Help Slow LG Volt Now Freezes Even With Very Few Apps

[Richman7]

Hello. I have the LG Volt through Virgin Mobile. Model number LGLS740. Hardware version Rev 1.0. Android version 4.4.2. Software version LS740ZV6. I've owned it for at least a year & possibly as long as 2 years. For most of that time it's functioned pretty well, with the Email app being the main recurring issue (I access three accounts with that app, and it often takes minutes to "mark as read" or delete a handful of emails).

In the last couple of weeks I've had numerous instances where the phone froze. Most times I was able to shut down & restart with the power button but a few times I had to remove the battery. Also, a number of texts have clocked as "sending" for 30 minutes or more even with a strong wi-fi signal or 4G connection.

Another major issue has been the frequent inability of Google Maps to accurately find my location, rendering that app basically useless. I figured I would reinstall it but there's no "uninstall" option. I can't tell if this is a problem with the app itself or if my phone isn't transmitting that information properly.

Note that the phone is encased in an Aero Armor protective case.

Here are the apps I use regularly:
Email
Gmail
Facebook (which I removed yesterday since I know that can slow things down significantly)
Wordpress (to access my blog)
Other Google apps like Photos, Gallery, Calendar & Chrome

I also have the following apps installed but don't access them very often: IMDb, Amazon, ESPN, Flashlight, Food Network On The Road, Memo.

I've cleared the cache on all apps on a regular basis, and I often clear the data as well. I would prefer not to do a hard reset unless it's absolutely necessary. I hope someone here can suggest options for fixing these issues. I obviously haven't overloaded the device and should expect much more reliable service. Thanks in advance for your help.

Rich

 

[drgxpw]

Do you use a SD card? My phone started to do the same. I backed up files and formatted the SD card. It stopped freezing since.

 

[Richman7]

Hi drgxpw. I do have an SD card. The majority of my apps are on the card so how could I easily back up everything that's on the card before formatting it? And then how do I format it?

 

[drgxpw]

I'd insert the SD card in to a PC if available or just connect it using a USB cable and transfer files that way. If possible, I'd move Apps back to the phone in the settings menu. To format it, you could go to the settings menu then click on storage. There's an option at the bottom to format it.

 

[Richman7]

I will give this a shot tonight. Haven't hooked the phone up to my computer in a while but this makes sense. Would you recommend that I move apps back to the phone first, then transfer data from the card to the computer and, as a last step, format the SD card? Do I ever need to remove the SD card?

Also, this seems like it could stop the freezing issue, but do you think it will have any impact on the other issues I mentioned in my first post, like 30+ minutes for a text to finish sending or Google Maps not being able to find my location?

 

[bg4m3r]

Sounds like you need to do some general cleaning on your phone. Grab SD Maid and run a cleaning cycle. The free version will do you fine, especially if you aren't rooted.

 

[Deleted User]

you can use just the gmail app for your other email accounts as well which i recommend as the lg email client is likely to never be updated.

rick you should look into rooting your device if you want it to run top notch. i will tell you right now just from installing a host file on your device it will make a nite and day difference. also sometimes these devices just get data corruption. nevertheless, the best way to cure these problems is by doing a factory flash back to zv3. for the maps make sure your gps is using high accuracy gps,wifi,mobile. clear data on your messenger app if you have alot of msg with old mms it may be bugging out.

 

[Richman7]

Hi everyone. I'm downloading SD Maid now and will see how that works today. I also haven't had any problems with freezing or rebooting since I removed the Facebook app a few days ago. I just cleared data from the Messenger app. Hopefully that helps.

PimpinEZ, is rooting a device simple enough for someone who's not terribly tech-savvy? Also, if I do a factory flash back to zv3, will it remove any files/apps currently installed?

Also, how do I know if my GPS is using high accuracy GPS? Is there a setting in the phone I'm not aware of that can easily be updated?

Note that I'm still having issues with texts taking as long as 45 minutes to finish "sending." Until last week that had always taken seconds. Any thoughts on why this is happening?

Thanks.
Rich

 

[bg4m3r]

There's a Facebook Lite app you can get from the play store.

Rooting is is easy enough, there's a guide stickied in the root forum.

A factory flash will erase everything except your external sd.

Check with your carrier and make sure there isn't some service issue causing the slow texting, seems likely since you aren't rooted.

 

[Deleted User]

Rich, in the phones settings menu there is a Location setting. Select Mode and it will show High Accuracy, (uses gps,wifi,mobile data) Battery Savings, (uses wifi,mobile data) or Device sensor (uses gps sensor only). If you factory reset or reflash zv3 everything is erased, its like you just got it from the store. Factory Reset is the easiest method for the not so tech savvy. If your feeling frosty you can try a dirty flash though twrp with a zv6 rom. lots of android vocab here

Moreover, you can also try selecting System Updates in the settings menu. Updating the PRL will connect you to the most recent cell tower list. Updating Profile will reconfigure the device to the network. You can also try the dialer Code for re activation but i cant remember it off the top of my head; you should be able to be find it in the Root Category here at android forums. Unfortunately, without root you cannot try some of the more advanced tools available for android, because you dont have administrative access to your device.

I know you think the phone has "very few apps" but it come loaded with a bunch of bloatware apps. These apps will use mobile data without your consent and they will surly be cached in memory. You can disable these apps without root access by going to the settings menu, selecting Apps, swipe left to ALL category, and here you can disable or uninstall unwanted apps by selecting one of them and clicking disable or uninstall. This should let you install facebook without androids OOM crying.

In your case, i recommend doing the factory reset if you cant get these issues fixed but make sure you back up your important files either to a PC or a external micro SD. For me, important files are pictures and internet downloads. Things like phone #s, emails, bookmarks, and apps should be on google servers unless you opt out of using google services.