How To Fix Freezing, Lag, Slow Performance Problems on Samsung Galaxy S5 [Part 1]

This new troubleshooter series is aimed to address a common, persistent issue many Samsung Galaxy S5 owners are experiencing. As the title suggests, we want to group together issues with common symptoms like freezing, slow performance or lag so it will be easier for our readers who are seeking solutions to find appropriate answers.

If you will continue to read below, you will most likely notice that our suggested solutions are more or less the same. That’s due to the fact that 95% of problems showing indicators mentioned in this post have underlying software causes and most software problems can best be resolved by doing the standard Android solutions like:

• clearing the phone’s cache and data,
• Deleting cache partition,
• booting up in safe mode and,
• performing a factory reset.

These solutions can be done across all spectrum of Android devices so they have been proven effective across the years.

If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply contact us by email at [email protected] and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem. 

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Problem #1: Screen freezes when trying to turn on Private Mode in Samsung Galaxy S5

Hello! Glad I found this website!

I’m having trouble with my Galaxy S5. It’s a wonderful phone but Private Mode seems to be stuck. Every time I try to turn private mode on, the screen freezes until I push the back button. I’ve tried deleting all my downloaded apps, with no luck.  I’m trying to avoid a factory reset because I don’t want to lose the pictures that are saved under private mode. It is being locked by a finger print scan and likewise anything to do with aces sing the finger print option is followed by an error message. Any ideas? Thanks. — Matt

Solution: Hi Matt. Private mode is a built-in feature in your S5 which means that if it’s not working right, you only have two things to try:

• Delete the phone’s cache partition
• Perform a factory reset

Clearing the phone’s cache will most like resolve the issue because the problem manifests itself by freezing the phone. Most freezing problems due to apps are fixed by deleting the system cache. And since the problem is software in nature, there’s no other solutions than these two.

Problem #2: Samsung Galaxy S5 freezes and restarts when trying to connect to another Wi-Fi network

Hi. I’m not sure if I’m the only one experiencing this problem but my S5 resets every time I change Wi-Fi networks. I always leave my Wi-Fi on so that it auto connects to my work and home Wi-Fi but when I go home or come to work it connects and within 5 minutes freezes and restarts the phone. This is really annoying as now if I leave the office it resets and when I come back from lunch or a meeting resets again making me lose all my notes and unsaved data.

Thanks in advance. — Dexter

Solutions: Hi Dexter. Your phone’s firmware may be corrupted due to a third party app or an update. Kindly boot up the phone in Safe Mode first and observe how the Wi-Fi function works. If it’s ok while in diagnostic mode (safe mode), that’s a good indication that a third party app may be to blame. Start removing recently installed apps until you rule out the root cause.

However, if Safe mode yields nothing, continue to deleting the phone’s system cache and eventually to a factory reset.

In case this phone is rooter, try to revert it to its stock ROM state and observe.

Problem #3: Samsung Galaxy S5 freezes when trying to answer a call

Whenever I receive a phone call I have the swipe to answer method on I push down on the screen to swipe it on the phone and everything just freezes. After it unfreezes I call them back and they say that I answered the phone call but my phone never showed that it was answered and then hung up on them for no reason. This has happened numerous times and is VERY annoying. Please email me back with a solution. — Josh

Solution: Hi Josh. Just like in the two previous problems, yours is caused by a faulty firmware so the ideal solution would be to do a factory reset right away. However, before doing so, we don’t think it will hurt if you can delete the cache and data of your phone dialer app. Keep in mind that deleting the dialer’s data will erase your text messages and call logs so try to back them up first.

A good app to help you create a copy of everything in your phone is Helium – App Sync and Backup.

Problem #4: Google Maps keeps on crashing and freezing on Samsung Galaxy S5 | Power Saving mode cannot be enabled in Samsung Galaxy S5

Hello. I’ve had my phone now for about 4-5 months. It was working wonderfully with no issues until now. I can no longer turn on the regular Power Save Mode, when I tap on the icon it reads that I must turn on at least one function. I don’t know what that means and that message never had popped up before.

I am also having issues with my Google Maps app now as well. It crashes and sometimes can’t find the location. While using the directions it freezes and the cursor will no longer move, which is incredibly frustrating when you don’t know where you are.

These issues are incredibly frustrating to me because everything was going SO WELL with this phone until now. I truly love the phone but I can’t with these glitches anymore. I really hope you can help! Thanks. —  Melissa

Solution: Hi Melissa. There are three sections under Power Saving Mode menu and one of them says Restrict performance option.  This means that you must have at least one relevant function disabled in order to allow Power Saving mode to run. Under Restrict performance option, you have choices what functions to turn off to save power:

• CPU performance
• Screen output
• Turn off touch key light
• Turn off GPS

If all of them are enabled while trying to turn on Power Saving mode, that’s the reason why your phone doesn’t allow it to run. We recommend that you turn off any of them first then try again.

For your Google Maps issue, we suggest that you delete it’s cache and data and make sure that it’s fully updated. This app is a solid one, with few minor bugs every now and then across all devices so your issue may either be caused by a third party app or by a corrupt app cache or system files. If deleting the app’s cache and data won’t work, please perform a factory reset.

Problem #5: Third party Music Player freezes/skips tracks when playing songs

Hi Guys. Love the site, it helped solve my unresponsive touchscreen problem. My issue is when using the Music Player (Not Google Play) it has a tendency to jump and freeze when playing songs. I downloaded a third party music app and it’s done the same thing albeit less. It’s not the songs themselves because when the phone is connected to my Bluetooth speaker there is no problem. It’s really annoying!

Thank You. —  Courtney

Solution: Hi Courtney. Kindly clear the cache and data of this particular music player and see how it goes afterwards. You can also re-install it if nothing happens after deleting app data.

If this problem happens after you updated your phone to Android Lollipop, this is most probably due to incompatibility issue with that app to Lollipop. Although Lollipop has been around for quite some time now, there are still many third party applications that are primarily designed to work with KitKat. If the issue persists after reinstallation, consider contacting the app developer for more support.

Problem #6: Samsung Galaxy turns off when disconnected from Wi-Fi | Samsung Galaxy S5 freezes when loading apps

Hi. I have a question. My Galaxy S5 won’t stay powered on unless it’s connected to Wi-Fi. When I am not connected it only stays powered on for less than 5 minutes and freezes when I open apps (Facebook, IG, and even my Gallery). I have done a factory reset and nothing changed. My phone cover is the S View Flip Cover. Could that have something to do with this problem? Highly doubt it. Should I just take it and get a warranty exchange? — Flor

Solution: Hi Flor. Random reboots and freezes are some of the indicators that the phone is overheating. Now, overheating itself is also just a symptom of an underlying problem which may be software or hardware in nature. We suggest that you do a factory reset first and give the phone at least 24 hours before considering a replacement. After performing a factory reset, try to re-install only trusted third party apps to isolate if the issue is coming from an erroneous app.

Flip covers don’t cause freezing and random reboots to you can keep using what you have.

Problem #7: Internet connection freezes when Samsung Galaxy S5 switches from 3G to 4G and vice versa

Hi. My name is John I recently put my Verizon Wireless Samsung Galaxy S5 to Straight Talk and now every time my service switches from 3G to 4G or 4G to 3G, internet connection freezes up and have to turn off mobile data and back works fine until it does it again it’s annoying and no one has solution. — John

Solution: Hi John. Please follow the suggested solutions for Flor above and contact your service provider for replacement if nothing on your end works.

Problem #8: Samsung Galaxy S5 freezes, will not place calls after an Android update

Dear Sirs. My phone is behaving erratically after the latest update at the weekend.

The phone freezes, will not unlock, I cannot phone. These are examples of problems. Eventually I am able to turn off the phone and turn it back on to make it work.

I have spoken to Vodafone and carried out their instructions which is (under networks) to log on to another network and then log back onto Vodafone, then hold down the volume button at the same time holding down the on/off button for 15 mins. Turn on phone after a month minute.

These instructions do not work. My wife has the same problem. Regards. — Andrew

Solution: Hi Andrew. Even months after Android Lollipop had been made widely available for millions of Android users around the world, we are yet to pinpoint the exact reason for every problem. That’s no mean feat for us, any Android technician, or even Google and manufacturers considering a wide array of variables that may be affecting a particular model. The good news though is that the easy, standard software solutions appear to be effective in majority of cases. Basically, what you need to do is try which of these three solutions can effectively resolve the issues:

• Wiping the phone’s cache partition
• Booting the phone in Safe Mode
• Revering the phone to its stock state via Factory reset

Kindly do the solutions in this order and let us know if any of them resolves your issue so we can update our posts that may be helpful for other users in the future as well.

Problem #9: Samsung Galaxy S5 unable to delete messages/freezes when getting text message

My phone won’t let me delete messages from 2 of my contacts. Everytime I get a message from one of these contacts it freezes my whole phone and it takes about 5 minutes for the message to appear. I know it’s probably because I have so many messages from these 2 contacts but when I go to delete them it freezes and then says “messaging isn’t responding do you want to close it” and it won’t do anything. Please help. — Megan

Solution: Hi Megan. Please delete your messaging app’s cache and data. This applies whether or not you are using the stock messaging application or a third party one. Keep in mind that deleting a messaging app’s data will erase your message logs and may be contacts so make sure you have you have a back up of those first.

Problem #10: Samsung Galaxy S5 freezes when using Verizon Message+ app

Hi. While looking for a fix to my problem I came across your website, not seeing anyone else having this issue, I hope you can help. 

So my issue is that I really like Verizon Message+ but whenever I set it as my default message application or even try to use it at all, my phone starts acting all wonky, freezes, changes screens and won’t let me actually interact with anything, I can’t use the back, home or tabs buttons and I have to hit the power button several times for it to respond, it’ll go to my “lock” menu without actually being locked, but not let me do anything on screen and will change backgrounds in the lock screen, tell me I have 300+ unread messages, completely black my screen and I’ll only get like a blip of a second to hit cancel or back on the app itself when it pops up for that millisecond. 

I’m not sure why and don’t see anyone else with this problem, to stop it I have to either take my battery out or keep holding and re-holding my power till I can power off, and when powered on immediately switch back to Samsung messages as my default and close messages+ which is for some reason still in my active tabs.

Any ideas, suggestions, tips or fixes would be greatly appreciated. — Brad

Solution: Hi Brad. Just like the previous related problems in this post, kindly erase the phone’s app and cache first, then perform a factory reset if that won’t work.

Verizon’s Messaging app do have some minor bugs when it was first introduced to some non-Samsung devices before but there were unlike what you have so we believe this may be an isolated problem. A factory reset will surely resolve the issue.

Problem #11: Unable to turn off Car Mode in Samsung Galaxy S5 after an Android update

Car mode was working fine for calls on my Galaxy S5 until the latest updates. Now it still works but the only way to shut it down is to restart the phone.  Otherwise the screen freezes with car mode and no way to get back to home screen. — Kathy

Solution: Hi Kathy. Please check if Car mode app runs the latest version. We know you just updated the phone but that’s probably for your operating system and not for this particular app. If car mode is up-to-date, you can delete the phone’s cache partition and reconfigure the app.

Problem #12: Samsung Galaxy S5 takes a long time to load an email

Dearest TDG. My Samsung Galaxy 5 has humbled me in a less than envious fashion….in fact, I am finally contemplating the switch to the big A. 

My email function has slowed to the point where I am unable to function effectively to pull email effectively from my device.

1. Email can take literally up to one minute after tapping the email to read
2. In many instances the email will freeze. When hitting the Active Applications button, I can see my CPU for the email function alone flexing between 0% and over 20% at times (with the END icon turning RED when CPU processing goes over 10%. My RAM status is typically around 1.2 to 1.5GB out of 1.81 GB
3. I literally have NO ability to search my email by key word. I have tested this function. The last test took approximately 10 minutes.

 I am running four email accounts, including an exchange server account, and then three AOL/Yahoo accounts. 

 STEPS taken:

1. Have reduced the amount of email to TWO WEEKS retention. Note the old Blackberry was able to retain 2 months. My windows phone effectively retained a month.
2. I consistently clear the cache and / or reboot my phone.
3. I have cleared memory by moving files onto SIM card.

 I am at a loss as to next steps other than to finally give in to the dreaded FRUIT SUPPLIER…..any help / guidance you can provide? Signed. — Dejected Hector

Solution:  Hi Hector. If the issue started appearing after you updated to Lollipop, the process may have corrupted some settings in your email app. However, if this issue comes out of the blue, your best course of action would be follow the same set of solutions we have provided for Andrew above.

Also, if you are using a third party email app, there’s a chance of compatibility issue with Lollipop so you may contact the app’s developer for support. Re-installation almost always work for many email issues in the past so you may want to try that as well.

Problem #13: Samsung Galaxy S5 lag issue when typing a text message | keyboard issue

Hi Droid Guy. I’ve looked all over your website for tips on how to fix my issue, but haven’t found one yet that fits my problems.  I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 with AT&T. I recently updated my phone back in February. The problems I noticed right away were with battery life draining fast, apps not working and texting. I contacted AT&T and one of their reps went through the various known fixes and since then, my battery life issue has gotten slightly better.

My text messaging problems are the biggest issue and the rep was unable to fix this. Whenever I am sending a text or responding to a text, there is a huge lag time with typing and the letters showing up on the screen. It’s almost like the screen/keyboard/phone freeze up. Once it finally ‘catches up’, it will typically add duplicate words that I only typed once. Then when I try to hit the backspace/delete button, the phone freezes and will not respond for several seconds (promise, I’m not being impatient….it never did this before I updated).  Then there is a long delay after I hit the send button for the message to actually show up in the message thread above.

I am also having problems when I receive a text from someone else. Half the time, I will not get a notification sound that I received a text/response (this happens when the phone is ‘awake’ –screen on and ‘asleep’-screen black). The other problem is that, if I do receive a notification I received a text from someone, there is a long delay of when it will actually show up (this happens when I am in my messaging app and when I am using any other app or program). I have tried numerous times to restart the phone, but this hasn’t helped.  I’ve searched all over your website and others to find a solution and haven’t found one that states the issues I’m having. 

Since I text more than anything else on my phone, these issues are really causing me headaches. Can you provide me with any advice on how to fix my messaging problems? I would appreciate any help you can give me.

Thank you — Jennifer

Solution: Hi Jennifer. You may seem to have an entirely different problem but the fact is, it still boils down to a firmware issue so the solution that we will suggest should still be the same as above. The delay in receiving a text message may not be network-related but may be caused by the erroneous messaging app. The same is true for the delay when typing your message. What you want to do first is to try to re-install the messaging app (if it’s third party) or delete the app’s cache and data (if it’s the stock messaging app from Samsung).