Device problems depicted by sluggish performance, lags, freezes, crashes, and random reboots are often tied to a memory issue like when the device is already running low or having insufficient memory space. Any of these symptoms can occur after months or years of consistent usage but may transpire earlier if the device has been abused.
Frequent, prolonged and extensive usage can lead to early manifestation of these symptoms, regardless of whether what you have is a high-end or mid-range handset. Here in this post, we will address a specific relevant issue affecting the HTC U11 smartphone and that is the problem on freezing or unresponsive display. Aside from memory issues, what else can trigger the problem to occur on this device and what options do users have to deal with it? This is what we are going to find out. Keep reading for more information.
Before we proceed, if you are looking for a solution to a problem with your Note8, make sure to drop by our HTC U11 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues reported by our readers about this new device. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need more help, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
Common reasons why your HTC U11 smartphone suddenly freezes or is often freezing
When your phone suddenly stops responding and freezes, it denotes something went wrong and prevents it from completing a task. It could be one of your apps that has gone rogue, a corrupted file you are attempting to open like videos, images, or file attachments. Another possible trigger is a faulty update that you recently installed on certain app or your device operating system itself. Simultaneous running of multiple apps can also cause your device to freeze especially if the memory is already shrinking. Note that while smartphones are capable to multitask, they too have limits. The processor may no longer be able to carry out multiple processes at the same time because it’s exhausted. In fact, you would even notice your device slightly lagging as it heats up from prolonged heavy usage.
There are also other cases in which a faulty SD card is at fault. That said, if you’re using an SD card, try to remove it from your device and see what difference it would do while operating without any SD card inserted. Some data or file segments on your SD card might become corrupted or have crashed thereby affecting the phone’s overall operation.
The worst possible culprit is hardware damage. A faulty hardware might be to blame if your phone is no longer able to carry out a single task as it immediately freezes. In this case, hardware repair will likely be necessary.
How to fix your HTC U11 that’s freezing or not responding?
Right below this page, we’ve mapped out a rundown of standard procedures and possible solutions to freezing issues on your HTC handset. All these methods are applicable only if the problem you’re dealing with is related to the software. In the case where your HTC U11 starts freezing and persistently hanging and lagging after a liquid exposure or accidental fall, a faulty hardware or damaged component is likely to blame. Unfortunately, hardware-related issues in smartphones would already require a technician’s aid for fixing. It could be a replacement or service that is needed.
If possible, verify and ensure that the hardware has nothing to do with the freezing problem on your HTC U11. Once you’ve proven that it’s not hardware-related, you may proceed with these subsequent methods and begin troubleshooting your device’s software.
First method: Perform a soft reset or forced restart.
Again a soft reset or restart should be the very first workaround to resort to when experiencing performance issues including freezing. Should it be just a minor glitch that your device encounters, a restart should be able to offer prompt remedy.
A standard restart however may not be applicable in this situation especially if your screen is freezing, gets stuck and not responding to touches. As an alternative solution, you can do a forced restart instead. Similar to a soft reset, a forced restart will not affect any data stored on your phone for as long as it’s properly done. If you haven’t already, follow these steps to force your HTC U11 to restart:
- Press and hold the POWER and VOLUME DOWN buttons simultaneously until your phone vibrates, and then release the buttons. Note: You may need to press and hold the buttons for 12 to 15 seconds before the phone vibrates.
Wait until your phone boots up completely then see if the the problem is fixed.
Second method: Check and manage internal memory
Many freezing problems in mobile devices have been tied to insufficient memory. This is likely the case if you’re a type of user who is fond of downloading new apps and other contents on your device. Even if your device has high storage capacity, it still can become full in time. To make sure this isn’t causing the problem, try to check your phone’s memory status and if there’s a need to manage contents, do so. Here’s how to view the available storage on your HTC U11:
- Go to the Settings menu, tap Memory to see how much memory is available and how your phone’s memory has been used. You can also find out how individual apps are using your phone’s internal memory.
- Tap Memory used by apps to find out the memory usage for apps.
- Tap the black Arrow Down icon or Duration, and then choose the period of time you want to see.
- Tap Menu icon (three vertical dots) then select Sort by max use option to see the peak memory usage for apps in the list.
- Tap the name of an app to see details about its memory usage.
If the amount of free storage is below 10 percent, it denotes the need for you to free up some space. That said, remove or delete all unwanted or unused apps and contents from your device. You can also transfer some of your critical data to your computer or cloud backup.
Third method: Clear app cache and data.
If your HTC U11 freezes only when using certain app, it’s possible that the problem is somehow inflicted by any of your temporary files or cache files. To rule this out, you can do some cache clearing on your apps. Aside from clearing an app cache, clearing an app data can also help. Here’s how it’s done:
- Tap the Home key to go the Home screen.
- Tap the Apps drawer icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Browse and scroll to the app that you want to clear cache on then tap on it.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap the option to Clear Data and Clear cache.
Note that clearing an app’s data will also erase all personal information stored within the app including your login credentials, profiles, saved games, etc. On the positive note, clearing an app data can be crucial especially if any of the app’s data has crashed or gets corrupted and thereby causing conflict.
Closing all apps on standby mode or the apps you’ve recently opened and still running in the background can also offer some remedy as it also helps clear up your phone’s internal memory.
Fourth method: Update apps or your phone software
If the problem is not triggered by an app, check for and install available update on your phone. Updates can help optimize an app’s functions and operation. You can also check for any available firmware update on your device.
- To do so, head over to Settings->About-> Software updates-> Check Now.
If an update is available, backup your data for safekeeping then proceed with an update download and installation. Software updates not only offer new features but also contains bug fixes that will help eliminate any bug that’s causing conflict.
Fifth method: Boot into safe mode and diagnose third-party apps.
To help you isolate whether or not the freezing problem on your HTC U11 is inflicted by some third-party apps installed on your device, you can try booting into safe mode. If the problem does not occur while running in safe mode, it means that any of your third-party apps is the trigger. Try to recall which from your recent apps download is the culprit. Think of when the first onset of the problem or when your device started to act up or freeze. You may need to delete your third-party apps one by one. Just be sure to test your device after removing or uninstalling an app to find out if the problem is fixed.
If the problem reoccurs while in safe mode, it means the need for you to troubleshoot your device operating system. What you’re dealing with might be a complex software issue that requires more advanced fixes.
To boot your HTC U11 into safe mode, follow these steps:
- While your phone is on, press and hold the POWER button for a few seconds to turn your phone off.
- When prompted, press and hold Power off.
- When you see the Reboot to Safe mode dialog box, tap OK. Your phone will restart and you should see Safe mode at the lower portion of the screen.
Test your phone to see if Safe mode resolves the issue. If yes, uninstall a recently-downloaded app that might be causing the problem. Switch back to normal mode and troubleshoot the software.
- To switch back to Normal mode, turn off your phone, and then turn it back on again.
Alternatively, you can boot your HTC U11 into Safe mode using the hardware buttons.
- To do so, press the POWER button to turn the phone on. When you see the HTC logo on the screen, press and hold VOLUME DOWN until you see Safe mode at the lower portion of the screen.
If necessary, you can try uninstalling any suspected apps with these steps:
- Tap the Home key to go the Home screen.
- Tap the Apps drawer icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap the app that you want to uninstall.
- On the App info screen, tap Uninstall.
- Tap OK to confirm.
Wait until the app has been successfully removed then press and hold the Power button to restart your phone in normal mode.
Sixth method: Wipe cache partition in Recovery Mode.
The the problem persists after the prior procedures, you can move on to a more advanced procedure like wipe cache partition. Wiping the device’s cache partition can have a similar effect with a factory reset without losing any of your personal information stored on the internal memory. Here’s how a wipe cache partition is done on your HTC U11:
- Be sure to power off your device.
- While it’s turned off, press and hold the Volume Down key.
- Turn the phone on by pressing the Power key until the phone vibrates, then release Power.
- Continue holding the Volume Down key.
- Release the Volume Down button when the black screen with red and blue lines of text appears.
- Press the Volume Down button repeatedly until ‘reboot to bootloader’ option is highlighted, then select it with the Power button. The device will display a white screen with colored text.
- Press the Volume Down button repeatedly until BOOT TO RECOVERY MODE option is highlighted, then select it with the Power button.
- Press and hold on the Power button.
- Press and release the Up Volume key.
- Release the Power button.
- Press the Volume Down button repeatedly until wipe cache partition is highlighted, then select it with the Power button.
- Press the Volume Down button to select Yes.
- Once complete, press the Power key again to select reboot system now.
After the restart, observe how your phone operates. There’s a good chance that freezing problem is already gone after a recovery mode restart but if it still persists, then you’ll need to consider a full system reset.
Last resort: Perform a factory reset
This will reset your device to factory settings. All your data, media, and other files will be erased from your device. Make sure you’ve backed up all your important data before you proceed.
Also make sure that your phone has sufficient power to complete the reset. If necessary, keep it connected to the charger until the full system reset is complete.
- Power off your device.
- Press and hold the Volume Down key.
- Turn the phone on by pressing the Power key until the phone vibrates, then release Power.
- Continue holding the Volume Down key.
- Release the Volume Down button when the black screen with red and blue lines of text appears.
- Press the Volume Down button repeatedly until ‘factory reset’ option is highlighted, then select it with the Power button.
- Once the data wipe is complete, make sure reboot system now is selected and press the Power button.
Test and use your device as you usually do after the reset to see if the problem is gone.
Other options to consider if the problem persists
If the freezing issue on your HTC U11 started to occurs after installing a new firmware update and that it never occurred to your device before, then most likely the update is at fault. Perhaps the new update contains some bugs that caused conflict and intervene with your phone’s system routines and processes. Software bugs are often addressed by a follow-up update containing a fix patch. But before a patch is rolled out, the problem has to be escalated so that it will be assessed and tagged among other post-update issues to address in the next firmware rollout. That said, contact your carrier or HTC Support to escalate the problem and ask any further recommendations.
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