How to fix app issues in your Galaxy Note 8, other app issues

Like any smartphone, Samsung’s latest phablet, the #GalaxyNote8, sports amazing hardware specifications as well as a fresh look of how any modern smartphone should be. But like any smartphone too, it’s also not immune to content or app problems. For this reason, we decided to publish this post to help those who may be experiencing their own versions of app problems. We cover only two Note 8 cases in this one but we also include a list of troubleshooting steps that can be applied to any generic app problem.

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.

For now, here are the troubleshooting steps any user can do when faced with a particular app issue:

Restart your Note 8

Sometimes, the simplest of troubleshooting steps are the most effective. This is true for all smartphones, including Samsung’s high end Galaxy Note 8. App problems can be caused by anything, including inexplicable issues related to boot functions. To see if your issue can be fixed easily, consider restarting it by pressing the power button.

If your phone happens to froze and you can’t restart it normally, press and hold the Power key and the Volume Down key simultaneously for more than 5 seconds. Once you’ve feel the phone vibrate, let it proceed with the restart procedure. If your phone is low on battery, be sure to recharge it for at least 30 minutes before attempting to do a forced restart.

Install app and Android updates

Updates are not only meant to bring cosmetic changes but also much needed patches for known bugs. By default, your Galaxy Note 8 is set to automatically install app and Android updates. However, if you changed this setting before, be sure to revisit Settings menu and manually check for both app and Android updates. Of course, you also want to make sure that the app in question is fully updated and running the latest app version available at this time.

To configure Google Play Store to automatically download and install app updates, follow these steps:

  1. Open Play Store app.
  2. Tap Menu icon at the upper left hand side.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Auto-update apps.
  5. Select your preferred option.

To manually check for available Android update, go under Settings>Software update.

Force stop an app

If all the basic app troubleshooting steps above won’t fix the issue, you can then try force stopping it. By design, Android apps are not supposed to be forced closed by a user but Google anticipates problems that may require this step so Force Stop option is made available. Force stop command shuts down an app and all its associated background services. To do this troubleshooting, follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. If the app you’re having is part of the system apps package, tap More settings icon at the upper right hand side (three-dot icon), then tap Show system apps. Otherwise, simply skip this step.
  4. Scroll down and look for the app in question.
  5. Tap FORCE STOP button.

Clear app’s cache

If the issue appears storage-related, such as messaging app not receiving messages due to low storage space, wiping an app’s cache may help. This procedure is good in removing temporary app files called cache. It’s a short term solution and the cache can get rebuilt after some time. To clear an app’s cache, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
  2. Navigate down to Apps. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6 or 7.
  3. Once in there, look for the application and tap it.
  4. You’ll now see a list of stuff that gives you information about the app, including Storage, Permissions, Memory Use, and more. These are all clickable items. You’ll want to click on Storage.
  5. Tap Clear Cache button.

Clear app’s data

Some app issues go beyond the cache so clearing it may not help. This is where clearing an app’s data can come in handy. How to know if an issue is cache- or data-related is simple — if the former won’t work, the second may. Keep in mind that wiping an app’s data will erase data you may find important such as game progress, stats, SMS/MMS, files, photos, videos, etc. The types of data that may get erased depends on the app so be sure  to back them up before you proceed. You can use Samsung Smart Switch app to do the job.

To clear an app’s data, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
  2. Navigate down to Apps. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6 or 7.
  3. Once in there, look for the application and tap it.
  4. You’ll now see a list of stuff that gives you information about the app, including Storage, Permissions, Memory Use, and more. These are all clickable items. You’ll want to click on Storage.
  5. Tap Clear Data button.

Uninstall, then reinstall the app

If you’re having an issue with a third party app (not from Samsung, Google, or carrier), removing and reinstalling may be a good idea. Uninstalling an app may result to data loss, just like what happens when you do a data wipe so again, do make a backup first before removing it.

Contact the app’s developer

If all the steps above won’t help fix the problem with a particular app, there’s a chance that there may be a deeper coding issue behind. This means that the developer itself may have committed a mistake in the codes so be sure to contact them so you can inform them of the problem.

To contact a developer, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Google Play Store app.
  2. Browse or search for the app.
  3. Tap the app to open the detail page.
  4. Tap Read More.
  5. Scroll down to review the contact information listed.

When contacting the developer, there are two important things that you want to tell them:

  • The name of the app
  • The issue you’re having. Be sure to be as detailed as possible but only include relevant items. If you’re getting an error message or code, make sure to include it..

Another good way to get support from the developer is by posting public reviews. Some developers actively address reviews so letting them know you’re having a problem with their product may urge them to assist you as soon as possible.

Problem 1: Galaxy Note 8 apps keep saying no connection, network unavailable

Off and on (everyday) been getting error messages ‘Network unavailable. Please try again later’ especially when browsing Youtube app. And on Facebook app this error sometimes appeared ‘Can’t connect right now’. For the latter i had to try few times only able to access. But still able to use Youtube for the former error message. Despite these errors, have tried: 1. checked latest firmware 2. apps version are up to date 3. clear cache partition 4. tried connecting via different telco 4G+ connections and also wifi connections I recalled one of my previous Note version encountered similar error and upon new firmware update that the issue was solved. Not sure about this time round? — Noel Fredilino

Solution: Hi Noel. If you’ve already tried all our suggested troubleshooting steps above, especially after contacting the developer, without any positive result, the cause of the problem may be software-related. Be sure to do a factory reset and see how it works afterwards.

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until Yes — delete all user data is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Problem 2: Galaxy Note 8 Asphalt 8 Airborne app not working

I recently downloaded Asphalt 8 Airborne on my phone. It wanted to do and update so I clicked update on Google Play. I then started the download from the app but it was interrupted when I left the Wifi. When I reopened the app it said that the download was interrupted and did I want to restart the download? When I pressed yes it took me to a screen that said checking required files with a loading bar. It then returned to the beginning screen. I checked and I did have sufficient Wifi. I clicked no, it said that I should click on the icon in my applications to start the download again. When I did that, it returned to the same screen again. And so the never ending circle. — Anthony DeScenza

Solution: Hi Anthony. Never ever interrupt updates, whether they be for apps or the operating system. In almost all cases, interrupting a device that’s trying to install an update can lead to problems. Before you install any update, make sure that your phone has enough battery power and that you’re connected to a reliable wifi network.

If the update happens to be interrupted accidentally, the least that could happen is the one you’re experiencing right now. In some cases, interrupted updates result to more serious problems like boot loop or failure to boot issues. When you found yourself in any of these situations, the first troubleshooting step that you must do is to wipe the cache partition. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Since your issue does not look serious enough, a cache partition wipe may help you fix it. However, if nothing changes after doing it, you should consider removing, then reinstalling the app.

 


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