Fix Common Samsung Galaxy S2 Problems and Errors [Part 18]

Welcome to the 18^th part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy S2. In today’s post we will be dealing with some of the latest emails sent to us by our readers. Despite being a rather dated device there are still a lot of people who are using this particular model. This is the reason why we are constantly covering this model as we are still receiving emails regarding the issues our readers are facing with it.

If you have any questions regarding your Samsung Galaxy S2 or any other Android device for that matter feel free to send us an email at [email protected]. We would be more than happy to assist you with your concern. The best part of this is that this is a free service we offer to our readers with no strings attached. We do however ask that you try to be as detailed as possible when you 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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Galaxy S2 Slow Response

Problem: Within the last month, my S2 has begun to stop responding to keystrokes.  It just doesn’t register that I’ve hit a key–or in some cases, it reacts so slowly that it takes minutes to respond.   I have not dropped or otherwise hurt it. We do live in a rural area where the network connection is not the best (get 1-2 bars) but I’m finding the same trouble when I am in town and getting 4 bars.  At times, my phone does not register any bars even though I am in town where my husband’s cheap flip phone is showing 4 bars and I show none, and we are sitting side by side.   Then seconds later, it will show 4 bars.  I do sometimes get the same text message 4-6 times from people and at times I cannot respond at all.   Forget picking up voice mail! any suggestions?  I really do not want to get a new phone.

Solution: When your S2 is running a bit sluggish or if it doesn’t perform the way it used to then it might be time to do a factory reset to refresh your device. The reason why your device is running slow is that there may not be enough memory anymore or there is too much unnecessary data that is interfering with the operation of your device. A factory reset is the quickest way to solve this issue.

Before performing this procedure make sure to back up your data first.

To do a factory reset

• Turn off the device.
• Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down keys at the same time.
• Press the Power key only until the phone vibrates once, then release only the Power key.
• Continue to hold the Volume up and Volume Down keys until the Android System Recovery screen appears.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight wipe data / factory reset.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes – Delete all user data.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Power key to reboot.

Once your phone has fully rebooted it should be working fine by now. You can now start restoring your data.

Galaxy S2 Volume Automatically Mutes When On Headphones

Problem: I can listen to music and adjust volume with no problem.  However, when I use headphones, the sound decreases all the way down to mute all on it’s own.   When I try to increase volume it quickly goes back to muted.  VERY FRUSTRATING.  I’ve never had this problem over past couple of years until just recently.  Can you please tell me how I can fix this?  I am listening to Slacker Radio & I Heart Radio.

Solution: Several people who have experienced this very same issue say that rebooting the device will temporarily solve the issue. Assuming that your volume settings are correct and that you have also tried using another pair of headphones the best way to resolve this is to do a factory reset as suggested by Samsung.

Before performing a factory reset check first if there are any software updates for your device. If there are then install it as it may come with a fix for this particular issue. Make sure to back up your data as well as it will get deleted during the factory reset.

• Turn off the device.
• Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down keys at the same time.
• Press the Power key only until the phone vibrates once, then release only the Power key.
• Continue to hold the Volume up and Volume Down keys until the Android System Recovery screen appears.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight wipe data / factory reset.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes – Delete all user data.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Power key to reboot.

Galaxy S2 Overheats

Problem: hi droid guy! whats with my galaxy 2 overheating to the extent it keeps switching itself off; says 100% charged unplug charger drops to 25%! grrr iv bought a new battery same thing happens iv uninstalled heaps of appa etc im at a loss! any ideas?? cheers!

Solution: Usually when a mobile device overheats it is a sign that there is constant processor activity which may be caused by certain apps or services running in the background. What you need to do first is to check what particular service or app is constantly turned on.  To do this click on Settings then go to About Phone then click on Battery Usage. Here you will get see what is using up your battery life the most. Normally you should see Display, Android system, and Cell standby at the top of the list. If another process or app is listed on top then this might be the cause of your phone overheating.

To check if a particular app is causing the battery drain issue start your device in Safe Mode.

• Remove the battery from the phone.
• Re-insert the battery.
• Press and hold the Menu key.
• While holding the Menu key, turn on the device.
• When you see the lock screen, you can release the Menu key.
• ‘Safe mode’ displays in the lower-left corner.

Try to use your phone in this mode and observe if it still overheats. If you see an improvement then find out what app is causing this issue and uninstall it.

Another factor that may cause your phone to overheat is a faulty SD card. This usually happens when your phone tries to access data on the SD card and it is having difficulty doing so. You might want to try taking out the SD card from our phone and observe its operation.

One final step that you can perform if the above suggestions fail is to do a factory reset on your device. Just make sure to back up your data first.

• Turn off the device.
• Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down keys at the same time.
• Press the Power key only until the phone vibrates once, then release only the Power key.
• Continue to hold the Volume up and Volume Down keys until the Android System Recovery screen appears.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight wipe data / factory reset.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes – Delete all user data.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Power key to reboot.

Galaxy S2 Won’t Turn On

Problem: Hi, I have looked at your website and tried a couple of the suggestions for problems with an S2 and hope you can help me. I plugged in my phone to charge it as usual, but it wouldn’t take the charge.  Sadly the battery died completely.  Ironically it was the night before I had an appointment at my local phone shop to upgrade my phone package and get my new phone!

• I ordered a new battery and that didn’t work.
• I tried a different charger with the new battery, that didn’t work
• I tried plugging a new charger that came with my new S4 from my computer USB to the S2. 
• I also tried holding menu button whilst switching on and that doesn’t work either.

Can I check somewhere on a googlemail acct if contact details are there and would my photos be in the same place? I cannot get my contacts off the phone (some are on phone and not SIM) and I cannot get my photos either.  Lesson learned – I guess I have to sync with my googlemail acct/learn to be a bit more technical (fast). Is there anything more I can try please?

Solution: If after changing the battery and the charger your phone still does not turn on then it may already be a hardware issue in which case you have to bring it to an authorized service center for checking.

If you have activated the syncing of data to your Google account then you can access your contacts list on your Gmail account and your photos at Google Plus Photos.

To check on your contacts open your Gmail account on a browser. On the upper left side of the screen just below the Google logo you will see a dropdown list that will usually default to Gmail. Click on Gmail and below that you will see the Contacts choice. Click on Contacts and you will see your contacts list appear. This works if your phone contacts has been synced with your Gmail.

To check if your Photos have been backed up just open your Google Plus account on a browser and click on Photos.

Galaxy S2 Gmail App Not Automatically Syncing

Problem: Since a couple of days ago my Gmail-app is not giving me instant notifications for new e-mails. I haven’t flashed anything new or something along those lines. I did however disable some autostarts for Google Services Framework in order to resolve a wakelock, but that was 4 weeks ago.It seems to sync eventually – this morning I found a notification for an e-mail that was received 6 p.m. the day before. If I go to Settings > Google account > Sync Gmail I can manually force it to sync, which produces the notification. Upon entering the app I find the e-mails there. So, the core of the problem seems to be that the app for whatever reason isn’t syncing at the desired intervals any longer: so instead of pushing, the mails needs to be pulled (semi-manually, it seems). Is there a way to solve this?

Solution: Assuming that all the settings in your phone are correct (auto-syncing) then this could be an issue with the app itself or an Internet connection issue.

To check for any app related issues

Clear Gmail cache

• From the home screen, tap Applications.
• Scroll to and tap Settings.
• Scroll to and tap Applications.
• Tap the All tab.
• Scroll to the Gmail application.
• Tap Clear cache.
• Reboot

Clear Google Play Services cache

• From the home screen, tap Applications.
• Scroll to and tap Settings.
• Scroll to and tap Applications.
• Tap the All tab.
• Scroll to Google Play Services.
• Tap Clear cache.
• Reboot

Remove your Google account from the phone then sign back in.

To check for any Internet related issues

• Try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data and see if the issue disappears. If the issue does not occur in one of the connection modes above but occurs on the other then it is an Internet connection related issue.

Galaxy S2 Battery Rapidly Discharges

Problem: Hi, My S2 just starting draining from 100% to dead within 30 to 90 minutes a few days ago. I have tried recalibration trick and didnt work. Tried my wife’s S2 battery which works fine for her. Same issue. My battery in her phone works fine. Obviously a phone issue.

Solution: There might be a lot of processes running simultaneously on your device which is causing this battery drain issue. Try to start your phone in Safe Mode and observe if you still have this problem.

• Remove the battery from the phone.
• Re-insert the battery.
• Press and hold the Menu key.
• While holding the Menu key, turn on the device.
• When you see the lock screen, you can release the Menu key.
• ‘Safe mode’ displays in the lower-left corner.

If in Safe Mode your battery life improves then you might want to find out what app is causing this and uninstall it.

You might also want to take note of the following battery saving tips below.

• From any Home screen, tap the Menu key.
• Tap Settings.
• Tap Power saving.
• If necessary, enable Powering saving by tapping the switch.

You could also turn off Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Portable Wi-Fi hotspot when not in use.

Galaxy S2 Intermittent Connection To PC

Problem: I can’t comprehend what is going on here. I’m normally able to connect my phone to my computer via usb and the phone will automatically start charging and prompt me to ‘Connect to PC’ with a button so I can browse the phone. Every now and then I run into an issue where it doesn’t prompt me but still goes into charge mode. Nothing’s changed on the PC, ive rebooted both devices and nothing seems to work. I’ve read on other threads that its sometimes caused by a physical issue with the phone’s usb connection and slightly bending the tongue upwards resolves it. This actually seemed to work on some occasions but not this time. Its driving me nuts! Anyone else have this problem?

Solution: From the way you describe the problem there could only be three possible causes. The USB port on the PC is faulty, the USB cord itself is faulty, or the USB port on your phone is faulty. Try using another USB cord and see if the issue still occurs. Try plugging the cord on another USB port on your PC. If the issue still exists then it’s probably caused by the USB port of your device. Your best option is to bring your phone to an authorized service center to have the charging/data port replaced.

Galaxy S2 Insufficient Space

Problem: Been unsuccessfully looking for a way to deal with the problem of having insufficient space to update or get new apps on a 2 year old Galaxy S2. Seems to all come down to the restricting of system space to about 2 gigs (which is pretty much taken up with stuff that can’t be removed). I’ve already tried:-1. Using an app manager to shift anything capable of being moved to the SD card over; 2. Clear any unneccessary data and apps. Down to the bare bones now, have to delete anything that uses more than a few MB (including Facebook and pretty much anything made by Google). Please don’t make me give up Swype and Nova, that’s the stuff that makes Android worthwhile! If there’s some other way around this, I’d love to know. Just seems crazy that with so much space on the phone and the SD card that this can happen. I’d hate to think that a two-year old phone is being crippled for no good reason.

Solution: You might want to back up the data of your phone and do a factory reset. This will restore your phone to its original condition when you first turned it on.

• Turn off the device.
• Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down keys at the same time.
• Press the Power key only until the phone vibrates once, then release only the Power key.
• Continue to hold the Volume up and Volume Down keys until the Android System Recovery screen appears.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight wipe data / factory reset.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes – Delete all user data.
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Power key to reboot.

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