We all run into problems with our smartphones from time to time. You might encounter a bug, or a mysterious glitch that you just can’t track down. In this roundup, we’ve gathered together the major HTC One M9 problems that are popping up in forums and comment threads. You’ll find a description of the issue, with a potential fix or workaround to help you deal with it.
Problem: Poor battery life
The HTC One M9 has a battery rated at 2,840mAh. That should be enough to keep things ticking all day, but some people are disappointed with the battery life they’re getting.
Workarounds:
- You can always save battery life by tweaking your screen settings. It’s often the biggest drain on your battery. Go to Settings > Display & gestures > Brightness level and set it manually, or limit the maximum brightness level for Automatic brightness by dragging the slider. You should also set the Settings > Display & gestures > Screen timeout as low as you can, without it being annoying.
- Go into Settings > Power and consider using one of the power saving modes, and/or the Sleep mode. You can configure exactly what is impacted by the Power saver mode by tapping on it. Sleep mode turns off background data when your One M9 is idle for a while. Extreme power saving mode really limits the functionality, so save it for real emergencies.
- Background syncing is always a big drain on the battery. Take a look in Settings > Accounts & sync.
- Notifications can also be an unnecessary battery killer. You can go to Settings > Sound & notification > App notifications to completely block notifications from specific apps.
- Location services can be a major drain on the battery, and you probably aren’t getting a great deal out of them unless you’re actually using a navigation app at the time. Go to Settings > Location and consider turning it off, or switch to Battery saving under Mode.
- You might also consider turning off vibrations and sounds in Settings > Sound & notification.
- Buy a portable charger. Check out our roundup of the best portable battery chargers for some ideas.
Potential solutions:
- Check out Settings > Power > Battery usage to get an idea of which apps are guzzling all your juice. You can even check out the apps killing your battery in the background by taking a look under the Screen off tab. If you find a problem app, then it’s worth checking the app’s settings to see if you can limit its impact. You might even consider uninstalling or disabling it, and looking for a less power-hungry alternative.
- Go to Settings > Apps and swipe to the All tab. Run through the list, and Disable or Uninstall anything you don’t intend to use.
Issue: Overheating
There was a lot of talk about overheating issues with the Snapdragon 810, which is the processor in the HTC One M9. Qualcomm denied it, but there’s still not much consensus on whether there’s a problem or not. HTC has released a software update that some people claim reduces the overheating, though it may be achieving that by throttling performance. In any case, some One M9 owners are still complaining about overheating.
Workarounds:
- You might want to take your case off when the One M9 gets hot, just to help it cool down faster. If you notice it gets hot when gaming, for example, then take the case off before gaming.
- If you turn the Power saver mode on, then performance will be limited. This can dramatically reduce the heat produced, without too much of a noticeable effect.
- Avoid using the One M9 while it is charging. Ideally, put the phone in Power saver mode, and leave it alone while it charges.
- Try to avoid doing a couple of intensive things at once. For example, don’t play a game and download a new app at the same time.
Potential solutions:
- If you’ve enabled the High performance mode in the Developer options, then you might want to turn it off.
Glitch: Auto-rotate not working
Quite a few One M9 owners have been having trouble with the auto-rotate feature. It seems as though there’s something wrong with the gyroscope, because the phone fails to rotate the screen when it’s changed from portrait to landscape orientation.
Potential solutions:
- Try turning the One M9 off and on again. This might temporarily fix the issue.
- Open up the Help app and tap Hardware misbehaving? > Hardware diagnostics > G-Sensor test. You’ll see the option to calibrate the G-Sensor in there, so do that first. Follow the on screen instructions to test after calibrating, and you’ll be able to determine if there’s a genuine hardware fault or not.
- To rule out a third-party app, you could try safe mode. Press and hold the Power button until you get the Power menu popping up, then tap and hold the Power off option and you should see a Reboot to safe mode option pop up. If auto-rotate still doesn’t work in safe mode, then you know it’s not a third-party app causing the problem.
- The last thing to try is a factory reset. This is unlikely to fix the issue if nothing else here did, but support are probably going to ask you if you tried it, so you may as well give it a go.
- If nothing has worked, it’s time to go back to your carrier, retailer, or HTC and get a replacement.
Problems relating to camera damage, Bluetooth, and more
Problem: Cracked camera glass
Several One M9 owners have reported that the glass on the camera has cracked unexpectedly. In most cases a crack, or several cracks, appeared without an obvious cause, like an impact or fall.
Potential solutions:
- All you can really do is take the phone back to your carrier, retailer, or HTC and see if you can get a replacement. Responses have been mixed.
- In the States, you have the option of using your Uh Oh Protection. It offers a one time replacement in the first 12 months, but if you use it, then it’s gone.
- You could try to repair it yourself, but this isn’t an easy phone to repair, according to iFixit, and you’ll have to wait for replacement parts to come onto the market.
Glitch: Double-tap to wake not working
The ability to wake your phone up by double tapping the screen has become a standard feature on a lot of the top smartphones now, but it doesn’t always work all that well. On the One M9, a lot of people are having trouble with it.
Potential solutions:
- Go to Settings > Display & gestures > Motion Launch gestures and make sure that Double tap to wake up & sleep is ticked.
- It’s designed to work if you pick the One M9 up in portrait and then double tap the screen. Try moving it first, or triple tap, to see if that works. The double tap to sleep again will only work if you’re on the lock screen.
- Check that there’s no issue with your gyroscope via the Help app. Tap on Hardware misbehaving? > Hardware diagnostics > G-Sensor test. You can also try calibrating here, or in Settings > Display & gestures > G-Sensor calibration.
- If you’ve updated your lock screen, then you might find that motion gestures you turned on previously have been turned off again, so check the settings. There’s also a chance that the new lock screen version has caused an issue, so try uninstalling the update and see if it works again.
- A factory reset is your last resort. Back up all your precious files and go to Settings > Backup & reset > Reset phone.
Issue: Bluetooth not connecting
A lot of people are having trouble getting the One M9 connected to their car via Bluetooth. In some cases it simply won’t connect, in others it’s connecting, but then dropping or lagging. If you’re having any issues with a Bluetooth accessory or car system, the troubleshooting steps are pretty similar.
Potential solutions:
- Start by taking a look at the instructions for pairing. It’s worth double checking whether you need to be entering a pairing mode or holding down a button.
- Go to Settings > Power and make sure you don’t have the One M9 power saving modes turned on.
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap on the gear icon next to your target device under Paired devices, then tap Unpair. Turn your One M9 and the Bluetooth device off and on again. Try setting the connection up from scratch.
- It’s possible you’ve reached a limit with Bluetooth profiles on the car system or accessory. Try deleting old Bluetooth profiles. You may need to refer to your manufacturer’s guide to work out how.
- You should also make sure that the firmware on your car system or Bluetooth accessory is up to date. Once again, you’ll have to refer to your manufacturer to check.
Problem: Slow charging
The One M9 supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology, but it doesn’t ship with a rapid charger. If you find that your One M9 is taking longer than you’d like to charge up, there are a few things you can try.
Potential solutions:
- Try switching the charger, cable, and outlet, to make sure there isn’t a weak link. Remember that charging from a USB port on a computer or laptop is always going to take longer.
- Buy a charger that has Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 certification. There is an official HTC one, and you’ll find a bunch on Amazon, but check the reviews carefully before you buy.
- For best results, turn Power saver on in Settings > Power, and don’t use your One M9 while it is charging.
