Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Problems, Questions, Errors and Solutions [Part 37]

Welcome to the 37^th part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. In this latest installment, we will be answering some of the latest emails that we have received from our readers regarding this particular model since we published the last part last week. Most of the issues that we will tackle are simple in nature that sometime a reboot is all it takes to solve the problem. Other issues require more detailed troubleshooting steps to be conducted.

If you own the Galaxy Note 2 or any other Android device for that matter then feel free to send us an email at mailbag@thedroidguy.com. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do send us an email try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.

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Note 2 Does Not Boot After Update

Problem: Hello: This is my second galaxy note 2 with same issue. The first time I had a galaxy note 2, I noticed AT&T update request on my screen. I accepted the update. As soon as download was complete, my phone was dead. It would not boot beyond the Samsung logo. I tried all the help I read online to no avail. I got a new galaxy note 2. Each time I saw the request for AT&T update, I rejected it until the update was forced on my phone. Immediately the download was complete, the phone blacked out. I have searched for every information I could to re-boot my phone to no success just like my first phone. Please help.

Solution: When a phone does not boot after a software update then something may have gone wrong during the update process. The first thing that you should try is a battery pull. With the phone still turned on, take out its battery then press and hold the power button for at least 3 minutes. This deletes any temporary data that is stored in your phone RAM. If your phone has a microSD installed take it out as well. Reinsert the battery then turn on your phone. If your phone boots normally you can then return the microSD card.

In case the above procedure fails you should attempt to wipe the cache partition of your phone. This does not delete your phone data.

• Turn off the device.

• Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key

• When ‘GALAXY Note II’ appears on the screen, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.

• When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.

• Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’

• Press the Power key to select and wipe the cache.

• With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.

If the issue still persists then you should proceed to using the latest version of Kies to do an emergency firmware recovery on your device. Make sure your phone data is backed up.

Install the latest version of Kies in your computer then connect your phone to that computer using a USB cord.

• Click Tools > Emergency firmware recovery.

• Select your device from the list. Your device will be displayed in the list only if it requires a recovery.

• Take note of the Recovery code. This code is used when restoring your device from another computer.

• Switch your Galaxy Note 2 to recovery mode using the steps displayed in Kies.

• Click Start upgrade.

Note 2 No Network Issue After Screen Replacement

Problem: I’m having trouble with my Samsung galaxy note 2 about 3weeks ago I broke my screen I replaced the screen myself and now the phone works but isn’t connecting to my network the phone says no service emergency calls only in notification bar. I went settlings > About phone > Status. majority of the setting look normal but then it shows this

• Network- Unknown

• Mobile network type- Unknown

• Service state- Out of service

• Mobile network state- Disconnected

I’m hoping you can help me out on how to fix my phone so I can have service/connection, if you could please help me out I’d appreciate it. Thank you.

Solution: Unfortunately in this case you may have affected the mobile networking component of your phone when you replaced the screen. If you are comfortable with opening your phone again then you should do so again. Retrace the steps you took then check if you may have accidentally affected the other components.

Before opening your phone again you should try to reinsert the SIM card, making sure that it is correctly aligned in the SIM holder. If you have access to another SIM card then insert it in your phone as well to eliminate any network related or account issues.

One final troubleshooting procedure you can do before reopening your phone is a factory reset. this will return the handset to the default factory settings and erase all personal information on the handset. All important information should be backed up before proceeding.

• Turn off phone.

• With the handset turned off, press and hold the Volume Up key.

• While holding down the Volume Up key, press and hold the Home key.

• With both the Volume Up key and the Home key held down, press and hold the Power key.

• Release all three keys when the Samsung logo appears.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to wipe data/factory reset.

• With wipe data/factory reset highlighted, press the Power key.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to Yes –delete all user data.

• With Yes –delete all user data highlighted, press the Power key.

• Once the wipe is complete, press the Power key to select reboot system now.

• The master reset is now complete. The handset will restart .

Note 2 Can’t Sign In To Google Account

Problem: I have a Samsung galaxy note 2 which I have been using for a while now. . Until I had to root to get access to an app fifa 14 afterwards phone began to switch off but became normal after a while i had to format my phone… but after formatting for a week now I could not sign in to my Google account. .. I have tried formatting again and immediately signing in with a strong wifi but to no avail.. sign from browser but it will bring me back to signing with the phone and fails and every of my app is connected to the Google account youtube maps e.t.c even downloading is a problem please I need help its really frustrating… Thanks my os is 4.1.1 model is Gt N7100 XXALJ2 tried upgrading firmware via OTA it downloaded but failed half way installing please help.

Solution: The first thing that you should do is to make sure that you have a stable Internet connection. Before you sign in to your Google account try to access any website first using your browser. If you can access any website normally then try accessing your Google account.

If the problem still persists try clearing your app preferences by going to Settings> Apps> Menu> reset app preferences. This helps in most cases.

You should also try to wipe your phone cache partition in recovery.

• Turn off the device.

• Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key

• When ‘GALAXY Note II’ appears on the screen, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.

• When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.

• Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’

• Press the Power key to select and wipe the cache.

• With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.

There is also the possibility that this may be an account related issue. Try logging in with a different Google account and see if it successfully logs in. If it does then you might want to try checking your account for any issues.

Note 2 White Screen On Boot

Problem: Hi, without any prior symptoms I found my samsung note 2 (running on original software) showing me a white screen on starting, when I try to connect to kies 3, kies did not recognise the device.

Solution: It appears that you have a bricked phone. More specifically, your phone got soft bricked which means that it can still start but it does not boot normally.

The best way to resolve this issue is to enter the Android recovery mode then wipe the cache partition of your phone. This does not delete your phone data.

If that does not work then you will have to perform a factory reset. Just make sure that you have backed up your data prior to doing this procedure.

Wiping your phone cache partition

• Turn off the device.

• Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key

• When ‘GALAXY Note II’ appears on the screen, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.

• When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.

• Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’

• Press the Power key to select and wipe the cache.

• With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.

To factory reset your phone

• Turn off phone.

• With the handset turned off, press and hold the Volume Up key.

• While holding down the Volume Up key, press and hold the Home key.

• With both the Volume Up key and the Home key held down, press and hold the Power key.

• Release all three keys when the Samsung logo appears.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to wipe data/factory reset.

• With wipe data/factory reset highlighted, press the Power key.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to Yes –delete all user data.

• With Yes –delete all user data highlighted, press the Power key.

• Once the wipe is complete, press the Power key to select reboot system now.

• The master reset is now complete. The handset will restart .

Note 2 Camera Unknown Error

Problem: Camera says unknown error when I want to take a picture. The reverse camera works. Do you have a solution?

Solution: Is your phone running on stock firmware or is it running on custom ROM? Most camera related issues happen when a phone is running on custom ROM. To resolve this you can try updating your phone firmware or checking the support site of the custom Rom you are using.

If your phone is still running on stock firmware then try rebooting your phone first. This usually helps especially if the issue is caused by a corrupt data stored in your phone RAM.

Next, you should clear the cache and data of your camera app.

• From the Home screen, press the Menu key.

• From the options, tap Settings.

• Find and tap Applications Manager.

• Swipe twice to left to choose All tab.

• Scroll to and tap Camera.

• Tap Force Close button.

• Tap Clear Cache button.

• Tap Clear Data button. (Please note that all your settings and preferences will be deleted when you do this.)

• Reboot your phone.

If the issue still persists then try booting your phone in Safe Mode

• Turn off the Galaxy Note 2 by pressing the Power button (positioned in the right edge of the device). Tap Power Off from the choices that will appear followed by OK.

• Once the device successfully shuts down, press the Power button again, but this time, keep your finger pressed on it together with the Volume Down button.

• Let go of the Power button when you see the Samsung Galaxy Note II logo but do not let go of the Volume Down key yet.

• After that, you will see a status message telling you that your Galaxy Note 2 is now in Safe Mode. Let go of the Volume Down key and tap the OK button.

Try taking a photo with your camera while in this mode. If you can successfully take a photo then the problem may be caused by an app that you installed in your phone. Find out what this app is and uninstall it.

If the problem still occurs even in Safe mode then its time to do a factory reset. Make sure to backup your data before proceeding.

• Turn off phone.

• With the handset turned off, press and hold the Volume Up key.

• While holding down the Volume Up key, press and hold the Home key.

• With both the Volume Up key and the Home key held down, press and hold the Power key.

• Release all three keys when the Samsung logo appears.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to wipe data/factory reset.

• With wipe data/factory reset highlighted, press the Power key.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to Yes –delete all user data.

• With Yes –delete all user data highlighted, press the Power key.

• Once the wipe is complete, press the Power key to select reboot system now.

• The master reset is now complete. The handset will restart .

Note 2 Gets Too Hot

Problem: Hello droid guy. I recently got my Samsung Galaxy note 2 at&t but it get hot in use and does not retain charge. The network signal also is weak. Pls help droid guy

Solution: It seems like all three issues that you are experiencing with your phone are related. Because of the weak signal your phone is consuming more power to be able to get a reliable network signal. This in turn makes your phone heat up which will further reduce battery life. If you are in an area with weak reception then I suggest finding a spot where the signal strength is good then check if your phone still has the same issues.

Note 2 Unfortunately Internet Has Stopped Error

Problem: I can’t download any image or any mp3 files from my Samsung galaxy note 2. A message appears that says Unfortunately Internet Has Stopped. Please help.

Solution: In most cases that deal with this type of error message clearing your phone cache partition usually helps.

• Turn off the device.

• Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key

• When ‘GALAXY Note II’ appears on the screen, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.

• When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.

• Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’

• Press the Power key to select and wipe the cache.

• With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.

Note 2 Heating Issues On Custom ROM

Problem: Hey, My almost 2 year old Note 2 (rooted) now has excessive heating and battery drain especially on aosp roms. This occurs ONLY when mobile data (mainly 3g) is on and never on wifi. Battery drain on aosp roms normally are on the higher side, but lately it is much higher and accompanied by the device heating up in the processor area. I have tried flashing several roms clean so it’s not because of background apps. Heating is much less in Samsung stock based roms. Is this some hardware issue?

Solution: If your phone heats up considerable when using a custom ROM but doesn’t when on stock ROM then it’s highly unlikely that this is a hardware issue. When a phone is connected to a 3G network it is expected to consume more power (especially in areas where the 3G signal is weak) compared to a Wi-Fi connection. The issue may not be with the phone itself but may be with the network coverage. Try experimenting by connecting to your 3G network in various locations and see if there is a change in the way your phone heats up. If you get ot an area with a strong 3G signal then your phone should not heat up considerably.

Note 2 Can’t Delete Cache

Problem: Hello! My phone’s been running slow lately but I’m having a problem with deleting my cached data. Whenever I try to, a dialog box comes out saying “Security policy restricts this app’s cache.” To which app is it referring to? How do I change the settings for this app? I would really appreciate your help. Thanks.

Solution: The message displayed is due to the Samsung Knox security program that is active in your phone. You should clear your phone cache partition from the Android recovery menu to resolve this issue.

• Turn off the device.

• Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key

• When ‘GALAXY Note II’ appears on the screen, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.

• When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.

• Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’

• Press the Power key to select and wipe the cache.

• With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.

Note 2 Shows Wrong Battery Level

Problem: Hi, I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Recently, my Note 2 has charged each night and used everyday. When my battery is drained down to about 20% my cell suddenly tells me in a pop window that it is now fully charged and to unplug the charger. Because I had just seen my actual battery life, I knowing its lying to me, but after approximately 5 seconds, my phone shuts itself off. The only way to turn it back on is to plug it in. I have done research and looked through your website, and while your explanations for drained batteries make sense and are correct, I have yet to find out why my phone is still doing this. I have also hardwiped my phone, not added any extra apps, but it hasn’t changed. Thank you for any help or advice you have to offer.

Solution: It appears that you may have a faulty battery. Try replacing it first with a new one and see if the issue still persists. If it does then take out the microSD card of your phone (if one is installed) then boot your phone in Safe Mode.

• Turn off the Galaxy Note 2 by pressing the Power button (positioned in the right edge of the device). Tap Power Off from the choices that will appear followed by OK.

• Once the device successfully shuts down, press the Power button again, but this time, keep your finger pressed on it together with the Volume Down button.

• Let go of the Power button when you see the Samsung Galaxy Note II logo but do not let go of the Volume Down key yet.

• After that, you will see a status message telling you that your Galaxy Note 2 is now in Safe Mode. Let go of the Volume Down key and tap the OK button.

Try to check if the issue occurs when your phone is in Safe Mode. If it doesn’t then this is likely caused by an app that you installed. Find out what that app is and uninstall it.

Note 2 Stuck In Boot Logo

Problem: Hi there! I am at a loss and desperate for help! Last night I plugged my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in to charge and this morning it was turned off. When I went to power it up it brought up the Samsung logo and the blue LED light. It just stayed there and never powered up. I tried to remove battery and that did not work. I tried to reboot but that did not work. All I care about is getting it to turn on so I can save/backup my voice memos, notes, and contacts! I cant afford to lose that info! Please help!

Solution: There are several troubleshooting steps that you can do retrieve your data on a phone that gets stuck on the Samsung logo.

The first thing that you should try is to reboot your phone

• Turn off your phone.

• Take out the battery.

• Take out the microSD card.

• Press and hold the power button for at least 3 minutes.

• Reinsert the battery (leave the microSD out)

• Turn on the phone.

If your phone successfully turns on then you can reinsert the microSD card. If not, then proceed with the next step below.

Attempt to wipe the cache partition of your phone. This does not delete your phone data.

• Turn off the device.

• Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key

• When ‘GALAXY Note II’ appears on the screen, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.

• When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.

• Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’

• Press the Power key to select and wipe the cache.

• With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.

One last step you can do is to connect your phone using a USB cord to a computer running on the latest version of Kies. Make sure to turn on your phone even if it only stays in the part with the Samsung logo displayed. If your phone gets recognized by Kies then you can perform a backup of your data.

Note 2 Deleting Emails

Problem: Hi Droidguy. I found your email address while searching around for Galaxy Note II help. I hope you can help me with this question. I have a Galaxy Note II phone and use Verizon service. When I receive emails through the phone sometimes I want to delete the email on the cell phone but leave the email on my email account on my laptop so that I can answer it later at home. I like to do this for security and privacy reasons, so that the email isn’t sitting on my phone for anyone to see were the phone to get lost, stolen, etc. I had a Blackberry Storm years ago, and when I would delete emails from the Blackberry I was given the option of deleting the email from only the phone (but leave the email on the email account on the laptop) or of deleting the email message from both the Blackberry device and the laptop. My question is: On the GN2, is it possible to delete an email from only the phone and not from the actual email account. Now when I try to delete an email message from the GN2 it deletes it completely from the email account (i.e. both on the phone and on the laptop). Many thanks in advance for any information you could provide!

Solution: You can delete an email from your phone but still have it saved on the server. To do this just edit your POP3 email incoming server settings and choose Never on the Delete email from server field.

Note 2 Service Issues

Problem: About 90% of the time, my incoming calls go directly to Voice mail. This is extremely frustrating and has caused us to miss out on filling a canceled dentist appointment, etc. It’s like not having a phone almost. Also, the other day i called my husband 3 times and all calls went to voice mail. Finally I texted him and he got the text 2 hours later. Pls help because my cell phone service provider has done nothing for us and we have experienced this issue for almost a year.

Solution: Does your area get good network coverage? I’m asking this because the issue you described usually occurs to phones that are used in areas with weak network reception.

You should first verify if this is a network related issue by using your phone in another area. Try bringing your phone to an area that is known to have excellent coverage and use your phone there. If the issue does not occur then there’s a good chance that its a coverage problem. You might want to consider getting a signal booster (if your carrier is offering one) or switching to a different network that has excellent coverage in your area.

If this is not a network related issue then the next step to check is your account. Try using a different SIM and see if the problem occurs under the new SIM.

On the phone side, you can perform a reset which should re-establish you connection to the network.

One final troubleshooting step you can perform on your phone is a factory reset. This brings your phone back to its original condition. Make sure to backup all your data before proceeding.

• Turn off phone.

• With the handset turned off, press and hold the Volume Up key.

• While holding down the Volume Up key, press and hold the Home key.

• With both the Volume Up key and the Home key held down, press and hold the Power key.

• Release all three keys when the Samsung logo appears.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to wipe data/factory reset.

• With wipe data/factory reset highlighted, press the Power key.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to Yes –delete all user data.

• With Yes –delete all user data highlighted, press the Power key.

• Once the wipe is complete, press the Power key to select reboot system now.

• The master reset is now complete. The handset will restart .

Note 2 Voice Recorder Not Working After Update

Problem: I recently updated my Note 2 to Kit Kat and now I cannot use my voice recorder as I get message device unable to start recording. other application using recording. It’s very frustrating. I don’t know what to do. Please help.

Solution: Whenever your phone has issues after performing a software update it is always a good idea to do a factory reset. These issues are most likely caused by the old data of the previous software version that is still present in your phone. This causes a conflict with the new software version. A factory reset is the quickest way to get rid of this old data. Make sure to backup your data first before proceeding as this will be deleted in the process.

• Turn off phone.

• With the handset turned off, press and hold the Volume Up key.

• While holding down the Volume Up key, press and hold the Home key.

• With both the Volume Up key and the Home key held down, press and hold the Power key.

• Release all three keys when the Samsung logo appears.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to wipe data/factory reset.

• With wipe data/factory reset highlighted, press the Power key.

• Press the Volume Down key to scroll to Yes –delete all user data.

• With Yes –delete all user data highlighted, press the Power key.

• Once the wipe is complete, press the Power key to select reboot system now.

• The master reset is now complete. The handset will restart .

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