Operational Issues And Solutions In Android OS

Introduction to topic

This topic includes issues in operations of mobile operating system. So, the things to be discussed in our topic are,

• Issues in operations of mobile OS
  (All problems occurred in relevant mobile OS.)

• Possible solutions.
  (Solutions of all problems discussed in above point.)

• Case study of problems that occur.
  (Case studies of all problems that occurred.)

• Role of SQA in the problem solution.
  (Role of SQA to solve all these problems)

OS to be discussed is “ANDROID".

Introduction to the organization

Developer	Google· Open Handset Alliance
Written in	C, C++, Java
OS family	Unix
Source model	Open source and in most devices
Initial release	September 23, 2008; 7 years ago
Available in	70 languages
Package manager	Google Play, APK
Default user interface	Graphical (Multi-touch)
Website	https://www.android.com

Introduction

As per Wikipedia,

"Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on the Linux kernel and used for touch screen mobiles, Smartphone’s and tablets. Google has further developed Android technology for televisions, cars and for wrist watches, each with a unique interface. Android are also used on notebooks, games, digital cameras, and other electronic devices."

Android has been the bestselling OS on tablets since 2013.

Android has following launches of new platforms including,

VERSIONS

1. Angel Cake (Alpha)
2. Battenberg (Beta)
3. Cupcake
4. Donut
5. Éclair
6. Froyo
7. Gingerbread
8. HoneyComb
9. Ice Cream Sandwich
10. Jelly Bean
11. Kitkat
12. Lollipop
13. Marshmallow
14. Nougat
15. Android O

Current issues and problems in the organization

We will identify 30 problems and categorize them in 7 main categories mentioned below.

Battery

• Overheating of battery
• Battery Bug

Apps / Play Store

• Play Store Crashing
• Flashlight android app Problem
• Problem Downloading Android Apps
• Background running apps
• Backlight turns on and off on its own

Gallery or Contacts

• Contact images can’t be shown
• Galley images are not shown
• Corrupt Images
• Can’t delete or edit some contacts
• Android Not Reading micro SD Card

Boot up

• Slow boot up of android OS
• Android rebooting problem
• Android device crashes on boot

Security issues

• SMS Trojans
• Viruses
• Malwares

Performance

• Slow performance
• Often gets stuck
• Slow processing`
• The phone doesn't respond at all
• Phone overheating
• Use a third party launcher but it occasionally switches back to the default one
• Backlight turns on and off on its own
• A small popup menu doesn't appear after holding the power button
• Rooting Problems

USB

• Android USB Connection Problems
• Android USB Storage Full Problem
• Can’t Connect Android to a Windows PC

Explanation of some of the main problems identified

Some Main Problems	Description
1- Overheating	Overheating is a side effect of Android devices mostly caused due to high utilization of ram and also due to 3D games.
2- Slow Performance	· It's performance is slow due to bad memory management.· Background running apps.· Internal storage is full which slows down the mobile performance.
3- Security Issues	Cybercriminals have increasingly targeted Android-based and other mobile devices with SMS Trojans, Malwares, and Viruses. Specifically, these threats can be divided into several categories: Web-based threats Application-based threats During the year, Internet security experts identified more than 35,000 malicious Android programs.And in 2012, 99% of all mobile malware was designed to target the Android platform.
4- Android Not Reading micro SD Card	When we use Android Phones for quite long time, we may find that the internal storage is full which also slows down the mobile processing speed. To release the internal memory, people tend to insert an external SD card into the Smartphone, in the meantime, to increase the storage of the phone. However, some users usually complain that the SD card can't be detected or read by the device.
5- Gallery Images are not shown	One of the main problems in Android OS is sometime gallery images are not shown.

Role of SQA in problem solution

SQA helps us to find solutions and solve problems that occur in the Android operating system.

A technique named Fishbone diagram helps us a lot to know what is the cause of main problems.

Possible Solutions

Overheating

To avoid overheating problem, the following precautions are used:

• Always use original battery and charger
• Minimize the use of 3D apps and games on low processer mobiles
• Always use authorized apps to avoid any problem in OS

Slow Processing

Slow processing is mostly due to high rate of work on Operating System. Due to slow processing mobile phones often get stuck and do not respond properly. Possible solutions are as follows.

• Use any cache cleaner to delete extra or temporary files.
• Use Memory management software to manage internal or external Memory.
• Sometimes overcharging or overheating cause slow processing so always plugged out phone when battery is full charged.
• Use small or appropriate antivirus software’s to remove malwares or Trojans.
• Don’t play with Operating system files.
• For developers always turned off USB debugging mode when their development is done.
• To ensure good performance by OS close extra background running apps.
• Turned off Bluetooth or WIFI when they are not in used.
• Don’t play high graphics or large size games. (If you want to play than ensure that your RAM is enough to play this type of games)

Security Issues

As we discussed earlier, there are two types of security threats. So here we discuss how to tackle these threats.

• App Based Threats
  These threats are mostly due to unauthorized apps so, following precautions should be taken.

1. Always use authorize apps to reduce any security issues.
2. Before installation of any app. carefully read about all the permissions that app want. So you are clear about accessibility and scope of app.
3. Don’t open that files which operating system warn you to open.

• Web Based threats.

These threats are caused by use of web.

1. Use an authenticated web browser.
2. Use ad blockers.
3. Cybercriminals mostly target android apps so always use site with Https protocol to ensure more security.

Gallery Images are not shown

This is one of the common issues in android operating systems and in android phones. When gallery images are not shown in your phone than check whether you internal memory have enough space to show these images. Also make a look on images in following ways.

1. Ensure that image file is not corrupted.
2. Image size is not so large to open.
3. Image format must be supported by android OS
4. Go to image properties and uncheck hidden checkbox (if checked).

Following things should be checked by SD card or slot of SD card.

1. SD card is not broken.
2. Card slot is not rusted.
3. Wire in card slot is not twisted.
4. SD card is formatted properly.
5. Android phone must support that type of SD card.

Android not reading Micro SD card

Following things should be checked by SD card or slot of SD card.

1. SD card is not clean
2. There some malware in SD card
3. OS not support that type of card
4. SD card is not broken.
5. Card slot is not rusted.
6. Wire in card slot is not twisted.
7. SD card is formatted properly.
8. Android phone must support that type of SD card.

Case study of problems

As we discussed earlier, we have come to know that most problems that occur in Android OS are due to apps. These apps cause problems in many ways like they spread viruses in operating systems and unauthorized apps harm the Android OS. Excess use of apps slows down processing speed and affects performance. Android users may also face problems like images are not shown and sometimes mobile phones get stuck or SD card is not detected. Other problems include USB connection problems that Android phone is not connected to Windows PC.