Galaxy S7 screen stays black but remains responsive, monitor is not working, other issues

Hello Android fans! Today, we answer some questions posed by some members of our community regarding their #GalaxyS7 having screen problems. We also answer a common question by those who crossed to another network — why their phones no longer installs system updates. We hope that our answers will be helpful for those experiencing similar cases.

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 screen is unresponsive, keeps freezing

My Galaxy S7 is only 11 months old. Full story: Dropped the phone about 8 months ago, cracked on top edge and back glass but functional and didn’t bother me. It worked fine. About 6 weeks ago, phone wa caught in electric recliner chair and pretty much destroyed the front glass and no readable display. It did work using Bluetooth. I could make phone calls from car. I had the screen, LCD and DIGITIZER and BACK of phone as it was cracked, also replaced at a 3rd party repair shop I had used before for an iPhone screen. The repair seemed great for about 4 weeks. Then the phone started glitching. Part of the screen is unresponsive and froze. and within 2 hours the whole right side of screen was frozen. Multiple reboots ended up with grey static screen on right side and left side seemed to work normally but could not scroll left/right to make it even usable.

I tried everything I could find including multiple Factory reboots and pulling/replacing the SIM card. It is still showing all grey on right. Had the repair place replace the screen a 2nd time – they say it worked for 20 minutes then went back to the same problem. I do not think they replaced digitizer the 2nd time.

Contacted Samsung. There is no local service place near me so I would need to mail it in for review. I highly doubt they will cover under warranty since it was repaired elsewhere . I have read that since factory reboot didn’t fix it this is a hardware issue. What other hardware could be the cause? Thanks much. — Leo Stringer

Solution: Hi Leo. Firstly, your phone has been battered badly and was repaired by a third party shop so sending it to Samsung service center is really not option. They’ll reject your request for repair outright, even if you’ll pay them for it.

Secondly, we don’t think there’s any other issue with the phone but if the repair shop did the screen replacement properly using compatible components, there’s a chance the problem may be the graphics chip. This means that part of the hardware diagnostics should involve checking if the graphics card is still working or not. If it’s not, it may need to be replaced. Otherwise, a full motherboard replacement may be attempted if screen replacement won’t fix your issue at all.

Thirdly, stop wasting your time doing software solutions. There’s no amount of factory resets and software modifications that you can do to fix a physically broken device.

Problem 2: Unlocked Galaxy S7 won’t install software update

I had my Samsung S7 unlocked by a third party; it was done successfully. When we tried to log in using the PINI had set, it wouldn’t verify and kept on asking to enter the PIN. We had to factory reset. It seemed that the tech guy modify my operating system in someway. I kept getting notification that “unauthorized actions has been detected, restart your phone to undo these actions.” Furthermore, when I tried to do a software update I get this message “The operating system on your device has been modified in an unauthorized way. Try downloading software updates using Smart Switch on your computer or visit a customer service center. Nothing works. Please help. Thank you. — Chris

Solution: Hi Chris. By unlocking we assume that you meant changing some network parameters to allow your device to connect to another network. This means that your phone should now be able to send and receive SMS/MMS and be able to send and receive calls using a network other than the one the phone was originally built for. Also known as network unlocking, the procedure does not usually touch the core operating system files of GSM phones to cause drastic changes. The case of CDMA phones though may be a little different and may, in fact, require operating system-level changes. Since you did not provide enough information, we can’t say what exactly is happening but the error message appears to be an indicator that your phone’s software has been modified. Devices with modified software are relatively unsecured, depending on the modifications done so if you’re interested to know about the risks involved, you should talk to the person who did the software modification in the first place.

Also, keep in mind that unlocked devices does not necessarily mean that the software has been completely changed to that of the version of the current carrier you’re using. For example, a Verizon S7 can’t have a T-Mobile software at all. The Verizon software continues to run everytime you use the device although some of its network parameters may have been changed to allow you to use it in T-Mobile network. This also means that you won’t be able to update the software at all since the update files a T-Mobile network will only be available for T-Mobile devices. If you want to run an updated Verizon software, the phone’s software needs to be flashed.

To know more about flashing, do more research about it.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 screen stays black but remains responsive, monitor is not working

Hi. So i am having an issue with my phone’s screen staying black. it will recognize me touching the screen and everything but it will not light up for me to see anything. i have tried all the reset options and booting it in safe mode and recovery mode and nothing. When i have noticed that when i turn it on it very briefly flashes dark then turns black again. Any ideas? i’m very stumped on this. Thanks. — Bill

Solution: Hi Bill. We think the phone’s monitor has malfunctioned. Your phone’s display assembly is composed of three major components — monitor, digitizer, and flex cable. The monitor is the part that shows images you see on the screen. On top of the monitor is a thin layer of touch sensor called the digitizer that converts finger touches into digital signals. These signals are then transmitted to the motherboard to be processed.

Verify if software glitch is to blame by booting to Recovery Mode

If the phone’s screen remains black but still appears to respond to your touches when you hit the right spot, that’s a clear hint that only the monitor has gone bad. In other words, the digitizer can still receive your input but the monitor is unable to display the appropriate images that should be on the screen. A situation like this is usually the result of physical damage. Only very rarely do we encounter cases wherein a software glitch or an app is to blame for the monitor to fail. And even if there’s a software-related bug causing it to fail anyhow, a master reset should be able to fix it. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7. if you can’t turn it off normally, wait until the battery is drained so the device shuts down on its own.
2. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
3. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
5. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
6. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
7. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
8. Now highlight the option Yes — delete all user data using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
9. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
10. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Remember, you can’t perform a master reset if the phone is ON. You must turn it off first in order for you to boot the device successfully to Recovery Mode.

Send the phone in for repair or replacement

The only other step that you can do to fix this issue is by allowing a professional help you. That is, if the nothing changes after attempting to boot the device to Recovery Mode, or if master reset won’t help at all. As mentioned above, monitor failure is almost always a product of physical damage. If you dropped your phone or exposed it to water/elements before noticing the problem, there’s no amount of software tweaks that you can do to fix it. A physically broken component in this situation can only be addressed by repair or replacement. We know you want to think that there must be something that can be done but that’s the reality. 

Some advanced users may attempt to replace the damaged component by themselves. Part replacement is okay as long as you know what to do exactly. You don’t want to attempt it if you don’t have the minimum knowledge and tools to perform the task though. If you think you can handle the screen replacement yourself, do some research and look for a good guide on how to do it. Our blog does not support hardware issues.

 

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