8 Android myths I discovered that sound interesting, but will wreck your phone

People love shortcuts. We often want a quick fix for everything, especially when it fits what we believe.

Social media thrives on that instinct and provides bizarre solutions in excess. Some have proven helpful. Others don’t work and make you wonder how they ever went viral in the first place.

That said, a 30-second clip hack is one to be careful of when testing on your Android phone.

It’s a highly optimized piece of hardware and software that handles tasks independently. Rarely do you need to do anything contrary to its function. Otherwise, you’d risk affecting its performance or damaging it.

Even at the point of damage, DIY solutions may do more harm than good.

If you’re already using gimmicks for improvements or repairs, here are eight signs to stop.

8

Rice fixes water damage

A month ago, my MacBook display was drenched in rainwater overnight. I had left it on my desk by the window. Thankfully, the internal components were spared.

Every repair guide and YouTube video told me to bury it in rice or get a costly replacement. I left it alone to dry naturally. The display is now clear again.

You may want to believe I was lucky, but that laptop wouldn’t have healed any faster in rice.

People assume rice pulls out moisture because it absorbs water when cooked. But it’s a poor drying agent compared to real desiccants like silica gel packs.

It merely soaks surface moisture slowly and sheds particles that can clog ports or cause corrosion. The major drying process happens internally through evaporation. But you credit the grains for survivorship bias.

In similar cases, you want to turn off affected devices immediately to prevent short circuits. Then open the back panel (if possible) and leave it in a ventilated space or seal it with desiccants.

If water has already reached the inside, take your device to a professional for proper cleaning.

7

Put your phone in the freezer to revive the battery

This hack is as shocking as it is dangerous. The idea is that if your phone’s battery is charging slowly, overheating, or is weak, stick the device in the freezer to reset it.

I saw many Reddit threads where people confirmed that it worked. I don’t know what’s happened since. But I’d bet that the effects aren’t as long-term as you’d think.

Most phones use lithium-ion batteries, and they don’t like extreme temperatures. Freezing conditions slow down chemical reactions inside the cell. They become unstable, and the battery’s lifespan shortens over time.

Condensation also occurs when you retrieve the phone. Cold components meet warm air and begin to release moisture. Water then enters its circuits and connectors to cause corrosion.

6

Airplane mode charges your phone twice as fast

I saw a TikTok video promoting Airplane mode as the secret to charging your phone quicker.

It makes sense that it works when your phone isn’t constantly searching for a signal. So, power would go straight to the battery. But your charger already pushes tens of watts into your phone.

Any boost to the net charge rate that the feature provides would barely make a dent. You would probably reduce the duration by a couple of minutes.

If you want your phone to charge fast and safely, start with buying the right charger combination. Mismatched adapters and cables bottleneck speeds, no matter your settings.

Next, control temperature. Batteries charge most efficiently when they’re cool. Avoid charging under a pillow, in direct sunlight, or while using your phone.

If you’re in a hurry, turn off your device. Background processes won’t be able to use resources that will strain and consume power.

5

Closing background apps saves battery

I used to believe that if I constantly closed background apps, I would save memory and battery. Plus, it feels satisfying to swipe everything away and see an empty app carousel.

Ironically, this action consumes battery.

Most phones now freeze apps in the background or put them in a low-power state where they barely use resources.

Closing apps completely forces the system to reload them from the storage into RAM and rebuild the cache. The sequence burns more CPU cycles.

Since the CPU is the biggest energy consumer after the screen, it’ll drain more battery than if you had just left the apps alone.

You only need to step in when a specific app is constantly misbehaving. Force-closing, restricting background activity, or uninstalling it should resolve the issue.

4

Higher RAM makes your phone run faster

More RAM automatically translates into more speed. Upgrading from 8GB to 16GB on a laptop gives you an instant performance boost.

It’s not the same on a mobile device. Bigger numbers and features like RAM Boost may provide the illusion of extra memory. But virtual RAM is far slower than real RAM and only helps in extreme multitasking.

Also, smartphones aggressively manage resources. When you switch apps, the system suspends unused ones, clears cache intelligently, and frees resources when needed.

Hence, a well-optimized 8GB Pixel can outperform a poorly optimized 16GB budget phone running a heavy skin.

When buying phones, focus less on RAM size and more on overall system balance. Look for fast UFS storage and an efficient processor like the Snapdragon 8 Elite on a flagship or Dimensity 7200 on a budget device. Also, avoid phone brands known for bloated software.

If you already have a phone that’s running sluggishly, aim to keep at least 15% to 20% of its storage free and uninstall heavy apps. Be consistent with software updates and perform occasional reboots to clear cached processes hogging memory.

3

Using incognito mode hides you from intruders

I pray my embarrassing browsing history never sees the light of day. I usually use Incognito mode as my cloak. Apparently, that cloak doesn’t make it invisible.

Normally, browsers record visited pages, cookies, form entries, and cached files that make it easier to retrace your steps across the web.

Incognito mode discards them when you close the session. It’s the easiest layer of privacy the browser can control. If someone borrows your device, they won’t find your trail.

The feature is diabolically clever, especially for synced devices where data is mirrored.

Yet, your internet traffic still passes through your ISP and your workplace network. They monitor and track it.

If you’ve visited a lot of questionable sites, you’re in for a rude awakening. Your IP address, device fingerprint, accounts you log in to, and websites you visit are visible to them.

2

Dark wallpapers conserve power

Dark wallpapers have become popular over the years. They’re less distracting and save battery life. But battery conservation depends on the display type.

My old Samsung A23 had a PLS LCD screen. It uses a backlight that is always on, no matter what color is on the screen. Even if I used a pure black wallpaper, the power draw wouldn’t change.

I replaced the phone with a Realme 12+. It has an AMOLED display where individual pixels switch off when displaying black. So, every dark area draws no power.

If I put the same black wallpaper on both phones, the Realme is more likely to save power.

1

Toothpaste heals screen cracks

Smear a blob of toothpaste on your phone’s screen, and it becomes minty fresh. The cracks you had hoped to fix will remain. This cheap science trick is quite old and has been tested on scratched DVDs and car headlights.

The toothpaste supposedly enters microscopic gaps in scratches. It should leave behind residue that will scatter light and make the scratch less visible at certain angles.

It’s a temporary optical illusion that disappears whenever you clean your phone, which you should.

Also, toothpaste is abrasive and will wear down your screen’s oleophobic coating. It’s a thin layer that repels fingerprints and other smudges.

The screen will still work fine without it, but you’ll notice your phone catches grease quicker after it degrades.

If your phone screen has cracks, there’s not much you can do. Apply a tempered glass protector. It stops the cracks from spreading and minimizes their appearance. A total replacement is a more lasting fix, though expensive.

Smart hacks save you from costly mistakes

Curiosity makes hacks tempting. But if a trick sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Some won’t break your phone immediately, but they slowly chip away at its health.

The same curiosity that made you try them should push you to think about consequences and smarter alternatives. For example, replace your weak battery and start treating the new one right.

If you used to charge overnight, stop. Overnight charging is usually safe as phones cut charging at 100%. But electrical faults happen.

Instead of waiting for DIY solutions to cheat the hardware after defects, invest in a smart plug. Set it to stop power flow while you sleep and save energy. Combined with other methods, it’ll save you money compared to the costs incurred by costly tricks.