I will tackle some of the screen issues reported by our readers who own Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (#Samsung #GalaxyNote5) and one of them is the issue with screen lock. According to one of our readers, his phone reverts back to Swipe security even if the phone was set to use Fingerprint.
The problem may seem a little complicated but it’s actually very simple and it’s not really a problem but an extra security feature. Read on to know more of this issue and how to tackle it in case you’d encounter it in the future.
There are other problems I included in this post so if you’re currently bugged by an issue or two, continue reading below as it may one of the issues I cited here. Here’s the list of the problems…
- Galaxy Note 5 reverts to Swipe when it’s set to use Fingerprint
- Galaxy Note 5 replaces numbers on keypad with dashes
- Galaxy Note 5 shows grey patches on the screen
- Galaxy Note 5 screen sensitivity affected by new screen protector
- Galaxy Note 5 screen doesn’t acknowledge the S Pen
- Galaxy Note 5 Screen flickers and won’t turn on
- Galaxy Note 5 screen turned black and white
If you have other issues, visit our troubleshooting page for the Note 5. Find problems related to yours and use the existing solutions. If they don’t work, then contact us by filling up this questionnaire. All we ask is information so it will be easier for us to help you.
Galaxy Note 5 reverts to Swipe when it’s set to use Fingerprint
Problem: I have set unlock screen security to finger print however swipe screen to unlock appears. If I Power off then the finger print appears on unlock screen but reverts back to swipe screen on next unlock screen. Spoke with Samsung and they led me through soft restart and safe mode, still the same. They want me to do a hard reset but not excited about losing everything and if that does not work phone needs to go to a repair center. Is anyone else having this problem. Finger print works okay with all other applications.
Solution: There is a new security feature in all models of Galaxy devices; it’s Smart Lock. You will be able to see this option once you’ve setup your screen lock. Once enabled, you can add your Trusted Places, Trusted Devices and Trusted face so your phone will automatically reverts back to the Swipe screen lock so it will be easier for you to unlock your devices. The same thing happens if the phone detects a Trusted Device is in range and the best example of this is your Bluetooth headset.
In your case, it seems like Smart Lock has been enabled. So, you have two options here; either you clear all your trusted places, devices and/or faces or disable the Smart Lock. Just go to Settings > Security. Under the Screen Security section, you can find Smart Lock. It’s there that you can disable or just clear whatever your phone trusts.
I hope this helps as we’ve received a lot of emails requesting for help.
Galaxy Note 5 replaces numbers on keypad with dashes
Problem: For some unknown reason the numbers on my lock screen will go away and all I have are dashes. I can still unlock the screen by selecting the correct dashes. If I restart I get numbers back but then it does it again. Can I fix it permanently?
Solution: This is a firmware related issue as many started to complain about this after an update. It can temporarily be fixed by reboot, which means it will come back after some time. Many reported that wiping the cache partition will fix this problem, so it’s worth the shot.
- Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
- Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
- Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
- Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
- The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
- Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
- When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
- The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.
Galaxy Note 5 shows grey patches on the screen
Problem: Okay well when I was watching a video that had many dark scenes it often showed very light patches of grey so I thought oh maybe it’s just this particular video but no I went to YouTube as well and the same thing happens with dark videos. I always see patches of light grey when it’s dark. Help?
Suggestion: For this kind of problem, we really need to see what you’re seeing so we can determine whether it’s an issue with the screen or not. But one way to know is when those grey patches appear on the same spot regardless whether the screen is in portrait or landscape mode. If they do, then it’s a hardware issue. I hope the touchscreen isn’t affected and I understand if you’re bothered with it. So, I suggest you bring it to your provider and have the tech check it up for you and you better have it replaced if the problem remains.
Galaxy Note 5 screen sensitivity affected by new screen protector
Problem: I had a screen protector installed and now can’t write a note on the screen when it is turned off. Are only certain types allowed to use this feature?
Suggestion: I am sure there are also instances when the phone doesn’t respond with your touches. Obviously, the screen protector affected the touchscreen sensitivity of your phone. You might disagree with this but the best thing to do about it is to remove the film and find another that works well.
Galaxy Note 5 screen doesn’t acknowledge the S Pen
Problem: When I touch the screen it doesn’t acknowledge the pen.
Suggestion: There are only two possibilities here; either the problem is with the touchscreen or with the stylus. To isolate the problem immediately, test the touchscreen using your fingers. If it responds normally, then the issue is with the stylus; it’s defective and needs to be replaced.
However, to rule out the possibility that it’s just firmware issue, you need to do the master reset first:
- Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
- Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
- Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
- Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
- The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
- Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
- When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
- The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.
Galaxy Note 5 Screen flickers and won’t turn on
Problem: For no reason at all, the screen just died on me and now it’s flickering or flashing and it won’t completely turn on. It will blink or flicker a little and then turns off after the flicker. I really don’t know what happened and how to fix this problem. I need your assistance. Thanks.
Troubleshooting: Liquid damage? Physical damage? If the phone was dipped in water or was dropped on a hard surface and then this problem occurred, it means you need a technician to check it up, otherwise, try the force reboot as it may be just a system crash: press and hold the Volume Down and Power keys for 20 seconds and the phone will restart.
Galaxy Note 5 screen turned black and white
Problem: Hello. I need your urgent help because my phone’s screen just turned black and white and I don’t like it as it is damn ugly to have a display like this. It is a Note 5 and I bought it brand new. Moments ago, the screen was all colored but suddenly it turned black and white. How can I retain its colors? Thanks.
Troubleshooting: Charge your phone. It seems that it ran low on battery that’s why the grayscale mode was enabled. As part of the Power Saving feature of your phone, the screen will display black and white as it eats up the battery slower than colored display. You have three options as far as this problem is concerned: first, you can charge your phone until the color turns to normal again; second, you can disable grayscale mode; third, you can disable Power saving mode.
The Power Saving mode is under Settings > System, and the grayscale mode is under the Power saving mode.
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