How to fix Galaxy Note8 S Pen issue: S Pen dot is off slightly to the right

Today’s troubleshooting article will answer a rather common report about the #GalaxyNote8 S Pen not working properly. As detailed in one of the cases below, it appears that his S Pen shows the dot to the right noticeably. If you have the same or similar trouble with your own Note8 S Pen, try browsing through our suggestions below.

Problem #1: How to fix Galaxy Note8 S Pen issue: S Pen dot is off slightly to the right

If you don’t care to read a rant the question is at the bottom. Sorry. It is unreal what I have been through with Samsung and AT&T on my Note 8 since around March 2018… I’ll never deal with either again. Even if the phone breaks under warranty. I’ll go purchase an iPhone first.

Anyway, at this point I have been through 3 S PENS. 5 months. The second S Pen pulled apart when trying to remove it from phone. OK, S Pen 1 and 3 I was holding in a writing position. Tops fell off. All warranty. 1 and 2 I received 3 days from when I mailed the broken pen in. Pen number three. Printed label. Noticed it going to repair instead of Accessory Exchange but that’s what they sent me so… Mailed on 7/9/18. They received @ 10:30 a.m. 7/11/18. I called about pen on 7/14/18. Was told he would overnight pen and to call Monday to see where it is. lie. Runaround. Everything. DELETED Samsung support # never to talk to them again. (I’ve been in an all out war over warranty for 5 months. Long… Long… Story… Even with presidents office.) Somthing got me.. Pissed again so I just looked the number up on net. WOW, all the sudden I’m talking to people with American accents… No crap. More or less…. What happened? OK we’ll take care of it. If you don’t have a tracking number by Monday email me. I’ll take care of it… on 7/21/2018… Monday, 7/23/18. Email. Replacement not available. Will send $39.99 so you can buy one online at Samsung. OK, thank you for letting me know. Friday. 7/27/18. Box on porch. Envelope inside. Letter and 3 Visa cards. $10, $10 and $20. Letter says “S Pen No Longer Available.) I’ve already had 3 more pens and ordering 3 more tomorrow for under $40.00 so… Much much worse story about my big problem with them.

Question: I have had an accuracy problem since the original pen broke. *#0*# on graph paper I draw down the line in Y… to me… (portrait)… (ex Tool And Die Maker 7 years. CNC Machinist 18 years) following the line the actual mark is off about 1/32″ to the right. Following across in X (to me) it’s about 1/32″ low. The first pen was… as we use to say… dead nut. Naught, naught. Zero zero. I could split hair with it. Well. ???NOW THE QUESTION… Is there a way to calibrate the S Pen on a Note 8 for ACCURACY? Or the Note 8 for S Pen Accuracy? Im sorry I’m so long winded but there is a LOT behind this… I am livid. I will stay that way over all this. Oh. BTW, the hover test fails. The test going around the giant blocks pass. I could pass that with my finger. Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Android version 8.0.0 Samsung Experience version 9.0 Baseband version N950USQS5CRF6 Klernel version 4.4.78-13670227 dpi@21HHADI I #l Wed Jun 27 12:25 :13 KST 2018 Build number R16NW.N950USQS5CRF6 Thanks.

Solution: Having the same exact problem even with replacement S Pens suggests that the problem might be on the phone side. If what you received were official Note8 S Pens from Samsung, you can assume they’re brand new and should work as expected. Although some Note8 users did report some S Pens appearing to be slightly off the mark, a lot of these issues are due to a screen problem. We often see issues like this with Note8s having bad digitizer. This can happen after damaging the phone following an accidental drop or exposure to elements. We don’t have the full history of your device to be able to say this with enough certainty but this can your case. We know how frustrating it can be to have a premium device like a Note8 having this minor but annoying S Pen issue but let’s be realistic. This issue is not universal and does not happen to every Note8 out there. You may have received a lemon but there’s no way for us to know that.

Since you’ve already tried to narrow down possible causes by replacing the S Pen multiple times, you should now move on and see if it’s a phone issue. The best way to do that would be to try a basic software troubleshooting which is factory reset. By resetting the device’s operating system, you’re returning all software information to their known working defaults. This can address a lot potential software problems so be sure not to skip it.

To factory reset your Note8:

1. Create a backup of your personal data (photos, videos, documents, etc.)
2. 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.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
4. 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).
5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
6. Press Power button to select.
7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
9. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Now that the phone has been reset, try your S Pen again to see how it works. Be sure not to install anything at this point so the software remains in its factory state. If your S Pen is still erratic, then that’s the time that you let Samsung know about it. Keep in mind, you’re dealing with two separate gadgets here — the S Pen and the phone. Each of them can experience problems on their own. Since you’ve already received replacements for the S Pen, it’s most likely a phone issue at this time.

Replace the S Pen tip

Some Note8 users were able to fix odd behavior of their S Pen by replacing the pointer or the tip. If the problem remains after you factory reset your Note8, be sure to do this simple trick to see if that will help.

Remove screen protectors, magnetic case covers

If you happen to be using a screen protector, we suggest that you take it off and see how accurate the S Pen becomes. Also, some Note8 users with similar issue to yours managed to fix S Pen issues before by doing away with their aftermarket covers, especially those that sport magnetic traps. Some electronic devices may suffer from interference from strong magnets nearby.

How to calibrate Galaxy Note8 S Pen?

There’s no option for an end user to calibrate the S Pen. Specifications and calibration are done in the factory and Samsung is not keen on allowing end users to tamper with their Wacom-made S Pen. The most that you can do is to access the S Pen’s settings and tweak some of its behaviors. You can do that by going to Settings > Advanced features > S Pen.

Problem #2: How to fix Galaxy Note calling issue: screen goes dark during calls

While my wife is on a call the screen goes dark, it does not stay on. So for example: she calls a number and it says to hit option 1-9. She goes to hit the button and the screen has gone dark. By the time she gets the screen up again and goes to hit the option button the IVR has times her out and she has missed out. She has the screen display set for 10 min. I have checked all possible settings the I can think of and can not seem to find the answer. Android Version – 8.0.0 Samsung Experience Version – 9.0.

Solution: Smartphones usually turns the screen off during calls to save power and to avoid the face from accidentally touching buttons. This is made possible by the proximity sensor on top. If the screen goes dark during calls, even when there’s no object (like face or hand) near the proximity sensor on top, then there may be a bug causing it. Below are the troubleshooting steps that you can try.

Verify if proximity sensor is working

The first step that you want to do is to check the functionality of the proximity sensor. This is easily done by placing the phone on a table and simulating a call. Once the call has connected, hover your hand over the top part of your Note8 and check if screen goes dark. If it does, then the sensor must be fine. If it doesn’t, it can either mean there’s a hardware problem, or a software bug is affecting it.

Clear Phone app data

We assume you’re using the stock Samsung Phone app for your calls. If you do, be sure to clear its data to return it to its factory state. Here’s how to do that:

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 app.
6. Tap Storage.
7. Tap Clear Data button.
8. Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Reset app preferences

Resetting app preferences is oftentimes overlooked in many Android troubleshooting articles but when it comes to an issue like yours, it might help a lot. It’s possible that one or some of your default apps may not be set correctly, causing this glitch to occur. Because there’s no way to know if this guess is true, what you need to do is to simply ensure that all default apps are turned on. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
4. Select Reset app preferences.
5. Restart your Note8 and check for the problem.

Reset all settings

Last but not the least, you want to reconfigure the basic OS settings without actually wiping the phone with factory reset. This is achieved by resetting all settings on your device. It has the pseudo effect of a factory reset without actually erasing personal information and some other setups. If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s how it’s done:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap General Management > Reset settings.
3. Tap Reset settings.
4. If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
5. Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.

Factory reset

You may have to ultimately do a factory reset if all the suggestions above won’t work. Factory reset ensures that the software is back to its its known working state. If it won’t fix the issue at all, you can assume that there must be a hardware malfunction causing the trouble. In this case, make sure to let Samsung check the device.

Refer to the steps above on how to factory reset your Note8.

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