How to assign Message tone to a contact, block a contact in Galaxy S7, other issues

Hello #GalaxyS7 users! This post brings you more S7 issues we’ve collected so far. We hope the solutions will help not just the ones mentioned here but other users as well.

If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.

When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:

Problem 1: Galaxy S7 can’t find incoming SMS in chat history

I just got my phone Samsung Galaxy S7 on 7/20/17. My stepdaughters were playing with my phone and I can send texts but it is not appearing in my chat history. The texts are just disappearing. I can receive text and show up in my chat history. I was able to confirm that the receiver is getting my texts but it does not show up in my chat history. I went into my apps under messages and cleared my data and cache but this problem is still happening. I also did a soft reset. I am completely mystified as to how to fix this problem. This didn’t happen until the kids were using my phone. — Shelley.a.carnes

Solution: Hi Shelley.a.carnes. If you’re positive that your phone received the missing SMS (because you noticed them in the status bar) but couldn’t find them in your list of conversation threads, it’s possible that its’ due to incorrect system date and time. We can’t know this for sure but your kids may have changed the date and time of your device for some reason. If that happens, conversations will usually be sorted differently, often with newer messages relegated to the bottom of the list. Make sure that check the phone’s system date and time under Settings. It’s better if you can set the device to use your network’s date and time.

Problem 2: Galaxy S7 showing moisture detected error when connecting TV via HDMI adapter

I’ve been trying to connect my phone to the TV using a HDMI adapter cord. Whenever I plug the cord in to the phone it says that there’s moisture detected even though the phone is completely dry and has been nowhere near water. I can plug my charger cord in right after it says that and it has no error message or anything acts like nothing’s wrong. What could possibly be the problem? — Rbyrd16

Solution: Hi Rbyrd16. We were only able to experience the Galaxy S6 connection to TV via HDMI using an official Samsung HDTV Adapter. If you are using a third party HDTV adapter, it’s possible that there’s a compatibility issue between the devices involved. Kindly contact Samsung support to get an official information on whether your particular HDMI adapter is supported or not.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 screen is unresponsive, keeps freezing

Hi. I seem to have an issue with my phone. It froze when i went to listen to my voicemail and then the phone became very hot. It started turning itself off and on really quickly and then froze with half the Samsung sign on the screen. Now it’s just blank and unresponsive. There is a blue light flashing dark and light blue at the top of the phone. I have tried to reboot by holding the volume button and the power button but still nothing has happened. It has cooled down now and i have stuck it on charge but still nothing is happening. Any ideas how to fix this or do you think i need to send it in for repairs? Thanks. — Claire

Solution: Hi Claire. Does the battery percentage improve when your phone is charging? If it does, then you need to proceed to the next steps. However, if the phone is not charging, or the charging progress bar does not appear to work, then you want to check a possible charging issue first by using another known working USB cable and charger.

If charging is not a problem but the issue appears to be boot-related, make sure that you try to see if you can restart the device to alternate boot modes. Keep in mind that there’s only so much that you can do when it comes to an issue like this. If you can’t make the phone to boot back up, you have to send it in for repair or replacement. To boot your phone to alternate mode, follow these steps:

Boot in Recovery mode:

Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
Wait until the Download screen appears.
If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
Press and hold the Power button.
Once the Samsung Galaxy logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
The only difference of safe mode from normal mode is that the former prevents third party apps from running. If you can boot the phone in safe mode but not in normal mode, uninstall all apps until the issue (that prevents you from booting normally) is eliminated.

Problem 4: Galaxy S7 turns off on its own, won’t charge

The battery was 75% and my S7 edge switched off by itself. I tried to put it on charge but it is not giving any indication. I tried to force start the phone by pressing and holding the power and the volume down button. But it didnt respond. I tried to let it get a but charged but it didnt give any indication and i tried the force start again. But it is not starting at all. — Faizan

Solution: Hi Faizan. Kindly see our recommendation for Claire. If the phone remains dead and won’t boot to Recovery, Odin, and Safe modes, you need to let Samsung take a look at the hardware. If you’re lucky and the issue only lies in the battery, replacing it can quickly fix the issue. On the other hand, if the problem goes beyond the battery and the motherboard is involved, it may cost more to have the phone repaired so be prepared to invest some at least $200 for it. If an independent technician or Samsung recommends motherboard repair though, we say you’re better off with a new phone.

Problem 5: Galaxy S7 won’t receive MMS when mobile data is off

I had done a factory reset to my phone and was not able to send or receive MMS, but after searching and playing with settings I was able to fix that. I know mobile data is needed to send and receive mms, but i do not keep it on because i do not have an unlimited plan. I can deal with manually turning it on when I want to send a picture, but by the time I realize I am receiving a picture and turn on my mobile data, I am unable to fully receive it. Is there a way to have my phone automatically turn on mobile data when I am sending/ receiving an mms and then automatically turn it off again? I never had this problem with any of my other phones. I never had to change the settings to send or receive a picture. My last phone I had was a Samsung Galaxy S6. — Bryanna

Solution: Hi Bryanna. You’re right, internet connection via a carrier’s network is necessary in order to send and receive MMS. We’re not aware of any carrier service around that can automatically turn mobile data on when there’s pending MMS in their system. It’s technically not impossible but it can trickier to design so it’s not a good option for carriers. Please contact your carrier and ask them if they have such system in place. As far as apps that you can install to do a similar mechanism is concerned, no, there’s none.

Problem 6: Galaxy S7 is dead and won’t turn on

I have a Galaxy S7. One day I noticed that my phone shut down dead although I’m very sure it had at least 30% of the battery. This continued to happen for the next few days till one day my phone died and wouldn’t even charge. Since then and till now it doesn’t charge, however it shows the electricity sign that normally appears while charging, but never actually charged and I was never able to turn it on again.(I once left it charging overnight and still woke up to that meaningless charging symbol without it actually being charged). — Ahmad

Solution: Hi Ahmad. Please see our suggestions for Claire and Faizan above. Remember, the most that you can do in this case is check if your phone can restart to alternate modes. If the phone stays dead and you intend to fix the problem yourself (which we discourage), be sure that you identify the issue first. There’s a long list of possible reasons why hardware may fail to turn on so you just don’t want to dismantle the phone and replace parts up without knowing where the problem lies.

Our blog does not provide hardware diagnostics and troubleshooting so be sure to visit other sites that can guide you with good instructions how to isolate the issue. Identifying the problematic component is one of the hardest hurdle any seasoned technician must overcome first. If it’s your first time to perform a DIY (do-it-yourself) repair, make sure that you have plenty of time to waste searching for a good guide. Once you’ve known the issue, replacement of the said part is often relatively easy as there are a lot of resources that you can find in Youtube. We say you stick with iFixit website though as they usually provide clear and easy to follow guides.

Problem 7: How to assign Message tone to a contact in Galaxy S7

I have a contact with a factory-installed notification sound (Knock). The message app uses the factory-installed notification sound (Piano) as the default sound. But when I receive a message from this contact, the notification sound is ‘Piano’ and not ‘Knock.’ This issue plagues all of my message contacts. However, I do receive the correct notification sound for emails (the contact-specific sound rather than the default app sound). — Kenny

Solution: Hi Kenny. Normally, the nominated notification sound for a contact overrrides messaging app’s default notification sound. However, you need to ensure that Message tone option under a contact’s settings says so. To do that, follow the steps below:

From the home screen, tap Apps.
Scroll to and tap Contacts.
Tap the preferred contact.
Tap EDIT.
Scroll to and tap More.
Scroll to and tap the Ringtone field. Make sure that you select your desired ringtone correctly.
Under Message tone, you also want to make sure that you select the desired tone correctly.
Tap to select the new ringtone and/or message tone, then tap the Back key.
Tap SAVE.

If you’ve already did the steps above before contacting us, it’s possible that there’s a third party app that overrides the settings you chose. Boot your phone to safe mode and see if that’s the case by asking the contact to text you.

Press and hold the Power button.
Once the Samsung Galaxy logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.

Problem 8: How to block a contact in Galaxy S7

I found a solution to an issue that was very strange. A Galaxy S7 was not receiving text from a specific person. I first went to phone, more, blocked list but no one was listed. I later went to the Application for messages, under blocked messages it showed the messages. Then I went to blocked numbers in the messages app and it showed the blocked person there. It was fixed. Thanks for helping with other issues in the past and future. — Kelly

Solution: Hi Kelly. Phone app only caters to voice calls so if you block a number using this app, only voice calls from a specific contact will be blocked. Since you’re having an issue receiving SMS, you did the correct step of checking the Messages app since it also has its own separate blocking mechanism that only affects SMS and MMS. In other words, blocking a number using the Phone app does not necessarily mean SMS or text messages from the same contact won’t go to your phone’s inbox. You’ll still be able to receive SMS from that contact even though you’ve already blocked it from contacting you via voice calls.

We appreciate the effort though in letting us know of your self-discovered solution. Keep them coming.

Problem 9: Galaxy S7 sound imbalance when headset is connected

I have an issue with my jack headphone. It becomes imbalanced between the right and the left. The left have louder sound. i used 3 different headphones and the result still the same.

3 days before there is no problem with it. then i found my old sound system that have problem with the right and the left side too. the left one have louder sound than the right side and this morning when i want to hear my song in my headphone it happens. The sound became like my old sound system, the left have louder than the right. Please help me.

FYI: Before this morning the last time i use my headphone is 3 days before. –Gede

Solution: Hi Gede. If this problem is only happening when you plug in your headset, then there’s a need for you to reconfigure Adapt Sound feature. To do that, follow the steps below. Make sure that your headset is plugged in properly to your device before doing this procedure.

Open Settings app.
Tap Sounds and vibration.
Tap Sound quality and effects.
Tap Adapt Sound.
If this is your first time to configure Adopt Sound, you’ll see two basic instructions: “wear your earphones correctly in a quiet place” and “To find the best sound level for you, the device will beep continuously.” However, if you’ve already set Adopt Sound before and the phone remembers the settings, you’ll be directed to the page that shows the previous settings, including the preferred ear for calls. If you want to reconfigure Adopt Sound, tap Personalize sound.
Tap Start to begin the reconfiguration.
Follow the on screen instruction until the horizontal counter reaches 100%.
Tap Preview.
Tap Both
Tap Personalized to listen to your preferred settings.
Tap the Back key until you’re back in the Home screen.

Problem 10: Galaxy S7 corrupts two SD cards in three weeks

Hi. I have a Galaxy S7. I bought a memory card along with the phone as I take a massive amount of pictures. All seemed to be going well then one day, I noticed a lot of images missing, and couldn’t find the memory card within the phones system settings. Checked the card on my laptop, nope not working. So bought a replacement and bugger me not 3 weeks later the same thing has happened. Could the phone be damaging the cards 🙁 — Vicky

Solution: Hi Vicky. If the same thing happened to at least two SD cards, it’s either an Android bug, or the way you use it. Either way, it can’t be the SD card.

Keep in mind that SD cards can easily get corrupted if something interrupts it when it’s trying to read from or save something to it. That interruption can be caused by an app, an unknown Android glitch, or the user itself. It’s important that you don’t, for example, stop the phone, turn it off, or remove the SD card while it’s being used.

To minimize this issue from happening in the future again, be sure that you do that basics like:

Use a high-quality SD card.
Reformat the SD card using your phone before using it.
Avoid interrupting the SD card or physically removing it without unmounting or turning the phone off.

Alternatively, you can factory reset your phone to ensure that it runs properly.

Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Problem 11: Can’t set up Adobe Business Catalyst email in Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

I have a client who has purchased a Samsung S7 edge phone. She is unable to configure it to connect to the BC email server (not able to setup connection). The client and I have spent several hours already with AT&T tech support in person and via phone, on one seem to know why it doesn’t connect. Phone data provider AT&T The email server is adobe Business Catalyst. No problem with connecting with an iPhone. Thanks for your help. — Miles

Solution: Hi Miles. Telling us that you can’t setup an email without providing any other detail does not help. We need more information than that. Errors, past troubleshooting steps, email apps you’ve tried, and similar other details are needed in this case. This is a one-way correspondence system so you’re supposed to give us as much information as possible about your difficulties so we can identify the problem.
We also don’t work for Adobe so our knowledge about this product is very limited. We suggest that you visit this link and see if it helps. Otherwise, contact the relevant support team or the email service provider for first hand assistance. There’s only so much a carrier like AT&T can do about email issues. In fact, we don’t think it’s an AT&T issue at all. Talking to the email service provider should give you an idea whether their email service supports Android configuration in Galaxy S7 device.

Problem 12: Galaxy S7 front camera keeps saying “camera has failed”

Hello. My front facing camera on the screen has stopped working and will not turn on even after doing all the basic troubleshooting described on your page. It just says error camera has failed. I can use the rear camera just fine. This problem accured the same time my phones build in flashlight application stopped working. I cannot do a factory as I have no way of storing the photos and information on my phone. — Hallie

Solution: Hi Hollie. Try booting to safe mode and see what happens from there. If the front camera continues to fail, do a factory reset. There’s no other software solution that can substitute the effects of a factory reset. Create a back up of your personal files first before doing a reset. Unless you can live without the front camera, there’s no other available software solution for you.

If the camera still malfunctions after a factory reset, send it in for repair.

Problem 13: How to bypass Factory Reset Protection in Galaxy S7

Hi. I have a Galaxy S7 which i have hard reset yesterday but issue again and again comes that owner’s email account I several times provided same email account keeps saying it’s not accepted.

Also many methods given on youtube have already tried but failed to do so. In addition sidesycen, android frp bypass.apk, coolmuster etc tried no one working on it. Even mannually installed marshmallow and lollipop so can’t ….. If you have any solution please reply fast as i am so much worry about this issue. Thanks. — Pakistaniguys161

Solution: Hi Pakistaniguys161. We’re not sure if we understand your issue correctly but if you’re having trouble unlocking the phone because of Factory Reset Protection, wherein the device asks you to enter the correct Google account credentials, we’re sorry to disappoint you. There’s no official way to bypass FRP at this time regardless of the validity of your reasons why the phone was locked in the first place. If the unofficial tips in the web no longer works at this time, that means that Samsung may have found out about these loopholes and fixed FRP at this time.