Galaxy S7 reboots on its own and overheating after an update, can’t send SMS to Canada, other issues

Hello Android users! Welcome to our new #GalaxyS7 post for this day. We’re bringing 9 more S7 issues as well as their respective solutions. If you think your problem is similar to one of the items mentioned here but the solution does not work, try searching our main Galaxy S7 troubleshooting page for more issues and fixes.

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 S7 can’t send SMS to numbers in Canada

After years of working just fine, all of a sudden I can’t send texts or call family in Canada. I get this message: “Free message: Unable to send message. Message Blocking is active” when I text. When I call, the voice says they can’t put my call through at this time. I can receive texts from Canada just fine. I can send and receive texts from anyone in the U.S. Relatives assure me I am not blocked. I am trying to reach iPhones. My carrier is Walmart Family Mobile — T Mobile. — Patricia

Solution: Hi Patricia. If the error message only occurs when you’re trying to send SMS to a number based in Canada, the problem may be due to an issue with your carrier. The best support team that should help you then is not us but your carrier. Before you contact them, make sure that you do a basic troubleshooting on your device first by wiping the cache and data of the messaging app you’re using. Here’s how to do that:

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, 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.

Problem 2: Galaxy S7 stuck in installing applications screen after an update

I recently did a repair update to fix the wifi issues with my Samsung S7. However, the phone is now stuck with a ‘installing applications’ screen. I left it for 16 hours and it is still there. The phone will restart itself and have my lock screen on for 5 seconds before it goes back to the ‘installing applications’. I cannot unlock the phone so I have done everything I can except a master reset. Is there anything I can do before I resort to the master reset? — Cody

Solution: Hi Cody. If you can manage to unlock the phone and reach the home screen, you can try to open the dialer app (Phone app) and refresh the  wifi firmware. If the phone won’t boot normally at all and you can’t pull up the Phone app, you should proceed with factory reset.

Below are the steps on how to re-install the wifi firmware:

1. Open dialer app (Phone app).
2. Dial “*#2663#” (without the quotes).
3. Tap on the box that says Refresh WiFi Version.
4. Wait for the system to finish updating the firmware.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 keeps restarting due to different SD card format | Google Play and Gmail apps not working due to SD card format

I installed a 128GB SD card (PNY) and copied over several files etc. to free up device room. I have an app for using topographical maps offline when hiking etc. and I started caching maps for future use to the SD. I noticed the size of the maps downloaded was significantly larger than it was supposed to be once on the disk. Turns out, most of the map tiles are very small files; 3 to 12KB, and my SD was formatted with the default for an exFAT in that size range which was 128kb allocation units. I copied all the data off onto a PC, 35GB that was 107GB on the disk!? Reformatted with a 4KB allocation units and copied the data back onto the SD. 36GB in size now.

My issue is now the phone randomly restarts. I could not get Google Play or Gmail to work so after several suggestions on fixes I simply unplugged the SD card, would not allow me to unmount. Play Store opened, emails came flooding in etc. What in the world could have the 2 things related? Allocation size of an SD card really? HaHa. Makes no sense and it was working fine with the gigantic 128KB units … Hemingway, any help would be greatly appreciated! — Jared

Solution: Hi Jared. We have no idea what app you’re talking here so there’s nothing much that we can tell you. Apps are coded differently and may not work properly when certain parameters are not met. Our job here is to help you troubleshoot and identify the cause of a problem. Since you’re pretty much isolated the cause of the problem yourself, we suggest that you contact the developer of the app you’re having problem with for explanation to the discovery you made. We can’t provide any in-depth information why the app affects core apps like the Play Store or Gmail but in Android, anything is possible. The problem may be caused by a bug that was not anticipated by the developer so it’s good if you can let them know about it. If this is an isolated case, you will be most likely doing a favor for the developer for letting them know.

Problem 4: Galaxy S7 won’t charge and won’t turn on

My phone is completely off and I have the charger connected. A picture of the battery shows up on my screen but there is no percentage showing up in the battery to indicate how much it is charging and there is no light to indicate it is charging either. last month I dropped it in water for like 20 seconds and last night I dropped it on the ground. It fell about 3 feet. It was working fine after both of those occurrences. When I woke this morning and plugged it in, that’s when this issue began. — Taeilor

Solution: Hi Taeilor. Try booting the phone to alternate modes first. If it stays the same, or won’t respond at all, you must have it checked so a technician can assess whether it can be repaired economically, or if repair is a much better option.

Below are the steps on how to boot your S7 to alternate modes:

Boot in Recovery mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
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. You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN 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 DOWN keys.
4. Wait until the Download screen appears.
5. If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
6. Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
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. The only difference of safe mode from normal mode is that the former prevents third party apps from running. If you can boot the phone in safe mode but not in normal mode, uninstall all apps until the issue (that prevents you from booting normally) is eliminated.

Problem 5: Some apps won’t log in when Galaxy S7 wifi is on

Certain apps on my Galaxy S7 will not log in or work if it is in WIFI. The majority of apps do work correctly but specifically the TWC apps will not and a couple of others. Is there a way to get them to login on WIFI? I contacted Time Warner / Spectrum but they say the problem is in the phone. Thanks! — Roknbass

Solution: Hi Roknbass. If these apps were able to work in your phone’s wifi before, then a factory reset might solve the problem. Before you a full reset, we also suggest that you try a cache partition first. If that won’t work, go ahead with factory reset.

Below are the steps on how to do each of them.

How to wipe the cache partition of Galaxy S7

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.

How to factory reset a Galaxy S7

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 6: Galaxy S7 edge stuck in lock screen for hours

Team. I am facing a weird issue in my Samsung S7 edge. It was updated to latest Android 7. Issue: When I try to restart my device it’s asking for screen pattern and after giving the pattern it is showing Lock logo and doing some processing and hanging there for hours. I tried opening the Phone in safe mode but it has resulted into same screen.

Solution: I opened mobile in Recovery mode and done factory reset. it works for me and I lost the data. This is happening every time I restart my mobile and third time done the Factory reset in less than a month and I am clue less that which thing is struck my mobile. Can you please let me know is there any why i can find more details. Thanks. — Prakash

Solution: Hi Prakash. We’re as clueless as you are about this issue as you haven’t provided enough details. The best thing that you can do is find the possible cause of the problem by remembering what change you may have introduced to the system before the issue started. If the only thing you did was to install an Android update before the issue started, there’s a chance that the current firmware is poorly coded. It’s also possible that one of the apps is causing this problem so try doing a factory reset again and observe how the phone works for a few days without any apps or updates installed. If the issue remains, contact your carrier (if the phone is part of your subscription plan) and let them replace the phone.

Problem 7: Galaxy S7 reboots on its own and overheating after an update

Hello! I did a firmware update on my Samsung Galaxy S7 (I don’t know the version so I guessed), and now it will only stay on for a few minutes and then it restarts. It also gets very very hot to the touch almost immediately after it turns on. I have almost 7,000 pictures on my phone, mostly of my daughters. I just had a baby 6 months ago, and I’m very afraid I will lose all my pictures. Please help!

Also, how can I back up my pictures if I need to do a factory reset? Thank you for what you do!! — Andrea

Solution: Hi Andrea. Random restart issue and overheating are almost always signs of hardware problem so you may end up with repair or replacement eventually. If you’re positive that your trouble started after installing a firmware update, it may be a coding issue. This means that the operating system currently running in your device  may be problematic. Unfortunately, there’s nothing much that you can about it except to either (1) revert to an older firmware version, or (2) have the phone replaced.

In some cases, an incompatible app can cause random restart problems as well so we suggest that you try to remove ALL third party apps from the phone and see how it works. If you’re lucky and the problem is being caused by one of the apps, this troubleshooting step might save you from heartache if you’ll lose your photos.

If removing all apps from the phone won’t fix the issue, you should try cache partition wipe and factory reset.

If both of them won’t help either, you can then try flashing the bootloader next. There are some cases wherein installing the stock bootloader fixes random reboot problems. Hopefully, you’ll have plenty of time to install the stock bootloader before the phone restarts again. Otherwise, reverting to an older bootloader and firmware version is out of the question. Flashing a bootloader and stock firmware have slightly similar steps so below are the general steps on what to do if you want to do this at all. Keep in mind that flashing is inherently risky and can potentially damage the phone’s software permanently if not done properly, or if the phone is interrupted. Because you said your phone cuts off every few minutes, there’s a fair chance you’ll brick it for good if flashing is interrupted. If you want to take the risks, go ahead.

Below are the steps on how to flash a bootloader on a Galaxy S7. Exact steps for your phone model may differ so make sure to find a good guide before doing it. The steps below are only for demonstration purposes and may not be correct for your phone. They are provided to give you the general idea on what you need to do.

1. Look for the correct firmware for your phone model and download it. Make sure that select the right one. It should be the same exact firmware that ran previously on your device. We assume that you list down the firmware version somewhere. If you did not take note of it before, there’s a chance that you may pick the wrong one. As you may know now, using an incorrect firmware can cause complications so good luck with that.
2. Let’s now say that you have identified the correct firmware. You then want to download it to your computer. The firmware file should have a bunch of files in it like AP_, BL_, CSC_, etc.
3. Look for the file that starts with a label BL; this should be the corresponding bootloader file for this firmware. Once you’ve identified the bootloader file, copy it to your computer’s desktop or to any other folder that you can easily access.
4. Proceed with the rest of the flashing procedure using the Odin program.
5. In Odin, click on the BL tab and make sure to use the bootloader file you’ve identified earlier.
6. Now, make sure that the “Device Added” status and its “ID:COM box” has turned blue before hitting the START button. This will initiate the flashing of your phone’s bootloader.
7. Restart the phone once the procedure is finished.

Also, factory reset and flashing will erase all user data from the phone so recovery of your files is not possible. Unless you can keep the phone stable enough during file transfer, copying your files to another device like a PC cannot be done completely.

The best thing that you can do right now is to move your files in small numbers while the phone is still working. Once it restarts on its own, start the transfer right away. With 7000 photos, it may take you several hours but it can be the only way to do this.

Problem 8: Galaxy S7 keeps restarting on its own

Hi. I really need your help. My phone started randomly restarting. it wasn’t so frequent until one day it started restarting a lot. The rest of the week, it was doing the same thing — restarting and rebooting. Until one day It just turned off and I couldn’t turn it on. I know it had battery because it had 72%, and from what I know I think the battery isn’t defective since it actually charges. Thanks ahead! — Zkrack21

Solution: Hi Zkrack21. Try to start the phone to alternate modes to see if your phone will respond to any hardware button combination. Refer to our suggestion for Roknbass above. If nothing works, send it in for repair or replacement.

Problem 9: Galaxy S7 making many different sound notifications

I have had the phone for months with no issues. The last couple weeks though, the phone has started generating random notification sounds, but no notification messages/popups. The sounds are not constant and even change tone from a chime, tweet, and messaging beeps. I have not installed any new apps when this started either. I have turned off all notifications for each app both within the apps and from the phone settings. I have disabled notification reminders. Even with the notification, media, and system sounds turned off, it still makes these noises. Only when I also turn off the ringtones and make the phone completely silent do they stop. I have run AVG scan and manually deleted suspicious items from my phone. Still with no luck. Any information you may be able to provide would be useful. I have even started my phone in safe mode and cleared the cache partition. I’m at the point of resetting my entire phone and starting over. — Joseph

Solution: Hi Joseph. We think there’s a third party app or service that causes this problem. Do a factory reset and see what happens from there. After a factory reset, observe the phone for 24 hours when you haven’t installed any app or updates yet. If the notification sounds work normally, you can bet one of the apps is to blame.

 

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