Some Common LG G4 Issues and How to Fix Them

LG has been continuing its game plan to offer everything in its flagship smartphones unlike other OEMs like Samsung, HTC which omitted few important things like expandable SDcard slot and removable battery. The latest flagship LG G4 retains most of the features from its previous flagship devices, the LG G3 and G Flex 2 along with few important upgrades. LG G4 bears the subtle curve display, a chunky look and the LG’s unique button layout which puts it apart from all the other flagships who are more into slimmer designs and sleekish looks.

LG G4 is comfortable to use and powerful enough for all the daily needs but it suffers from a lot of issues. LG has rolled out OTA updates to fix some of the bugs but still most of the users are getting annoyed with these issues. Which is why, we are listing the most common issues in LG G4 and the possible solutions to fix them. So, let’s start the bug hunt.

Common LG G4 Issues and their Fixes

The fixes here are tested and working by many users but these are just temporary and there are chances that all the fixes might not work for you. However, it’s more probable that you’ll fix the issues with one or the other solutions found in this page.

Performance issues

LG G4 is equipped with top-notch hardware and delivers outstanding performance but some users have reported lags in the UI which is responsible for delayed start when using Knock code or double tap and lag while switching apps.

Fixes

• 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 to make inactive while boot, which might help fix the lag problem.
• If the problem still persists, you can try booting into safe mode and check if the issue still persists. If not, this might be an app related issue and you have to uninstall latest apps on a trail and error basis to see which app is causing the issue. If you can’t find the cause, you can perform a factory reset after taking a complete backup of your device.
• Try disabling native LG features like Dual Window, the QSlide apps, Smart Bulletin and Smart Notice which could help boost performance.

Overheating issues

LG has dumped the Snapdragon 810 chipset in favor of Snapdragon 808 because of the overheating issue in the 810 SoC but still some of the LG G4 users are complaining that their device gets warm even though no graphic or processor insensitive tasks are running. Here are some fixes which might reduce the heat on the device.

Fixes

• Use Power saver mode to cool down the device faster if it is getting overheated.
• Remove the external case or cover while running processor intensive tasks such as gaming.
• Check which app is using more CPU power and try uninstalling that app to see whether the issue was resolved. If not, try performing a factory reset and start clean.

Touchscreen Issues

This is one of the most heard complaint from LG G4 users. Most of the users reported that the device fails to register taps and swipe resulting in a delayed response which might be the root cause for the delay in Knock code. Reportedly, the keyboard is also a bit sluggish and there is trouble accessing the notification dropdown menus.

Fixes

• If you’re using any screen protector, try removing it and using the device to see if the problem persists. In most cases, a faulty screen protector might result in non-responsive touch.
• Open the Dialer app and enter 277634#*# or 3845#*Model# (where model is the version of the device, e.g. 811, 815, etc.) to enter the Service Menu. Now, go to Device Test > Service Menu > Manual Test > Touch Draw Test and select Manual. Here you can test the touch response by 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 this is the case, it might be due to faulty touch panel.
• The LG Keyboard lag can be fixed by installing LG’s latest software update or you can use any third-party keyboard from the Google Play Store. Alternatively, this issue can be resolved by activating Force GPU Rendering in the Developer Options.

Charging issues

This might be unbelievable but some users are reporting their device being charged a lot slower than expected. The device comes with Quickcharge 2.0 support but LG has not provided a compatible charger for quick charge the device which might be the root cause.

Fixes

• You can use some third part chargers which support QuickCharge 2.0 but you have to confirm whether the charger is compatible with your device. You can check out this thread on XDA Developers to choose a compatible QuickCharge 2.0 charger for your LG G4
• Don’t use your device while on charge as it will take more time to charge while you’re depleting the juice on the other hand.

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.