Hello Note 4 users! Welcome to another article that addresses more Note 4 issues. As usual, all issues mentioned here are taken from messages sent by some members of our community. If you have your own issue you want to share to us, don’t hesitate to do that so we can help you too.

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 Note 4 keeps showing emmc failed message

Good day My name is Nadeem. I got your email off this blog. i am currently having issues with my Note 4. It started showing me the write emmc failed message and i couldn’t reload the firmware to it. i have sent it away for repairs with no luck but now it does not seem to power up at all. I have inserted my other Note 4 battery in as well with no luck. however when i connect to my pc i can hear the USB connect sound from my PC but nothing picks up or any activity on the phone. Could you help please? Thanks. — Nadeem

Solution: Hi Nadeem. “Emmc failed” error is a sign that the system is unable to read properly off the storage device. This is either due to a software glitch or a hardware failure. In a lot of cases though, it all boils down to bad hardware. Unfortunately, most cases of emmc failed issue requires repair; you can’t fix it with a software tweak. This is especially true in your case since the phone no longer boots up normally at this point.  That said, let a professional check the hardware first and see what happens from there. Depending on the motherboard damage, your device may or may not be repaired.

Problem 2: Galaxy Note 4 keeps downloading update but won’t install it

I bought a used Note 4. It seems to work great but it keeps downloading update. When i install it says it was successful but then proceeds to download them again and ask me to install them again. I am only on wifi as i have not had the phone switched over yet. Could that be the problem [no sim] or does it sound like bigger issue?

 I need help before i switch over to a phone that will not work. — Chad

Solution: Hi Chad. There may be a software glitch causing this problem so we recommend that you try a factory reset and proceed from there. Factory reset will restore all software settings back to their defaults. Also, make sure to unroot the device or flash back stock firmware if it’s running custom firmware.

Below are the steps on how to factory reset your Note 4:

1. Create a backup of your important files such as photos, videos, contacts etc. You can use Smart Switch for this task.
2. Turn off the Galaxy Note 4 completely.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home keys together, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the Note 4 vibrates, release both the Home and Power keys but continue holding the Volume Up key.
5. When the Android System Recovery shows on the screen, release the Vol Up key.
6. Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Vol Down key and press the Power key to begin the reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key.
9. The Note 4 will restart but it will be longer than usual. When it reaches the Home screen, then begin your setup.

Problem 3: Galaxy Note 4 “Unfortunately Settings has stopped”  error keeps showing after an update

Yesterday, May 24, 2017, I noticed that my Note 4 was receiving an update that was labeled Samsung Internet. After this update completed I noticed if I went into settings under Applications and tapped on Internet it would set there a few seconds and I get the message “Unfortunately Settings has stopped.” It was working the day before as I went into this to clear out internet cache files. Everything else seems to be working fine. I rebooted the phone, even pulled the battery and no changes. This is very frustrating! — Steve

Solution: Hi Steve. We don’t know what happened exactly to your phone but updates change core system files and something may have gone wrong. The thing is, there’s no test that you can do to see where the problem lies. You must try to isolate possible factors in order to arrive a fix. To do that, there’s a series of software troubleshooting that you must perform.

Wipe the cache partition

The first one is the cache partition wipe. The aim of this step is to see whether the system cache has been corrupted following an update. Sometimes, a corrupted system cache can lead to all sorts of problems. To fix it, you need to delete the old system cache so the phone will be forced to create a new one. Here’s how to do that:

1. Turn off the Galaxy Note 4 completely.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home keys together, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Note 4 vibrates, release both the Home and Power keys but continue holding the Volume Up key.
4. When the Android System Recovery shows on the screen, release the Volume Up key.
5. Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
6. When the wiping of the cache partition is finished, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the power key.

Install app updates and make sure apps are compatible

The next step that you want to do if a cache partition wipe won’t work is to ensure that all apps are in tip-top shape. Go over your list of apps and make sure that you install updates for all of them. If you tend to install apps without checking where they come from, now is to the time to be aware. Incompatible apps can sometimes cause crashing problems, or make other apps behave erratically. Since there’s no direct way to know whether an app is causing a problem or not, this is a trial-and-error step at best.

If you think an app may be causing the problem though, consider booting your phone  to safe mode. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Turn off the phone completely.
2. Press and hold the Power key and the Volume Down key.
3. When the phone starts to boot, release the Power key but continue holding the Volume Down key until the phone finished restarting.
4. Safe mode will be display at the lower left corner; you may release the Volume Down key now.

Booting Galaxy Note 4 in safe mode will temporarily disable all third-party or download apps leaving pre-installed ones and core services running. This procedure can help you determine which of your apps is causing a problem.

Return the phone to clean slate with factory reset

If the problem remains after doing cache partition wipe and safe mode observation, there’s no better way to fix it than by doing a factory reset. Refer to the steps above to see how to do it.

Problem 4: Galaxy Note 4 mobile data is slow | How to download TDG Smartphone Troubleshooting app

I unlocked my T-Mobile Note 4 phone, carrier was MetroPCS — due to year long issues with service. The phone was set between T-Mobile & Metro settings 50/50.

Data would not download. Even at 50/50 the data would drop constantly. Got lost a billion times and Google directions would drop GPS constantly or downloads from contacts were slooow.

SO….I had my phone unlocked, ported number, left original memory card in. AND …. THE DROID GUY APP IS GONE!? Can’t find on Google, did you drop your app for the Web? It was a Lifesaver!  I got my phone from a previous friend, it was on my phone then, so I couldn’t ask where she got it. I assumed it came from Samsung, when I Google your app I only get blog stuff. Did you remove your app from Play Store? And I lost thru an update? Or do you still have it? Thank you. — Ellen

Solution: Hi Ellen. The best thing that you can do about your mobile data issue is to ask support from your current carrier. Although there’s a chance that a device issue is causing it, majority of the time, it has something to do with network-related problem. The advantage of asking support from your carrier for this issue is the fact that they can also help you troubleshoot the device in case the problem is not from their end. If you haven’t done that at this time, make sure that you do it.

As far as device troubleshooting is concerned, you are limited to doing a factory reset only. We don’t think it’s a configuration issue because mobile data is actually working, albeit slow. If you’ve already tried a factory reset before calling us, then the best thing that you can do is to seek support from your network.

Our support app is up-and-running. It’s been renamed TDG Smartphone Troubleshooting. Please follow this link to download it from Google Play Store.

Problem 5: Galaxy Note 4 not detecting SD card

Today, my 8GB micro SD card in my Samsung Note 4 stopped working. It’s an older card, but it happened so suddenly. I was browsing and preparing my photos to back up onto my PC. I moved all the photos from the phone storage to my hard drive first, then it stopped seeing the SD card in my phone through the file explorer. I tried removing and replacing it, but my phone started saying it was an unrecognized format and wanted to reformat the whole thing. I reset then factory reset my phone without the card inserted. I’ve tried a desk top memory card reader. The drivers installed, the device will light up, but the PC doesn’t act like there’s a card inserted. I’m at a loss. I feel like I know it’s gone for good, but was hoping you had an idea of something I may be overlooking. — Boxer

Solution: Hi Boxer. If your computer also fails to detect the SD card at this time, you may be right, the contents or the card itself may be gone for good.

Try inserting the card to another smartphone to see for the last time if our suspicion is true. If that phone won’t detect that card either, you must accept the fact that your SD card has failed.

Problem 6: Galaxy Note 4 won’t boot normally, stuck in installing system update screen

My Note 4 will go into a reboot loop for hours, sometimes even after removing the battery. After a while the Android fella pops up saying unable to reboot or installing system update.

I have wiped the phone and my service provider won’t replace it since my warranty stopped last year. I was told the software is too advance for the firmware. Is there anything else you can suggest I try? — Jaimeeantonik

Solution: Hi Jaimeeantonik. The first thing that you can try is to flash the bootloader. The bootloader is the first series of codes that runs when you start up the phone. It’s independent of the operating system but like any software in your phone, it can also get corrupted, leading to an issue just like the one you’re experiencing. To flash it, you need to follow a certain guide. Flashing guides are phone model specific so there’s no one-size-fits-all one for you. We can give an example of steps how to flash the bootloader but we are not sure if they are exact ones for your device. You must find a good guide for your phone model using Google.

Below are the sample steps on how to flash the bootloader:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Proceed with the rest of the flashing procedure using the Odin program.
5. In Odin, click on the BL tab and make sure to use the bootloader file you’ve identified earlier.
6. 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.
7. Restart the phone once the procedure is finished.

If flashing the bootloader won’t fix the issue, you can also try to flash the firmware itself. The steps should be slightly different than the ones provided above so, again, make sure that you find a good one first.

Problem 7: Galaxy Note 4 purchased from eBay has bad speaker

My sound system is not working. I have a new one bought from eBay, a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. I had to do a factory reset on it and now my volume does NOT work. There’s no music sounds, no notification sounds, no sounds. Please help me. I don’t want to spend another 200 some dollars to get another phone that doesn’t work. I don’t know the Android version of it. And I’m currently with MetroPCS. — Cristine

Solution: Hi Cristine. If factory reset did not help at all, there must be something wrong with the hardware. Try to check if the speaker is working by accessing the phone’s service menu first. Here’s how:

1. Open the dialer or Phone app.
2. Dial “*#0*#” (without quotes).
3. Tap the box that says Speaker. The phone is supposed to make a sound after tapping this box. If nothing comes out of the speaker, that’s proof that you have a bad hardware.
4. To go back to normal mode, simply hit the Back button.

You can’t fix a hardware problem like this so you either have to return the phone and get a refund, or have it tested and repaired.

Problem 8: Galaxy Note 4 apps keep crashing after an update

After an update last week my phone keeps restarting and I keep getting error messages that apps have stopped working. I see where a factory reset may help this but I don’t really understand how to do it. I’ve connected my phone to my laptop but nothing pops up saying a device has been connected. I need step by step. It has a SD card. — Hoodsybil

Solution: Hi Hoodsybil. We suggest that you do a cache partition wipe first (refer to the steps above). If that won’t work, here are the steps on how to factory reset your phone:

1. Create a backup of your important files such as photos, videos, contacts etc. You can use Smart Switch for this task.
2. Turn off the Galaxy Note 4 completely.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home keys together, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the Note 4 vibrates, release both the Home and Power keys but continue holding the Volume Up key.
5. When the Android System Recovery shows on the screen, release the Vol Up key.
6. Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Vol Down key and press the Power key to begin the reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key.
9. The Note 4 will restart but it will be longer than usual. When it reaches the Home screen, then begin your setup.

Problem 9: Galaxy Note 4 stuck in boot loop

My phone suddenly is stuck in some sort of loop. It came up on a boot menu screen and I wasn’t sure what to do. So I selected the top option that was reboot system. It then goes to the Galaxy Note 4 black start up screen and freezes there, goes black and back to the galaxy start up screen. I’ve removed the battery, bought a new battery and it’s still doing the same. Any help appreciated. — Lorra32

Solution: Hi Lorra32. You did not give us enough information to help us identify the cause of the problem for you. An issue like this does not happen out-of-the-blue. You must have done something different to cause it.

If you tried to install something, or change some settings without knowing where they’ll lead, that may be the cause of the problem. We suggest that you check our suggestion for Jaimeeantonik above and see if you can fix the issue by flashing the bootloader or firmware.

If flashing won’t solve the problem, consider sending the phone in for repair or replacement.

Problem 10: Galaxy Note 4 microphone not working

No audio is being picked up on video camera and voice recorder apps. Already played music, mp3s and Youtube videos to test audibility. Those work just fine. Volume is up all the way for: Ringtone, Media, Notifications, and System. Was in the middle of clearing out space on my phone and afraid I may have deleted some key ingredient to receiving up &/or putting out audio. My recorded videos and voice recorder are the only apps that have this problem. — Cbowers613

Solution: Hi Cbowers613. We don’t think you’re testing the right functionality here as the speaker is not the problem. Playing music and videos will only allow you to check whether or not the speaker is working. If your recorded videos lack audio, the most likely problem is the phone’s microphone, not the speaker.

To check if the microphone is working, try calling someone. If you can hear them but they can’t hear you, the microphone is most probably fried.

If this problem started after deleting some system files, do a factory reset.

 

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