One of the common #GalaxyS7 and #GalaxyS7edge problems is boot-related so we bring you today one of the most effective means of fixing it — by flashing the bootloader. Together with this issue and its solution, we also bring you 7 other different problems. We hope that the solutions we provide here today will help a lot of users and not just the ones mentioned here today.

Below are the specific topics we’re covering for you:

Galaxy S7 does not receive SMS notifications when conversation thread is open
Adobe Elements Organizer in computer can’t detect photos in Galaxy S7
Galaxy S7 edge won’t send SMS and make calls after screen was replaced
Galaxy S7 keeps losing cellular service
How to set up business email account in Galaxy S7 email app
Galaxy S7 mobile data connection is intermittent
Galaxy S7 black screen issue, won’t turn on
How to flash the bootloader of a Galaxy S7

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, or you can install our free app from Google Play Store.

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.

Problem #1: Galaxy S7 does not receive SMS notifications when conversation thread is open

Hi. I have a Samsung S7, which in general I love. However, an update a while back stopped some of my text notifications and I can’t figure out how to fix it. When I receive a text, I always get a notification. But if I don’t leave that conversation after replying, I don’t get a notification if the original sender responds to me. In order to know if someone in a current conversation sends me a 2nd, 3rd, etc text, I can’t remain in that conversation’s screen. Every time I read a text from that person or reply to them, I have to back out of the conversation to receive notifications for new responses. Does that make sense? 🙂 Is there a way to change that? Or is that option just gone? — Andrea

Solution: Hi Andrea. We’ve observed the same behavior in own Galaxy S7 and S8 edge (both running Android Nougat) so it’s just how it works. There’s no option to change this behavior somewhere so a common sense workaround is to simply close the conversation thread when you’re not reading it. We don’t know if Samsung or Google will change this behavior in the future so all we can do for now is take it as it is.

We can’t be sure if the same thing happens when using other messaging apps so try using them to know the difference.

Problem #2: Adobe Elements Organizer in computer can’t detect photos in Galaxy S7

I have been able to connect my phone to my laptop. Auto play is set to open Adobe Elements Organizer and find pictures to import when ready import media button is highlighted. The last 2 weeks, Elements says it is unable to obtain any thumbnails for import. The phone is busy or not connected. I updated and restarted both machines. Still the same message. I changed auto play to import via regular photos on laptop, nothing. I changed auto play to ask me what action to take when plugged in, nothing. I clicked the window that appears when you plug in and chose the different options, nothing. — Karen

Solution: Hi Karen. We are here to support Android issues so if you’re having a problem with a PC (Windows or iOS) program, we recommend that you contact the support team of the said app and not us. The only functionality that you want to check before you communicate with the developer of the Adobe Elements Organizer is the phone’s USB connection to your computer. If your computer can detect, read, and transfer files to and fro via its file explorer, that means that the problem your having is due to an issue with Adobe Elements Organizer program.

If you think the problem is phone-related, consider doing a factory reset by following the steps below:

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.

Keep in mind that factory reset will delete user data like photos, videos, contacts, etc. so make sure you create a backup of your files before doing it.

Problem #3: Galaxy S7 edge won’t send SMS and make calls after screen was replaced

A few weeks ago I had the screen on my Samsung Galaxy S7 edge fixed because I accidentally dropped the phone which shattered the screen. Now having the phone fixed I have been having terrible service and things going wonky on me. For instance I can’t send text messages, or make simple phone calls. But I can get messages and phone calls from my contacts or anyone. And if I want to do anything on my phone I have to be connected to a WiFi signal. MTS and Samsung kept telling me that my wireless signal might be damaged or something or else of that garbage. I think it’s my service signal or i need to reset my phone. But don’t know what to do now, help please!!! —Gareth

Solution: Hi Gareth. If you don’t want to heed the advice of Samsung about a possible hardware problem (which can be the antenna or another specific component that handles networking functionality), then work with your wireless carrier so they can help you configure your phone properly. There’s a lot of things to check to identify the true cause of your problem and the best thing to do first is by ensuring that your phone’s network settings are correct.

Once you’ve dealt with the possible network settings issue, the next thing that your wireless carrier is to check if your account is working properly. There may be some account-specific limitations preventing it from doing certain tasks. We can’t think of any logical explanation how this can happen when the only different think that you did was to have the screen replaced but it’s still worth checking nevertheless.

If the phone has the correct network settings and there are no blocks or limitations on your account, the next thing that you can do on your end is to factory the device. Doing so will ensure that there are no third party apps and software glitch that affects the network functionality. Make sure to check how SMS and voice calling work right after you factory reset your phone. You should not install anything (app or updates) at this point. If the phone continues to behave the way it does right now, you can assume that there must be a hardware problem behind it.

Hardware diagnostics is a tricky business and depending on the situation, the real cause of a problem may never be determined. To raise the chances of identifying and fixing the problem, send the phone to Samsung. The phone must be physically checked by their technician so no amount of calls to their customer service can help you in this case. Better still, just have it replaced.

Problem #4: Galaxy S7 keeps losing cellular service

Hello there!! I am hoping you can help me find some answers, and help me troubleshoot. I am having a problem with dropped signal! It happens now at least 3-4 times a day. My texts will circle, and circle and then never send. Then my apps won’t load, or my web browsing doesn’t load. My calls won’t go through. It’s like, literally everything just shuts down. But when I look up on the drop menu (top of phone lol) it says I have full bars, and 4G LTE. Verizon is my phone service provider and carrier, but I haven’t been able to make it in the store yet to ask for assistance. It has gotten worse over the last few days. Have you had any complaints with this? Please email me back! Thank you. — Briana

Solution: Hi Briana. First of all, we don’t send our responses via email. We want to make our suggestions and solutions available for other Android users as well so we publish them instead. We hope that you’ll find this article in time.

Secondly, intermittent cellular service problems are most often caused by issues on the carrier side so make sure that you call them whenever you experience them. A lot of times, the problem is not phone related but if you suspect that your phone may be to blame, you can always try the basic software troubleshooting steps like:

wiping the cache partition,
observing in safe mode
deleting the cache and data of apps involved, and
factory reset.

For reference, here are the steps on how to do each of them.

Wiping the cache partition

Minor firmware and hardware glitches can be fixed by deleting the system cache. In fact, we technicians always recommend doing it before performing any of the reset procedures:

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 cache partition.’
Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ 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.

Restarting the phone in safe mode

It is imperative you know this procedure as it is very important in troubleshooting third-party or downloaded apps. You can follow these steps if your phone frequently reboots and you can’t perform troubleshooting while in normal mode.

Turn your Galaxy S7 off.
Press and hold the Power button.
Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ 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.

Clearing an app’s cache and data

There’s a chance the issue may lie on the app-level so make sure that you delete the cache and data of every app you’re having problems with. Here’s how:

Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
Navigate down to “Apps”. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6.0.
Once in there, click on an application.
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.
You should now clearly see the Clear Data and Clear Cache buttons for the application.

Factory reset your S7

This is a drastic step that involves wiping the phone to bring it back to a clean slate. It will erase all user data such as photos, videos, contacts, etc. so create a backup before performing it:

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 #5: How to set up business email account in Galaxy S7 email app

Hello. I have a business email account on my laptop. It is in Microsoft Outlook. I also have a Gmail personal account. I can already access my Gmail account from my S7 and I want to be able to access my business account simultaneously. I have tried following the usual instructions but after the exchange server settings when I am asked to sign in it then says “cannot connect with server.” What do I need to do to make this work? Please help. Thanks in advance. — Jamie

Solution: Hi Jamie. If you have an Outlook email domain (such as [email protected]) try to disable all the security protection features first such as two-step verification, identity verification apps, and app passwords before setting up the account in your S7 email account. You can do that by logging in to your Outlook account in a computer, and changing account settings under Security tab.

If you have a different email domain, ask support from your email service provider. They should be able to tell you if their service also supports email via mobile.

Problem #6: Galaxy S7 mobile data connection is intermittent

Hello. This is my first time having this issue with my Galaxy S7. My data connection has been fine since i got the phone and now suddenly my internet will be working then 5 minutes later it’ll stop then just keep going intervals of time working then not. It’s driving me insane especially since i don’t have wifi.

I don’t know if it’s the cell phone service or the phone. Please help! It also will get very hot when I’m using it. — Courtney

Solution: Hi Courtney. Like what we told Briana above, the first thing that you need to do in this case is to let your service provider know about it. You should do this even if you suspect that the issue lies on your phone so they can double check whether or not there’s a network issue in your area. They also need to check if there’s any issue or limitation set in your account that may interfere with your network usage. Once they’re done checking everything on their end, that’s the time that they should help you troubleshoot your phone.

As far as phone troubleshooting is concerned, the things that you can do won’t vary much to the steps we recommended for Briana. The same steps mentioned above will be the same exact ones your carrier’s support representatives will have you do. If you want, you can try them before you call your carrier to save time. If nothing changes after you do them, the problem must be on the network side. Assuming that you take care of your phone (never been dropped, exposed to water or heat, unrooted, etc.), we can’t think of any hardware issue that can result to the experience you’re having.

Problem #7: Galaxy S7 black screen issue, won’t turn on

Hi, I recently tried to work through your “Black Screen of Death” article. My S7 is responding to the boots with vibrations and LED light, but the screen itself is still not responding. I haven’t dropped it or anything and it is not cracked or otherwise visibly damaged. Any suggestions? — Jamie

Solution: Hi Jamie. There’s nothing more that you can do then. The problem is either a bad screen, or an unknown hardware issue. You must send the phone in so it can be repaired or replaced.

Problem #8: How to flash the bootloader of a Galaxy S7

i was flashing a custom ROM onto my G935F running Marshmallow but forgot to make a backup. Got my device stuck in a boot loop. Is there a way to get the stock bootloader recovery and ROM? Stock ROM is easy. I’m having trouble finding the bootloader. I’ve been at it for about 7 hours now and no such luck. — Bryan

Solution: Hi Bryan. We don’t keep a compilation of bootloaders or firmware like Sammobile does so make sure that you visit this site first. Once you’re in the site, do the following:

Look for the correct firmware for your phone model and download it. Make sure that you select the right one. It should be the same exact firmware that ran previously on your device. We assume that you list down the firmware version somewhere. If you did not take note of it before, there’s a chance that you may pick the wrong one. As you may know now, using an incorrect firmware can cause complications so good luck with that.
Let’s now say that you have identified the correct firmware. You then want to download it to your computer. The firmware file should have a bunch of files in it like AP_, BL_, CSC_, etc.
Look for the file that starts with a label BL; this should be the corresponding bootloader file for this firmware. Once you’ve identified the bootloader file, copy it to your computer’s desktop or to any other folder that you can easily access.
Proceed with the rest of the flashing procedure using the Odin program.
In Odin, click on the BL tab and make sure to use the bootloader file you’ve identified earlier.
Now, make sure that the “Device Added” status and its “ID:COM box” has turned blue before hitting the START button. This will initiate the flashing of your phone’s bootloader.
Restart the phone once the procedure is finished.

Engage with us

If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply fill in the short questionnaire in this link and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem.

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How to flash the bootloader of a Galaxy S7, other issues