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Having trouble with your LG V20? Here are solutions to most common problems

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LG V20
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
The LG V20 is an amazing smartphone with a sleek design, excellent audio quality, and a fantastic set of cameras. Despite its many highs, however, there are some lows. These amount to a handful of problems that owners have been experiencing since the phone’s release last year. There aren’t enough bugs and glitches to scare people away from the device, sure, but they’re good to know about all the same.

Problem: Battery drain

Battery drain is a common problem among smartphones, but with the V20, the problem seems to be more widespread. People are talking about the phone’s battery life on forums at Android Central, XDA Developers, and Verizon, claiming their batteries are draining far more quickly than expected, sometimes after just a few hours and with minimal to average use. The issue has appeared on Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint versions of the hardware.

Potential solutions:

  • Restart your phone and see if the battery drain persists.
  • Check to see if an app is draining the battery by going to Settings > General > Battery & power saving > Battery usage. Check for an update for that app, or delete it and see if the battery life improves. Many have suggested removing Facebook and other related apps like Messenger, as they have been known to drain batteries quickly.
  • Try the Battery Saver feature. Enable and customize this by going to Settings > General > Battery & power saving > Battery saver.
  •  Clear the Cache Partition:
    • Go to Settings > General (if you have that option) > Storage. When the page loads, tap Cached data > Yes. The time it takes for this process to finish will vary based on the size of the data.
    • On T-Mobile devices: Settings > General > Storage & USB > Internal storage. Wait for the page to load, then tap Cached data > OK.
  • You can also try a factory reset. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Backup & reset, then tap either LG Backup or Back up my data to backup your important information. Afterward, go to Settings > General > Backup & reset > Factory data reset.
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Issue: Fast charging too slow

Users on this Android Central thread have reportedly been unable to get the V20’s fast charging feature to work as intended. The devices notify their users that it will take at least four hours to fully charge. Trying new charging cables, wiping the cache partition, restarting the phone, and removing and reinserting the battery have failed to work.

Potential solutions:

  • Once again, the Facebook family of apps have been cited as the culprits due to their tendency to drain the battery. Consider uninstalling them and accessing Facebook through your browser.
  • Background apps that are constantly running could also be affecting the battery drain. Before fast charging your device, close any apps running in the background by tapping the Recent apps key (the square button on the Home screen), then tap the ‘X’ to close it, or tap Clear All to close every app that appears.
  • Apps like Greenify can help point out misbehaving apps and put them into hibernation to prevent them from affecting the battery when not in use.

Problem: Fingerprint scanner isn’t working

We once again look to the Android Central forums, where a number of people are having problems with their phone’s fingerprint scanner. The sensor does not recognize their fingerprint and returns with the message “fingerprint not working, if problem persists restart phone.” Pulling the battery, factory resets, and resetting the fingerprints have not had much success for many.

Potential solutions:

  • Clean the scanner and the area around it. Dust and dirt can interrupt the scan.
  • If your fingers are wet, or if you’re in an extremely dry area, the scan may not work as expected. For the latter, a build up of static electricity can have a negative affect on the scan.
  • If the plastic film that covered the scanner is still there, then remove it, as it could be interfering with the scan.
  • Protective cases have been said to mess up the scan sometimes. If you use a case, try removing it, and try the scan again, or try another case.
  • Some people have pointed out that using a lighter touch on the scanner (just barely touching it) will result in a successful scan, as opposed to using a heavier touch.
  • If none of the above works, reach out to LG Support or your carrier. You may be able to have your phone repaired or replaced.

Issue: Speaker Audio Distortion

Many people on the XDA Developers forums, as well as a few on T-Mobile’s forums, have complained about the audio quality of their phone’s speaker, with a decent number saying their speaker has blown out. When watching a video, audio is plagued by crackling, popping, and static, and it’s unclear what caused the problem to begin with. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T units have also been affected.

Potential solutions:

  • LG released an update in December that addressed an issue with the speakerphone, specifically the bug that causes the speaker to be blown out, but it hasn’t helped everyone experiencing this particular issue. You can check that you’re up to date via Settings > About phone > Software updates > Check for update.
  • Since this is likely a hardware issue, your best best is to reach out to LG or your carrier for repairs or to get a replacement. If your phone is still covered by the warranty, you should be fine.

Issue: Bluetooth audio quality is poor, choppy, or skips

Like the battery drain problem above, Bluetooth issues are also common with smartphones. On the XDA Developers forums, many users have reported having various problems when connecting their LG V20 to their Bluetooth devices, including headphones and cars. Solutions to this problem vary, but are very similar to other solutions with other smartphones.

Potential solutions:

  • Turning down the volume on the phone itself improved audio for a small handful of people.
  • Clear the cache for the Bluetooth app by going to Settings > General > Apps. Tap the All filter, then tap the Bluetooth app > Storage > Clear cache (or Clear Data) > Yes.
  • Reset your Bluetooth settings by going to Settings > General > Backup & reset > Network settings reset. Then re-pair the devices by going to Settings > Networks > Bluetooth, then toggle the switch on to enable it. Devices you can pair with should appear (or tap Search to refresh the list). Tap the device you want to pair with and follow the on-screen instructions.
  • Some users found success or improvements by pairing their Bluetooth devices, but not syncing contacts, or by disabling their vehicle’s Wi-Fi.
  • Installing apps like Bluetooth Auto Connect can help improve your experiences with Bluetooth connections and other Bluetooth devices.
  • The V20 has a feature known as Smart Settings that can be used to automatically change certain settings based on location or usage. You can use these settings to turn off Wi-Fi when you leave home (or the range of a known/trusted Wi-Fi connection), preventing your phone from constantly connecting to outside wireless connections and potentially affecting your Bluetooth audio, such as when using streaming services like Spotify or Google Play Music. You can find and adjust these settings by going to Settings > General > Smart settings.

That’s it for our advice on fixing a rare problem you may encounter with the LG V20. We’ll update if any more are discovered.

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Kyree Leary
Kyree Leary
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyree is an Atlanta-based freelance writer who spends a lot of his time writing about video games and all kinds of tech…
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