Chapter 15

Troubleshooting Common Glass Problems

In This Chapter

Coping with common concerns

Fitting Glass comfortably

Fixing app and feature problems

Going to Google for help

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

— Albert Einstein

Though it doesn’t look like any other computer, Glass is still a computer, and that means you’ll have some problems with it from time to time. Many of these problems are small and correctable, so you may want to bookmark this chapter for future reference.

Fixing Common Wonkiness

If your Glass is acting wonky (wonky is a technical term), here are some solutions to try for different situations.

Wi-Fi worries

If your Wi-Fi connection isn’t working, you can forget it by following these steps:

1. Tap the Settings card in the timeline.
2. In the Settings screen, open the Options menu by tapping the touchpad.
3. Choose Forget Connection from the menu.

   Glass immediately forgets the connection so that you can add the Wi-Fi connection again or try another one.

For details on Wi-Fi setup, see Chapter 5.

Tethering troubles

If you’re using Glass with your Android smartphone or iPhone to connect to a cellphone provider’s Internet network, you know that when your Wi-Fi connection isn’t available, you can use your tethered data connection to the provider’s network. (That is, you can if you’re in range of a cellphone tower’s signal.)

If your Glass says that you’re connected to the Internet but you can’t do anything Internet-related, such as browse the web or check your e-mail inbox, you can forget the data connection in much the same way that you can a Wi-Fi connection. Then you can restart the data connection and see whether your Glass can use the Internet.

On an Android smartphone

If you have an Android smartphone, here’s how to forget the data connection and restart it:

1. Tap the Settings card in the timeline.
2. Tap the More Settings card.
3. Tap Mobile Networks.
4. Turn off your data connection by clearing the check box in the Data Enabled section.
5. Wait about 20 seconds and then reestablish the data connection by checking the Data Enabled check box.

On an iPhone

If you have an iPhone, here’s how to turn the data connection off and on again:

1. Open the Settings screen.
2. Tap Cellular.
3. Swipe the Cellular Data button from right to left.
4. Wait about 20 seconds and then reestablish the data connection by swiping the Cellular Data button from left to right.

If you’re using another computing device that has a working Internet connection — such as a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer — you can also check for documentation on the device provider’s website.

Bluetooth bummers

If your Glass is telling you that you made that left turn in Albuquerque and now you’re in Los Angeles when you’re actually in a bullfighting ring, the Bluetooth connection with your smartphone isn’t working correctly. You can apply any of three potential remedies:

• On your smartphone, turn Bluetooth off. When Glass tells you that the Bluetooth connection is forgotten, you can reestablish the connection with your smartphone (see Chapter 6).
• Turn off your smartphone and then turn it back on. When you turn off the phone, you immediately lose the Bluetooth connection, but the smartphone will find the Glass Bluetooth connection after you turn it back on.
• If you’re using the MyGlass app on your smartphone (see Chapter 5), quit the app and then restart it.

General glitches

One good fix for any misbehaving computing device is to close it down and restart it. Glass is no different. You can hard-reset the device by holding your finger on the power button for 15 seconds, no matter what you’re viewing onscreen. After 15 seconds, you hear a higher-to-lower chime. Release the touchpad. When Glass turns off, wait a few seconds, turn Glass back on, and see whether the problem is solved.

If not, the last resort is to perform a factory reset that restores Glass to its original factory settings. Here’s how:

1. Tap the Settings card in the timeline.
2. Tap the Device Info Settings card.
3. Choose Factory Reset from the menu.

   A warning onscreen tells you that you’ll lose all data unless you’ve backed up that data to an external source such as Google+ Auto Backup (see Chapter 8).

If you want to save any data stored on your Glass, such as pictures and videos, be sure to check your Google+ Auto Backup account on another device, such as your smartphone or computer, to confirm the photos and videos are there.

Begin the restoration process by selecting Yes on the screen. After your device’s factory settings are restored, you can start setting up your accounts, connections, and apps. To find out how to set up Glass, see Chapter 3.

Fitting Glass to Your Face

As with any pair of glasses, you may have trouble wearing Glass at first. You may also find damage associated with normal wear and tear. Here are some ideas for solving various problems related to putting Glass on your head.

Finding the Goldilocks fit

If you wear eyeglasses, chances are that you’ll have a good idea how to fit Glass on your head comfortably because you’re used to adjusting your eyeglasses. But if you can’t get the right fit no matter what you try, or if you’re not used to wearing glasses, consider trying one or more of the following solutions:

• If you’re picking up your Glass at a Google Base Camp in New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, find out whether you can get fitted there after you purchase the device online. Also check to see whether you can get refitted at that Base Camp later, if necessary.
• Visit the Google Glass Help site or call a Glass Guide for live help (see “Getting Help from Google” later in this chapter).
• Consider getting a new frame for your Glass that may provide a more comfortable fit. We cover changing frames in Chapter 11.

Getting accustomed to your Glass

Your eyes and your brain aren’t used to having a screen right in front of them, so you may experience pain in your head — not only from an ill-positioned Glass, but also from eyestrain as you try to get used to the Glass experience.

Using Glass is like exercising. When you start an exercise program to get fit, you don’t run a marathon right away. Likewise, you don’t use Glass for hours at a time right away. Instead, use your Glass for short periods at first, adding a few minutes each day. Any time you feel uncomfortable, take Glass off, and wear it again when you feel like it.

Fixing a crack in the frame

Glass is a pretty sturdy device, but like any pair of glasses, it’s subject to wear and tear over time. One common signal of wear is a crack in the frame, especially near joints such as those between the frame and nose pads.

When you find a crack in the frame, here are some solutions you can try:

• Visit the Glass Community (https://www.glass-community.com) to find out what solutions other users have employed. You may also want to take a picture of the crack with your smartphone and post it on the site to see whether any users and/or Glass Guides can provide suggestions.
• Contact a Glass Guide by phone or e-mail to get some ideas. The Guide may want to start a Google Hangout on your computer or smartphone so he or she can see exactly what the problem is and offer solutions. (For more on Hangouts, see Chapter 9.)
• If all else fails, the Guide may arrange to have Google ship you a replacement frame.

For more information, see “Getting Help from Google” later in this chapter.

Resolving Operation Errors

If you find that certain functions aren’t working on Glass as described in this book, here are some ideas for resolving problems with different features and apps.

I see dead pixels

Google works hard to ensure that all the pixels on each Glass function properly when the device comes out of the factory. As with any technology, however, problems happen, and you may be the unlucky owner of a Glass that has one or more dead pixels. Dead, in this context, means that the pixels are black or unlit no matter what comes up onscreen. At best, dead pixels are really annoying; at worst, they obscure important information.

If you see dead pixels, don’t hesitate to visit the Google Glass Help site and contact a Glass Guide (see “Getting Help from Google” later in this chapter). Google offers a 30-day warranty, so if your Glass is damaged or not working correctly, move quickly to get a replacement device.

My map is frozen

Sometimes, an app stalls after an upgrade. You may see stalling issues with the Maps app after an update, for example, because of Bluetooth synchronization issues between your Glass and your smartphone.

The solution is straightforward: On your smartphone, turn off Bluetooth. When Glass tells you that the Bluetooth connection is forgotten, reestablish the Bluetooth connection on your smartphone.

Callers sound like they’re underwater

Glass uses bone-conduction transducer (BCT) technology in its speaker. BCT picks up the vibrations from your skull to help improve call quality. You may have heard of BCT because it’s used in smartphones, earbuds, and headphones as well.

Despite this technology, you may still have trouble hearing people on the phone, especially in noisy areas. You can take some steps to fix this problem:

• Reposition the speaker. Check the position of the speaker to ensure that it comes up right against your ear. The speaker works best when it’s right up against your ear.
• Turn up the volume. If the voice you’re listening to is too soft, tap the Settings card in the timeline and then tap the Volume Settings card to view and change the volume.

  This procedure may seem to be elementary, but when you’re in a loud place and your caller’s voice is suddenly too soft, you may not think to turn up the volume.

• Connect the earbuds that came with your Glass to the device. The earbuds include printed instructions that tell you how to connect them to Glass.
• Move. If you still can’t hear the person adequately with either the speaker or the earbud, consider placing your hand over your free ear and/or moving to a quieter location.

If all else fails, ask a Glass Guide to talk you through more troubleshooting steps (see “Getting Help from Google” later in this chapter).

I have files and I can’t back up

If you can’t use the Auto Backup feature to back up one or more files from your Glass to your Google+ Auto Backup account, here are some ideas:

• Turn off your Glass, turn it back on, and see whether Auto Backup works the way you expect.
• If you have a large number of files to back up, especially pictures and videos that take up a lot of space, these files back up automatically when you charge your Glass while the device has an active Wi-Fi connection.

  When you try to back up while Glass is running on battery power, the backup process goes much more slowly, and the battery may run out of power before the backup is completed.

• Check your Google+ account settings to ensure that you have enough space in your Auto Backup account to accommodate all the files you want to back up. The default amount of space in your backup account is 15GB. You should receive a notification from Google when you’re running low on space, but if you don’t (or if you’re just curious about how much room you have left), you can find out how to pay for 100GB and 200GB plans at https://www.google.com/settings/storage.
• Connect your Glass to your computer and then sync your pictures, videos, and other files to your computer (see the next section).

Pictures and video won’t sync to my computer

When you connect your computer to your Glass by using the micro USB cable that’s included with Glass, your computer should recognize Glass as another external storage device and display it in your list of storage devices. Though the days of “Plug ’n’ Pray” are over, there may be times when your computer can’t find Glass when it’s connected to your computer. If you have this problem, here are some solutions to try:

• Remove the micro USB cable from the computer, wait a few seconds, and then connect the cable to a different USB port on the computer.
• Turn off Glass, remove the micro USB cable from the computer, turn Glass back on, and then connect the cable to the same or a different USB port on the computer.
• If you can’t use your computer’s file-management app (such as File Explorer on a Windows PC or Finder on a Mac), try using another app to move the files.

  You can use Google’s Picasa image-editing software, for example. It’s web-based, it recognizes Glass automatically when you have the device connected to your computer with a micro USB cable, and it allows you to move your photos between your Glass and your computer.

If none of these solutions solves your problem, you may have a defective micro USB cable. Contact a Glass Guide (see the next section) to find out whether the cable needs to be replaced.

Getting Help from Google

We hope that the steps we suggest in this chapter will get your Glass working the way you expect and let you get on with your life. If our suggestions don’t work, however, or if you don’t see your problem listed here, you can get help on the Google Glass Help site at https://www.google.com/glass/help/#get-started (see Figure 15-1).

On this website, you can find tutorials; check for potential solutions to your problems; talk to other users in the Glass Community; or get live, one-on-one help for free from a Glass Guide by calling (800) 452-7793 (a toll-free number) from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific time.

If you prefer to send an e-mail message to a Glass Guide, use the form on the help website or e-mail [email protected]. A Guide will make every effort to reply within 48 hours.