Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 common issues and how to solve them

For a few years, Asus brings an interesting line of devices to the grand Android market. The Asus ZenFone 5 is the latest addition in their main iteration line, but there’s a device which took its glory, and it’s their own device called Max Pro M1. Besides the large battery and a fairly long name, this handset has everything a budget device (we can argue the M1 is a mid-range handset) should have. And, like any other handset, it has it’s small but visible flaws, bugs, and temporary (or permanent) problems.

We made sure to showcase the most prominent issues (apologies if we skipped on something). In addition, we enlisted some general troubleshooting steps for every issue. The advanced troubleshooting procedures are explained in detail at the bottom of the article.

1: Multitouch/Ghost touch touchscreen issues

One would assume that the modern touchscreen panels won’t share the same issues with the ones from 10 years ago, Sadly, that’s not the case. Multitouch and ghost touch (delayed reaction or false touch) are the most prominently-reported issues on the ZenFone Max Pro M1.

Users are not sure whether the software or hardware is to be blamed for the aforementioned problems, and the support on the official forum isn’t exactly eager to jump in and provide the solution.

We have some solutions we can suggest but bear in mind that these won’t help if the touchscreen panel is faulty. Here’s what you can do to address the multitouch/ghost touch issues on the ZenFone Max Pro M1:

• Reboot your device.
• Remove the tempered glass.
• Disable Zen Motion Gestures.
• Run the device in a safe mode.
• Update the device.
• Reset the device to factory settings.

2: Slowdowns and freezes

The Snapdragon 363 and the more than capable GPU should provide users with a seamless use and a snappy experience. Of course, we’re looking at a lower mid-range device, so it’s unrealistic to expect ultra-high settings in some demanding games. Nonetheless, some users reported slouchy rendering and even lags during the standard use which shouldn’t be the case.

We have a few ways to reduce lags. Here’s what you can try:

• Clear cache from the app which freezes the most.
• Disable apps from working in the background. Greenify should serve the purpose.
• Update your device for a possible update fix.
• Reset app preferences.
• Wipe the cache partition.
• Reset your device to factory settings.

3: Main and front camera issues

The camera is the main distinctive point between a flagship and a budget device. The camera setup on the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 is exactly what you can expect from a lower mid-range handset. Good enough on the daily light, with the dual-camera setup behind and 8 MP front lens.

Not bad at all and up to the trend. However, some users had issues with the camera app. Some of them experienced crashes while others are just not satisfied with the way taken photos are looking. For the former, we can blame the software. For the latter, the only resolution is to await updates or use a Google Camera port.

Here’s what to do if the Camera App won’t work:

• Boot into Safe mode and test the camera.
• Clear Camera app’s data.
• Update the device.
• Reset the device to factory settings.

4: Battery depletes fast

If we need to single out one selling point for this handset, we must say it’s the battery. The 5000 mAh battery is an amazing asset and the main reason why, even with the 6-inch display, the M1 has an astounding screen-on time. However, some users are not satisfied with the way the device works in the idle mode. Supposedly, the battery depletes substantially overnight, while the handset is completely idle.

But, don’t worry, this is most certainly related to software and we have a few tweaks which should reduce the battery consumption.

• Kill the background apps with the built-in Manager. The aforementioned Greenify or a similar app might help to tweak the app’s behavior while working in the background, too.
• Disable the Adaptive brightness and dim the brightness manually.
• Disable Mobile Data Always On in the Developer Options menu.
• Remove the unused widgets.
• Disable Wi-Fi overnight.
• Reset the device to factory settings after a system update.

5: Wi-Fi and Mobile Data not working

Wi-Fi and Mobile Data issues are not as common on the Asus’ handset as on some other devices, but we still run into some reports and couldn’t skip on mentioning them. In the said reports, users were suffering from an unstable network reception on both Wi-Fi and Mobile Data, respectively.

Here are some steps to address this:

• Delete all networks and try reconnecting.
• Disable Always On for Mobile Data in Developer options.
• Restart your router.
• Reset App preferences.
• Reset Network settings. Open Settings > System > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.
• Wipe cache partition.
• Reset the device to factory settings.

6: The fingerprint sensor is slow/unresponsive

We already wrote about the fingerprint issues on Asus ZenFone 3 and the ways to resolve them. This seems to be an ache for Asus, but that’s not a rule of thumb. It might be some an unfortunate coincidence. Either way, a few of ZenFone Max Pro M1 users have had a hard time with an unresponsive fingerprint scanner. Others aren’t satisfied with the speed it offers when unlocking the device.

We can’t make it work faster, but some of these steps might help you get it to work in the first place:

• Run the diagnostic to determine what’s the nature of the problem. The .12345+= code typed in your dialer should start the fingerprint scanner diagnostics.
• Re-configure the fingerprint.
• Try booting into Safe mode and, if the fingerprint performs better, uninstall all recently installed apps.
• Remove the tempered glass or cases which may cover the fingerprint scanner.
• Clean the fingerprint sensor from a debris and greasy dirt with a wet cloth.
• Reset your handset to factory settings.

7: Auto-brightness doesn’t work

The auto-brightness or, what Google likes to call it, Adaptive brightness is an important built-in feature, especially as the screens are getting bigger and consuming more battery. It regulates the screen brightness based on the front ambient sensor readings. Some users had issues with the said sensor, as the screen fails to dim in the darker surroundings.

Here’s what you can do to address this:

• Disable Adaptive brightness and restart your device. Re-enable it again.
• Clean the front-facing top bezel where the sensor resides.
• Disable Adaptive brightness and use a third-party app.

8: Sound issues

Sound issues are also not as prominent, but some users are still experiencing bad sound output, especially on headphones. Others, and which might be a more delicate problem, have had a problem with the distorted in-call sound. This might be a result of a bad reception, but we still recommend checking some of the solutions we provided for general sound problems.

Follow these steps to improve the sound output on the ZenFone Max Pro M1:

• Install the latest firmware available.
• Restart your phone.
• Disable Absolute volume in Developer options.
• Try out restarting your phone in Safe mode.
• Go to Audio Wizard and choose Smart mode instead of Outdoor.
• Restore to factory setting.

9: Display color issues

Based on a few trusted reviews, the 6-inch LCD display on the Max Pro M1 is quite good. However, there are some isolated nuisances some users reported. This one single problem is rare but we still decided to put it on the list. Just in case.

Follow these steps to resolve the problem with the display color issues on the M1:

• Disable Nightlight.
• Change the color temperature to default or try Cool.
• Boot into a safe mode and look for changes.
• Reset the phone to factory settings.

10: Important troubleshooting procedures for Zenfone Max Pro M1

How to enable Developers options

1. Open Settings.
2. Open System settings.
3. Choose About phone.
4. Locate the build number and tap on it 7 times to enable the Developer options menu.

Boot into Safe mode

1. Press and hold the Power button until the Power menu appears.
2. Now, press and hold the Power button again until the “Reboot to safe mode” message appears.
3. Tap OK.
4. If the device works without restarting for some time, we suggest following the next steps.

Wipe cache partition data

1. Shut down your handset.
2. Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down key until the device starts.
3. Use Volume keys (Up and Down) to navigate through the menu until you reach Recovery mode.
4. Press the Power button to choose the Recovery mode.
5. Once you see the Android with the exclamation mark, press and hold the Power button and, while holding it, single-press the Volume Down key.
6. Use Volume keys again to navigate through the Recovery menu and highlight ”wipe cache partition”.
7. Press the Power button to select it and confirm if asked.
8. The procedure should start and it will last for approximately 10 minutes.

Reset the device to factory settings

1. Backup your data on PC or cloud.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Open Backup & Reset.
4. Tap Factory data reset.
5. Choose Reset Device.
6. Select Erase Everything.
7. The device will restart and all your settings will be restored to default values.

With that said, we can conclude this list of issues. We’ll try our best to add more issues over time, but you can help us, as well. Share your problems with Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 in the comments section below. We would be thankful for your effort.