How to fix Galaxy S8 Plus screen flickering issue [troubleshooting guide]

Hello and welcome to another troubleshooting article for the #GalaxyS8! We would like to devote this post to the issue regarding S8’s flickering screen problem that’s experienced by a lot of people around the world. As part of our entire troubleshooting package for an S8 user mentioned below, we also touch on how to prevent your device from being compromised. We hope you’ll find this article helpful.

Today’s problem: How to fix Galaxy S8 Plus screen flickering issue

First my screen would start flickering when brightness was at lowest, now it can be at 1/4 low and start flickering. Worst though is when the screen started to just not turn on. When power key is pressed, the screen will either flash green or orange quickly before going back to black, or only the menu and back buttons will illuminate but no screen function will appear.

I’ve tried using power and home keys together. i’ve tried double tapping home. i’ve tried many random sequences but there appears to be no trick to force it to react appropriately. Most days it gives me nothing but grief. .. sometimes very randomly it will work as it’s meant to, but alas it’s never too long. I’m scared to let my backlight time out as i may never open the screen again. The only sure fix is to restart it, watch as the screen flashes its green/orange lines, then repeat restarting again.

It usually works on second restart but it can timeout waiting for the keyboard to appear and unlock the password so then you have to restart again.

My phone has not had water contact. What is causing my phone to malfunctioning like this? What do i do to fix it? !

I cannot afford another phone, nor can i afford to have an accident/get attacked and be unable to save myself by calling help because the screen malfunctions. I can’t walk around with it on charge 24/7 just to keep the screen awake, and even when using the charge screen no sleep action, if i get a phone call the screen will automatically blank out and I’m stuck unable to hang up or anything, even tho its on the bloody charger!

And another bug, not sure if any way related — my phone also seems to send a random texts to people, just for the sake of it and there’s no sign of it ever even occurring from my side. i just get confused questions from people who i tell i didn’t say anything only to get screenshots back that show i somehow did! Have i been hacked and hijacked or something?aliens? ?!!

Solution: To know if the reason for your phone screen issue is due to an app or software, you can do our suggestions below.

Refresh the system cache

The first thing that you want to do is to ensure that your device has fresh system cache. This is done by clearing the system cache. Here’s how:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the 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 to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
Press the Power key to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Install Android and app updates

Once the system cache has been refreshed, you then want to ensure that your S8 has the latest Android version. You can do that quickly by going under Settings > Software update.

If it’s already up-to-date at this time, you then want to see to it that the apps are updated as well. Here’s how:

Open Play Store app.
Tap More settings at the upper left (three-line icon).
At the very top where you see the photo for the selected Google account, tap on the profile photo of the account you want to use.
Once you’ve selected the profile you want, select My apps & games and update your apps.

Battery and OS calibration

After some time, Android may lose track of the battery’s power levels. If that happens, power problems may occur. From time to time, you want to recalibrate the battery and OS. Here’s how to do that:

Drain the battery completely. This means using your device until it powers down by its own and the battery level reads 0%.
Charge the phone until it reaches 100%. Be sure to use original charging equipment for your device and let it charge up completely. Do not unplug your device for at least two more hours and also don’t use it while charging.
After the elapsed time, unplug your device.
Restart the device.
Use your phone until it completely runs out of power again.
Repeat steps 1-5.

Observe in safe mode

In case the issue is due to poorly coded app, you want to boot the phone to safe mode. Once it’s on safe mode, you can then observe how the screen works. On safe mode, no third party apps will be allowed to run so if the screen works normally, you know you have an app issue at hand.

To boot to safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
Observe the phone while it’s on safe mode for at least 24 hours.

If you think there’s an issue with one of your apps, here’s how to identify it:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your S8 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Factory reset

If nothing changes after doing the steps above, you’ll ultimately need to wipe the device with a factory reset. This should help you determine if the cause of the issue has something to do with Android operating system or not. By wiping your phone, you are effectively returning all software information to their known, working defaults. If the cause of the problem is software in nature, the problem should go away after the device has been reset.

To factory reset your S8:

Create a backup of your files.
Turn off the device.
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.
Let the phone run for 24 hours without adding any apps.

Get professional help

If the problem is still there after a factory reset, you can assume bad hardware is to blame. Send the phone in to Samsung so they can examine it physically and repair it if needed.

Weird texting issue/ hacking issue

For your texting issue, we can’t totally eliminate the chance that your system may be compromised. That someone is hacking you and letting themselves caught by sending random texts to your contacts is a bit far off. We haven’t heard of such situation at this time but if you are concerned that your Android may be hacked, you can always factory reset it.

Malicious parties can only compromise a device like your phone if you are not vigilant. Unless you are an important person that keeps very valuable information that merits targeted attack from sophisticated hackers, there’s no way average hackers can gain entry to your system if you are careful. Common mistakes Android users often do is to install malicious apps, visit booby-trapped websites using their web browser, or click on email links from suspect sources. You are the first line of defense of your device. If you carelessly add any app that catches your attention, blame yourself if you get hacked. Again, if you think your device has been compromised, factory reset it and be vigilant when it comes to apps and online activities. Be sure to always make it a point to only install apps from reputable companies. Don’t be stupid when picking apps. If you are not sure if one can be trusted or not, better play on the safe side by not installing it after a factory reset. Stick to official apps and avoid games from unknown developers.