Galaxy Note9 texts and voice calling issue after an update (won’t send or receive)

Updates may sometimes bring problems. In this troubleshooting article, we help one Galaxy Note9 owner address a couple of network services issues, namely texting and calling problems, after installing an Android update. The exact issues are described below.

Problem: Galaxy Note9 texts and voice calling issue after an update (won’t send or receive)

Good morning – I just got my Note 9 last Friday, and it worked fine until Tuesday, when I finally went through with a system update (N960USQS1ARJ9). After the update my phone not only will not send or receive text messages, but also make and receive phone calls unless I restart the phone. After restarting the phone the those functions come back for maybe 20 – 30 minutes. I took the phone to the Verizon store who told me to just reset the network settings. That worked for a few hours, but the problem has returned. I don’t mind resetting the network settings every once in a while, but it is annoying having to enter in passwords for Wifi over and over. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Solution: Updates may sometimes upset current software settings and cause minor bugs. In such a situation, an end user can try to clear the cache partition, uninstall apps, reset settings, or factory reset the device. In some other cases though, problems may be brought about by inefficient coding. Coding issues are a lot harder to deal with and usually requires intervention from developers. To see if your issue is fixable on your end, follow our suggestions below.

Refresh the system cache

At times, updates may affect a device’s system cache. This can lead to performance issues or other forms of bugs. To see if there’s a problem with the device’s system cache, you can clear the cache partition where it’s stored.

To clear the cache partition:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Update apps

Installing updates for your apps is just as important as updating Android. Apps don’t automatically get updated when you install updates for Android OS so there’s a chance that incompatibility issue may happen if they’re left in their old versions. Be sure to check Play Store app for new updates right after a major system update. If you have apps from non-Play Store sources, make sure that they are compatible with the current Android running on the device. Talk to the app makers if you don’t know how to update them.

Reset app preferences

Some apps depend on other core system apps to work. Sometimes, changes to the system, like after an update, may disable some core apps, causing problems to other apps that rely on them. To ensure that all default apps are enabled, you can reset your device’s app preferences with these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot) icon at the upper right.
Tap Reset app preferences.

Check for third party app interference

Third party apps may sometimes cause problems with Android or with other apps. To check if one of the installed apps is the culprit, you can restart your Note9 to safe mode. When on this mode, your device will only allow preinstalled apps to run. So, if all network functionality work as expected, but the problems return when the device is restarted to normal mode, you can bet an app is causing it.

To restart to safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Once the phone has booted to safe mode, make sure to let it run for at least 24 hours in this state so you’ll notice any difference. After 24 hours, reboot the phone to its normal mode. This procedure will not tell you which of the apps is causing the trouble. So, if everything works normally on safe mode only, you have use the method of elimination to narrow down suspected apps.

To identify which of your apps is causing the trouble, you should boot the phone back to safe mode and follow these steps:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your Note9 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Revert software to default settings

If text messages or calls continue to work only intermittently, wipe the device and restore all settings to defaults. Make sure to back your personal data such as photos, videos, documents, contacts, etc. ahead of time.

To factory reset your Note9:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.