Galaxy S7 notification sounds keep going off after Android Oreo update

Just like in previous Android updates, the latest Android Oreo upgrade for the #GalaxyS7 and #GalaxyS7edge has become a bringer of both good and bad. While majority of S7 devices will fare just fine after this update, some users are reporting all sorts of issues. One of the common issues we received so far is described by one user below. If you find your S7 suddenly making notifications erratically, our solutions below may help.

Today’s problem: Galaxy S7 notification sounds keep going off after Android Oreo update

Since yesterday a few days after doing a software update, my notification sound keeps going off every minute, but I have no new notifications. I have a Samsung S7. It is driving me nuts and I can’t have my volume on because it keeps going off! What can I do to fix this? is there some setting I cannot find on my own? or is it a malfunction of the phone. — Lindakussman

Solution: If your Galaxy S7 keeps on making notification sounds even if there are no new alerts, messages, incoming calls, or events, then it must be caused by a bug. To fix the issue, follow our suggestions below.

Clear the cache partition

If you believe this issue begins after installing the latest system update (probably Android Oreo), the first thing that you want to do is to ensure that your S7’s system cache is refreshed. A corrupted system cache is often the reason for unexplained performance issues after an update, or erratic behavior of apps following an update. To refresh the system cache, you’ll need to clear the cache partition. Here’s how it’s done:

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

Check for bad third party app

There’s a possibility that one of your third party apps may be interfering with Android operating system and causing this weird issue. To see if that’s the case, you can let your S7 run for hours or days while it’s on safe mode. Safe Mode only permits pre-installed apps to run so if your phone won’t be making unexpected sound notifications during an observation period, that’s a clear indication of a bad app problem. Follow the steps below on how to restart your device 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.
Now, let your phone run in safe mode and check for the problem. If your S7 works normally, you can bet one of your apps must be to blame.

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 S7 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Reset all settings

Another effective solution that you can try in this situation is to reset all your device’s settings. Some configurations for apps and services may have been changed unintentionally for some reason. To ensure that everything are on their default state, you can clear all settings. Here’s how to do that:

Open Settings app.
Tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Reset settings.
Tap RESET SETTINGS button to confirm.
Restart your S7 and check for the problem.

The steps above will reset all settings and return the default apps to their factory state. This will clear all network settings so you’ll also lose all wifi credentials as well. You will need to re-enter wifi passwords after this procedure. If you are using a VPN, you’ll have to reenter all information to set it up again.

Make sure all apps are compatible and updated

One important yet often misunderstood thing about Android updates is that it does not update apps as well. In most cases, things work out just fine after you modified Android, like when you update from Nougat to Oreo. At other times though, some devices may encounter errors after an update because there’s an incompatible app. In this situation, you can either delete the app from the system, or update it (as long as there’s one available to make it compatible with the current Android version). Responsible app developers often make it a point to make sure that their product won’t encounter issues with the recent Android version. Despite this, there are still many apps that may no longer receive updates or care from their developers. To minimize the chance of bad third party apps from causing problems after an update, make sure that you update all your apps.

By default, Google Play Store app is set to automatically download and install updates for you but if you changed this default behavior, make sure to manually check for updates.

If you have apps outside of the Play Store, you must make sure that they are all compatible with the Android version on your phone.

Factory reset

Finally, if all else fails, consider wiping your device by doing a factory reset. This will return all software settings to their factory state. The process will erase personal data from your phone so be sure to back your files up before doing it. If you don’t use cloud services to back your files up, we suggest that you try Samsung Smart Switch. This will allow you to create an image of your phone. If you haven’t heard of Smart Switch before, make sure to visit this page: How to create backup from Samsung device to your computer via Smart Switch.

Once you’ve created a backup, follow these steps to factory reset your S8:

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.