How to fix a Galaxy S8 that keeps losing network coverage or signal disappearing randomly
Do you have a #GalaxyS8 that keeps losing its cellular connection? This troubleshooting article should walk you through the steps that you can take to fix it.
Today’s problem: Galaxy S8 that keeps losing network coverage or signal disappearing randomly
There is no network coverage. Every morning i woke up and network has disappeared. Randomly in the afternoon or any other time, no service. Sometime there is a limited network and it doesn’t last long. I cannot make call or use navigator if am using my SIM card. — Johnsixfox
Solution: Hi Johnsixfox. For this issue, we strongly recommend that you talk to your network operator first as the problem may be coming from their end. Because you never mentioned it, we assume that your phone was not physically damaged in any way, which can be a reason why an Android network function may mess up. (If your S9 was physically damaged, don’t waste your time looking for software solutions.) Network issues can come from all over so there’s no easy way to know its cause. However, you can try our troubleshooting steps below to narrow down the possible factors.
Before you proceed, be sure to try a simple yet effective way to fix minor network bugs by restarting your S8. Some network idiosyncrasies may result to brief signal loss on some devices but once these devices are restarted, they all connect fine again. In many cases, there are no explanations why this happens so users like you will most likely be stuck doing the remedy until the issue “fixes” itself out. We know this is not an ideal situation but you may really have no choice at all. If the problem won’t fix itself after restarting your device though, you can do the rest of our suggestions below.
Check for signal reception
This is the first important troubleshooting step that must be done in this case. Signal reception can vary across devices, even on the same phone models placed side by side. If your S8 keeps getting poor signals, or if you are located in a poorly covered area, you really can’t expect to have a reliable service all the time. If you haven’t tried this before, we suggest that you observe your phone for a few days and see if it gets fluctuating signal reception. For the Galaxy S8, having 1 or 2 signal bars all the time is a rough indicator of poor signal reception. If you constantly get only 2 signal bars or infrequent three bars at most, you are in bad location. It may be due to how your room, house, or office is built or located, signal interference, or crappy network coverage. To improve the situation, try to talk to your carrier to see if there’s anything that they can do for you, like install a signal booster in your place.
If your phone constantly gets three or full signal bars all the time, continue troubleshooting your phone.
Verify if the issue occurs on safe mode
Third party apps may interfere with Android and cause some functions to act up. To check if you have a bad third party app issue, boot your S8 to safe mode. In this mode, no third party apps will be allowed to run, permitting only preinstalled ones to run. So, if network performance goes back to normal when your phone is on safe mode but returns to problematic state when booted back to normal mode, you certainly have a bad app issue.
To restart your phone 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 for at least 24 hours in the same location where you’re having the problem and see how it works out. If your S8 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 S8 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.
Return app settings to stock
Some network issues are fixed by returning app settings to their initial setup condition. Some users may disable core system apps needed by other apps intentionally or by mistake. Some malicious apps can also do the same. To ensure that your phone has all the needed apps up and running, try to reset all app preferences and see what happens. Here’s how to do that:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
- Select Reset app preferences.
- Restart your S8 and check for the problem.
Reset network settings
One of the most effective ways to fix network problems is by resetting all network settings. This procedure deletes all current network setup and replace them with factory settings. This process will also erase all wifi networks and their passwords, VPN settings, and cellular settings.
Here’s how to reset all your S8 network settings:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap General management.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Reset Network settings.
- Tap RESET SETTINGS button to confirm.
- Restart your S8 and check for the problem.
Reseat the SIM card
Some users were able to successfully fix network problems by simply disconnecting their SIM cards. If you haven’t tried this before, here’s what you need to do exactly:
- Turn off your phone.
- Remove the SIM card carefully.
- Wait for at least 10 seconds before turning the phone back on.
- Then, re-insert the SIM card and check for the problem.
Use another SIM card
Trying another SIM card can also be a good way to fix network issues. If reseating the SIM card won’t change anything, consider getting a new one. It’s possible that the current SIM card may no longer be working properly, especially if it’s a carry-over from an old device.
Factory reset your device
The last potential solution that you can try is factory reset. This is the most that you can do in terms of fixing possible software issue. If the main reason for signal drop is due to unknown operating system glitch, factory reset should help.
Before you wipe your phone, be sure to back important user data. 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.
Talk to your network operator
At this point, your issue must already been resolved. If it still persists though, that means that the cause must be something beyond your ability to fix. It can be due to a bad hardware, account issue, or network glitch. Make sure to work with your network operator so they can help you identify where the problem lies.