage
  - Checking battery usage
  - Checking battery history
- Storage
  - Freeing up storage space
  - Types of storage
  - Should I use the storage card as removable or internal storage?
  - Setting up your storage card as internal storage
  - Moving apps and data between the phone storage and storage card
  - Moving an app to or from the storage card
  - Copying or moving files between the phone storage and storage card
  - Copying files between HTC U11 life and your computer
  - Unmounting the storage card
Backup, Transfer, and Reset
- Backup and reset
  - Ways of backing up files, data, and settings
  - Restoring from your previous HTC phone
  - Backing up HTC U11 life
  - Backing up contacts and messages
  - Resetting network settings
  - Resetting HTC U11 life (Hard reset)
- Transfer
  - Ways of transferring content from your previous phone
  - Transferring content from an Android phone
  - Transferring iPhone content through iCloud
  - Other ways of getting contacts and other content
  - Transferring photos, videos, and music between your phone and computer
Connectivity
- Internet connections
  - Turning the data connection on or off
  - Managing your data usage
  - Wi‍-Fi connection
  - Connecting to VPN
  - Installing a digital certificate
  - Using HTC U11 life as a Wi‍-Fi hotspot
  - Sharing your phone's Internet connection by USB tethering
- Wireless sharing
  - What is HTC Connect?
  - Turning Bluetooth on or off
  - Connecting a Bluetooth headset
  - Unpairing from a Bluetooth device
  - Receiving files using Bluetooth
  - Using NFC
Settings
- Common settings
  - Do not disturb mode
  - Location settings
  - Airplane mode
  - Touch sounds and vibration
  - Changing the display language
  - Night mode
  - Adjusting the display size
  - Automatic screen rotation
  - Setting when to turn off the screen
  - Screen brightness
- Security settings
  - Assigning a PIN to a nano SIM card
  - Setting a screen lock
  - Setting up Smart Lock
  - Turning the lock screen off
- Accessibility settings
  - Accessibility features
  - Accessibility settings
  - Turning Magnification gestures on or off
  - TalkBack
  - Teletypewriter (TTY) mode

When a smartphone is handling too many processes or the RAM is full, the phone's performance can suffer, causing it to lag, run slowly, or appear to freeze. Try out the tips below which may help solve the problem.

Power off and then power back on

Powering off the phone for a few seconds will clear and refresh the RAM, returning the device to normal performance.

Press and hold the POWER button until the power options appear.
Tap Power Off and wait until the phone powers down completely.
After a few moments of the phone being powered off, hold the POWER button to power the phone back on.

Check your storage space

Some apps and processes can run more slowly if there is not enough storage space available or if a faulty storage card is installed.

Check your phone's storage in , and delete or move files if your storage space is too low. If your phone supports a microSD card and there's one installed, try removing or replacing the storage card to see if that helps the issue.

Update apps from Google Play

Make sure all of your apps are up to date, since many app developers will include performance improvements with app updates.

Open the Play Store app.
Tap
, and then tap My apps or My apps & games. In the Installed tab, available updates for installed apps will be displayed.
Tap Update all to update all installed apps. To update specific apps individually, tap the app and select Update.

Uninstall third-party apps

If your phone is regularly slowing down or freezing, there may be an installed app that is misbehaving and taking up too much of the phone's resources.

If the problems started after installing or while using a particular app, try uninstalling that app to see if it fixes the problem.

Update your phone's software

If the issue is not being caused by an app, check for updates to your phone's software and if an update is available, download and install it.

Go to Settings.
Tap .
Tap Check now.

Perform a factory reset through Settings

As a last resort, you can reset your phone to factory settings. Before you do so, please be aware of the following:

A factory reset will erase all data, media, and files from the phone storage. You'll lose them and won't be able to restore them if you didn't sync or back them up before. Make sure you've backed up all important information and files before you proceed.
Make sure the phone is charged to at least 35% before performing the reset, or is connected to an HTC charger and is actively charging.
Make sure you know your Google Account name and password. You'll need them to unlock your phone after the factory reset.
For phones with Android 5 Lollipop or higher, Device Protection may be enabled, which means that after the factory reset, you'll need to sign in using the same Google Account that was logged into your phone. If you forgot your Google Account password, use your computer web browser and go to www.google.com/accounts/recovery to reset your password first.

To perform a factory reset on most HTC devices:

Go to Settings, and then tap Backup & reset.
Tap Reset phone or Factory data reset.
If you have a security lock on the device, you'll need to enter your security information as well.
Tap .
The phone will reboot and reset.

Reinstall apps

After resetting the device, try to test the performance before and after reinstalling your apps. If the issue returns after apps have been reinstalled, the issue is most likely caused by an application, and that app will need to be uninstalled.

How do I fix my phone freezing?

If your phone is frozen with the screen on, hold down the power button for about 30 seconds to restart.

What causes a phone to freeze?

There are several reasons why an iPhone, Android, or another smartphone might freeze. The culprit may be a slow processor, insufficient memory, or a lack of storage space. There may be a glitch or a problem with the software or a particular app. Often, the cause will reveal itself with the corresponding fix.

Why is my phone freezing and lagging?

Check your storage space Some apps and processes can run more slowly if there is not enough storage space available or if a faulty storage card is installed. Check your phone's storage in Settings > Storage, and delete or move files if your storage space is too low.