We often receive questions from Android users all the time what needs to be done if a screen gets damaged or cracked. In today’s #GalaxyS8 troubleshooting episode, we once again tackle this common question.
Problem #1: How to fix Galaxy S8 cracked screen showing horizontal lines
Hi there, just wanted to say I’m not sure what Android Version I had, I believe I had an update waiting for me when this incident. My phone had some small cracks at the base of the screen, as well as the missing the bottom centimeter or so of glass from the bottom left corner of the screen, all near the “home” button. I fell into the ocean with this phone in a plastic bag that broke. I dried it after about 30 minutes after and put it in rice, and washed it with fresh water just now and put it back in rice, to prevent potential salt build up from the sea water. Since this incident, my phone will turn on, and the first instant the screen is on, the image is pretty clear. But soon after, some shimmering horizontal lines appear on the screen, distorting the image, and the last time I tried to charge it, those lines and a green static kind of enveloped the whole screen. The touch screen still works surprisingly, although slightly less responsive. I do not have insurance, and my local technician said that he does not know if the screen replacement will fix the damage, and I would really not want to move out of this phone if possible, so what would be the best course of action? Thanks. — Jesse
Solution: Hi Jesse. If there were no major software changes to your phone and it was working normally before you got it wet and damaged, the most likely issue is caused by hardware damage. The thing is, there’s no telling what exactly may be going on with the device. We believe part or parts of the screen assembly may no longer be working properly. If all areas of the screen still detects your touches, then the main failure may lie on the monitor, a component of the screen assembly that displays the image. It may be damaged by the shock from the accidental drop, or by water penetrating the broken screen assembly.
Have your phone repaired
In this situation, a trained professional needs to open your phone up. This is an important first step to fixing the problem. After examination, that’s the only time that he or she will know if the problem lies on the screen assembly only, or if it involves the motherboard.
We don’t think this problem is caused by bad software at all and looking for a software solution in this case is a waste of time. If you still can though, make sure to back your data up, then factory reset the device. If the phone’s screen remains problematic after a factory reset, you have to send the phone to Samsung. We know that it’s a bit expensive when you use Samsung Service Center expertise in dealing with this problem but think of it as a good investment. While third party technicians may be a little cheaper, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to fix the issue for good. If Samsung finds out that your phone is beyond economical repair (for example if the root cause is due to motherboard damage or fault), they’ll most likely recommend a phone replacement instead. Third party repair centers can’t do that so there’s a chance that you’ll ultimately end up with a totally useless phone.
Get Samsung professional support
If you’ll send your device to a third party technician first and they’ll open your phone, the warranty will be void. This means that if you’ll eventually send the phone in to Samsung in case it won’t be fixed by a third party, you’ll no longer have that chance. A tampered hardware will automatically disqualify you from seeking hardware repair from Samsung, even if you’ll pay them for it. We understand it may be difficult for you financially to pay for Samsung repair but it’s the only reliable solution in this case. As we’ve said, there’s no software solution for a cracked or malfunctioning screen. There’s no magic software tricks to undo hardware damage.
Problem #2: Galaxy S8 Whatsapp app keeps crashing when sending multiple images
I have galaxy s8 SMG950FD on android 8.0.0. When i use latest version on whatsapp from play store i face a problem with whatsapp. Whenever i try to forward multiple images from one contact to another or even try to send multiple (over 5) images from gallery, the app crashes,every single time. I have tried wipe cache,reinstalling app etc. Now i am using an older version of the app. 2.18.92 This works fine. no issues faced in this. But by mistake if it gets updated via play store again the same problem. So it will be really helpful if i could get a permanent solution. — Rishav makkar
Solution: Hi Rishav. If Whatsapp only works when it’s running an older version, that means that the updated version has a coding issue. In order not to update Whatsapp, make sure that you set Google Play Store not to download and install updates for all apps. This is hardly an ideal solution but this is the only workaround that you can do at this time.
Report the bug
In order to help Whatsapp developers improve the app and know your issue as well, we suggest that you report the bug using the contact details under the app’s settings menu. Make sure to give as many relevant information as possible so their software engineers can troubleshoot the issue efficiently.
Use the Beta version
While many Android users don’t usually use beta versions of apps, you can actually try to become one for your Whatsapp application. Beta app versions are usually unstable and has lots of bugs but you can give it a try to see if the opposite works for you. We tried this with our Facebook app about a week ago when its having an issue we could not solve at works great until now. At this point, we don’t know what’s really causing why Whatsapp keeps crashing on your device so you can try anything, including using a beta version. You can just revert back to the final version anyway if beta is just as problematic.
To get a beta version of Whatsapp, you can visit this page.
Problem #3: Galaxy S8 digitizer is broken, screen is unresponsive after being exposed in water
Hi. I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 and some parts of the screen is unresponsive. I was swimming and I got my phone with me in the pool. I made sure the phone is not in water for 30 minutes or more. After a while, I noticed that some parts of the screen is unresponsive but over all, it is working well. I did a reset but nothing happened. I also have a little crack on the bottom right corner of the screen, but it does not really have any effect on the phone until now. Aside from that, there is no issue. However, I couldn’t unlock my phone because the screen on which the pattern crosses is unresponsive. When I open the emergency call, keypads: 1,2,3,4,5,6 is unresponsive, while other parts of the screen is okay. I’ve put the phone in a rice for a night but nothing happened. What do you suggest about the phone? and how do I recover files (especially files in secure folder) from the phone with the screen unresponsive? — Cath
Solution: Hi Cath. Your Galaxy S8 has water resistance protection but that doesn’t mean it can stay that way all the time. Water resistance in smartphones are easily compromised by a number of factors, especially by physical damage. If you dropped your phone before which resulted to a small crack in the screen, it may have also broken other parts in your phone which were previously fortified by Samsung’s proprietary water resistance design. Water may have seeped inside the phone in one of these tiny cracks, causing the screen assembly to malfunction.
There are three major components in a screen assembly — digitizer, monitor, and flex cable. The monitor is the one the displays the images just like your computer monitor does. The digitizer is a thin transparent layer on top of the monitor that senses your touches. The flex cable powers up the digitizer and allows signals from it to be transmitted to the motherboard. We think the problem right now lies on your phone’s digitizer because some parts have become unresponsive. Unfortunately, the digitizer is the only gateway to the system. Without it, you won’t be able to send your desired commands to, say, unlock the screen and do other things. In other words, without it, you’re effectively locked out of your phone. There’s no software trick that you can do to fix it. If our suspicion is right, the minimum effort that you can do is to send the device in.
If you’ll let Samsung replace the screen, you’ll almost certainly lose your data because they’ll wipe the phone during or after repair. If those files are really that important to you, you can let a third party technician fix the phone for you. By doing that, you can tell the technician that you only need to have the screen replaced and leave anything else untouched. Keep in mind though that Samsung will no longer even look at your phone once they’ll know that the hardware has been tampered with. So, if an independent technician won’t be able to fix the problem at all and you’ll decide to let Samsung repair the phone, you’ll not be able to do so anymore.