Galaxy Note 5 screen discoloration issue, “Settings has stopped” error, other issues

Hello #GalaxyNote5 fans! We know you’ve been looking out for any new troubleshooting article for this device so here it is. Today’s Note 5 post addresses 3 issues. As usual, these are problems taken from reports sent by some members of our community. Hopefully we provide good solutions for all of them in this one.

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.

Problem 1: Galaxy Note 5 stuck in Factory Reset Protection screen

Thank you for this opportunity to get help. My wife’s Note 5 is stuck on a setup for an application that the phone spontaneously decided to install. It’s not clear what the app is or how this happened. Turning phone off and on does not clear this screen. The phone is trying to check with Google to confirm that the phone is verified. I know the username and password to connect to her Google account by using a laptop but cannot do the same process from the cell phone. The phone’s message is that it has been reset and to sign on with a previous user name/password. Both Verizon and Samsung rep at Best Buy are no help.. I tried to backup using usb cable. The Note 5 is recognized, but the files for photos shows no content. I am about to try to download the latest version of Kies and try it. Any suggestions?

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Jay P.S. I am not sure of the os version in the Note 5. I believe it is the one that came with the unit. I’d be happy if I could just access the files, copy them. and then do a factory reset if there is no other way to unbrick the phone. — Fourjaysands

Solution: Hi Fourjaysands. Samsung devices running Android 5 and later are protected by Factory Reset Protection or FRP. FRP is designed to prevent unauthorized access to data in a phone by locking it up. This security feature triggered if one  tries to factory reset the device. With this feature, a stolen phone becomes unusable unless the Google account username and password associated with the said device is is entered. If you can access your wife’s Google account in a computer but the phone remains locked out if you use the same credentials, that means there’s another Google account that’s associated with it. Unfortunately, there’s no one that can tell you what that Google account might be. You must ask your wife to remember any Google account she might have to unlock the device.

If you can’t enter the right Google account username and password at all, you can bring phone to a Samsung service center together with the proof of purchase. Samsung can unlock the phone using a special tool for you.

Problem 2: Galaxy Note 5 screen discoloration issue, “Settings has stopped” error

Hi. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the problem with it is that at the bottom of the screen it appears with a line of purple and blue-ish colour, and also when that is happening sometimes when I turn of my phone and turn it back on it doesn’t work. it only shows me that colours appearing on my screen. it also does everything on its own. for example, when I went on Instagram and liked a post then it would go on the comment section on its own and tap on random people’s name on its own. Can you please tell me what to do?

Also, my setting has stopped. it works on any other things I tap on but I am trying to change my password it says “Settings has stopped.” I cant reset my phone either because it needs your phone password and when I type it in it says setting has stopped. — Mahdia Naseri

Solution: Hi Mahdia. Generally, any screen discoloration is a bad indicator. In most cases, it’s a sign that the screen is damaged and may need replacement. It usually occurs after physically impacting the phone or exposing it to moisture/water. If you dropped the phone or got it wet before, the screen discoloration at the bottom part may be an indicator of a bad screen assembly. Because you can’t obviously fix a hardware defect with a software tweak, you’ll need to have the phone repaired eventually. Make sure to contact Samsung so their technician can repair the phone for you.

How to fix Settings has stopped error in your Note 5

This error can be triggered by a number of things, one of which is a software bug. Below are the troubleshooting steps that you can do to fix the issue.

Clear the cache partition to refresh the system cache

For your “Settings has stopped” error issue, we recommend that you try to wipe the cache partition first. This will force the phone to create a new system cache. Don’t worry, the files to be deleted are only temporary ones so you don’t need to back your data for now.

In order to wipe the cache partition, follow these steps:

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
3. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
4. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
5. 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.
6. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option wipe cache partition and press the Power key to select it.
7. 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.
8. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

Observe the phone in Safe Mode

The next troubleshooting step that you can do is to check if a third party app is messing up with the operating system or the Settings app. While the phone is in Safe Mode, all third party apps will be prevented from running. This means that if Settings app work just fine, one of the apps must be to blame.

To boot your phone to safe mode, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the phone completely.
2. Press and hold the Power key.
3. Once ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
4. The phone will restart but keep the Vol Down button pressed.
5. Once the phone has finished restarting, ‘Safe mode’ will be display in the lower-left corner of the screen.
6. You may now release the Volume Down button.

Remember, safe mode is not a solution in itself but a means. It won’t help you identify the specific app either. If you think a third party app is to blame, you must uninstall apps one by one, making sure to observe the phone after every app removal to notice any difference. Uninstall, observe, uninstall. Do this same cycle until you’ve determined the bad app.

Perform a master reset

Finally, the most drastic step that you can do is to return all software settings of your phone to defaults. This is done by performing a factory reset thru Recovery Mode. Just make sure that you have the correct Google account username and password before a reset to prevent having a FRP issue just like what Fourjaysands is experiencing.

To master reset your Note 5, follow these steps:

1. Create a backup of your user data.
2. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
4. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
5. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
6. 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.
7. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option Yes — delete all user data and press the Power key to select it.
8. 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.
9. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

Problem 3: Galaxy Note 5 Message+ app won’t send text message to one contact

I have a Note 5. Have had it for years.  I have one contact that Message+ will not allow me to text.  I get a message that the text failed and there are no recipients listed at the top of the text feed. I created a group with only myself and this contact included. I can text to this contact in the group. I can also text to this contact in other group text we both are included in. I have deleted the contact and re-saved it in my phone, this did not work. If this contact text me, and I reply in that feed, it fails. I can go into my group and reply. It is only one contact. They can text me fine and the other phone on my account can text them normally. This just started about 2 weeks ago. — Melissa

Solution: Hi Melissa. This may be a case of an unknown app bug. Message+ is not a Samsung app so you can try to see if it’s buggy by using another messaging app in your phone — Samsung Messages app. If you’ll be able to send a text message to that contact without any  problem using the Samsung app, then that means the Message+ app has a bug.

To fix a possible bug problem with any app, you must ensure that everything — apps and operating system — are up-to-date.

If your Message+ app is running its most up-to-date version, consider wiping its data. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
2. Navigate down to Apps. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6 or 7.
3. Once in there, look for the application and tap it.
4. 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.
5. Tap Clear Data button.

Clearing a messaging app’s data will result to loss of your messages. Make sure to back important messages first before doing it.

 

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