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10 Common LG G5 Problems and How to Fix Them

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The LG G5 is a unique smartphone with a lot to offer, but it isn’t perfect. In fact, multiple reports have confirmed a few small LG G5 problems. And more continue to arrive now that it has been available nearly a year. With that in mind, below are some common LG G5 problems and how to fix them.

In April of 2016 the LG G5 was released sporting an awesome dual camera camera setup on back, and a new modular design. It wasn’t as popular as expected, which is why the company looks to change things up with the LG G6 in 2017. For those with last years phone, we have some solutions to most problems.

Read: How to Speed Up the LG G5 in Seconds

In December LG started sending out the Android 7.0 Nougat update. That solved a slew of problems, but a few remain. Most aren’t anything major, although they still need to be addressed. Either way, owners will want to read on for some helpful tips and suggestions.

LG-G5-chin

Most LG G5 owners are loving all the phone has to offer, but we’re still seeing complaints about the screen colors and quality, battery life, questions about quick charging and more. Not to mention the usual WiFi, Bluetooth or performance complaints that come with almost every phone.

For more information about the phone check out our LG G5 review. We highlight everything it has to offer. It’s not perfect, but no phone is.

Now that the phone has been available for a while, some bug fixing updates have arrived, and Nougat is rolling out, lets get into more details.

Read: LG G5 Setup Guide: 5 Steps to Get Started

Consider waiting for and buying the new LG G6, which will be announced in February. In the meantime, here are some of the most common LG G5 problems and how to fix them. Or at least make the situation better.

LG G5 WiFi Problems

With most phones, including the LG G5 we get reports of WiFi problems. Owners have mentioned slow WiFi performance, drops, or speeds so slow they can’t even load a website or Facebook. This depends on a lot of variables, as well as the device, location, router and more but we do have some suggestions.

LG-G5-frontmain

A few small software updates have rolled out that fixed some screen issues we’ll mention below, which also improved WiFi. LG mentioned in the change-log that WiFi and general performance had been improved.

That said, if you’re still experiencing LG G5 WiFi problems it’s always a good idea to reset the home router or modem. Another option is to head into settings > connections > WiFi and forget your wireless network. Then reconnect, put in the password, and it should be better. Try turning off Bluetooth while using WiFi, as we’ve heard that makes things better. Oddly enough. When Android 7.1.2 Nougat arrives we can expect further improvements.

Missing App Drawer

Almost every Android device ever released has an application tray or drawer for all their apps and icons. The LG G5 puts everything on the homescreen, like an iPhone. This can be frustrating for some. LG has since released a software update that returned the app tray to the phone. It may or may not be enabled though, so lets do that.

LG-G5-main

Simply head into Settings > Homescreen and enable the application tray, if it isn’t by default. Alternatively users can follow this guide to download and install a homescreen replacement app with more features or customization. We’d also recommend users try NOVA Launcher from the Google Play Store.

LG G5 Notification LED Not Working

Above the screen near the earpiece and front camera is a little LED for notifications, and to show the phone is being charged. Most phones have one, and for some reason the LG G5 LED doesn’t always work. We’ve seen this mentioned a lot, still, and we’re not sure why it isn’t always working as it should.

The notification LED only works for default notifications, or apps like LG’s own messages app. Not third party text apps. However, Textra has a notification LED option. Owners can also download a third party app to enable it to flash multiple different colors. We’d recommend trying an app called LightFlow, then setting custom LED colors for an array of different notifications.

This should fix problems with the notification LED. Also, make sure in Sounds & Notifications the LED is enabled.

LG G5 Bluetooth Issues

Connection problems with car audio or stereo systems, Android Auto not connecting right, and even some 3rd party accessories are all things we’ve heard regarding Bluetooth. And again this has to do with certain cars or devices trying to pair up.

This happens on occasion with most devices, and is quickly fixed by software updates or simply repairing a bluetooth device to your LG G5. For one, unpair and repair any device trying to use Bluetooth, as that could fix it. And if any “permissions” appear during this process make sure its set to allow. Owners can also head into permission controls in settings and make sure they didn’t deny access to certain apps.

Another route is to head into settings> general > smart settings and make sure an app or profile isn’t turning off or messing with Bluetooth. This happens more than you think. Custom profiles turn it off to improve battery life. Furthermore, almost every WiFi or Bluetooth complaint typically gets fixed by a simple reboot. Hold power button down, hit reboot, and let the phone restart fresh. This fixes most problems.

LG G5 Always On Display

One of the many great features on the LG G5 is the Always-On Display. This keeps a small portion of the screen on 24/7 with the time, date, weather information, battery life and even incoming notifications.

LG-G5-AOD

It’s a great feature, but LG disabled it out of the box. As a result owners will need to follow this LG G5 Always On Display guide to enable it. Once done, you’ll get at-a-glance information without ever turning on the display. Simply head into settings > display and turn it on. We love this feature.

LG G5 Fingerprint Issues

Overall we’ve been very impressed by the LG G5 fingerprint scanner. It’s faster and easier to setup than the Galaxy S7, very accurate, and works great. However select cases can get in the way or change the angle for readings, causing some errors. That and a few other solutions can be found below.

LG-G5-fingerprint

If you’re experiencing LG G5 fingerprint scanner issues the best option is to delete all fingers, and let the phone relearn them.

Head into Settings > General Column > Fingerprints & security > Fingerprints > Enter Pin > and select “Add Fingerprint”. We’d recommend users add both index fingers, for easy unlocking in either hand. As well as maybe a third finger. If you have a case make sure to redo fingerprints with the case installed, so it saves and learns the fingertips at the angle you’ll be using it, with a case installed.

G5-fingerprint

This will ensure a good experience moving forward and should fix any outstanding fingerprint issues. Also, make sure the scanner is clean if you’re getting a lot of errors or failed attempts.

LG G5 Pulldown Bar Clutter

The LG G5 notification pulldown bar or shade is not really a problem but more of a frustration. Pulling it down owners will see all sorts of unnecessary junk, and even more if they’re with AT&T. Owners everywhere complain about this bloat like it’s a problem. Thankfully it’s easy to remove.

There is a slider for brightness and volume, screen sharing and some silly file sharing icons. These are helpful in select scenarios or rare occasions, but don’t need to be here all the time.

G5-pulldown

Above is an image of the notification bar options and quick settings, the edit button is highlighted. Start there and then uncheck anything you don’t want. We’d recommend owners disable almost all of this, and just keep volume or brightness based on your needs.

This saves room for what’s important, which are incoming messages, emails, Facebook notifications and other things.

LG G5 Fast Charging Not Fast Enough

A big selling point that many were excited about with the LG G5 was that it supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology. That means it can recharge from 0-80% in about 35 minutes. However, there is some confusion in this regard.

First, the included wall charger is only Quick Charge 2.0 certified, so it charges from 0-50% in about 25-30 minutes, then trickle charges the rest of the way. That’s still fast, but it can be faster. Either way, the phone should take roughly 75-80 minutes to fully recharge using the new USB Type-C port.

LG-G5-typec

Our suggestion would to buy one of our recommended Quick Charge 3.0 chargers for the LG G5, and enjoy the fastest charge possible. Just use a good brand and a reliable cable. Not a cheap cable from a gas station, or one you found in a drawer. A good cable and a Quick Charge 3.0 charger is required to get the speeds many are looking for and expect. Also, make sure Quick Charging isn’t disabled in the battery section of settings.

LG G5 Screen & Backlight Bleed

This phone has a nice 5.3-inch Quad-HD display with a super high resolution, but it doesn’t always look the best. In our review we noticed a yellowish green tint to whites, faded colors, and rather poor viewing angles.

Some users are reporting backlight bleed where the edges have splotches of bright light coming through the sides, not to mention complaints of the screen not being too responsive or bright. Many of the color issues have been corrected by software updates. If you have very noticeable things or edge bleed, get it replaced by LG or your carrier.

LG-G5-front

There are apps on the Google Play Store that can tweak screen brightness and white balance, but most require root access. Similar to jailbreaking an iPhone. If users are experiencing screen problems in general the best bet is getting a replacement.

Poor LG G5 Battery Life

Last but not least is battery life. This is a complaint we see with virtually every phone. The LG G5 has a 5.3-inch display, but also a small 2,800 mAh battery. Every other phone (even smaller ones) released in 2016 have 3,000 mAh or bigger batteries inside. Meaning the LG G5 may not have the best battery life on the market.

After using it for a year things could start to slow down and drain fast. Not to mention updates to Nougat could have ill-effects for the first few days. Overall, Android 7.0 Nougat should give it substantially better battery life. That said, if you’re noticing abnormal drain there may be a bigger problem.

The LG G5 has a removable and replaceable battery

The LG G5 has a removable and replaceable battery

First off we’d recommend turning off any features you don’t need. Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, location services for GPS and Google Maps, or even push notifications from Facebook. However, those only add a small bit of extra battery.

Go to Settings > Display and turn off the Always On Feature we mentioned above, turn down screen brightness, or check for rogue apps draining the battery faster than they should. This happens on occasion. Head to settings > battery > and check to see what’s using the most battery life. Typically it’s the display, or the Android OS (Google Services). If there’s an app at the top of the list, delete and uninstall it. Often times reinstalling the app will fix this, or keep it uninstalled if the problems persists.

Another option is to use the battery saver mode in battery settings, or Smart Settings has an option to automatic all the settings and options for optimal battery life throughout the day. Don’t forget to swap out the battery with a full one using the replaceable battery, if needed. That’s what it’s there for.

Final Thoughts

This was just a general roundup of some of the complaints we’ve seen or heard the most, but everyone is different. Some may have other problems, bigger issues, or different things not working right. While this is something many don’t want to do, typically a factory data reset will fix almost any problem with a smartphone. It’s a good last resort.

However, a factory data reset erases everything on the phone. Make sure everything is backed up, and reset the LG G5. The update to Nougat solved a lot of these, although some users are still waiting for it to arrive. If you have any other big LG G5 problems, drop us a comment below and we’ll do our best to offer a suggestion or potential fix.

39 Comments

39 Comments

  1. Doreenajoseph

    05/09/2016 at 7:49 pm

    This is cool…I Aᴍ ᴍAᴋɪɴɢ 84USD ᴘᴇʀ ʜᴏᴜʀ Aɴᴅ Aʟᴍᴏsᴛ 16784USD ᴘᴇʀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ᴘAʀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ʟᴀᴘᴛᴏᴘ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏɢʟᴇ .ᴛʜɪs ᴛᴏᴛʟʏ ᴄʜAɴɢᴇ ᴍʏ ʟɪғᴇ Aɴᴅ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴄᴏᴏʟ,I ғᴇᴇʟs sᴏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ
    Tʜɪs ɪs ᴡʜᴀᴛ I ᴅᴏ ….. See More

  2. Michelle Guerra

    05/27/2016 at 1:58 pm

    You missed the power button simply not working

  3. John Z

    06/27/2016 at 9:56 am

    Has anyone else experienced an issue with the auto time not working properly? Misreading time and changing randomly… My G5 is Verizon.

  4. phillip

    06/29/2016 at 7:38 am

    My Wifi will also turn off randomly even during use. I have checked all apps and settings that I can think of but it will still turn off right in the middle of using it. annoying

  5. Lynn

    07/01/2016 at 1:13 pm

    After hours of frustrating calls to tech help at BT that LGG5 does not support BT WiFi Hotspot App. After complaining bitterly I was forwarded to 0800 0223322 which was supposed to be the Hotspot direct number. It turned out to be Broadband tech help but they transferred call to Hotspot tech help.

  6. T.Rusteberg

    07/03/2016 at 4:10 am

    Pity LG didnt offer the spare battery and cradle to their South African customers!!! Love my G5 except the battery. Also no quick view covers are available and the correct sized glass screen protectors. Otherwise not sorry I once again stuck with LG

  7. Nichol B

    07/17/2016 at 7:54 am

    Didn’t

  8. Darío

    09/02/2016 at 1:07 pm

    Anybody else with #bootloop failure in LG G5 H860??? Someone could fix it?

  9. James Toal

    09/14/2016 at 1:34 am

    Delighted with my G5 but yesterday I took it out of my pocket and there were bubbles under the glass screen. They were easy to squeeze ot to the sides but does tbis mean water vapour is getting under the glass? No bubbles visible now but should I return it under guarantee?

    • Lou

      09/14/2016 at 9:29 pm

      There was a protection film on mine from factory (not screen protector) just peel it off :)

      • James Toal

        09/14/2016 at 10:44 pm

        No, the film has been removed. Thanks for the suggestion though.

      • James Toal

        09/14/2016 at 11:01 pm

        Had to just check anyway. Yes, what I thought was a sharp edge was in fact protective film. Dooo!
        Thank you. I’ve also got rid of a scratch that was only on the film.

  10. Chris

    10/02/2016 at 7:21 am

    The finger Print ID isn’t working on my G5 anymore. The sensor isn’t reading anything no matter how many times you press it.

  11. Brandy Rosene

    10/17/2016 at 8:29 pm

    When I plug my phone in to charge, sometimes it does not register the charger. It works if I “restart” the phone … But that’s annoying. It used to do this when it was really low on charge… Now it’s doing it when there is 40% life left. Anyone else having this issue?

  12. Dude with a G5

    11/03/2016 at 4:50 pm

    It takes up to 10 seconds for the phone screen to light up when I clicked the lock button (and it’s locked) or double tap the screen when it’s off.

    It’s completely random, possibly a defect?

  13. Christina Howell

    11/19/2016 at 9:16 pm

    First I had the issue with the LG g4 not powering on, then had the same problem with two LG g4’s. Now my new one is that music played over Bluetooth gets super quiet then goes back to normal then quiet, etc. Tried two different speakers and rebooting and using different music players. Definitely the phone. I’m Sooooo done with LG

  14. nancy turpin

    12/26/2016 at 8:36 pm

    I removed the battery of my lgg g5 and it stopped working. I is showing an error message com.android.phone, and service is disabled. why

  15. Joey B

    01/09/2017 at 12:46 pm

    As someone who has had the G5 for the past few months, here are my thoughts.
    – Great phone overall.
    -Battery does charge much quicker than the normal micro USB. Battery does not die quick at all unless you have high energy apps and/or wifi, location on all the time. I keep my location off when I can and the wifi off with not many “active apps”. I go through work from 8am-6pm using my phone often and the battery is never lower than 70%.
    -Haven’t used the fingerprint button so I will reserve comment.
    -Never had an issue with the backlighting or bleeding colors or notification LEDs.

    I fux with it heavy. Unless you are adamant about having the greatest and latest, the LG G5 will be a perfect smartphone.

  16. k

    01/26/2017 at 7:01 pm

    Worst usb connector of all time. Even worse than kendle.

    • Karine

      06/24/2017 at 7:32 am

      I’ve had the phone for a year now and have no issues with the USB-C connector at all. Well, I did buy some adapters so I could use Micro-USB chargers with it but that’s just from lack of finding cheap USB-C anywhere.

    • James Toal

      06/24/2017 at 3:59 pm

      Had problems with usb connection twice. Both times it was fluff or thread getting into the socket from my pocket. Connecting the plug pushes it further in, but blocks the plug going fully in. It was very hard to spot; just a little white mark at the bottom on one side. Took ages to remove fibres with a pin. The usb C socket is much wider than other sockets, sovulnerable to debris.

  17. Debbie

    02/07/2017 at 5:26 am

    Phone continually forgets WiFi password. I have done a factory reset but still have the problem. Any suggestion on how this can be fixed since it it very frustrating.

  18. Denise

    02/07/2017 at 10:32 pm

    I have a LG G5 and when I turn on the lock abilities it won’t stay locked at all….. It goes straight to phone screen and not lock screen…..

    • Rocco

      12/12/2018 at 8:00 pm

      same! anyone find a fix for this? google search was not help

  19. Rebecca

    02/11/2017 at 10:01 am

    I have an LG G5. I started getting this pop up screen that asks to disconnect or stay connected to wifi and remember the setting. I accidentally saved a disconnect for one I need and now it won’t stay connected. I’ve tried clearing cache, power off, airplane mode, factory reset, forget the wifi, etc. Nothing gets it cleared or makes that pop up come back. Any clues? My phone updated on January 25th.

  20. Riel D Burrows

    02/17/2017 at 5:02 pm

    Ever since android 7.0 on my lg g5 my phone keeps dropping the network. Have tried getting new sim card. Have tried factory reset rogers says they tried to remove and re add my phone to the network. But still same problem. When it drops can try to force it manually to reconnect. Some times works some times not. Rogers has disabled the phone info so can’t do. Ping test. So frustrating.

  21. mike

    02/23/2017 at 10:37 am

    in my music there is also the notification and ring tone sounds that will play in music how do I move the out of music and into ring tones and notifications just want to listen to music ??

  22. Carol E

    03/03/2017 at 10:12 am

    My LG G5 has recently started displaying the wrong time. This causes a problem because my alarms go off when the clock says it’s 6am, but it’s not really 6am. Sometimes restarting the phone helps, but it’s getting out of control. I usually have to just wait for it to go back to the correct time. Is there a fix for this?

  23. Daniel Desjalais

    03/18/2017 at 6:53 pm

    Hello my screen jump with a display of Google without any possibilities to use the phone correctly

  24. Amelia

    04/20/2017 at 2:33 pm

    Has any one else had issues with their knock code just not working all of a sudden when turning their phone on? please tell me there’s a way to fix this other than having to restore the phone to its factory settings? I’ve only had my G5 for 2 weeks and this doesn’t bode well for a future with it! would really appreciate some help thanks in advance

  25. Trevor

    04/22/2017 at 7:28 am

    I’ve had an LG G5 for about a year now. Recently the fingerprint scanner has started to misbehave. When I re-scan prints (when it doesn’t respond) it works fine for a few times and then stops responding. Sometimes, when scanning, I get a ‘scanner is dirty’ message. It never is and neither are my fingers but I clean it using lens wipes in any case and the problem persists. This can happen several times a day.

  26. WhiteLies

    04/29/2017 at 3:36 am

    Hi
    I’ve experienced some sort of small issue only – it’s rather funny than super annoying but I don’t mind getting rid of it :)

    Everytime I switch batteries, and the phone goes on, right after that the alarm starts to ring ;)… Of course, I don’t have such alarm set. It’s really all the time, in a minute after phone is ready to go… Any ideas…?

    I haven’t only tried returning to auto settings as yet since I am too lazy to do it right now :p

  27. David McNamara

    04/29/2017 at 7:00 pm

    Coming up to nine months old and my LG G5 is exhibiting a number of quirks and disappointments in functionality that has already secured my decision to never buy a LG product again. Firstly, as the article mentioned while many of complain (rightly) about battery life of mobile technology, the LG G5 is particularly disappointing – the fact that you can replace the battery (partly the reason I was drawn to the LG G5 having owned a IPhone 5 previously) is really a placebo of a bad phone. The screen is very bad, and mine constantly shows annoying ghosting marks from the homepage or previous open pages like the burns left on old computer screens when it was left on all night. Finally, the fast charging capability has stopped working, and whether it is a cause of the charger, battery or USB slot, it has created a really annoying notification from the Android System about Power Options which perpetually sounds off all the time (and can’t be blocked by turning off notification settings). This issues would be somewhat placated if LG took ownership of them, but when I contacted them they informed me my model was not covered by their one-year warranty because it was “unblocked” model purchased through eBay and I needed to talk to eBay. I told them I purchased it from a seller who advertised an LG one-year warranty and in my experience the manufacturer (not the seller) generally was responsible for the after-sales warranty but they didn’t seem to care. So other potential buyers please beware.

  28. duane

    04/30/2017 at 12:29 am

    insert a supported module to turn on your phone,?????

    what does this mean

  29. Phil Bergeron

    05/15/2017 at 11:15 am

    I’m not able to listen to streaming audio of Android apps for weather radio and other stuff.

  30. Rene Hulet

    06/02/2017 at 1:18 pm

    I was texting and my screen cracked. Anyone else have this happen?
    LG5.

  31. Ed Robinson

    06/19/2017 at 2:58 am

    Hi

    18/06/17 my LG G5 has decided it will not connect to Wi-Fi, in settings, networks Wi- Fi states ” Connection not allowed” and the button is grayed out. When holding the Wi-Fi icon tho go to wi-Fi settings the button is also grayed out and when pressed it imediatly bounces back to “off”!
    I have cleared the cash, turned on and off airplane mode, restarted the phone several times, removed the batery and sim followed several online advice pages and still no Wi-Fi.
    I do not see why i should have to do a factory reset when it was working the day before…any help is welcome.
    Thanks

  32. Suzy Alix Kochele

    02/27/2023 at 2:58 am

    Extreme Data lost. Data just gets exhausted without you using. I wish someone helps me get over this.

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