Galaxy S6 can’t download apps, phone book will not sync, Snapchat app won’t load, other issues

Hello Android fans! Welcome to another #GalaxyS6 post that covers some app-related problems.

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 S6 can’t download any apps

Since update, my S6 will not download any apps. Just sits there saying it is downloading app but never finishes. Bought apps from store and the app store says it is installed, but cannot find the app on phone. Deleted my Direct_TV app, now I can’t get it back. Have done a cache wipe, rebooted still won’t download.  SAMSUNG-SM-G920A, Android Ver. 7.0, Security Patch Level August 1, 2017, Baseband Version G920AUCS6EQH1, Kernel Ver. 3.10.61-10950877 dpi@SWDG4513 #1 Thu Aug 10 13:39:01 KST 2017. — DuWayne O’Neal

Solution: Hi DuWayne. There may be an issue with the Google Play Store app or the Google Services Framework app. Make sure that you do any or both of these procedures to fix the problem:

• wipe the data of said app/s
• factory reset the device

Below are the steps on how to do each of these procedures.

How to wipe the cache and data of an app

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. You should now clearly see the Clear Cache and Clear Data buttons for the application. Tap Clear Data button. Be sure to clear the data of Google Play Store first. If nothing will change, do the same thing for Google Services Framework.

How to factory reset a Galaxy Note 5

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 ‘Yes — delete all user data’ 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.

Problem 2: Galaxy S6 Kitty Play app not available in Google Play Store

I have just purchased a Samsung Galaxy S6. I cannot get the Kitty Play app to work on this phone. I have tried Google Play and Galaxy app. Even other outside app downloads. Nothing works. Is it not compatible with this phone or do they need to do more updates to work on this phone. I really, really love this app. — Amy Hoy

Solution: Hi Amy. We can’t find “Kitty Play” app in the Play Store at all so it’s either not available anymore (developer may have withdrew the app), or you’re right, that it’s not compatible with Galaxy S6 at all. Unfortunately, a solution for this issue is out of your hands. Try to check if you can contact the developer so you can get first-hand information from them. They may be planning to release their product in Google Play Store in the near future so it’s better if you can get details from them.

Problem 3: Galaxy S6 annoying flashing lights during calls

Somehow I manage to get this annoying flashing lights theme during incoming calls on my Galaxy S6. I can’t seem to find the app that somehow was downloaded to get it. I’ve searched & searched to no avail. I would like just having the default incoming call screen back. But I don’t want to have to do a factory reset & risk losing everything. Any suggestions would be GREAT! — Nick M

Solution: Hi Nick. Like you, we really have no idea what’s causing this issue but you can start checking if it has something to do with the theme you’re currently using. Here’s how:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Wallpapers and themes.
3. Tap Themes tab at the bottom.
4. Change the phone’s themes by using the default one.
5. See how voice calling lights work again.

If the problem continues even after changing the themes, your next step is to uninstall any possible third party app that can manipulate the phone’s lights. Try to see if it’s caused by a third party app by restarting the phone to safe mode first. In this mode, all third party apps and services are blocked so if the flashing lights during calls stop, you can bet one of your apps is to blame. If you haven’t tried booting the phone to safe mode before, here are the 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 displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen.
6. You may now release the Volume Down button.

Since only you know the apps in your phone, this procedure depends on how thorough you are. We suggest that you uninstall apps one by one, making sure to check if the flashing lights continue in between uninstalls.

Problem 4: Galaxy S6 phone book will not sync

I have a Samsung Galaxy S6. I keep getting the message: My phone book will not sync. I have gone to the AT&T Address Book and checked the logs and it states that all the attempts have failed. My auto sync contact is ON! I do not know how to get rid of the message: “AT&T Address Book will sync your contacts when your mobile phone is on a mobile network.” — Flushthetoilet

Solution: Hi Flushthetoilet. We don’t work for AT&T so we can’t confirm what the error message exactly means. However, based on the message itself, which is, by the way, very self-explanatory, it looks like you can only sync your contacts when you are using mobile data connection. Since you did not not indicate if you tried it before contacting us, be sure not to skip it.

If you’ve been on mobile data connection all along though, be sure to contact AT&T so they can interpret what the error means and/or help you directly to fix the sync issue on the device.

Problem 5: Galaxy S6 Snapchat app won’t load

I have an S6 and Snapchat doesn’t work on my phone. I did download it before and the only part that worked was the filters. After a while, the app itself wasn’t even opening up. I have contacted Samsung and they said maybe my phone isn’t compatible with snapchat but I’ve seen people with my same phone that have it. I’ve tried factory resetting it, trying to upgrade my software but it doesn’t work and crashes. Can I do anything? — Maria

Solution: Hi Maria. We can confirm that Snapchat works on Galaxy S6 devices so we it’s interesting for a Samsung representative to advise you otherwise. Anyhow, if the app won’t open anymore, you may have to do some further troubleshooting to make it to work. Below are some of them:

Try another internet connection. Apps like Snapchat can sometimes develop a bug related to the type of internet network you’re using. For example, if you rely on mobile data when using Snapchat, try to see if it works when you switch over to wifi and vice versa.

Restart the phone. A simple restart can sometimes do wonders. Instead of doing the usual restart, we suggest that you do a soft reset. Here’s how:

1. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons until the Maintenance Boot Mode screen appears (approx. 12 seconds).
2. From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Power down. Utilize the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the Home button (located below the display) to select.

Uninstall and reinstall your Snapchat app. This is the next logical troubleshooting step if the first two suggestions above won’t work. Before you try to uninstall the app and if you have  Login Verification enabled, be sure to save the Recovery Code first.

Also, before you log out of Snapchat, make sure your Memories backup is complete, or else you might lose Snaps you’ve saved.
Contact Snapchat support. If nothing works at all, don’t hesitate to contact Snapchat directly or visit their troubleshooting page.

 

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