Welcome to another installment of our troubleshooting series where we aim to help our readers who own the #Samsung #Galaxy #J3 fix the issues that they are experiencing with their phone. This is a budget Android smartphone that has a good build quality and has most of the basic features that you would want on a mobile device. Although this is a solid performing device there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Galaxy J3 weak signal reception issue.
If you own a Samsung Galaxy J3 or any other Android device for that matter then feel free to contact us using this form. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do contact us try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.
How To Fix Samsung Galaxy J3 Weak Signal Reception
Problem: I bought a Samsung Galaxy J3 in the USA last summer (Model SM-J327T). The phone worked well. Then I had it unlocked by Samsung and moved to the UK. Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but now the phone doesn’t work so well: it often has a weak signal in places where I should have great reception. This affects my ability to access data in particular. Wifi is fine. Samsung in the UK won’t fix a non-EU phone, but their advisor suggested it might be an antenna issue and that I should pay a third-party provider to have it fixed. I don’t want to pay if I can avoid it. I wonder if the problem might be something to do with the move from the USA to the UK. Might it be possible to fix the problem by adjusting the phone’s settings?
Solution: Before performing any troubleshooting steps on this phone it’s best to make sure that it is running on the latest software version. If an update is available then I suggest that you download and install it first.
The first thing that you will need to do in this case is to check if the network is causing the problem by following the troubleshooting steps listed below.
Check the network signal bars
It’s best to make sure that the phone has excellent signal reception from the network as a low signal can cause this particular problem. If necessary go to an area that has a strong signal reception then check if the issue occurs.
Check if there is a network outage
Sometimes this problem can be caused by issues within the network itself. You can check the website of your carrier if there are any reports of outages in your area. You can also contact the customer service department of your carrier to verify if a network outage exists.
Try using a different SIM card
There are instances when the problem can be caused by a faulty SIM card. To verify if this is the case you should try using a different SIM in your phone.
If the problem is not caused by the network then proceed with the additional troubleshooting steps listed below.
Perform a soft reset
Most issues such as this can usually be fixed by doing a soft reset. Since your phone has a removable battery I suggest that you remove the battery then press and hold the power button for at least a minute. Reinsert the battery then turn on the phone. This procedure will refresh the phone software. Once this is done check if the issue still occurs.
Check if the problem occurs in Safe Mode
There are instances when an app you downloaded can cause this particular problem. To check if this is the case you will have to start the phone in Safe Mode as only the pre-installed apps are allowed to run in this mode.
- Turn the device off.
- Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
- 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’.
If the problem does not occur in this mode then it could be caused by an app you downloaded. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.
Wipe the cache partition of the phone
There are cases when the temporary data of the phone software can get corrupted which can result to issues occurring on the device. The best thing to do in this scenario is to wipe the cache partition of the phone from the recovery mode.
- Turn off the phone.
- Press and hold the Volume Up and Home keys.
- Press and hold the Power key until the device vibrates, then release it. Keep pressing the Volume Up and Home keys the entire time.
- When you see the Android Recovery screen, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
- Use the Volume keys to scroll down to Wipe cache partition, then use the Power key to select it.
- Use the Volume keys to scroll down to Yes, then use the Power key to select it.
- Use the Volume keys to scroll down to Reboot system now, then use the Power key to select it.
Check if the issue still occurs.
Perform a factory reset
One last troubleshooting step to consider is a factory reset. This will revert the phone back to its original factory condition and will usually fix the problem in case is is caused by a software glitch. Make sure to backup your phone data before performing this procedure.
- Turn off the phone.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the device logo screen displays, release only 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 several times key 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.
Check if the issue still occurs. In case it does then this could already be caused by a faulty hardware component, possibly the antenna. The best thing to do right now is to bring the phone to a service center and have it checked.
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