5 common problems Android users have and how to fix them

Android smartphones and tablets are great for so many reasons. You can navigate, chat, surf, stream, bump and so much more with such ease.
But, even with the smorgasbord of great functions and features, there are still a few areas that could use improvement. Android developers create their smartphones for people who want to be on the cutting edge of technology.

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Sometimes that means the most basic functions like battery life, Wi-Fi and other common features aren't as polished as they should be. Instead time went to mobile wallets, touch sharing and other cool features.
To help you curb the unwanted side effects of a built-for-the-future smartphone, we're here to show you the five most common issues users have with their Androids and the best ways to fix them for good.
So, grab your Android and let's get started.

1. Teeny tiny text

Some images on your smartphone or tablet are just too small to see. Plain and simple. Now there's a feature you can enable to allow you to get a close-up of items on your Android's screen.
Just like Apple gear, Androids also let you use certain gestures to zoom in anywhere on the screen. To do this, you'll need to enable the Touch zoom function under the accessibility screen (Settings>>System>>Accessibility). Toggle the Touch zoom on and you're ready to start zoomin'.
Now, when something is too small on your screen or you want to zoom in on a tiny detail, you just need to tap on the screen three times in a row. Make sure you tap three times in roughly the same place or the system won't recognize the zoom command.

The portion of the screen you tapped on will become enlarged and you can adjust the screen by dragging the zoom box to show the area of the screen you want to move to, pinching to zoom out and panning with two fingers to zoom in. Tap three times to undo the zoom once you're finished.
If you want to get even fancier with it, you can try triple tapping and holding your finger on the screen with the third tap. This enables a temporary zoom function that releases after you remove your finger from the screen.

2. Wi-Fi keeps dropping

Trying to connect and reconnect your Internet network can be frustrating. Why won't it just stay linked?!
This is a frustrating issue a lot of Android owners encounter on a day-to-day basis and the problem lies within the default software settings. But the good news is that this is an easy fix.
Your Android comes pre-equipped with Wi-Fi Sleep policy that turns off your connection when you're not using your phone. It does this to help save battery, but it can be a nuisance to owners when they constantly have to reconnect to a saved Internet connection.
To manage your Android's Wi-Fi Sleep policy, you need to access your Settings page.
Then, click on the Wi-Fi option >> Menu button on the top right corner >> Advanced Wi-Fi >> then select "Keep Wi-Fi on when screen is off" to turn Wi-Fi sleep option off. Make sure the option is set to "Yes" to ensure the connection isn't interrupted.
If you're still unsure about the process, follow the diagram below.

3. Fast-draining battery

Nothing is worse than when you're in the middle of using your Android when the circle of death appears and your gadget dies right in your hand.
You're stuck without any way to connect to the outside world unless you plug in for a few hours and recharge your Android's empty battery. If this sounds like something you're all too familiar with, there may be a few culprits behind your rapidly draining battery.
Bright colors and eye-catching themes could easily be eating away at your battery life. This is because it takes more power to illuminate a light colored screen as opposed to a dark screen. To check if your screen is chomping up a good amount of your battery life, go to your main Settings page.
From there, select Battery >> Battery usage >> scroll down to the list of items eating away at your battery. If your screen is listed at the top (as seen in the image below) it may be time to get a new background image.

Important: If you're attached to your background image, you can always try lowering the screen brightness. To adjust the brightness go to Settings >> Display >> Brightness. From there, you can toggle the brightness level lower to cut down on battery usage.

Another big battery hog is the haptic feedback feature. Haptic feedback is the vibrate response you get when click on buttons on the screen. It's a helpful tool to use, but unfortunately, it destroys battery life.
To turn off haptic feedback, once again you need to travel on over to your main Settings page. From there select Sound & notification >> deselect "Vibrate on tap." You will no longer feel the short vibrate when you click on keys and select things on your Android's touch screen, but you will notice a longer battery life.

4. Overheating way too often

You're surfing the Web on your handy Android smartphone, when BOOM. On your screen appears the dreaded overheating warning.
If your burning palms were enough of a signal, there's only so much activity your Android can handle before it's processors work themselves into a frenzy and are too hot to continue functioning.
A battery that overheats can be the result of a few things, but most likely it's the product of overusing your Android. Constantly surfing the Web on your mobile browser, checking emails and making calls puts a ton of stress on your battery.
Each program you run uses power. And when you start to pile on the programs you run simultaneously, your battery heats up from the power being exuded to keep up with the your activities. This can easily cause it to overheat and stop working all together.

Another thing to remember is that all good things must come to an end - that means your Android's battery, too.
There is a limit of sorts on battery life and it normally taps out after a year or two. So if you notice a shortened battery life or if it's not charging fully, it may be time to head to the nearest cellphone provider and buy a new one. Just bring your Android into the store so they can order you the right battery model.
The last cardinal rule when it comes to your battery is to leave it alone when it's charging. Messing with your phone and making calls, sending texts and using data may be doing more harm than good.
Put the back of your hand up to the back of your Android when it's charging and you'll feel the warmth it emits when charging. Now add the stress that comes when you open apps and surf the Web continuously, as we talked about earlier, and you're just begging for your battery to overheat.

5. Notifications go missing

You think you hear your Android vibrate or "PING!" but when you check, there isn't a notification waiting for you.
Chances are you did receive an alert or notification, but your Android just hid it from you. There have been many recorded instances of notification glitches in the recent Android Lollipop software, so some developers finally caught on and gave us something to do about it.
The first thing you can do to try to fix missing notifications is check your notification settings. To see what your phone is set to and to make changes, you'll need to start on the main Settings page.
Then, click on Sound & notification >> Lock screen >> select Show all notifications. This should fix the problem, but if it doesn't, don't worry. There's another trick you can do to get your notifications no matter what.
The second way to see every notification you get is through the Notification log. Note that this only works on select phones, like LG. Samsung doesn't have this option.
A Notification log is exactly what you might think - it's the detailed history of every notification you've received (in relatively recent history). You can set this feature as a widget on your home screen for easy access.

A widget is an extension of an app or program on your phone that lets you carry out certain functions of the app or program.
Creating a widget for your Notification log is much easier than you might think. Follow these steps to make your Notification log widget.

1. Long-tap an empty space on your Android home screen, then click on Widgets
2. Swipe left until you find the Settings shortcut widget
3. Long-tap the widget until your home screen(s) appear, then drag to place it where you want within your home screen(s)
4. A Settings shortcut menu will appear, scroll down to Notification log and select it
5. A Notification log shortcut will appear on your home screen

Now, you just need to tap it and you’ll have full access to your complete notification history no matter what software glitches are to arise.