How to fix Galaxy S9 texting issue: Airplane Mode allows sending and receiving of texts

Hello Android fans! This troubleshooting article will try to address some issues from #GalaxyS9 devices. We hope you’ll find this post 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: How to fix Galaxy S9 if its mobile data network won’t auto connect

Hello dear! I have bought a new Samsung s9 SM-G960 Ds.My carrier provider is T-Mobile.I am having a problem with connecting to mobile data after going out of Wi-fi range or when the phone is in area without signal for example in an elevator.The phone doesnt connect automatically with mobile data and turning on/off mobile data doesn’t solve the problem.I have to go to airplane mode or restart the phone to reconnect to mobile data.I have done a factory reset and nothing was solved.i dont think it is a application issue because i have installed only 4 applications: whatsapp,viber,instagram and facebook.If i choose autoreconect 2g/3g i dont have this problem,only 4g give to me this problem.The most strange thing is that i have put a Vodafone card from two days in s9 and this problem hasnt ocurred but my Telekom card in my previous galaxy s7 doesnt give to me this problem.I have put my telekom card on my galaxy s7 again and i dont have this issue!Do you have any idea for this strange problem?Thank you very much!

Solution: If the problem remains after a factory reset, then its cause may be network configuration. To troubleshoot the problem, follow our suggestions below.

Reset network settings

First, you want to make sure that the network settings on your device are set to their defaults. You can do that by resetting the network settings. Here’s how:

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

Set to auto-connect

If nothing changes after you reset network settings, the next good thing to do is to ensure that your S9 is set to auto connect to the fastest cellular network available. You can do that by doing these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Connections.
Tap Mobile networks.
Tap Network mode
Select LTE/4G/3G/2G (auto connect).

Install carrier updates

Some network bugs are fixed by installing patches. Make sure that you don’t decline any system or app updates at this time. To manually check for system updates, go under Settings > Software update.

Work with your network operator

If the problem won’t go away at all after following the suggestions above, you need to contact your carrier, especially if the device came from them (carrier-branded device).

Problem #2: How to fix Galaxy S9 texting issue: Airplane Mode allows sending and receiving of texts

This is my first Samsung Galaxy as I’ve made the big jump from iPhone! I want to love it! But there are some issues with this brand new S9 plus!

When battery is at 0 and I plug it in, I can’t use it at all. It says I have to wait an hour and 40 minutes. (The iPhone allowed me to use it while charging).
When I travel, phone is on airplane mode. I check it, and the airplane icon is always on. I only use the phone when I have wifi. Once in wifi, I start getting all my text messages. I knew this was possible with iMessage, but this is an android. With wifi and in airplane mode, I was able to send and receive texts. Also, voicemails came in, and PHONE CALLS started coming in! So I assumed all this was through wifi. Then I get notifications that Travel Pass was turned on. Which is not true because the phone is still in airplane mode! Every day while traveling I keep getting notification that Travel Pass was activated and I’m being charged (Verizon). Yet I can only use the data when I have wifi access as the phone is still in airplane mode. I called Verizon several times to dispute these charges. But their records show that I keep accessing the data. I stopped responding to text messages in wifi areas and stopped answering any calls or checking voicemail. Yet Travel Pass was still activated in airplane mode. I believe this must be a bug with the new phone. Anyway, it is costing me hours and hours of arguing with Verizon and hundreds of dollars on supposed Travel Pass days that I never got to use because the data was never turned on. Again, I never had this problem on iPhone when I travel and have my phone on airplane mode.
Screen shot rarely works. When I hold the volume down and power buttons, it shuts off my phone or turns off the volume. When I use side swipe with the my hand on the screen, it only works half the time. It could be a problem with the case I’m using. But again, I never had this problem with iPhone, using the same case I always use (Lifeproof). Kindly advise. Thank you!
Pictures are blurry. I believe it is because of the motion photos, which I am not used to. Is there a way to switch motion photos off sometimes? Background of pictures are very blurry. There is some blur effect going on automatically. I have an expensive manual camera if I want to take artistic photographer photos. But I want the subject and the background to be clear. Is there a way to turn off this background blur effect?

I don’t know the Android version because my phone is stuck charging and won’t turn on while charging. I’m just going to pick the first one on the list.

Solution: First off, there’s a lot of different things between Android operating system and iOS. If you want to truly enjoy your Android experience, we suggest that you stop comparing everything between the two. In general, iOS devices like iPhones are designed to be easy to use while Android are not so much. With the relative sophistication of Android comes more powerful features that iOS users can not access though. Try to forget your iPhone experience so you can start enjoying your expensive Samsung Galaxy S9.

Now to answer all your concerns, let’s address them one by one.

We’re not sure if what you’re saying is accurate. We can definitely use our own Galaxy S9 when it’s charging after the battery has been totally drained. We don’t recommend that you let your battery reach 0% all the time though as that can shorten its life span. Try to do shallow charging instead to minimize the impact of degradation. Lithium-based batteries perform better if you charge them in short burst, rather than after they’ve reached 0%. If possible, try to charge the device when it’s battery has reached below 50%. Once the charge is at about 90%, stop the charge and use the phone again. This is better than waiting for 0% and recharging up to 100% all the time. Also, try to enable fast charging feature so the battery tops up faster even after it’s been on 0%. To enable fast charging, go to Settings > Device maintenance > Battery > More settings (three-dot icon at the upper right) > Advanced settings > Fast cable charging.
Ideally, Airplane Mode works similarly across devices. It’s supposed to turn off calling, messaging and mobile data. Bluetooth and wifi can be turned on even when Airplane Mode is on. If your S9 continues to be able to send and receive text messages when Airplane Mode is enabled with wifi on, your carrier may have a special system that makes that possible. Normally, Airplane Mode should override cellular settings but Verizon may have made changes to this. We suggest that you talk to them about it. TravelPass is a Verizon service and we don’t have specific knowledge about it. We suggest that you talk to Verizon how and why it’s activated even when Airplane Mode is on. Remember, you have a Verizon device that runs a Verizon software. There may be an issue how Airplane Mode is implemented so that’s not a Samsung problem. You must work with Verizon to get first-hand information.
There are multiple ways to capture screen shots on your S9, two of them you already mentioned (button combination and Palm swipe). The two other ways makes use of a special feature in some select apps to allow Scrolling capture and Samsung’s voice assistant — Bixby Voice. If you have problems doing screen shots using the button combo or palm swipe methods, they must have something to do with how you execute them. If you prefer the button combo option, make sure to press the two buttons at the same time and not after another. If you press the Power button first, you’ll most likely access the Power menu or force the device to restart. For palm swipe, an external case may interfere with how you do the swipe properly. Try to see if that’s the reason for the problem by removing the case. If you have no problem doing a screen shot via Palm Swipe when there’s no external case, then we suggest you try other screen shot methods.
Motion Photo is the Samsung equivalent of your iPhone’s Live Photos feature. It’s basically a special setting that allows your S9 to capture about three seconds of video before you hit the camera shutter button. It doesn’t affect the sharpness of the main photo itself. If you want get sharp photos, make sure to allow the phone to focus properly on a subject. Keep in mind that there a number of factors that affect photo sharpness. If the subject is moving, or if your hand is unsteady when you hit the shutter button, don’t expect a sharp photos overall. To allow your S9 to focus properly, be sure to tap the area of the photo where you want the camera to focus on. Taking photos in low-light environments can also result to out-of-focus scenarios. If you use Portrait mode, don’t expect the background becomes focused too. In general, try playing around with your camera settings and modes and see which ones are perfect for you.