Overheating/Power issues

[Lupa]

Hey all. Let me get this out of the way first- I am a complete idiot when it comes to phones, so elementary explanations would be best, please! I have a Droid Razr that's been getting slower and slower and slower, and just today it decided it didn't like me any more, shut off, and when I went to put it on the charger and tried to turn it on some 40 minutes later, I realized that it hadn't been charging all this time and was now starting to seriously overheat to the point that I could smell it. Pretty sure that's not a good thing! I cooled it down as well as I could, but I'm seriously considering getting rid of the darn thing. Any ideas on what is causing this, guys? I haven't attempted to do any crazy stuff with it, just some common apps is about all I have. Help, please!

 

[Mehta23]

I would recommend trying a factory reset. It's possible you may have downloaded an app that caused the device to slow down, although I don't know why it was overheating.

 

[Rukbat]

Many possibilities. Charge it again, but just until it's warm to the touch. Then remove the battery and see whether it's the phone or the battery that's warm. (Check the battery first.)

I suspect that the battery has reached the end of its life (anything more than 24 months is a gift with most batteries) and the solution may be as simple as replacing it. (You can probably find batteries on Amazon for as little as $10-$15.) This would be the case if it's the battery that's getting warm.

It's also possible that some circuitry in the phone has been going bad, and finally went. In that case it probably wouldn't pay to repair it. (A new motherboard and labor would probably cost more than a decent phone.)

If there's a good phone store near you, they may have some old batteries that would work, and be willing to put one of them into your phone, put it on a charger for a while, and see if the phone gets hot. If it doesn't, you KNOW it's your battery that's bad.