Galaxy S7 is unresponsive, won't turn off, stuck in decrypting process screen, other issues

Hello Android fans! Welcome to another #GalaxyS7 troubleshooting guide. This post brings you more S7 issues and solutions. If you don’t find any useful troubelshooting tip here, be sure to also visit our main Galaxy S7 troubleshooting page.

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 showing blue LED light but phone is not responding

It’s been doing this for about a month now. It’s under a year old. The first time is when it was on low battery, i had put it on charge. then it was on 100%, i switched it on, went on Whatsapp and when i went out it froze and then switched off.

i tried troubleshooting. Didn’t want to work. i then left it till the next day and tried again, it didn’t work. i then put it on charge. it was charging and switched on and off about 3 times and finally working after.

It’s been about two weeks when this morning i was on my phone and it switched off again. And now there is a blue light but it’s constantly on and doesn’t go off and that didn’t happen the last time. Now, i tried troubleshooting but no luck, anything actually no luck. In the past, it was slow but it would occur a few times but it would freeze. what should i do? please help. — Charlette

Solution: Hi Charlette. If your phone does not turn back on normally anymore (it must still be on because it’s showing a blue LED) and the screen is either unresponsive or stays black, there’s only one thing that we can suggest — boot it to alternate modes. Doing so will help you tell if the problem can be fixed on your end or not.

Below are the steps that you must try:

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.

If your phone remains unresponsive and you won’t be able to do these different hardware button combinations, you have a hardware issue at hand. It can be bad screen assembly, or something else. Have the phone checked by Samsung or an independent service center.

Problem 2: Galaxy S7 stopped working properly with Garmin device after an update

My phone is a Galaxy S7 with AT&T. The problem that I’m having is that after the last two updates from AT&T (which have been within the last week or two), I only get an initial notice on my Garmin Vivosmart HR for a text message, but still receive notices of phone calls, voicemails, and missed phone calls. After the first message is received, the Garmin does not vibrate to notify me of a text message, but the phone does sound and vibrate as those notification choices were made in phone settings.

I have gone into my Garmin settings and chose to be notified and it is connected to the phone. I have also added message app on the Garmin, which hasn’t changed anything and have not had it before. I’ve gone looking for updates to my Garmin and have not found any, nor has it had any in quite some time.

I have turned the phone off, charged it fully and then turned it back on. have tried to doing a reboot, have turned my Garmin off and then back on, have disconnected them from each other and then reconnected and re synced them. i have removed the Garmin off the phone and then reconnected it as well. I don’t believe I missed anything in my description of the problem or attempts to fix it either. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely. — Brent

Solution: Hi Brent. Installing an Android update is basically changing core system files. Sometimes, bugs can develop because a developer fails to anticipate them. Knowing the true cause of an issue like this is impossible so you must try to narrow down the possibilities yourself.

We noticed you did not mention doing the usual software troubleshooting steps we recommend for post-update issues in a Galaxy phone. Below are the things that you should try:

Wipe the cache partition

Updates can sometimes corrupt the system cache leading to all sorts of problems. It’s good if you clear the cache partition immediately after an update so your phone will be forced to build a new cache. Here’s how it’s done:

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.

Ensure that ALL apps are updated and compatible with the new Android OS

If the problem stays after wiping the cache partition, your next move would be to install updates for all your apps. Any one of them can be the cause of your problem. If you’ve already updated the apps before contacting us, try to boot the phone to safe mode to see if any of them is causing this. Here’s how it’s done:

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.

Do a factory reset

Wiping your phone clean with factory reset should be the last step that you must perform on your phone. It reverts all software settings back to their known, working state so if the problem remains after that, there’s either a compatibility issue with your Garmin device, or that device needs troubleshooting itself.

Below are the steps on how to factory reset your Galaxy S7:

Create a backup of your important files such as photos, videos, contacts etc. You can use Smart Switch for this task.
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.

Troubleshoot your Garmin device

If you think the issue lies on the Garmin device, contact its maker and ask for assistance.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 active speaker not working all the time for videos or alarm

My Galaxy S7 active has recently over the past few weeks had some issues using the speaker for videos and alarm. Sometimes there is sound and sometimes there isn’t. So far I have not had the problem with games or spotty which I find odd and I’m not sure how to fix this. Any suggestions? — Angel

Solution: Hi Angel. Try wiping the cache partition first. This should take care of a possible system cache trouble.

If that won’t work, a good next step would be to delete the cache and data of the apps you’re having problems with. 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 or 7.
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.

Should wiping apps’ cache and data won’t help either, do a factory reset.

Problem 4: Galaxy S7 is unresponsive, won’t turn off, stuck in decrypting process screen

My Galaxy S7 is stuck on the decrypting part of the reboot process (an unlocked padlock appears with 2 spinning half circles around it). I had just downloaded a bloatware disabler and must have disabled a needed application. Prior to rebooting, the phone was unresponsive to any actions beyond the power button. I am open to doing a factory reset, but am unable to do so without getting the phone out of this process. Is there any way of forcing a power-off without waiting for the battery to drain? — Paul

Solution: Hi Paul. You can try a soft reset. Here’s how:

Press and hold the Power (located on the right edge) and Volume down buttons (located on the left edge) for 12 seconds.
Use the Volume down button to scroll to the Power Down option.
Press the Home key to select.

If you’ll be unable to soft reset the device, you’ll have to wait until the phone turns off on its own, or until the battery runs out.

Problem 5: Galaxy S7 won’t allow access to Apple email

I have my email through Apple, but I am a S7 edge user. The app for my email has worked in the past but I changed my Mac password and now I can’t access my email on my phone but can on my computer via the internet and the resources on the laptop. Could you please tell me how to fix this. And how would i know if the issue is because of the 2-step authentication or if I even have it selected? — Utley2

Solution: Hi Utley2. We are not familiar with how your Apple email works. If you need assistance with it, you should contact Apple. They should be able to tell you if the cause of the issue is 2-step authentication or similar security process. With popular emails such as Gmail and Microsoft email (Hotmail, Outlook, etc.), 2-step verification process usually needs to be disabled first before you can configure an account in another email client. We don’t know if this true for Apple email or not.

If there’s no 2-step authentication in your account, try clearing the data on your email app and try reconfigure your email on it.

Problem 6: Galaxy S7 keeps showing “searching for service” error and can’t send SMS

I recently switched from an iPhone 5 to a Samsung S7, but kept the same provider, Tracfone. As soon as I switched, I started having problems with texting, where there would be large chunks of time, sometimes over a day, when my phone would not send texts. Sometimes it says “searching for service” on the top left. The data and wifi and everything else works fine. It does not seem dependent on how many signal bars or time of day. I have been on the phone with Tracfone customer service every day and they have been little help, it seems random when it starts working again. The only time it started working immediately again was when they deactivated and reactivated the phone. But already, the next morning it says “searching for service” again for about 3 hours, though it just randomly started working again. I am starting to hope it is not an issue with the provider, because I am wasting hours every day on the phone with them. Any thoughts? — Gabriela

Solution: Hi Gabriela. Like you, there’s no way for us to know for certain where the problem lies. Based on your problem description though, it seems likely that it’s with your carrier. Your troubleshooting for this issue is limited to what you can do on your device, which is actually minimal. The most that you can do is factory reset. Other than that, the rest of the support should come from your carrier.

If you are using a SIM card, try inserting the SIM card in another phone and observe it for a some time. If the problem continues, talk to Tracfone so they can either do more advanced troubleshooting, or replace the phone (if again, the phone is to blame).

Problem 7: Galaxy S7 edge won’t turn on after it was accidentally dropped

Hi. I would like to ask for an advise. My phone Samsung S7 Edge just shutdown automatically while I’m watching Youtube video today. It is not overused, in fact I use it seldom but last night I drop it for 2 times from the bed to floor (approx. 20 inches drop) while playing an online game because of sleepiness. I’ve ask an advise to a technician awhile ago and he said that it’s possible that the motherboard died, because it cannot be detected in the computer using any USB port. It won’t turn on even if I already perform the hard reset (hold volume and power button), computer cannot detect the phone and it won’t charge at all. If the motherboard is the issue, how can I resolve it? Does the technician can troubleshoot it or it’s 50/50 chance? I think it was upgraded to Nougat but I’m not certain. Thank you. Regards. — Angeli

Solution: Hi Angeli. In most cases, repair has always a 50-50 chance. The more extensive the damage to the hardware is, the lower the chances of a successful repair.

Motherboard repair does not always guarantee a fix because there may be undetected problems during the check up. A technician can only fix a detected issue. If other components were damaged after you accidentally dropped the phone but your phone did not show any symptoms during diagnostics, a technician may not detect a problematic component. That’s why problems may still happen even after the phone has been “fully repaired.” Some motherboard problems are simply way too complicated that some technicians may be unable to fix them at all. We highly recommend that you get a new phone rather than go through motherboard repair. It’s not only a tricky business but the cost can be prohibitive as well. And there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a fully working phone afterwards!

As far as fixing a motherboard problem yourself is concerned, we don’t really think it’s a good idea. Electronics repair of this magnitude requires expertise and tools. Unless you are familiar with Samsung devices and has the right tools (not to mention the right components), we strongly discourage do-it-yourself repair.

Motherboard repair or replacement can cost you a few hundred dollars so we want you to think hard if you want to go through it, or simply get a new phone.

Problem 8: Galaxy S7 shuts down when Mobile Legends app is used

Hi. First of all, i want to thank your guys for the free posting about the android tips and problem.

So, my phone just updated after i done factory reset. My problem is, the phone just keeps restarting after i played games, Mobile Legends. Do i have any chances to fix this issue so that i can continue to play the game?

I managed to install Mobile Legends game for the first time and carry on playing for a week before the restarting issue began bugging me. Later, i done factory reset and update my android since my android version is outdated but the problem isn’t resolving. If i don’t start the app (Mobile Legends), my phone work just fine. The good news is the phone can function normally after i do soft reset but sadly , if i start the Mobile Legend app and start playing for 5 mins, the problem then start again ( the phone screen will shut down and the phone will restart). With your specialty , i need your help and advice on how to correct/fix this problem. Thank you. — M. Fatehi

Solution: Hi M. Fatehi. It looks like you have a compatibility problem here. Please contact the developer of the app and let them know about the problem so they can release a patch, or make it compatible with a phone running on a certain operating system like yours.

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Galaxy S7 is unresponsive, won’t turn off, stuck in decrypting process screen, other issues