Hello Android community! Here’s another article that caters to problems reported by some of our #GalaxyNote4 users over the past few days. We hope this material will help our ever-growing Android community.

Below are the specific topics we cover for you today:

Galaxy Note 4 won’t recognize SD card
Galaxy Note 4 stuck in Samsung logo screen, won’t boot normally
Galaxy Note 4 overheating and rebooting randomly | Galaxy Note 4 shuts down when battery level is low, fast battery drain issue
Galaxy Note 4 freezing and shutting down on its own
Galaxy Note 4 shuts down on its own
Galaxy Note 4 won’t pair with Powerbeats 3 headset
Galaxy Note 4 won’t stay on
Galaxy Note 4 no cellular signal issue

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 Note 4 won’t recognize SD card

Hi Sir. I have had my Note 4 for a while now and all of a sudden I have developed some issues. They seem to have happened right after the last AT&T update on the phone this past week. My Wi-Fi quit working all together and in searching for some answers, I ended up here . So , I reset the network settings, as you stated in comments to others , and that did fix the Wi-Fi.

The other issue is that the micro memory card is not working in the phone at all now at all. I also took it out and put in in the computer memory slot and the computer could not recognize the Card. I put the card back into the phone, it is not working. As I said, these issues happened after the last AT&T software update a few days ago. The computer has always recognizes the Micro Memory Card in the past. So can you help me out on this Issue?

Also I was just looking at the “about Device” area. It states “Android Security patch level , Feb.1, 2017 but the phone worked fine until a few days ago. Thanks. — Don

Solution: Hi Don. We haven’t heard of an Android update causing direct damage to an SD card before so it may just be coincidence that it failed at about the same time that the update was installed. To check if the SD card can still be reused, try to format it using your Note 4 first. If you can’t do that, try to format the card using a computer. If the computer can’t format it either, that means that the card has become useless. Replacing it is your only option.

If, on the other hand, your phone will recognize the card after reformatting it, there’s a chance that the issue will happen again. Be sure to create a backup of your irreplaceable files regularly to preventing data loss. Keep in mind that digital storage devices can fail at any time. If you’ll lose data to a failing storage device or SD card in the future, you’ll only have yourself to blame.

To format an SD card, follow these steps:

From a Home screen, navigate: Apps > Settings.
From the Device section, tap Storage.
From the Portable storage section, tap SD card.
Tap Format.
Tap FORMAT (located in the lower-right).
Tap DONE (located in the lower-right).

Problem #2: Galaxy Note 4 stuck in Samsung logo screen, won’t boot normally

Hello. I am having several issues with my Galaxy Note 4. First off it when I turn it on, it stays on for no more than 2 minutes, then it turns off. Then it will turn back on but freeze when the Samsung logo comes on and will turn off again and vibrate twice. it won’t turn back on. I’ve token out the battery and inserted it back in but it doesn’t really help. I tried to factory reset it by holding the home key and the lock key but it just turns off again. Can you please help me with this situation? It would be very helpful. Thank you. — Exsallana

Solution: Hi Exsallana. Your options in this situation are very limited. If the phone won’t boot at all, one of the following must be happening:

the bootloader has been corrupted
the software has been corrupted
the battery has died
power IC was damaged
there’s an unknown logic board fault.

The first thing that you want to do in this situation is to check whether or not the phone is capable of starting to alternate boot modes. Below are the steps on how to do each of them:

Boot in Recovery mode:

Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
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.’
You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN 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 DOWN keys.
Wait until the Download screen appears.
If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
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.
The only difference of safe mode from normal mode is that the former prevents third party apps from running. If you can boot the phone in safe mode but not in normal mode, uninstall all apps until the issue (that prevents you from booting normally) is eliminated.

If you’ll be able to boot the phone to one of these modes, make sure to do particular follow up troubleshooting. For example, if you’ll only be able to start the device in Recovery Mode, you may be able to fix it by wiping the cache partition or factory reset. Bear in mind though that the solutions detailed above can only fix software-related problems. If the cause of the trouble is bad hardware like a faulty battery, there’s no amount of software tweak that you can do to fix it.

If you’ll manage to boot the phone to Odin or Download mode without it rebooting, you may be able to fix the problem by flashing a good bootloader. Here’s how to do it:

Look for the correct firmware for your phone model and download it. Make sure that 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.

If doing all the software troubleshooting won’t improve the situation at all, send the phone in for repair or replacement.

Problem #3: Galaxy Note 4 overheating and rebooting randomly | Galaxy Note 4 shuts down when battery level is low, fast battery drain issue

I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and I have several issues. Please address them all.

it heats up when I use it for more than 20 minutes, it heats up when I charge it and it gets so hot that it’s almost unbearable to touch when I use it while it’s charging.

Even when I have 25% battery remaining, it falls to 14% in one second, 2% in an other second and then shuts off. (The time I mentioned is not an exaggeration).

It shuts off randomly when I’m using it for no apparent reason. How do you suggest I solve these issues with my phone? — Mariam

Solution: Hi Mariam. If a phone becomes way too warm or becomes hot under normal operation, that can be an indication of hardware problem. Overheating, when taken together with another issue like random reboot is almost always due to bad hardware. All three items you mention here may be caused by one and the same problem. To see if there’s a hardware issue behind all of them, we suggest that you do a master reset. Factory or master reset will return all your software settings back to their defaults so it’s an effective way to eliminate software bugs that may have developed in the course of using the device. Factory reset basically removes apps and updates you’ve installed and restoring only the basic but known working software configuration. If the problem is on the software level, your phone should work fine after performing a factory reset.

If nothing will change after a factory reset, that’s an indication that bad hardware is to blame. You must have the phone repaired or replaced.

Problem #4: Galaxy Note 4 freezing and shutting down on its own

Hi there. My phone keeps either freezing or shutting down but the screen won’t come back on. I have factory reset the phone to see if it helped but it has had little effect. I have to end up taking the battery out leaving it for a little then inserting it again and I might have power working phone anywhere from 10 mins to 3 hours. Battery was brand new, less than a month ago and I have also received the downloading do not turn off target! Screen and that doesn’t seem to be doing anything after I left it for a day. Had the phone since they came out and only had one accident which has never affected it until now possibly. — Robert

Solution: Hi Robert. Kindly refer to the suggestions for others above. Your problem may be fixed by one of the solutions we mention. You can also try to do a battery recalibration first to see if there’s an operating system error that prevents it from reading the battery level correctly. Here’s how it’s done:

Use the phone by playing games or doing tasks to hasten power discharge, until the phone turns itself off.
Turn the phone on again and let it turn itself off.
Charge the phone without turning it back on.
Wait until the battery says it fully charged to 100%
Unplug the charger and turn the phone on.
If the phone says it’s not 100% anymore, turn it off, plug the charger back in and wait until 100% charge is reached.
Unplug the charger the turn the phone on again.
Use the phone until you drain the battery down to 0.
Repeat the cycle once.

Remember, if no software troubleshooting won’t fix your problem, you must send it in.

Problem #5: Galaxy Note 4 shuts down on its own

Hi. My Note 4 seems to work fine. No major physical damage to phone or screen. However, I noticed that when in my pocket or leather belt case, it will inadvertently restart from time to time. Upon further inspection I seem to detect that the glass is loose in the corner closest to the start/off button (upper right). Could the loose glass be the cause and could you recommend a procedure to correct this? — Mark

Solution: Hi Mark. A good working Note 4 should not have a loose screen so there must be something in the hardware that causes your phone to restart on its own. The screen is connected to the logic board so there’s a chance that unnecessary movement can affect other components to fail. Your smartphone, just like a computer, can fail to operate if one components encounters an error. The processes that happens under the hood are all connected to one another and if a component sends a wrong signal, the entire logical processing chain may fail, causing the system to reboot itself. We can’t say for certain what may be wrong with your device so you need to make sure that everything is working normally. If this phone was accidentally dropped before, it’s possible that one of the components may not be working properly. Let a professional check the hardware so a solution can be performed. If, for example, the problem only occurs in the LCD or digitizer, you may be able to fix the problem by replacing the entire screen assembly.

Problem #6: Galaxy Note 4 won’t pair with Powerbeats 3 headset

I have a Note 4 which is up to date (6.0.1). Have a brand new Powerbeats 3. Note 4 finds the Powerbeats 3 but won’t pair. Already did a soft reset on Note 4, (took battery out for at least a minute), didn’t pair. Already reset the Powerbeats 3 (press the vol – and the on/off button for 10 seconds as the Powerbeats intructions says to reset it) Tried paring it many times, comes back to says that CAN’T COMMUNICATE WITH POWERBEATS 3, had other Powerbeats 3 that returned to Costco because they had a defected speaker, but paired and worked fine with this phone, any advice? Thanks. — Southg96

Solution: Hi Southg96. If you were able to successfully pair the same exact Bluetooth device on your Note 4 before, there may be a stuck profile that causes the bug. Aside from soft reset, you can also try to delete all Bluetooth pairings before attempting to connect. If that won’t work, factory reset your Note 4.

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Launch Settings and scroll to ‘User and Backup’ section.
Tap Backup and reset.
If you want, you can tick the checkboxes next to Automatic restore and Back up my data.
Tap Factory data reset.
Touch Reset device.
You may be asked to enter your PIN or Password.
Tap Continue and then Delete all.

Problem #7: Galaxy Note 4 won’t stay on

Hi? My Galaxy Note 4 does not start anymore. First it frozen and shows some issue with working slowly, then he pass automatically in Downloading Mode. I have tried to fix with Odin to install the same firmware it has, but without any result, I already made Factory Reset. after Factory reset it turned on and worked for a couple of minutes and then turned Off, I tried to turn On again but no result. It gets charge normally but does not Start Up. Please can you help me what I should do to fix. Thanks. — Eriseld

Solution: Hi Eriseld. The next best thing to do if all software solutions fail is repair. Contact Samsung so you can have them check the hardware and diagnose the issue. If the phone is already out of warranty, bring it to your local service center.

In case you haven’t tried it yet, you can also use another battery to see if it’s a battery issue.

Problem #8: Galaxy Note 4 no cellular signal issue

It is a network connection problem. This is the second time I am facing this problem; it irritates me a lot. The SIM card in my phone is detected but it says that no network connection and I can’t make calls or text or anything. It’s been days now.

The first time I had this issue I simply exchanged my SIM card and everything went well but now again the same issue, I tried so many tips like restarting my phone, resetting network connection and by turning on airplane mode and turning it off again the network pops up just for a few seconds and disappears again. I really don’t understand the matter please help me. Thank you. — Farzana

Solution: Hi Farzana. The first thing that you want to do is check with your carrier if there’s a service interruption in your location. You don’t want to do phone troubleshooting when the issue is network related. If they’ll say that everything should be working, that’s the time that you’ll start troubleshooting your device.

The next thing that you must do is to ensure that the SIM card is working. If you have another compatible phone, insert the SIM card to it to see if it works.

If SIM card is not the problem, wipe the cache partition of your Note 4. here’s how:

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

Wiping the cache partition should refresh the system cache. A corrupted system cache often leads to performance issues and erratic app behaviors. If nothing is changed after doing it, consider booting the phone to safe mode to see if a third party application is the culprit. Safe mode blocks third party apps and services so if your phone works normally and its network function goes back to normal too, you can bet one of the apps is causing this trouble. In that case, you need to uninstall apps until you’ve eliminated the problem.

Finally, if nothing appears to work after doing all of the steps above, you must do a factory reset. Refer to the steps above on how to do it.

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Galaxy Note 4 won’t recognize an SD card, shuts down when battery level is low, other issues