Given these phones are complex pieces of machinery, there are of course issues from time to time with it not working as it should.
A complete updated list of the most common trouble shooting questions can be found below.
Please check here before contacting us, as we will likely simply direct you to the specific question and pre-answered solution found below!
NOTE: If you have not started using the device yet and are curious how to get started, this is NOT the Guide you need. You will find your answers in our Basic FAQ post HERE or our Getting Started Guide HERE.
Try This First!
It is most certainly the case that 90% of the time the following steps will resolve whatever issue you may be facing:
1) Restart the Device
Close down all the applications that are open and restart the device.
2) Uninstall and Reinstall
If restarting the device has not helped, and the issue is application specific, and the app in question is not one of the “stock” apps installed from GrapheneOS (meaning it cannot be uninstalled), then try uninstalling and reinstalling the app. If you’re not sure where the app was installed from, check either F-Droid or Aurora as these are the primary app stores used to install the applications on the device.
3) Reset Settings
Most network (calls, texts, data) and Wi-Fi related issues can be resolved by simply doing a reset… similar to the uninstall/reinstall method above.
-To do this, go to Settings > System > Reset options and then tap on and follow the instructions for “Reset Mobile Network Settings” or “Reset Bluetooth & Wi-Fi” depending on the issue you’re having.
If you’re having issues with an application, sometimes tapping on “Reset app preferences” will do the trick as well.
NOTE: Within the “Reset options” section, there is an option to “Erase all data (factory reset)”. This will in fact erase any and all data on the device and reset it back to the stock GrapheneOS configuration. This is the state the device is in after we uninstall the Google Android operating system and install GrapheneOS. In some rare cases, we are able to fix a hardware, firmware or application issue by performing this kind of reset and then loading back onto the device the various applications you need to be productive during the day.
To learn more about what applications are “stock” and what we specifically load onto the device, check out this post HERE.
Although hard to believe, ask anyone who has worked in IT support and they will confirm that these 3 steps above help to resolve nearly 90% of the issues people have when using their devices.
If you reach out to someone from our team to troubleshoot, we will assuredly ask if you’ve performed the above checks before we start diving into the problem. Hence, why we list this here first!
We will NOT, however, expect you to do a factory reset, so do not do this unless you feel you know what you are doing and can rebuild the various applications you need on the device.
My phone keeps dropping calls mid-call for seemingly no reason
This could be happening due to a variety of reasons, and it very well could be the phone that is the issue, but this would be the first time a malfunction within the device itself was causing calls to drop for no reason.
Before we start troubleshooting, it is helpful to know if this is happening with ALL calls or just SOME calls and if it is happening at a specific time frame into the call or totally randomly. Understanding this will help pin-point what may be the issue.
As to prevent sending a new device only to find the same issue is happening, please check a few things before throwing in the towel and replacing the phone:
1) Wi-Fi calling
Check and see if this is turned on or off. Turning this on routes any calls being made through whatever Wi-Fi connection you may be using, and as such, if your Wi-Fi signal connected to the device deteriorates, it will affect the quality of the call and could drop the call if you are far enough from the router you are connected to.
Settings > Network & internet > Calls & SMS > tap on your network service provider below “Wi-Fi calling”.
Is this on or off?
If on, turn it off so that all calls route through the service provider.
Restart the device after you have turned this off, if it was on prior.
Attempt a few calls to see if the same issue is happening.
2) Reset Network Settings
Go to Settings > System > Reset options > Reset Mobile Network Settings > tap on “Reset settings” and then confirm by tapping it again on the next screen.
Restart the device when done.
Is the issue still happening?
3) Swap SIM cards
If you have another SIM card available and/or another phone available, have you tried putting a different SIM card into the device to see if the same issue is happening when making/receiving calls? …or if the SIM card in the device that is seemingly having issues has the same problem in a different device?
This will help determine if it’s truly a device issue, SIM card issue or a network service provider issue by narrowing down what specifically could be causing the problem.
As this can take some time to swap the SIM cards between devices, only try doing this AFTER you’ve attempted #1 and #2 above.
If you’ve tried the above and the issue is still happening, let us know exactly what you’ve done and the answers to the initial questions re: intervals of calls dropping, reach out to support@mark37.com and we’ll push you out a new device with a return shipping label so you can simply swap phones when the new one arrives.
Trouble Activating Phone w/ PureTalk
PureTalk has been hit/miss with the Pixel 5 for some odd reason. 80% of customers have no issue activating with them. 20% do. Below is a link to the PureTalk website that has helped a number of customers get their devices activated, as apparently sometimes the SIM card provided does not auto-populate the correct fields w/in the phone and this must be done manually.
The link is provided, as PureTalk has updated these instructions a few times over the past few years, so we want to ensure you have access to their most updated instructions.
Can I replace the battery and/or screen on the device?
Yes, however, repairing your device is a bit like playing the game operation, if you’ve ever had this experience before… meaning it’s not easy and requires patience a VERY steady hand.
Thankfully, the company IFIXIT has made this process as easy as it possibly can be, if you’re up for the challenge. They sell all the tools you need along with each component that one would need to repair within the device. They even have extremely helpful and detailed step by step repair guides for each and every procedure.
The links below will take you to each individual page that shows all the various kits and components that you can purchase to do the repair on your own.
It is also important to note that closing the device back up, after it has been opened, and establishing the same snug seal the screen had on the device is extremely tricky. Putting the case back on the phone helps to ensure the screen stays attached to the device, but you’ll have to do an extremely good job to ensure water cannot leak into the device if it ever gets wet in the future.
NOTE: In our opinion, unless there is critical data on the device that needs to be recovered by doing a battery swap, re-establishing the connection of the screen to the device, or getting a new screen attached altogether, the cost, time and patience required to repair a device simply is not worth it. To this extent, if you are an existing MARK37 customer and you have a device that has been damaged, for whatever reason, we can often get you a replacement at a discounted rate that will be near the same cost to repair the device.
The device is stuck in a cycle of rebooting and will not load back to the home screen
This has happened a few times to devices, unfortunately, usually after a system update. Essentially the device is having a hard time following the correct boot sequence and thus is stuck in the cycle of trying to load/boot, unable to find the right files to continue the boot sequence, and then attempting to reboot to hopefully correct the issue.
Thankfully, 100% of the time we’ve been able to resolve this issue by doing one of the following below. Ensure your device is fully charged or plugged into the charger when attempting this so that it does not run out of battery power during the process.
1) Rescue Mode Restart
-Before the initial boot screen that says “Your device is loading a different operating system” appears, hold down the volume down button on the side of the device until a new screen pops up. This will force the device into “Fastboot Mode”. You’ll know you’re in Fastboot Mode as there will be a red triangle with an exclamation point. See below:
-Using the volume down button again, cycle through the menu of options available until you see “Rescue Mode”. When this is selected, press the “Start/Power” button indicated by the white vertical bar w/ the arrow above.
-After a short load cycle, a picture of a robot on its back with it’s stomach opened up and a red triangle will appear. It should also say, “No command” below the robot. See below:
-From here, first hold the “Power” button. Once this is pressed, and while you have it held down, press and hold the volume up button for 2 seconds, then release the volume up button only. This will load the GrapheneOS Recovery menu. See below:
-The very first menu option highlighted will be “Reboot system now”. You want to select this by pressing the power button again. Once pressed, the device will reboot. Often, just doing this triggers the device to load correctly.
If it does NOT, however…
2) Brute Force Reboot Process
The device is programmed to revert back to a prior system update if it goes through the reboot process enough times without a successful boot to the home screen. Unfortunately, the number of times it takes for the device to revert and load successfully has varied for customers. In some cases 3-5 boots following the process here has worked. In others, it has taken up to 17 boots for the device to finally revert to a prior system update and load successfully. If you’ve tried this @ 20 times (holding down the power button to reboot and not simply letting the device reboot itself) and it’s still stuck, please reach out to support@mark37.com and we’ll work on getting you a replacement device and/or trying to fix it on our end.
-To manually do a quick reboot of the phone, hold the power button down for 20-30 seconds until the system reboots on it’s own. You’ll know the reboot has started when the screen shows you the initial “Your device is loading a different operating system” screen.
-Let the boot process run its course and see if it loads to your home screen. If not, hold the power button down for 20-30 seconds again and follow this process until the system triggers a successful load. On two separate occasions, this has triggered a successful reboot on the 17th try, so don’t get too discouraged until you’ve hit that 17-20th try with no success.
If both of the above options have been unsuccessful you can either contact us at support@mark37.com OR you can attempt a factory reset.
3) CAUTION – Factory Reset
If you have data you do not want to lose on the device, however, a factory reset is truly the last resort as it will wipe all data and pre-loaded applications from the device. You’ll be starting with a fresh GrapheneOS install once this is completed and will have to re-install all your data and wanted applications outside the stock applications installed.
-To perform a Factory Reset, you follow the same process as in the Rescue Mode Restart option above, however, instead of selecting the “Reboot system now” option on the last screen, you select the “Wipe data/factory reset” option.
-You will then be sent to a screen where you need to confirm you want to do the factory data reset. Once confirmed, after 30-60 seconds, the device will reboot and ideally take you to the initial GrapheneOS setup process where you can select the time/day/time zone, wifi connection, etc. You’ll also have an option to load from a backup during this process, which, if you’ve performed a backup of the device not long ago, will allow you to revert your device back to wherever it was when you performed the backup.
-If you have NOT done a backup, you’ll eventually reach the home screen and from here you’ll need to rebuild the applications and desired settings and re-import your data to the device.
4) Contact Us
If you’ve tried #1 and #2 above and are reluctant to do a full factory reset, or you’ve even tried the factory reset and STILL have an issue with the device loading, please reach out to us at support@mark37.com and we’ll begin the process of return/replacement of the device.