We’ve seen some impressive moves in
the market from LG in recent months,
none more so
than its flagship Android smartphone,
the LG G2. We haven’t encountered any
of these
issues on our in-office G2s, but the G2 is
available on many carriers and has a few
different
variations. There are always a few issues. Here are the most common bugs, glitches, and
annoyances that G2 owners are reporting, and some advice on how to fix them.
There have been several complaints about the camera on the LG G2. Some owners are getting blurry photos, even in good lighting conditions. Much more common is blurring in low light conditions and noisy, slow video. Smartphone cameras are generally pretty poor in low light conditions, but there are a couple of things you can try.
Workarounds:
If you can keep the LG G2 really steady that will always help eliminate blur. It also means you can have low ISO settings for a long exposure which will get best results at night, but you really need a tripod and a still subject.
You could go to Normal mode and increase the ISO to get a faster shutter speed, but it’s a trade-off and you will get more noise in the photo.
Potential solutions:
If your shots are blurry in good lighting conditions then start by checking the lens is clean. Look at it closely to make sure it isn’t scuffed.
Make sure that you are giving it time to focus. Touch on the screen where you want it to focus. It might be a good idea to hold down the Volume down button and wait until the box turns green to indicate that it’s focused then release to take the shot.
Don’t accept the automatic settings. Experiment with the settings in the camera app and compare your results until you find a combination that works for you. TRY USING SHOT MODES. AND CLEAR CAMERA CACHE.
Quite a few people have had problems with the LG G2 taking a long time to charge, possibly even up to 8 hours to fully charge the battery. This is definitely not normal. A lot of people also get the slow charging notification.
Potential fix: If you’re not using the original cable and charger that came with the phone, then start using it.
If you are using the original LG charger and cable, and still getting the slow charging problem, then it could be because one or other is faulty. Try switching the charger and see if it makes a difference, and if not, try switching the cable and see if it makes a difference.
Here are some tips and tricks for LG G2 ENJOY !
You can press and hold on an app icon to move it around, but you can also cycle through your additional home screens by tilting the LG G2.
Drag down the notification shade and you’ll see a line of QSlide apps under the usual toggles. These apps can be launched in small windows that sit on top of whatever else you are doing. You can tap on the top of the window and drag it around, or tap and drag on the bottom corner to resize it. There’s also a transparency slider at the top.
variations. There are always a few issues. Here are the most common bugs, glitches, and
annoyances that G2 owners are reporting, and some advice on how to fix them.
- Problem: Speaker volume too low - A number of LG G2 owners have had issues with the low volume of the speaker. Some have missed notifications because of it, others are disappointed in the volume for watching video, and some find the volume even through earphones is too low. Unfortunately there’s no easy fox for this.Potential solutions:
- Start by making sure your speaker grill is completely clean; blast some compressed air in there just to make sure. If headphones are the problem then give the earpiece a clean.
- You could try using a volume control or boost app from the Play Store, but we haven’t found one yet that actually boosts the volume. They mostly just give you more explicit volume controls and let you set the volume for different things.
- If you’re already rooted or willing to root your LG G2 then you could try a volume boost MOD like this one at XDA Developers forum. Just make sure you follow the steps carefully and get the right files for your device.
- Glitch: Bluetooth not connecting and disconnecting frequently -Quite a few people have had trouble with Bluetooth and the LG G2. There’s a range of different problems being reported from a failure to connect to frequently dropping the connection, to poor quality audio when connected.
Workarounds: dropping the connection
Potential solutions: If it keeps cutting out then there’s a chance the Battery saver is kicking in. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery saver and uncheck Bluetooth.
If the quality is poor then try checking the settings in your music app to make sure you have it on a high quality audio setting.
If it won’t connect then turn both devices off and on again.
Check the pairing instructions for your Bluetooth accessory or system, you might need to hold down a button or enter pairing mode.
Maybe there’s a limit to the number of Bluetooth profiles, try deleting any unused ones and then pair again.
Do the same on the LG G2, go to Settings > Bluetooth and long press on the device and Forget then try again.
Issue: Blurry photos
There have been several complaints about the camera on the LG G2. Some owners are getting blurry photos, even in good lighting conditions. Much more common is blurring in low light conditions and noisy, slow video. Smartphone cameras are generally pretty poor in low light conditions, but there are a couple of things you can try.
Workarounds:
If you can keep the LG G2 really steady that will always help eliminate blur. It also means you can have low ISO settings for a long exposure which will get best results at night, but you really need a tripod and a still subject.
You could go to Normal mode and increase the ISO to get a faster shutter speed, but it’s a trade-off and you will get more noise in the photo.
Potential solutions:
If your shots are blurry in good lighting conditions then start by checking the lens is clean. Look at it closely to make sure it isn’t scuffed.
Make sure that you are giving it time to focus. Touch on the screen where you want it to focus. It might be a good idea to hold down the Volume down button and wait until the box turns green to indicate that it’s focused then release to take the shot.
Don’t accept the automatic settings. Experiment with the settings in the camera app and compare your results until you find a combination that works for you. TRY USING SHOT MODES. AND CLEAR CAMERA CACHE.
- Malfunction: Slow charging
Quite a few people have had problems with the LG G2 taking a long time to charge, possibly even up to 8 hours to fully charge the battery. This is definitely not normal. A lot of people also get the slow charging notification.
Potential fix: If you’re not using the original cable and charger that came with the phone, then start using it.
If you are using the original LG charger and cable, and still getting the slow charging problem, then it could be because one or other is faulty. Try switching the charger and see if it makes a difference, and if not, try switching the cable and see if it makes a difference.
- Problem: Rapid battery drain- Smartphones are power-hungry and as screens get bigger and we load more software onto them an increased strain on the battery is inevitable. If you use the LG G2 a lot then the battery will drain, but you should be able to get through a full day without having to charge it. If you find you’re getting inconsistent battery drain, and that the juice is draining when the phone is not in use then you may have a problem.Workarounds:
- Go to Settings > General > Battery and turn Battery Saver on. You can click on it to configure exactly what it does.
- Google services can cause a fair bit of battery drain as they might tracking your location or backing up data. Go into Settings and look for Google under Accounts and take a look. You can turn Location access off in here unde Location settings.
Potential solutions:
- Have a look in Settings > General > Battery and see what seems to be using the most power.
- You could have a problem app that’s using GPS or trying to update frequently. If you can identify the culprit then you can remove it.
- There’s a slim chance you have a faulty handset. If adjusting your usage and tweaking settings doesn’t’ result in any improvement then take your LG G2 back to the retailer or carrier and get a replacement.
- Problem: Overheating- This is a common problem, just like battery drain. If your smartphone is asked to do a lot then it will heat up. There is a difference between a normal level of warm, when you’ve had the screen on for a long time, or the phone is searching for a signal, and uncomfortably hot. If you find the LG G2 gets hot when you play a game then you’re not alone, but if it’s getting too hot to handle, or heating up when the screen isn’t on, then there might be a deeper problem. The tips above for the battery drain issue apply to this problem too, but there are other things to try.Workaround:
- As soon as you notice the device getting hot hold down the Power button and reboot it. That should solve the problem at least temporarily.
Potential solutions:- Backup your device and perform a factory reset.
- If it still overheats after a factory reset then take it back to the retailer or carrier and get a replacement.
How to use dual camera
With the LG G2 you can record video or take photos using both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras at once. If you’re wondering why, it allows you to include a snap of yourself in the bottom right corner of the main shot, but it’s probably more useful for video recording where you want to commentate on the action. When you’re in the camera, simply tap the Mode button and select Dual camera, you can drag the small viewfinder around and you can tap and hold on it to re size it.
How to take a screenshot
Press and hold the power button and the volume down button until you hear the shutter sound and see the animation on screen. You can also use Quick Memo to grab a screenshot and then annotate it.
How to use the Gallery
All your photos are to be found in the Gallery app. Double tap to zoom in on an image or pinch zoom. You’ll then get an option to swipe up to delete an image or swipe down to share it; it’s a real time saver when you want to sort through your photos and decide what to keep, what to share, and what can be cleared away.
How to take full screen photos
By default the 13-megapixel shooter on the LG G2 is going to take photos in 4:3 aspect ratio, but you can change that. A lot of devices have a 16:9 aspect ratio, like the LG G2. If you want your shots to be full screen then open up the camera app and tap Settings > W10M and then choose 4160×2340 (16:9) resolution.
How to use Smart Screen
If you get frustrated at your screen timing out sometimes when you’re still looking at it then you’ll be glad to know that there is something you can do to prevent it from happening. This feature is borrowed from Samsung and it allows the LG G2 to use the camera to check whether you’re still looking at the screen before it decides to turn it off. Go to Settings > Display > Smart On > Smart Screen to turn it on. Now your phone shouldn’t turn off when you’re using it, but remember it won’t work perfectly in the dark because it has to be able to detect your face.
How to launch apps when you plug headphones in
This is a handy trick that saves you from having to manually select your app for listening to music when you plug your headphones in. Set it up in Settings > General > Accessory > Earphone under App panel. You can also Edit app panel so that every time you plug in earphones your preferred apps pop up and you can start listening faster.
How to move app icons (and home screens)
You can press and hold on an app icon to move it around, but you can also cycle through your additional home screens by tilting the LG G2.How to change app icons
This is a “unique to LG” feature: You can change the icons that represent different apps and resize them. Tap and hold on an app icon and then let go and you’ll see an option at the top right of the icon which will open your icon choices. You can choose a different icon or change the dimensions. If there’s space around it after you tap and hold then let go, you’ll also see blue corners that can be dragged out to expand the app icon and turn it into a widget.
How to use Knock On so you can tap the screen to wake it up
The ability to tap twice on the screen to get the LG G2 to spring to life, and knock twice on any empty space on the home screen or on the status bar to put it back to sleep, is very handy, especially since the physical buttons are on the back of the phone. You’ll find this feature in Settings > General > Gestures > Knockon. You may have to practice a bit to get it to work every time.
How to change your Menu, Home, and Back buttons
LG’s interface is full of customization options. You can even change your system buttons at the bottom of the screen. Go to Settings > System settings > Front touch buttons and pick the line-up and lay out you want.
How to theme your messaging
Open up your messaging app and try Menu > Settings > Conversation Theme to get a choice of different wallpapers and preset themes for your text messages. You can even set up different themes for different contacts. You’ll find additional themes available for download in the Play Store.
How to quick launch the camera
Press and hold the Volume down button on the back of the LG G2 for a couple of seconds to launch the camera. You can also use the Volume down button to capture a photo, though it’s a little awkward. If the screen is on you can also swipe left from the home screen to quickly launch the camera.
How to use QSlide
Drag down the notification shade and you’ll see a line of QSlide apps under the usual toggles. These apps can be launched in small windows that sit on top of whatever else you are doing. You can tap on the top of the window and drag it around, or tap and drag on the bottom corner to resize it. There’s also a transparency slider at the top.How to customize toggles and QSlide apps
Pull down the notification shade and swipe all the way to the right to find an Edit option. You can tap and drag entries to re-order the list, and you can uncheck them to de-clutter and remove things you don’t use. The QSlide apps work in exactly the same way, scroll right to get the Edit option.
How to use Quick Memo
This handy feature captures a screenshot and lets you draw over the top of it (there’s a plain note pad option, too). Hold down the Volume up button for a few seconds and it will launch. You can also launch it from the toggles in the notification shade, or you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen and slide to the right to activate the Quick Memo shortcut. This is also the easiest way to grab a screenshot on the LG G2.
How to share files wirelessly
You can access files on your LG G2 using your PC or Mac wirelessly through your Wi-Fi network. It’s a feature called Wireless storage and you can find a toggle for it at the far right of your notifications shade toggle menu. You can also turn it on via Settings > Share & connect > Wireless storage. When you turn it on you’ll get a pop up that gives you the IP address, username, and password.
Stick the IP address into Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac and you can drag files directly from the phone to your computer. On Windows if you add \G2 to the end of the address then you can map the network drive. On OSX in Finder hit Command K and then entersmb:// followed by your IP.
Alternatively you could use a free app like AirDroid, which allows you to transfer files and also send and receive SMS, among other things.
How to use Slide Aside
Go to Settings > General and turn Slide Aside on. This nifty feature allows you to store up to three apps off to the side while you multitask. Use three fingers to swipe them off to the left and then three fingers to swipe right will bring them back. This feature works with any app and you can bring them back whenever you want, whatever you happen to be doing. It’s especially handy for messenger apps.
Editor’s Note: Slide Aside differs from Android’s standard “Recent Apps” menu because apps that are slid aside will stay frozen forever. The Recent Apps menu only holds a certain number of apps in memory at a time and shuffles them out as you open new apps.
How to use Clip Tray
You can copy text and pictures by tapping and holding on them then copying to the Clip Tray. When you long press on any space in a text box you’ll get the usual Pasteoption, but you should also see Clip Tray which gives you a pop up window at the bottom containing everything you’ve copied in there.
How to use Guest mode
If you’ve got sensitive emails, files, or maybe photos and videos on your LG G2 that you would really rather not share with your friends and family, you are not alone. LG has spotted this issue and offered up a clever solution called Guest mode. You have to use pattern lock to unlock your phone for this to work. Go to Settings > Display > Lock screen and pick your usual unlock pattern. Now head to Settings > General > Guest mode and you can set a different pattern to unlock a Guest mode on your phone which will only allow access to the apps and functionality you specify in the Guest mode menu.
How to use your LG G2 as a remote control
You’ll find a toggle for Quick Remote in the notifications shade and you’ll find it listed in your apps as well. This allows you to use your IR blaster equipped LG G2 as a remote control for your TV, DVR, cable box, and other compatible electronics. You can set different profiles for different rooms by choosing them at the top left, so it can work as a universal remote throughout your home. It’s easy to set up, but it just functions as a remote control; it doesn’t offer a TV guide, so you might want to install something like zeebox.
The remote controls will appear in your notification shade when you drag it down. You can also set them to come on automatically on your lock screen when you get home by tapping Menu > Settings in the Quick Remote app and choosing Auto display at home then specifying your home Wi-Fi network.
That’s all of our LG G2 tips and tricks for now, but if you want to suggest something new, then please post a comment.
TEJWANT GOSAL
who loves everything about technology. He is devoted to everything that is tech-related and tries the best to produce useful and quality BLOGS about mobiles,
