Galaxy S7 active not receiving SMS, email app not syncing automatically, other issues

Welcome to another #GalaxyS7 post! This article today brings you more S7-related issues that we’ve collected for the past few days. For those new to our blog, don’t forget to also visit our main Galaxy S7 troubleshooting page should you not find any helpful tips in this material.

Below are the specific topics we’re discussing for you:

  1. Voice calls keep dropping on T-Mobile Galaxy S7
  2. Galaxy S7 email app not syncing automatically
  3. Cannot find Galaxy Store app in Galaxy S7
  4. Galaxy S7 active not receiving SMS, only MMS
  5. Charger got stuck in Galaxy S7 due to overheating | Galaxy S7 won’t charge
  6. Accidentally dropped Galaxy S7 has screen flickering 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: Voice calls keep dropping on T-Mobile Galaxy S7

My dropped call pattern is the following:

  • Full carrier signal, not moving and no fluctuation in signal
  • While call is ongoing, all bars disappear at once and cross appears on top (4G goes as well). Call drops.
  • After a few seconds all bars come back (as well as 4G sign) and I can dial again I am with T-Mobile so I can call over the Internet but it does exactly the same thing (i.e. not a GSM signal issue). I did cache reset, master reset … not helping! Did anybody see a similar pattern? — Pierre

Solution: Hi Pierre. An issue like this is best addressed by your carrier rather than by third party support groups like us. There’s a chance this phone behavior is caused by bad hardware or by a firmware glitch we haven’t heard of yet so letting T-Mobile know that your calls does not always work is important. The only advise that we can give to you in this one is:

  1. to make sure that the phone’s firmware is up-to-date, and
  2. that you do a factory reset.

The first one is for the phone to have the latest operating system version installed. Some call-related problems are caused by corrupted or outdated baseband so installing the latest system update package must be tried. Baseband version is the operating system used by your phone’s modem that’s separate from the main Android operating system. Chip makers usually incorporate performance bugs and fixes for their products in official carrier or Samsung updates so if there’s a pending system update for your phone, it’s worth installing for this reason.

If your S7 already runs the latest Android version at this time, you may still be able to fix the issue by reverting all software settings back to their default settings. Factory reset deletes all user data including photos, videos, contacts, etc., so make sure that you create a back up before you do it.

For reference, these are the steps on how to factory reset your phone:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
  6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Problem #2: Galaxy S7 email app not syncing automatically

Hello, I recently upgraded my S4 to S7 and been have some issues with the new phone. 1) I use the email app that came with the phone to connect to my Outlook (live.ca) email account but it does not automatically sync if I do not open it and refresh to get new messages. The same is happening with Gmail app when I try to use my Gmail account. I am a contract worker so responding to emails as soon as they come gets me work. If I take too long, the work goes to somebody else. So you can imagine how much work I have lost! Please help!! I have other issues with the phone but this is the main one. Your help is highly appreciated. — Jay

Solution: Hi Jay. The first thing that you want to do is to ensure that your phone’s master sync feature is enabled. You can do that by pulling down the status bar when you’re in the Home screen and making sure that “Sync” is turned on. If this feature is disabled, apps will not receive updates, or in the case of emails, messages.

If master sync is enabled all along, your next move is to see if the problem is caused by a third party app. There are some apps designed to hibernate (or put apps into deep sleep) other apps. If you’re fond of installing apps without knowing what they do, this may be the reason why you’re having this problem. Booting in safe mode should help you in this regard. Safe mode blocks third party apps and services so it’s a good way to confirm our hunch. Simply restart the phone in safe mode and observe the phone for at least 24 hours to see any difference. Below are the steps on how to do that:

  1. Turn your Galaxy S7 off.
  2. Press and hold the Power button.
  3. Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  4. Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
  5. Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
  6. Observe the phone for 24 hours minimum.

If nothing changes, try wiping the cache and data of the email app you’re using. 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 6.0.
  3. Once in there, click on an application.
  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 Data and Clear Cache buttons for the application.

Should the problem remains even when you boot the phone to safe mode or after you wiped the cache and data, make sure that you wipe the entire phone by doing a factory reset. Refer to the steps above on how to do it.

Problem #3: Cannot find Galaxy Store app in Galaxy S7

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 (not edge) and I cannot find the app which opens the Galaxy app store. I can get to it by using a widget called Galaxy essentials but would rather use an app than going through a widget. It doesn’t show up under settings/applications/show all apps including system apps. I also clicked on a link in Google search that said, “You will be taken to Galaxy Apps,” and a tool bar opens from the bottom that has 2 icons…”galaxy store” & “chrome” icon, wanting me to pick one to open the link. If I choose the galaxy icon it opens the galaxy store, so I know the Galaxy store app has to be installed somewhere on my phone. Can you please assist me with this issue? — Matthew

Solution: Hi Matthew. As far as we know, there’s no such app as Galaxy Store. We’ve checked at least 3 Galaxy S7s (2 Galaxy S7 from different carriers and a Galaxy S7 edge) and can’t find Galaxy Store. The only way we were able to access it is by using the Galaxy Apps store. If having the app is that important to you, kindly contact Samsung for assistance.

Problem #4: Galaxy S7 active not receiving SMS, only MMS

I have a new Samsung Galaxy S7 active, and previously Galaxy S6. My daughter’s text come through as only MMS to me and mine to her are individually listed, if we get each other’s text at all. I spent numerous hours on phone with AT&T, in stores, online trying to find a solution. We have but all given up. Her phone number in my phone shows as an email under messages but normal in contacts too. My S6 was also messing up so I got new S7 thru AT&T and the texts are still messed up. We have to revert to third party text apps like Facebook or Snapchat. Thanks in advance, the Mom and Daughter who actually DO want to text. — Anna

Solution: Hi Anna. If AT&T technical support can’t fix this problem, we doubt any third party support group like us can do something. First of all, support teams need more details than the ones you provide here. The problem description is not that helpful at all for us as far as diagnosing your issue is concerned. Any technician that’s going to help you will need to know the history of the phone as well as the changes you’ve done prior to noticing the problem. Other important technical details are missing here so it’s we can only speculate here. That said, the only suggestions that we can give you are basic ones such as wiping the cache partition, booting to safe mode, wiping the messaging app’s cache and data, and factory reset. For reference, below are the steps on how to do each one.

Delete System Cache | Wiping the cache partition

Minor firmware and hardware glitches can be fixed by deleting the system cache. In fact, we technicians always recommend doing it before performing any of the reset procedures:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Safe Mode

It is imperative you know this procedure as it is very important in troubleshooting third-party or downloaded apps. You can follow these steps if your phone frequently reboots and you can’t perform troubleshooting while in normal mode.

  1. Turn your Galaxy S7 off.
  2. Press and hold the Power button.
  3. Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  4. Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
  5. Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.

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 6.0.
  3. Once in there, click on an application.
  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 Data and Clear Cache buttons for the application.

Factory reset

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings and then touch Backup and reset.
  3. Tap Factory data reset and touch Reset device.
  4. If you have screen lock feature turned on, enter your password or PIN.
  5. Touch Continue.
  6. Tap Delete all to confirm your action.

Secondly, technical information pertinent to the issue are only available to your carrier’s technical support team. There’s a chance that this problem is caused by some misconfiguration on their end and no one except them can fix it. You are a paying customer so your carrier is obligated to fix this issue. If their customer service representative, try asking to talk to someone higher in the technical department. There are usually levels of technical support depending on the issue so try to ask for a supervisor or another higher level of support until they can fix the issue.

Problem #5: Charger got stuck in Galaxy S7 due to overheating | Galaxy S7 won’t charge

Hello. I am a Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Namibia. My phone overheated last night and when I went to unplug it this morning the charger was stuck. I let it cool down a bit and was able to get the charger out but now no charger is working with my phone although the cables work with other phones. Finding a wireless charger is not really an option for me at this moment. I know that headphone ports can be cleaned out by dipping the jack in something like vodka and putting it into the port as it collects any dust and evaporates quickly. Is this an option with charging ports as well? Or is there another easier solution to the issue I’m facing. Thanks. — Hannah

Solution: Hi Hannah. Cleaning the charging port of a Galaxy S7 requires dismantling the phone, which we don’t recommend, because it will definitely void  the manufacturer’s warranty. A voided warranty means Samsung will no longer accept the phone for repair, even if you’ll pay them for it.

Also, dismantling process in your case also needs some specialized kits. If you can’t find a wireless charger where you are right now, you’ll most likely not find the right tools to open the phone up. You also need to remember that cleaning does not mean repair. You may be able to clean the charging port but some parts was damaged while the phone overheated, you will most likely end up with a busted phone. The best thing that you can do right now is to either (1) keep the phone and wait until you have the opportunity to have a professional check it, or (2) to call Samsung to see if there’s a way that you can send it to them. We don’t know if the second option is a practical option but it’s worth giving a try.

Problem #6: Accidentally dropped Galaxy S7 has screen flickering issue

I dropped my phone quite severely around a week ago (it hit the corner of a metal radiator and the smash was quite big). It had been dropped before, only suffering a few cracks to the front screen, nothing as bad as the recent one. After a few days i noticed a black hole under where the smash on the screen was. Over the course of 3 days it got bigger till it was big enough to fill the crack. To stop further damage or dirt getting inside the screen, i put a protective cover on the screen.

Around 2 days ago i left my phone on charge and came back 5 minutes later to a white flashing in the section of the screen. It would not turn off or go into recovery or safe mode. I could hear the screen was active even when the flickering was happening. It all of a sudden allowed me to open the camera app through the icon on the bottom right of the screen the usual way by sliding it and through this i could turn my phone off and restart it. This allowed it to work up until around 8pm when it happened this time more severe as the flashing would not stop no matter what, even when i eventually managed to turn it off through the camera, at this moment in time the screen has not stopped flickering for 7 minutes and any attempt to turn it off or restart it have failed. Please help. — Cameron

Solution: Hi Cameron. Based on the history of the device your provide here, the most likely reason for the trouble must be malfunctioning hardware rather than software. This means that no software hack can help you fix it at this time. Unless you have the right tools and skills to do a screen replacement, we suggest that either bring it to a Samsung service center, or to a good third party service center.

If you think you can handle the screen replacement yourself, try looking for a good guide with the help of Google. Keep in mind that most screen replacement tutorials are just guides on how to remove and replace the defective part and may not give you directions on how to diagnose other possible damaged parts. That means that if another component may be damaged, the phone may continue to have problems after a successful screen replacement. This is the main reason why you want to let a trained technician handle the repair.

 


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