How to Run Diagnostic Tests on Your Smartphone
If you have never run a diagnostic test on your own smartphone, it is worth doing, especially if your phone is starting to show its age or if you have purchased a “new” smartphone from second hand and want to check its condition.
Diagnostic tools are also helpful when your device is becoming less efficient, but you can’t pinpoint why. Instead of using guesswork to troubleshoot various features on your phone until you stumble upon a solution, a diagnostic scan can pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with your phone, or at least provide enough data to point you to the right one. direction.
Unfortunately, finding built-in diagnostic tools on Android and iPhone smartphones can be tricky, and some devices don’t even have very good diagnostic capabilities to start with (if any). But you can always turn to third-party apps for help.
Built-in diagnostics
Android
Most Android phones have some simple diagnostic tools hidden in the OS, but these differ from device to device. The tools can be found by entering codes into the dialer of your phone app – sort of like entering cheat codes in a video game. Enter the codes below and the menu should open automatically.
There are two main codes that can be used on most Android devices:
- * # 0 * # hidden diagnostic menu : Some Android phones come with a full diagnostic menu. You will be able to test at least part of the phone’s hardware. However, this code is not available on all phones – nothing happened when I tried the code on, for example, the Pixel XL, although the menu appeared on the Samsung Galaxy S9. For those with access, this is a handy trick. The menu offers a series of offline tests to check the performance of various parts of your phone, such as the screen (touch recognition, color accuracy), cameras, sensor, and physical buttons such as power and volume controls.
- * # * # 4636 # * # * Usage Information Menu : This menu will appear on more devices than the hidden diagnostics menu, but the information sent across devices will vary. At the very least, you should be able to see the usage history of the application; statistics of connections to Wi-Fi and cellular network in real time; and basic telephone information such as current carrier, telephone number, etc.
You don’t need to press the call button or anything to reveal hidden menus, they will just open automatically. If nothing happens when you enter the code, then your phone does not have this function. Likewise, some devices don’t provide very useful information, such as the aforementioned Google Pixel (which relies on Google collecting diagnostic information from your phone in the background). If so, skip to the next section for some guidance for third-party diagnostic applications.
iphone
Apple is notorious for the fact that its products are “fenced in”, making it difficult for users to check and self-patch their devices. Unsurprisingly, you won’t find built-in diagnostic tests that you can run on your iPhone.
However, iPhone settings do include detailed readings about battery performance and history. To find this information, go to Settings> Battery.
You will find a number of different settings and categories that provide data about your device’s battery performance – but unfortunately, nothing else.
Running a diagnostic scan using third-party applications
Since there are limited options available on iOS, the only real option to run diagnostics on your iPhone or iPad is to use a third-party app. These apps are also useful for Android phones that don’t have built-in diagnostics, or if you need a more detailed (and less cumbersome) way to test your phone’s hardware.
TestM ( Android and iOS )
This app allows you to perform both quick assessments and complete hardware diagnostics on iPhone and Android devices. A full scan performs simple steps that test each of your phone’s basic hardware functions, including cameras; battery and charging; onboard sensors; as well as the performance of location, Bluetooth and cellular connections.
Each test is simple and the results are easy to read. If the scan finds something wrong, the app can recommend the nearest repair shop. The only major downside to TestM is that it plays ads between tests, which is annoying. The ad-free premium version can be unlocked for $ 18, but that’s a hefty price tag.
Phone check and test ( Android )
Phone Check and Test is a seemingly simple application, but it does much more than just check the “health” of your phone’s hardware. The full scan includes deep diagnostics of CPU, storage and battery, and the test results are very detailed. This makes Phone Check and Test a little less user-friendly than TestM, but it’s a great troubleshooting tool that gives you tons of data.
While the free version does contain ads, it is minimal and you can upgrade to Plus for as little as $ 2 to remove it. The Plus version also adds several additional testing tools and allows you to run off-line tests for each piece of hardware separately, saving you time when doing a full system scan.
Phone Diagnostics ( iOS )
Like the TestM app for Android phone, Phone Diagnostics can sometimes be an ad clutter, but behind it all hides a robust suite of hardware functional tests. The full test takes you through all the major hardware features depending on the iPhone model you are using.
Unlike other apps we’ve listed, Phone Diagnostics allows users to perform immediate offline tests on any hardware feature of your iPhone without requiring a paid upgrade.