How to fix a Samsung Galaxy A6 2019 smartphone that keeps prompting SD card not detected error (easy steps)
SD card problems in mobile devices can be attributed to software issues or faulty hardware. Your phone will usually prompt an error message saying that the SD card is not working or that it cannot read or detect the SD card. Tackled in this post is a pertinent issue on the Samsung Galaxy A6 2018 smartphone, in which the device is unable to read or recognize the SD card even when it’s already inserted. Read on to find out what to do if ever you’ll encounter the same issue on the same device in the future.
To help you rule software errors out from the underlying causes, you can refer to the following walkthroughs to troubleshoot your phone software and SD card errors. Here are your options.
Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a solution to a problem with your phone, try to browse through our troubleshooting pages to see if we support your device. If your phone is in the list of our supported devices, then go to the troubleshooting page and look for similar problems. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. Don’t worry it’s free. But if you still need our help, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
First solution: Reboot your phone.
If this is the first time you are prompted with an SD card error on your phone, then it’s probably just a random glitch. Random glitches are usually of minor forms and therefore easily be resolved by a device restart or soft reset.
- To soft reset or restart your Galaxy A6 2018, press the Power button until the menu appears and then tap the option to Power Off. After 30 seconds, you can press the Power button again until the device restarts.
- Alternatively, you can just press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button on the side until the phone restarts.
Allow your device to finish booting up and then try to access the SD card again to see if the problem is gone. If the error persists, then move on to the next applicable solution.
Second solution: Unmount SD card on your Galaxy A6 2018.
Minor software glitches that might have halted your device from reading the SD card can also be cleared by unmounting and removing the SD card. It is highly recommended to unmount the SD card before removing it from your phone. Doing so will prevent damaging the card and its contents.
To safely eject the SD card, you need to unmount it first by going to Settings-> Storage-> SD card menu, then select the option to Unmount SD card. Doing so will prevent damaging the card and the files from getting corrupted.
When the SD card is unmounted, power off your phone then follow these steps to remove the SD card from the slot:
- Insert the ejection pin into the tiny hold on the memory card tray/SIM card tray 2 to loosen the tray.
- Gently pull out the memory card tray from the memory card tray slot.
- Remove the memory card from the tray.
- Examine the SD card and tray for any signs of damage like scratches or dents. Also make sure the card slot is clean or free from dust.
- If everything looks good with the tray and SD card, place the card back into the tray with the gold contacts facing down.
- Insert the memory card tray back into the tray slot.
When the tray is secured and set, turn on your phone then try to access the SD card files. If necessary, mount your SD card again for your device to read it. To mount the SD card on your phone, follow these steps:
- Insert the SD card.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap SD Card.
- Select the option to Mount SD card or Mount.
Third solution: Format/reformat your SD card.
Formatting means deleting everything from your SD card including all your saved files and data. This is often needed if the card is corrupted or when it’s already full. Any malware and virus contained in any of the SD card files or data segments are likewise removed in the process. Here’s how to format an SD card on your Galaxy A6 2018:
- Tap Apps from the Home screen.
- Tap Settings.
- Scroll to and tap Device maintenance.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap the More options icon (three vertical dots) on the upper right side of the screen.
- Tap on Storage settings.
- Scroll to and tap to select SD card.
- Tap Format from the given options.
- Tap Format again to confirm and instigate SD card formatting. Again, the process is irreversible once you hit the Format command. All data saved on your memory card will be lost.
- You will be prompted with a message when the formatting is done. Tap Done to continue and start using the SD card on your phone again.
Alternatively, you can format the SD card on a compatible computer. Just insert the SD card to the dedicated card slot or SD card reader then follow the onscreen prompts to complete the SD card formatting on your computer. You can insert then mount the SD card on your phone afterwards.
Other options
Wipe cache partition. It might also help to wipe cache partition on your Galaxy A6 2018 to rule errant cache files out from the possible triggers. Unlike a master reset, wiping the cache partition only clears cache or temporary files from the system folders, so no critical data will be deleted in the process. It’s a recommended workaround for devices to act up or show errors after installing new apps and software updates.
Master reset/factory data reset with SD card formatting. A master reset can also be regarded among the last resorts when dealing with complex software errors that could not be remedied by the usual workarounds. In this case, you can reset your device with SD card formatting. This means wiping the SD card files too. It can be the key to fixing the problem if corrupted files from either the phone system or SD card segments are to blame. Just be sure to back up all important files you have beforehand.
If none of that works, then you need to procure a new SD card that is compatible with or supported by the Galaxy A6 2018 smartphone. To make sure you’re using the correct SD card type for your device, you can visit the Samsung website to check on the details and device specifications. Otherwise, contact Samsung Support for other options and recommendations.
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