How To Fix a Frozen Screen on an Android Phone

No matter what kind of Android phone you have or how new it is, the operating system can sometimes freeze or just stop working out of the blue. Whether your Android has frozen on its lock screen, or it won’t turn off, these glitches can be very frustrating. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to fix this problem.

In this article, we’ll go over different reasons why your Android might have frozen and what you can do to fix it.

What To Do When your Android Becomes Unresponsive

When your Android “freezes,” it means that it has become unresponsive, and tapping the screen doesn’t have any results.

There could be numerous reasons why your Android has stopped working. In most cases, you’re dealing with a slow processor or a lack of storage. To be more precise, when less than 10% of your storage is free, your phone will probably start crashing. On the other hand, you might have installed an app that’s using too much processing power on your Android and is causing it to lag.

These issues usually occur with older phones, as they simply slow down after a while. Complex apps and more advanced versions of the operating systems might be too much for your older Android device to take.

Restarting your device may also do the trick, but there are some other solutions worth trying as well. For example, freeing up some space and clearing the phone’s cache is always a good option, even when your device isn’t lagging. If none of these solutions are helping, your final option may be to restore your Android to its original settings.

Android Frozen on Lock Screen

In many cases, your Android may freeze while it’s still locked or on its startup screen. It’s more troubling if it’s frozen on its lock screen since it prevents you from doing anything about it. The best thing to do at this point is to turn the device off. To restart your phone, all you have to do is:

1. Press and hold the power button until it’s off. This can take from 10 to 30 seconds.
2. Wait a couple of minutes.
3. Press and hold the power button until it turns back on.

If this doesn’t work, you’ll have to force restart your phone. You do this by pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons at the same time. When your phone is turned on again, it should work properly.

The Screen is Frozen and Won’t Turn Off

The force-restart is usually a quick fix, but what if your frozen Android won’t turn off? Since there is a strong possibility that your Android stopped working because of an unresponsive app, there are a couple of things you can do to fix it:

• Press the home button a few times
  This will immediately take you to your phone’s home screen. Afterward, remove all your recently viewed and opened apps by tapping on the little square in the bottom-left corner of your screen. You can usually clear everything by tapping on the “x” at the center of the screen.
  

• Delete or force-stop the corrupt app that’s making your phone lag
  Apps that take up a lot of storage space are usually the main culprit behind this issue. This is how you force-stop an app:
  1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
     
  2. Find “Apps” on the list.
     
  3. Tap on the “Running app” tab.
     
  4. Locate the app that’s making your phone lag.
     
  5. Tap the “Force Stop” button on the details page.
     

If you’re wondering which apps are slowing your phone down, it’s usually those that take up the most memory. To find out which apps you should force-stop, go to the “Storage” tab in your phone’s settings and view the amount of memory each app requires.

• Clear the phone’s cache and cookies
  Not only will doing this possibly un-freeze your device, but it may make it work faster. This is how it’s done:
  1. Open Google Chrome on your phone.
     
  2. Tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner of your screen.
     
  3. Choose “History” from the list of options.
     
  4. Select “Clear browsing data.”
     
  5. Check the “Cached images and files” box.
     
  6. Go to “Clear data.”
     

• Remove the battery from the phone manually
  This might not be possible if you have a newer phone model, so first, make sure your battery is removable. Simply take off the cover from the back of your phone, remove the battery, wait a couple of moments, and then re-insert the battery. Although this method is outdated, it sometimes does the trick. It will definitely turn your phone off since it can’t work without a battery.
  

Android Frozen on Startup Screen

If your Android is frozen on its startup screen, it’s possible that it doesn’t have enough power. If that’s the case, plug it in and wait until it has been charged. At least 10 minutes should do, but the more you wait, the better.

Another thing you can do at this point is force-restart it. This is how it’s done:

1. Hold the power and the volume down buttons at the same time for about 20 seconds.
2. Wait a couple of minutes.
3. Turn it back on by holding the power button.

Not only will this make your phone work normally, but it will also automatically clear the memory and cache from your Android’s storage. If you don’t want to force-restart your phone, you can also turn on “Safe Mode.” When you restart your phone, the “Reboot to Safe Mode” prompt will appear. Simply select “OK.”

This method works for all Androids with 6.0 Marshmallow or later operating systems. When you want to disable “Safe Mode,” reboot your phone again.

Android Frozen on Firmware Update

Updating your phone’s system takes at least 30 minutes, and it’s important not to touch or remove the USB cable while it’s being updated. However, what are you supposed to do if it freezes at the beginning or in the middle of the firmware update?

If the update indicator hasn’t moved in an hour or more, you have no choice but to stop the system update. The most efficient way to do this is by restarting your device. If it doesn’t work, you may need to force-restart it. When you turn it back on, try to update the system again.

Android Frozen in Recovery Mode

Recovery mode is enabled by pressing different buttons, depending on the model of the phone. For example, for Samsung phones, you need to hold and press the power button, the home button, and the volume up button at the same time. On the other hand, for Sony phones, you need to press and hold the power button and the volume up button simultaneously.

If your Android is frozen in Recovery Mode, force-restarting it is a quick fix. If that doesn’t work, you may need to wipe all the data from your phone. This means that you will lose all your messages, contacts, and any files you might have on your phone.

To do this, simply choose the wipe data/factory reset option while your phone is still in Recovery Mode. This will reset your phone back to its original settings.

Get Your Android Up and Running Again

Many factors could influence your Android’s poor performance, from lack of storage space to a corrupt app. The best way to unfreeze your Android is to force-restart it. Once you turn it back on, make sure to delete any unnecessary apps, cache, or anything else that might be preventing your Android from functioning normally.

Have you ever tried to fix a frozen Android before? How did you fix this problem? Let us know in the comments section below.