Hello Android fans! Welcome to today’s #GalaxyA5 troubleshooting article. We’ve been getting a number of A5 issues lately so this post is our answer to some of these cases. We hope you’ll find our suggestions helpful.
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.
Problem #1: What to do if Galaxy A5 is locked by Factory Reset Protection (FRP)
Hello. So i have been having a problem with my wifi and bluetooth not turning on. But this is not the main problem. My main problem is that after i did a factory reset from the bootloader and i didn’t know that i should not have a google account associated to that phone in order to have that reset simple, now my device is on FRP and i can not connect to any wifi since it has been having problems a while ago. I tried to flash new firmware via Odin but no luck, still FRP is there and wifi cant turn on. I’m stuck with a problematic device. What are my fastest/ easiest/ best options to get things going with this device ? Have a good day!
Solution: If you can’t bypass FRP by entering the registered Google account username and password, the only available option for you is to seek Samsung’s help. They have a special tool that can unlock an FRP-locked phone. When bringing your device to them, be sure to present the proof of purchase (receipt) and a valid identification card.
Problem #2: How to fix Galaxy A5 texting issue: SMS says delivered but recipient never received the text
I have the Samsung Galaxy A5. Recently, when I send a text message it will pop up and show the time (sometimes says delivered) but then the message itself will disappear from my screen. I then find out that the recipient never got it. I read your article as to how to try to fix the issues and I have successfully followed the steps, but the issue remains. I looked at my Last Update information in my System Updates and it shows September 10, 2018. My Android Version reads just 8.0.0.
Solution: If the problem only occurs when sending a text message to one particular number or contact, the cause may not be on your device but on the receiving end. Be sure to inform the said contact so he or she can troubleshoot the issue on his or her end.
However, if this problem happens all the time and regardless of the number or contact, these are the troubleshooting steps that you can try:
Force reboot
This should be the first simple troubleshooting step that you must do. Many minor glitches are fixed by simply refreshing the system. In phones with removable battery packs, forced reboot is done by disconnecting the battery. Because you have a non-removable battery pack, you ust do the equivalent hardware button combination to simulate the effect of physically removing the battery. Here’s how:
- 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.
- 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.
Relaunch text messaging app
Another important yet simple troubleshooting step is closing and re-opening of the messaging app. This is often overlooked but a lot of texting issues are fixed by performing this so be sure not to skip it. You can close the app or apps currently running by pressing on the Recent Apps key to the left of the Home button. Once the list of the apps are shown, you can either tap on Close All Apps button, or tap on the X for a particular app. We suggest that you simply hit the Close All Apps key. Afterwards, restart the phone and check for the problem.
Check Message Center Number
Having an incorrect Message Center Number can prevent your phone from sending out text messages. To check if this is the reason for the current situation, follow the steps below.
- Get the correct Message Center Number either by online research or by asking it from your carrier.
- Open Samsung Messages app.
- Tap More settings icon at the upper right.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap More settings.
- Tap Text messages.
- Tap Message center.
- Check or edit the MCN.
Clear network settings
If the issue is not fixed at this point yet, the next good thing to do is reset all network settings in your Galaxy A5. Resetting network settings resets all data connections back to the out of the box factory defaults. The following changes will occur by performing a Reset of network settings.
- Stored Wi-Fi networks will be deleted.
- Paired Bluetooth devices will be deleted.
- Background data sync settings will be turned on.
- Data restrictive settings in applications that were manually turned on/off by the customer will be reset to the default setting.
- Network selection mode will be set to automatic.
The following device connections status will default to when the device was being powered on for the first time.
- Airplane mode: OFF
- Bluetooth: OFF
- Data roaming: OFF
- Mobile hotspot: OFF
- VPN: OFF
- Mobile data: ON
- Wi-Fi: OFF
To perform a Network reset, follow these steps.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap General Management > Reset > Reset network settings.
- Tap Reset settings.
- If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
- Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.
Reseat SIM
Some users were able to fix texting issues by simply reseating the SIM card — removing then re-inserting. If you haven’t tried it yet, be sure to do it if resetting network settings won’t help.
Use another SMS app
There’s a chance that the problem may be caused by a bug in the current text messaging app you’re using. To check, try using another app like Google’s Android Messages and see what happens. There are other free text messaging apps in the Google Play Store.
Factory reset
Factory reset is a drastic troubleshooting step that may or may not fix the issue. If the issue is in the operating system due to a temporary bug, this might work. However, if the problem is something outside the device, or by an inefficient firmware coding, nothing may come out positive. But since there’s no direct way to check where the bug lies, you should do a factory reset if all the suggested troubleshooting steps above won’t help. Here’s how it’s done on your A5:
- Create a backup of your personal data.
- Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
- 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.
Work with your network operator
If factory reset won’t change anything and the same problem occurs, you must work with your carrier to find a solution. This problem may be a product of a glitch in their system or in your account. Since you are a paying customer, it’s their job to help you troubleshoot and resolve the problem.
Problem #3: How to recover files from Galaxy A5 with corrupted SD card
I have samsung galaxy A5 2017 and it was running quite fine since last month. When I tried to copy/store my data on another device in that sudden I found the pictures stored on my phone’s sd card are showing grey background with exclamation mark but still I stored it in my other device. but as that device was connected to laptop I tried to view my photos but I failed. Only sd card photos are behaving like that. I tried to clear up cache but after I’m left with even grey thumbnails and tiles….before clearing cache I can at least see the pictures from thumbnails/tiles just not able to open it but now grey every where….I’m using this sd card more than 2 years never had such problem but my precious photos are gone…I’ll be thankful if you can help viewing them please! Thank you.
Solution: The files or even the SD card may have become corrupted. There are many reasons why any of these can happen. Since there’s usually nothing much that you can do once the files become corrupted, the only step that you can try right now is to check whether another device can still read the SD card. If you’re lucky, you may still be able to access the files and save copies of them.
If you have another smartphone or laptop that can read an SD card, try to insert your SD card to any of them. Be sure to turn your A5 first before you disconnect the card. Once you’ve done that, insert the card to another phone or computer. If that phone or computer can read the card, that means that there must be a bug in your A5. On the other hand, if a second phone or computer can’t still read the SD card, that means your files are good as gone. Once an SD card or files are corrupted, they are often irreversible.