Why Is My Phone Glitching? Common Reasons and How to Fix Them

There are few things more frustrating than a phone that suddenly decides to misbehave. Flickering screens, frozen apps, random restarts, sluggish performance — if your iPhone or Android has been acting up lately, you’re not alone.

The good news is that most glitches come down to one of a handful of well-understood causes. And in most cases, the fix is simpler than you’d expect.

In this guide, we’ll cover the most common reasons your phone is glitching and exactly what to do about each one.

Common Reasons Your Phone Is Glitching

1. Low Storage Space

When your phone’s internal storage is nearly full, performance takes a hit. Both iOS and Android need a buffer of free space to run smoothly — it’s where the system stores temporary files, processes app data, and handles basic operations. When that buffer disappears, things start to break down.

Signs this is the problem:

• Apps take much longer to open or load
• The phone feels generally sluggish
• Apps crash or freeze unexpectedly

How to fix it: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage (iPhone) or Settings > Device Care > Storage (Android) to see what’s taking up space.

Delete apps you no longer use, offload old photos to cloud storage, and clear browser caches. A good rule of thumb: keep at least 10–15% of your storage free at all times.

Fig 1. Checking Storage in iOS and Android

2. Outdated Software

An outdated operating system is one of the most common, and most overlooked, causes of phone glitches.

Software updates don’t just add new features; they fix known bugs, patch security vulnerabilities, and improve system stability. If you’ve been dismissing those update notifications, they may be more important than they look.

How to update your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update
2. Download and install any available update

How to update Android:

1. Go to Settings > System
2. Tap System Update or Software Update

Fig 2. Updating on iOS and Android

Individual apps matter too. An outdated app can cause crashes and display issues even if your OS is current. Check the App Store or Google Play for any pending updates.

3. Too Many Apps Running in the Background

You might have minimized an app, but that doesn’t always mean it stopped running. Many apps continue refreshing content, syncing data, and checking for notifications in the background — and when too many stack up at once, your phone’s processor and memory start to strain.

How to fix it: Close apps you’re not using. Swipe up from the bottom edge to open the app switcher, then swipe apps away. On some older Android devices you might need to tap the recent apps button to bring up the app switcher.

You can also limit background activity for specific apps:

• iPhone: Settings > General > Background App Refresh
• Android: Go to Settings > Apps, tap the app, then Battery > Restricted

Fig 3. Limiting background activity for iOS and Android

4. Overheating

When your phone gets too hot, it deliberately slows itself down to protect its internal components. That thermal throttling is what causes the stuttering and freezing you might notice on a warm day or during a long gaming session.

Common causes:

• Extended gaming or video streaming, especially while charging
• Direct sunlight or being left in a hot car
• Continuously searching for a weak cell signal
• Using fast charging and processor-heavy apps at the same time

How to fix it: Give your phone a break and let it cool down, or consider a heat-dissipating phone case. Avoid charging and running intensive apps at the same time. Keep your phone out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources.

5. A Faulty or Aging Battery

Batteries degrade with every charge cycle. As capacity drops, an aging battery can struggle to deliver consistent power to your phone’s processor, which leads to unexpected restarts, performance dips, and erratic behavior that can easily be mistaken for a software problem.

How to check your battery health:

On iPhone, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If maximum capacity has dropped significantly — particularly below 80% — it’s worth considering a battery replacement.

On Android, battery health indicators vary by manufacturer. Some Samsung and OnePlus devices show it natively in the battery settings; on others, you may need to use a manufacturer’s diagnostic tool or visit a service center.

Fig 4. Checking the battery status on iOS and Android

How to fix it: If battery health is low, an authorized repair center can replace it at a reasonable cost — often much cheaper than a new phone. In the meantime, enabling Low Power Mode reduces background activity and helps the battery deliver more consistent performance.

For iPhone users experiencing battery issues specifically, our article on why your iPhone battery drains overnight has more detailed fixes.

6. Screen or Display Issues

A flickering, unresponsive, or glitching screen can stem from software bugs, a rogue app, or physical damage — and diagnosing which is the first step.

App bugs (Android): A poorly coded or incompatible app can trigger display anomalies. Safe Mode is your diagnostic tool here, it starts your phone with only system apps running, disabling all third-party apps.

To enter Safe Mode on Android:

1. Press and hold the power button
2. Long-press the Power Off option until a Safe Mode prompt appears
3. Tap OK to reboot into Safe Mode

If the screen glitching stops in Safe Mode, a third-party app is the likely culprit. Uninstall recently added apps one by one until you find it. Restart normally to exit Safe Mode.

Adaptive brightness: The auto-brightness feature can occasionally cause the screen to flicker as it adjusts to different lighting conditions. Try disabling it temporarily to see if it helps:

• iPhone: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size (toggle off Auto-Brightness)
• Android: Settings > Display > Adaptive brightness

Physical or water damage: If you’ve dropped your phone recently or exposed it to water, hardware damage may be causing the display issues. Most modern smartphones include a Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) — a small strip, usually near the SIM card tray or charging port, that changes color when it’s been exposed to moisture.

On iPhones, remove the SIM tray and look for a red or pink indicator; on Android, check your manufacturer’s documentation for its exact location. If the LCI has triggered, or your screen has visible cracks or damage, take your phone to an authorized service center — screen and internal repairs are usually more cost-effective than they seem.

Fig 5. Checking an iPhone for water damage (Source: Apple)

7. Charging Problems

If your phone glitches, charges slowly, or won’t charge at all, the culprit is often the charger or charging port, not the phone itself.

Common causes and fixes:

• Faulty cable or charger: Test with a different cable and charger. If the problem disappears, replace the faulty accessory. Stick to certified or original chargers — uncertified accessories can cause unpredictable charging behavior and in some cases damage your phone.
• Obstructed charging port: Lint and debris can build up in the charging port over time and prevent a solid connection. With the phone switched off, gently clean the port using a soft brush or a short burst of compressed air. Avoid sharp objects.
• Incompatible charger: Using a charger with the wrong power output can cause charging issues. Check your phone manufacturer’s guidelines for the recommended wattage.

8. Malware or Spyware

This is the cause most people don’t immediately consider — but it’s worth taking seriously, particularly if you’ve already ruled out the issues above.

Malicious software runs quietly in the background, consuming your phone’s processing power, battery, and data while it collects and transmits your personal information. The visible symptoms — a phone that glitches, slows down, runs hot, or drains its battery faster than usual — can look identical to ordinary performance problems.

In more serious cases, spyware may have been installed deliberately by someone who had physical access to your device, or through a malicious app or link. Spyware is specifically designed to stay hidden; the glitching and performance issues are often the only outward signs that anything is wrong.

How to check:

The quickest way to rule out a security issue is to run a scan with Certo AntiSpy. Available for both iPhone and Android, it performs a deep scan of your device, detecting hidden spyware, suspicious apps, and security vulnerabilities — all in just a few minutes.

Fig 6. Detecting hidden spyware with Certo AntiSpy for Android

General Fixes for a Glitching Phone

If you’ve worked through the causes above and still can’t pinpoint the issue, the following general fixes apply broadly and are worth trying.

Restart Your Phone

A restart clears temporary files, closes stuck background processes, and gives your phone a clean slate. It sounds basic, but it fixes a surprising number of minor glitches.

On iPhone:

1. Hold the side button and either volume button until the power-off slider appears
2. Drag to turn off
3. After 30 seconds, hold the side button again to restart

On Android:

1. Press and hold the power button
2. Tap Restart or Reboot

Check for OS Updates

If you haven’t already, check for a pending update. Apple and Google both release regular patches that fix known bugs and stability issues that could be causing your glitches.

On iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update
2. Download and install any available update

On Android:

1. Go to Settings > System
2. Tap System Update or Software Update

Factory Reset (Last Resort)

A factory reset wipes everything and returns your phone to its original out-of-the-box state. It’s a drastic step, but it resolves most persistent software-based glitches. Back up your data before proceeding as this will erase everything on your device.

On iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone
2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings
3. Follow the on-screen instructions

On Android:

1. Go to Settings > General management > Reset
2. Tap Erase all data (factory reset)
3. Follow the on-screen instructions

If glitches return after a factory reset, the issue is likely hardware — take your phone to an authorized service center for diagnosis.

Wrapping Up

Most phone glitches have a simple explanation, and working through the causes above will resolve the vast majority of issues. Start with the basics — storage, updates, and background apps — before assuming anything more serious.

That said, if you’ve gone through the list and your phone is still behaving strangely, don’t overlook the security angle. Unexplained glitching, battery drain, and warmth during light use are three of the most reliable signs that something could be running on your device without your knowledge.

A quick scan with Certo’s apps for iPhone or Android takes only a few minutes and can rule it out completely, or catch something you wouldn’t have found otherwise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my phone keep glitching and freezing?

The most common causes are low storage space, too many background apps, an outdated operating system, or a degrading battery. If those checks come back clean, it’s worth scanning for malware — malicious apps can cause persistent glitching by running hidden processes that consume your phone’s resources.

Can a glitching phone fix itself?

Occasionally, a minor glitch caused by a temporary software bug will resolve on its own after a restart or automatic update. But persistent glitching is unlikely to go away without some intervention.

How do I stop my phone from glitching?

Start with the quick wins: restart your phone, check for OS and app updates, clear some storage space, and close background apps. If the problem persists, work through the specific causes in this guide. For glitching that doesn’t have an obvious explanation, run a malware scan.

Is a glitching phone a sign of hacking?

It can be. Spyware and malware consume background resources in ways that cause a phone to slow down, overheat, or behave erratically. Not every glitch is a security issue — but if you’ve ruled out the common causes, it’s worth checking.