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Wondering if your smartphone is in good health? Whether it's a used phone you just bought or an old device you're looking to sell, you can put it through a series of diagnostic tests. Some Android devices have built-in diagnostics, but the App Store and Google Play Store offer third-party apps that can run a battery of tests to check the touch screen, audio, video, camera, microphone, sensors, and other components of your phone. Here's how they work.
Run Diagnostics on Samsung Phones
Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones have a built-in diagnostics tool that's accessible from the keypad. Open the Phone app, tap the Keypad, and then type #0#. A diagnostic screen pops up with buttons for a variety of tests. Tap Red, Green, or Blue to test those pixel colors. Tap Receiver to check the audio, Vibration to try the vibrating feature, and Sensor to test the accelerometer and other sensors.
You can also tap Touch and then move your finger around the screen to test the touch screen and Low Frequency to test low-frequency sounds. After your test is done, touch the screen or tap the back button to return to the main screen. Tap the back button from the main menu to return to the Phone app.
(Credit: PCMag / Samsung)Samsung also has an app called Samsung Members, which can be downloaded from Google Play. It provides sales and technical support, as well as a built-in diagnostics tool. Open the app and tap the Diagnostic button on the home screen. Tap the individual icons to run diagnostic tests on your phone.
The app allows you to test the battery, SIM card, sensors, touch screen, flashlight, camera, microphone, speaker, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and more. Alternatively, tap the Test all button to perform all the tests. If the test is successful, a checkmark appears on its icon.
(Credit: PCMag / Samsung)Run Diagnostics on Motorola Phones
Motorola phones can use the Device Help app, which comes preinstalled on some devices. Open the app and tap Device diagnosis. Choose Troubleshooting for help resolving a specific problem or Hardware test to run diagnostics on the display, backlight, touch screen, multi-touch capability, flash, front and rear camera, and the proximity sensor. Run a test by tapping the icon for the feature you want to run. You can tap Full Test at the Hardware screen to perform all available diagnostics.
(Credit: PCMag / Motorola)Phone Doctor Plus for iPhone and Android
Phone Doctor Plus (iOS and Android) starts by showing you a list of different tests to run, including those for memory, CPU, speaker, microphone, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, touch screen, camera, charging, and many more. Tap the Play button to run all the tests or swipe to the left to view a list of all available tests you can run individually. The app then displays the results of any tests.
Phone Doctor Plus provides a Status screen that displays your battery charge, available storage, free memory, and network bandwidth. It also researches and displays the trade-in value of your phone. The Android app kicks in an inventory report that makes sure all the phone’s components are original and a battery health test to check the status of your battery.
(Credit: PCMag / Phone Doctor Plus)Phone Diagnostics for iPhone
Phone Diagnostics (iOS) has a range of tests for your touch screen, camera, speaker, microphone, Wi-Fi, cellular access, and other components. Just tap the test you wish to run or Start to run all tests. The multi-touch test asks you to place three fingers on the screen. The camera test snaps photos using the front and rear cameras, while the video record test shoots a video using the rear camera. The motion test has you move your phone around, and the GPS test verifies your location on a map.
The app doesn't generate any reports or results, but each successful test turns its button green, while a failed or interrupted test appears in red. The app can also attempt to steer you to a repair shop should your phone need to be fixed. The basic version is free with ads, but you can pay $1.99 to go ad-free.
(Credit: PCMag / Phone Diagnostics)Zinny for Android
Zinny (Android) offers a series of diagnostic tests to check your battery, wireless charging, memory, flash, storage, audio, sensors, display, camera, and network connection. You can set up the dashboard to display your favorite tests for easy access. Otherwise, tap Phone Check to run each test individually or all the tests one after the other.
A Phone Vitals screen shows you the stats for specific features, such as the battery, sound, display, and camera. An Internet screen lets you check and view your Wi-Fi speed and cellular connection. And a Toolbox screen offers tests to fix specific problems, such as screen burn-in and water in your speaker. The basic version of the app is free but ad-supported. For $1.49 per month, a Pro version jettisons the ads and also kicks in a few more tests.
(Credit: PCMag / Zinny)iDiagnosis for iPhone
iDiagnosis (iOS) is a free app that will check your device’s touch screen, microphone, headphone, speaker, gyroscope, compass, Wi-Fi connectivity, sensors, volume controls, charger, Face ID, camera, and more. You run each test individually, with some operating on their own and others requiring user input. A successful test displays a green checkmark, while one that fails gets a red mark.
After the tests have completed, a Status Details screen displays the results, indicating whether it passed or failed and the date and time it was run. Another screen shows different stats on your phone, including the OS version, memory, screen size, resolution, pixel density, storage, and battery level.
(Credit: PCMag / iDiagnosis)