Galaxy S7 can’t open Gallery and Camera apps, other app issues

Our troubleshooting article today deals with #GalaxyS7 app issues. This post covers three app issues that we’ve received from the last few days. We hope you’ll find the solutions below helpful.

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 S7 can’t open Gallery and Camera apps

Hello. I own a Samsung Galaxy S7 and cannot open both my Gallery app and Camera app. The message that keeps coming up is — “Go to Settings-Permissions, then allow the permissions and try again. ” I have attempted this numerous time however it still won’t allow me to open it & comes up with the same message. The Camera app comes up with the message “Screen Overlay Detected. To change this permission setting you first have to turn off the screen overlay from Settings Apps. “Can you please assist with this matter ? Regards. — George.Solakidis

Solution: Hi George. Bother Gallery and Camera apps are default, pre-installed apps that should work fine unless they’re being impacted by another app or service. It’s unusual for both of them to have the same exact issue and error at the same time so something is most probably causing them to stop working properly. Below are the steps to troubleshoot the problem.

Delete app cache and data

The only direct way to interact with apps having problems is by wiping their cache and data. Clearing the cache first is a must-do to see if the issue can be fixed without doing a more drastic app data wipe. Wiping an app’s data returning all its settings to its factory state. If you’ve set some customizations in any of the apps, you’ll lose them after wiping its data. For example, if you changed the save directory of the camera app to SD card instead of the internal storage device, you’ll have to go back to settings to set it again.

To clear an app cache or data, follow these steps:

  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 Cache button first. After clearing the cache, go back to the Home screen and check if the app is working properly. If not, repeat the steps 1-4 then hit Clear Data button.

Observe in Safe Mode

Sometimes, poorly coded apps can lead to other app or operating system issues. There’s a chance that you may have installed a new app that resulted to your Gallery and Camera apps not working properly. It’s also possible that a new update in one of your apps may have led to this problem right now. Whatever the case, it’s good if you can test out our suspicion by booting the phone to Safe Mode, then observing how these two apps work.

  1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Press and hold the Power button.
  3. Once the Samsung Galaxy 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. Check how the two apps work.

If you think a third party app is causing a problem, you should use the process of elimination to identify it. To do that, you should do the cycle of removing an app and observing the phone. Remove, then observe. Do that for every app until you know that a particular app is the one causing the trouble.

Return the phone to factory settings

A more drastic solution that you must do, if both suggestions above won’t work, is factory reset. As the name suggests, factory reset reverts all software settings back to the known, working state. As such, all pre-installed apps like Gallery and Camera should work normally. To prevent interference from third party apps, be sure to test how these two apps work right after a factory reset. If they’ll work normally after a factory reset but will become problematic again after re-adding the apps, one of them must be causing it.

To factory reset your S7, follow these steps:

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

Problem 2: Galaxy S7 can’t play music files transferred from Windows 10 PC

I copied and pasted some music files from my desktop (Windows 10) to my S7 in the music folder. However, even though it looks as though it’s playing it won’t make any sound and I get a message saying “This item is no longer available”. I read and tried everything on this page: https://thedroidguy.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-troubleshooting But nothing works – I tried another app, I tried a restart and a hard power boot. Can’t do a clear cache as the app manager doesn’t bring it up as an option when I opened the app inside it.  Is there anything else I can do? — Bob Hamilton-Bruce

Solution: Hi Bob. If you’re using the pre-installed Music app or any other music app, there should be a way to either delete its data or disable it. In some devices, built-in music apps can’t be uninstalled but there should be a Disable button to return it to its factory reset reset state. Tapping on Disable button should also uninstall the update you’ve installed for that particular app. Be sure to either Clear the data or tap on Disable button.

Also, make sure that the music files you’re copying from your computer are not corrupted or in incompatible file format. Audio files should ideally be in mp3 file format to have a high chance of minimizing incompatibility issues..

Problem 3: How to fix Galaxy S7 malware infection

I have a virus or bug of some sort on my Samsung Galaxy S7, it is using my apps (?) To use all of my mobile network data and kills my battery, after making sure everything in my settings, apps, system apps had the data switch off, I tried some security apps from Google play which seemed to worsen the situation, so I did a hard reset on my phone, which seemed to work until I started disabling apps I do not use, at one point I lost complete control over my phone..touch screen, WiFi, everything! As of now, I’m using my phone in private mode, browsing with incognito mode, do not disturb mode, I’m not sure if it’s working but I’m able to use it for the moment…BTW my phone is strictly wifi, no service no carrier, no sim or anything. — Tasheenad93

Solution: Hi Tasheenad93. If you think your S7 is infected by a virus or malware, you must stop using it immediately and isolate the device by disconnecting it from the internet. Once you’ve done that, create a backup of your important photos, videos, and other data that you can’t reproduce, then wipe the phone clean by doing a master reset. We understand you may have already tried it before contacting us but apparently, the cause of the problem has returned.

Although factory or master reset eliminates viruses or malware, you can re-introduce them again afterwards. How you ask? Simple — by adding the same apps as before. Viruses and malware in Android are usually spread by apps and if you simply re-install the same set of apps after a factory reset, you’re re-introducing the same problem without even realizing it.

We don’t know how you determine that a virus or malware is using your cellular data allowance and draining your battery quickly but if you are 100% positive about it, you must revert the phone’s software back to its factory state. Then, once you’ve factory reset the device, make sure that you filter your apps more vigorously. One important rule when it comes to preventing malware infection in Android is by installing apps from developers you trust. Some of the common types of apps that are usually infected include entertainment apps, apps that can personalize phones, and gaming apps. If you tend to install apps without checking reviews from other users, or without researching the reputation of the developer, it’s only a matter of time before you infect your device with malware.

Kindly visit our previously posted post on how to prevent and fix malware infections. It’s written to address a Galaxy S8 issue but the suggestions should be applicable for all devices.

 


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