How to fix a Galaxy S8 when Airplane Mode is stuck or won’t turn off [troubleshooting guide]

How’s everyone doing? Today’s troubleshooting guide will talk about an emerging issue we’ve come across the web — #GalaxyS8 with stuck Airplane Mode. We also answer one weird issue regarding Galaxy S8 Phone app having a green Call button everytime a user dials. We hope that you’ll find our solutions helpful.

Problem #1: How to fix a Galaxy S8 when Airplane Mode is stuck or won’t turn off

My Airplane Mode is switched to off and is not displaying on screen but is stuck to “on”. I have manually switched on and off and it still stays on. Phone shows a circle with a slash through it where signal bar should be. Network reset does not help. I can send pictures if you need. AT&T has not been able to help me with this problem and Samsung wants me to send my phone back but I’d rather try other avenues first if there is a way I can fix it myself. — Amber Hobaugh

Solution: Hi Amber. We don’t know what troubleshooting steps and solutions you’ve tried already so we don’t know if our suggestions below will help. For the sake of others who may still be wondering what to do at this time, below are four of the common solutions an Android user can do if a core Android feature like Airplane Mode is acting up.

Solution #1: Force Restart

This is a basic potential solution that usually works with almost all minor software glitches. It’s possible that there may be a software bug causing Airplane Mode to stop responding. If this bug is minor and tied to the current session of the operating system, restarting the phone might help. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
2. From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. You can use the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Wait for up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.

Solution #2: Check in safe mode

As long as you use apps, there will always be a chance that one of them can cause problems. In line with this thinking, it’s good if you can try to see if one of your apps (third party) may be the reason for the issue. To do that, you want to restart your phone to safe mode. In this mode, all of your third party apps and services will be blocked, only allowing pre-installed ones to run. So, if your phone and/or Airplane Mode work normally on safe mode (but not on normal mode), you got yourself an app problem. That means that one of your apps must be interfering with Android.

To restart your phone to safe mode:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
8. Now, let your phone run in safe mode and check for the problem. 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:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. 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.
4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your S8 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Solution #3: Reset all settings

If there’s no change to your phone when it’s on safe mode and the issue remains at this point, another effective way to fix the issue is to reset your device’s settings. Here’s how you do it:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap General management.
3. Tap Reset.
4. Tap Reset settings.
5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button to confirm.
6. Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

The steps above will reset all settings and return the default apps to their factory state. This will clear all network settings so you’ll also lose all wifi credentials as well. You will need to re-enter wifi passwords after this procedure. If you are using a VPN, you’ll have to reenter all information to set it up again.

Solution #4: Factory reset

If Airplane Mode is still stuck at this point, the best possible solution that you can try is factory reset. This will ensure that all software settings are reverted to their factory state. Factory reset is an effective way to eliminate almost any form of glitches caused by a software bug. If the reason why Airplane Mode won’t turn off is due to a software bug, factory reset should take care of the problem.

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:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. 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).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Problem #2: Galaxy S8 keeps showing a green Call button when trying to dial

Recently when I initiate a call by pressing the green button it gives me a bar across the screen with the word Call in it. See screen shot. I have to restart and then I can place the call. Sometimes after restarting the same message occurs and I can’t make the call.Screen Shot. — Anthony Duplessis

Solution: Hi Anthony. This may be an issue with the phone app you’re using. Try to clear its cache and data first to see what happens. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
4. Select Show system apps.
5. Find and tap your Phone app.
6. Tap Storage.
7. Tap Clear Cache button.
8. Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Should wiping the Phone app’s cache won’t help, repeat steps 1-6 and clear its data.

There are other factors that can lead to the problem you’re experiencing right now but since we know nothing about your phone’s history, we can only suggest the generic troubleshooting and solutions.

It’s possible that a third party app may be the reason for your issue too so you can also observe your S8 on safe mode, just like what we tell  Amber above and see how it goes.

Samsung Phone app is mostly stable and we rarely hear issues with it. If it continues to behave the same way it does right now when your S8 is on safe mode, there may be a software bug causing it. Make sure that you also factory reset the device to get rid of any software bug. Refer to the steps above on how to do it.