[Android Central Question]

The icon, notification bar that I pull down from the top of my Alcatel fierce Android is missing and the middle button to exit to home screen isn't working nor is the square button to close apps. How do I get them back?

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Does this persist after a reboot? Or in Safe Mode? https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-33016

[DotLGphn]

I wish I had an answer, I have the same problem. What brand of phone do you have? My phone, an Alcatel Fierce 4 (One Touch), just started doing this today.. I can't get to "screenshot" app. Just does what yours does. If I find out before someone else does, I'll definitely let you (and everyone) know.

[DotLGphn]

Well, I received (from the "Alcatel" support website) two solutions, the first one didn't work: to "Wipe the Cache Partition". So, the only other solution was to do a factory reset...

But, before you do, BE SURE TO SAVE (BACK UP/SAVE) to either a desktop or laptop pc or another device of some kind. Actually, though, most of my contacts, photos, etc., were saved onto my SD card. I also backed up, what I could, to my SIM Card.

Then, I removed both my SIM card And my SD card before I did the factory reset. Oh, and I made a list (yes, I wrote it down on "Paper") of the apps that I had previously downloaded and installed, so I could download/reinstall them after getting my phone reset (If you downloaded from Google Play, you can see a list of downloaded apps in your "Google Play" account).

After I did all of the previously mentioned steps, I performed the factory reset.

After the factory reset was completed: I replaced my SIM and SD card. Then, since I had backed up a lot of stuff (don't exactly remember what, now) on my SIM card, I was able to restore a lot of apps, etc. The apps that I wasn't able to back up on my SIM card, I just had to download and reinstall them. Then I copied (I kept a copy of my contacts on my SD card) my contacts and photos, etc. back onto the "internal storage".

I didn't download and reinstall ALL of the apps, that I had before, because I believe that some of the apps I had before messed up and/or used too much of my battery life.

So, as a result, my "Alcatel One Touch Fierce 4" phone works like new. My battery lasts longer than it did before. Some of the apps, as I mentioned before, probably drained my battery. It takes less time to recharge my phone and I don't have to recharge it as often as I did before the problems began.

I hope it works for you (and anyone else that has had the same problems), too.