Hi everyone! Welcome to another #GalaxyS7 post! Our article today addresses 6 other problems reported by some S7 users before and during the holidays. We hope that this material will help our Android community.

Here are the specific topics we’re covering for you today:

1. Galaxy S7 having trouble uploading photos to PC
2. Galaxy S7 keyboard app unresponsive/not working properly
3. Fast charging won’t work on Galaxy S7 Edge
4. Apps won’t open on Galaxy S7 | NC Lottery and Amazon Alexa apps showing white page when opened on Galaxy S7
5. Unable to download system update on a Verizon Galaxy S7 Edge in Germany
6. Galaxy S7 Edge stuck in Samsung logo screen | Galaxy S7 Edge keeps on rebooting on its own

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.

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Problem #1: Galaxy S7 having trouble uploading photos to PC

Issues uploading photos from phone to PC. Here’s my steps:

Step 1: I plug in my USB cable.

Step 2: I select “Photo Transfer” from the drop down. – The PC shows it found 10 pictures.

Step 3: From my PC, I select the photos I want to transfer and click continue

Step 4: The PC gives me a folder option of “Day or Month.” Neither Matter. I then click “Import.” I Immediately get an error on PC — “Something went wrong. Your files might not have been imported.” No way around this.

I’ve also tried “right clicking” on the phone in file explorer and choosing “Import pictures and videos.” This freezes when it tries to import the first image. My PC OS is Windows 10. Not sure what to do next. Is there some kind of security that might be blocking the pictures from transferring? Also, videos are not found by the PC. — Nathan

Solution: Hi Nathan. First of all, we want to make it clear that there’s very little information you provided that we can work on. For instance, you’re not exactly clear what application you’re using in your PC to move your files from the phone.

Secondly, you must keep in mind that you’re dealing with two devices here — your S7 and your PC. This means that any of them may be causing the problem. It may be your PC needing relevant drivers, or your S7 not optimized to communicate with your PC. Try doing some extra research about your PC to see if the particular operating system running in it has issues talking to Samsung devices. There’s nothing else that we can do to help you regarding this. For your Galaxy S7, just make sure that it runs the latest Android version and you should be good.

Thirdly, try going official. Samsung provides a free app (Smart Switch) that you can download and install in both your PC and S7 to do this job. Keep it simple and avoid complicating things by using tested system. Smart Switch can easily create a backup of all the files in the phone in a matter of minutes. Once you’ve copied your files in your PC, it’s just a matter of browsing to the backup folder to find the files you want to access in your PC.  IN Windows 8 machines, a user can usually find the default Smart Switch folder by going under “Drive:\Users\Username\Documents\samsung\SmartSwitch. The default folder location in a Windows 10 machine should be similar.

Problem #2: Galaxy S7 keyboard app unresponsive/not working properly

While using my phone, suddenly the keyboard(s) become unresponsive, i.e. touching the input line with the blinking cursor fails to bring up the keyboard. On some occasions, the keyboard opens but will not accept type input until the phone is rebooted. The phone works correctly but has to be rebooted every 5 min. The problem occurs in all apps (email, Verizon texting, Outlook Mail, etc.). I typically use the Google “G-board” keyboard, but have had the same problem of keyboard failure with Keeper-Fill, Samsung keyboard and Swype+ Dragon keyboard. Doing a soft reset did not resolve this problem. I would appreciate some recommendations -I called Verizon tech support and they had no idea.  Thanks for the help! — Mltheart

Solution: Hi Mltheart. The first thing that you want to do right now is to remove any additional keyboard you’ve installed. Just keep the defaults — Google keyboard and Samsung keyboard. Once you’ve done that, boot the phone to safe mode and observe how any of the two works. Doing so will help you tell if a third party app is to blame or not. To boot in safe mode, follow these steps:

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

Remember, safe mode prevents third party apps from loading so if the keyboard works fine, that’s a clear proof that one of your third party apps is to blame.

• On the other hand, if the issue remains even when the phone is in safe mode, you will need to delete the keyboard apps cache and data. Here’s how:
• Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
• Navigate down to “Apps”. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6.0.
• Once in there, click on an application.
• 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.
• You should now clearly see the Clear Data and Clear Cache buttons for the application.

Problem #3: Fast charging won’t work on Galaxy S7 Edge

Hi. I have a rather unusual problem with my S7 Edge Fast Charging and I’m pretty sure it’s not a hardware issue. Basically, my phone is unable to fast charge properly anymore. I am currently on Holiday in Japan and have always used the official Samsung charger to fast charge at home, and now that I am in Japan I have the official Samsung charger as well, compatible for my phone. Every time I lock the screen and allow it to charge, it keeps disconnecting/connecting again. However, when I disable fast charging and charge it normally, the phone charges just fine without any interruption. The same happens when I fast charge with the official Samsung wireless charger. Thus I am pretty sure there is no issue with my cable. However, I can’t really pin point what the error is here. I really hope you guys could give me any help on this, any advice is greatly appreciated! — Keith

Solution: Hi Keith. The only way to turn fast charging feature on and off is by going under Settings>Battery>Fast cable charging/Fast wireless charging. If both features are turned on but fast charging remains erratic, the problem may be on the charger you’re using, or an unknown issue with the phone. If you’re 100% that the current charger you’re using is a fast charger (because it fast charges other Samsung devices), then try to consider doing some software troubleshooting to see if it’s a software issue.

The first software troubleshooting step you want to do is to wipe the cache partition. Wiping the cache partition is a good troubleshooting step as it helps ensure that the phone uses an updated system cache. Sometimes, app installations or system updates can corrupt the system cache, resulting to some apps to act erratically. Below are the steps on how to wipe the cache partition:

• Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
• Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
• When the Samsung Galaxy S7 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 doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
• The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

If fast charging remains erratic or won’t work at all, the next troubleshooting step you want to do is to observe how fast charging works in safe mode. Safe mode prevents third party apps and services from running so it’s a good way to see if one of the apps is responsible for this trouble. We are not aware of any third party app that can affect fast charging like what’s happening in your case but this troubleshooting step is worth trying. Here’s how to do it:

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

Finally, if both procedures above won’t help you at all, consider doing a factory reset. Doing so will eliminate possible software glitch that we’re not aware of at this time. Here’s how  it’s done:

• Create a backup of your important files and contacts.
• Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
• Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
• When the Samsung Galaxy S7 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 data / factory reset.’
• Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
• Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
• Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
• The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

As the name suggests, factory reset brings all software settings back to their known, working state as if the phone has just left the factory. This means that every software function should be working, especially the fast charging feature. If the problem remains though, that’s a strong indication that there may be an issue with the hardware (the USB charging port), or with the charger you’re using. Consider sending the phone to a Samsung service center if you have the chance.

Problem #4: Apps won’t open on Galaxy S7 | NC Lottery and Amazon Alexa apps showing white page when opened on Galaxy S7

I have 65 apps on my phone. 2 of them, I’m having an issue with. They download fine, but when I open them, it’s just a blank white page. NC Lottery and Amazon Alexa are the 2 apps. I need Alexa for my Echo I got for Christmas and all I get is a white page. I did the home/vol up/power and wiped the cache partition and that didn’t help. I’ve forced closed and cleared data and cache on each app. I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled multiple times and that didn’t help. Called Verizon and downloaded the WAZE app while on the phone with Verizon and it download and opened just fine. Seems to be just the 2 apps where the screen is white. I can screen shot and send to you if needed. Verizon is stumped so I’m thinking maybe it’s a Samsung problem. Thanks! — Dawn

Solution: Hi Dawn. Wiping an app’s cache and data and re-installation are the only effective troubleshooting steps that you can do for an issue like this. If you’ve already tried them, we recommend that you contact the developer of the apps instead so they can check why their products do not work on your phone model.

Problem #5: Unable to download system update on a Verizon Galaxy S7 Edge in Germany

Hi there! So here’s an interesting issue for you. So I’m an American stationed in Germany, and I have a USA Verizon Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, being used on a Telekom (T-Mobile) SIM card. When I try to check for system updates, I receive the following error: “Service Unavailable – Software update is temporarily unavailable. Try again later.” In the past, I know that this has been an issue in the older model S4s and S5s, and has been allegedly resolved by getting a new SIM card from your service provider. That being said, is it the same for the S7s, or could this be a different issue? I’m just hoping that having a Telekom (T-Mobile) SIM isn’t going to cause me any issues. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! — Jason

Solution: Hi Jason. System updates are usually provided when your device is connected to its home network only, in your case, Verizon. This doesn’t always happen though so make sure that you talk to Verizon customer support for confirmation. Most system updates, even though they are mostly Samsung- (manufacturer) or Google-related (Android), are coursed through carrier’s update system. The error message you’re getting is an indicator that you’ll be unable to receive OTA updates while in Germany. Again, make sure that you contact Verizon technical support if this accurate.

Alternatively, you can try to check if an update can be installed on your phone via Samsung Smart Switch app. Simply install the app on your PC or Mac and connect your S7 via USB. The main page of the app should tell you if there’s an available update for your phone.

Problem #6: Galaxy S7 Edge stuck in Samsung logo screen | Galaxy S7 Edge keeps on rebooting on its own

The problems I’m experiencing with my S7 Edge all began the morning I woke up with it beside me in bed (as do most other problems lol). I noticed the phone was dead so I plugged it into charge. At this point the battery logo popped up but no percentage. This was odd so I monitored it and noticed the battery logo would disappear and reappear every 5 or 10 seconds. Not good. So after 10 minutes I tried to turn the phone on. At this point the “Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge” welcome screen appeared, as usual, but then disappeared and the screen remained black. This is when panic set in. I spent a whole day traveling to different places seeking help but no one is willing to for it’s one month out of warranty. I’ve tried to do a soft and hard restart but that does nothing. The screen Samsung welcome screen will turn on then off then on then off until I do another hard reset. The only other screen I can get to show is the “downloading” blue screen. This phone is basically brand new and it upsets me beyond belief that this has happened to such an expensive electronic. Please help. — Matt

Solution: Hi Matt. We don’t know the full history of the device and we can’t obviously physically check it so there’s very little that we can tell you to do. Right now, the first thing that you want to do is to check if you can still boot the phone up to other modes so you can do some software troubleshooting. There are three alternate modes that you can try, each of them giving you a different approach. For example, if you’ll be able to boot the phone to recovery mode, you can then wipe the cache and factory reset the phone. On the other hand, if you can’t boot the phone to any alternate boot modes at all, that means that the cause of the problem is beyond your ability to fix. You must seek help from Samsung or other relevant service centers.

For reference, below are the steps on how to boot your phone to different modes:

Boot in Recovery mode:

• Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
• Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
• When the Samsung Galaxy S7 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.’
• You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

• Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
• Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
• When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
• Wait until the Download screen appears.
• 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.
• Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

• Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
• Press and hold the Power button.
• Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
• Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
• Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
• 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.

 

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