How to recover files from a Note 5 that won’t turn on, won’t recognize fingerprint, other issues

Hello Android fans and welcome to our new #GalaxyNote5 article. As usual, we’re discussing reported Note 5 problems and their solutions. We hope that the solutions we give here will help not only those mentioned in this post but others who may be experiencing similar troubles.

Note 53

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.

Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:

Problem 1: Galaxy Note 5 won’t charge or turn on after an accidental drop

To whom it may concern:  I have technical questions regarding a Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Here is what happened: I was talking on the phone on bluetooth headphones, walking up the stairs when the phone slipped and fell on the floor. I immediately drop the call. The screen is black and doesn’t respond to any buttons. My initial reaction was the screen had broken, but the call dropped, no lights above the screen and the headphones are beeping like when they are trying to establish a connection. Conclusion: phone is turned off.

I put it on the charger and the charging screen appears (battery with thunderbolt inside), but there is no green juice floating up to the battery. Conclusion: phone is not charging. I tried a bunch of different cables and even a laptop; same result. I removed the back and disconnected the battery and reconnected it. I even double checked all the connections. All good. I tried the home button + power button for 10sec and nothing. I tried the power button + down volume button for 10sec and nothing. I tried the power button + up volume button for 10sec and nothing. Any and all assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! — Monica

Solution: Hi Monica. In some cases, users can get away with their phones intact after accidentally dropping it. In most cases though, especially those that involves a bad drop, problems may show right away, or may take some time to develop. If the only different thing you did was to drop your phone prior to noticing these problems, stop looking for software solutions. There’s no amount of software tweaks or button presses that you can do to solve your problem. You need to have a professional check the status of your phone’s hardware so an assessment can be made. If you’re lucky (yes, sometimes luck can play a role in this type of problem) and the issue is isolated to a component that can easily be replaced like a battery, the phone should work back normally. If there are multiple broken parts though, or if the motherboard has been permanently damaged, phone replacement may be your only recourse.

Problem 2: Galaxy Note 5 messaging app freezes when sending SMS

My Samsung Note 5, when sending text messages, I’ve noticed that certain numbers randomly hang and it won’t send. For instance, I tried to send a reply text to a person just two days ago the replies were going through and then they stopped going through in the messages would hang. Now that number works fine and I can text it successfully. Today there’s a different phone number that I’m replying to and the text will just hang. period. I went to AT&T and they said if it’s an iPhone I’m sending to it’s on their end. That does not make sense to me. Any thoughts?

Oh and I have no problem sending text to everyone else. Also, I don’t know what Android version this is.  —  Morgan

Solution: Hi Morgan. We don’t think it’s a network- or number-related problem neither. There must be an issue with the messaging app you’re using. To check, below are the things that you must try.

Boot to safe mode and observe how messaging works. This troubleshooting step assumes that you’re using the native, that is, the pre-installed Messages app. There’s a chance one of third party apps is buggy and affects the performance of the messaging app. By booting your phone to safe mode, you’re preventing third party apps and services from running, while still allowing pre-installed apps like Messages to work. If your problem won’t occur while the device is in safe mode, that’s proof of our suspicion.

Below are the steps on how to boot your phone to safe mode:

  1. Turn off the phone completely.
  2. Press and hold the Power key.
  3. Once ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  4. The phone will restart but keep the Volume Down button pressed.
  5. Once the phone has finished restarting, ‘Safe mode’ will be display in the lower-left corner of the screen.
  6. You may now release the Volume Down button.

Wipe the app’s cache and data. If you’re using a third party messaging app, the best move that you can do is to wipe the app’s cache first. If that won’t work, proceed to clearing the app’s data. Clearing an app’s data will restore the said app’s to its default state. In a messaging app, this will delete all your messages so make sure to back them up before you proceed. Here are the steps on how to delete an app’s cache and data:

  1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
  2. Navigate down to “Apps”. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6 or 7.
  3. Once in there, click on an application.
  4. You’ll now see a list of stuff that gives you information about the app, including Storage, Permissions, Memory Use, and more. These are all clickable items. You’ll want to click on Storage.
  5. You should now clearly see the Clear Data and Clear Cache buttons for the application.

Use a different messaging app. If both procedures won’t work, try using another app.

Problem 3: Galaxy Note 5 won’t turn on

Good afternoon. Although not so much for me. I purchased the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 2 months ago and now it will not turn on. Basically, I’ve done any way of trouble shooting the darn thing and still no results. It worked fine this morning, its alarm awoke me. Then when I went to charge it and came back it wouldn’t turn on or even show it was charging.. screen is completely black. I’ve taken great care of it, always in a case and not even a scratch..could this be the battery..? or is my phone toast already:( — Kailey

Solution: Hi Kailey. Try to see if you can turn the phone on to other modes. Here the steps:

Boot in Recovery mode:

  1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  6. You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

  1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
  4. Wait until the Download screen appears.
  5. If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
  6. Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

  1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Press and hold the Power button.
  3. Once the Samsung Galaxy logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  4. Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
  5. Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
  6. The only difference of safe mode from normal mode is that the former prevents third party apps from running. If you can boot the phone in safe mode but not in normal mode, uninstall all apps until the issue (that prevents you from booting normally) is eliminated.

NOTE: If your phone remains dead, send the phone in.

Problem 4: Galaxy Note 5 won’t recognize fingerprint

I was not having issues about fingerprints and backup password at all after updating my Samsung Note 5. But recently, when I scanned my fingerprint like usual, my phone do not read anything, no vibration (usually my phone vibrates a bit when i scanned my fingerprint), no nothing. I tried the back up password and when i tapped on the blank field, even the keyboard did not appear! I could not get in at all. Only when I restarted my phone it would work for once or twice. But after that the scanner and back up password were not working again. Now I used the swipe screen setting without passwords. It works fine but no security at all. So what to do about this? I am pretty sure it is not because updating, or is it? — Jessjesslyn

Solution: Hi Jessjesslyn. If you’re positive that this problem started after you installed an update, we want you to do three things — delete and re-register a new fingerprint, cache partition wipe and factory reset. Any of them should fix the issue.

Below are the steps on how to wipe the cache partition and factory reset. We’re pretty sure you know how to delete your fingerprint and register a new one.

Note 5 cache partition wipe

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
  3. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
  4. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
  5. The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
  6. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  7. When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
  8. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

Note 5 factory reset

  1. Create a backup of your important files such as photos, videos, contacts etc. You can use Smart Switch for this task.
  2. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
  4. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
  5. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
  6. The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
  7. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
  9. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

Problem 5: Galaxy Note 5 won’t turn on | How to recover files from a Note 5 that won’t turn on

My Galaxy Note 5 will not fully turn on. I was using it on the 15th of May just casually texting and then went to the home screen then proceeded to close my phone, but when i did, it didn’t shut off instantly as it should’ve. I pressed the power button again then the screen just went black. so i decided to just do a ‘soft reset’ hoping that it would fix it. But when i did that, it vibrated instantly without me pressing a button as if it was turning on, and the logo would pop up for about 2 seconds and the phone would shut down after the 2 seconds. i tried it again but with a charger and it still did the same thing but showed it was charging instead of the logo and still shut off. I understand that it is an old phone but even with a cracked screen, dropped many times, and half of it practically submerged in water it still worked fine. I’m really scared and frustrated because I’ve a lot of important information that i cannot lose. — Daniel C

Solution: Hi Daniel. If your phone had been badly dropped and exposed to water before, you should really consider having the hardware checked. If your phone won’t turn on after trying another USB cable and charging lead, a technician needs to check and assess the hardware. Only then will you know if there’s way to save it or not.

As regards your desire to recover your data, that depends whether or not your phone can boot back normally. If it stays dead due to hardware malfunction, you’re out of luck.

Problem 6: Galaxy Note 5 charges very slowly, won’t charge if phone is on

My phone is almost a year old. It will not charge if it is turned on. However, it will charge in the power off mode but very slowly. The problem began one day with the phone not charging at all! Then I switched out the cords and found out that it will charge only when off. I tried holding down the power button for 30 seconds . That did not work. Can you please help me find the solution? I just really need my phone. My daughter has cystic fibrosis and is in and out of the hospital a lot. I do not have the money to go to a tech right now. Can you please help? — Laurie

Solution: Hi Laurie. The first thing that you want to check is the possibility that a software glitch may be behind the issue. To do that, you need to factory reset the device. After that, let it charge while powered on (and make sure that you don’t install any app or update). If charging remains erratic after a factory reset, you should consider having the phone repaired or replaced. There’s no software troubleshooting that you can do to fix a hardware issue.

Problem 7:  Galaxy Note 5 keeps running out of available space

I have an SD card, however the phone came with A LOT of preloaded apps that can’t be moved or deleted. As a result, every 10 – 15 minutes of use I have to clear the phone’s Cache along with clearing Data on some apps that I never use. The Data just keeps reappearing a few minutes later and the cycle starts all over again. I’m not really sure what would happen if I clear Data on apps like: Google Photos, Chrome, Drive, Pinterest, Tumblr or Lookout. I understand that clearing Data is essentially the same as when the app was first installed. But since then, I’ve created Albums in Google Photos, saved Bookmarks in Chrome, created Boards in Pinterest, saved posts to Drafts & Queue in Tumblr and I don’t know what’s stored in Lookout’s Data. How can I tell the difference between what information is stored by the company (Google Photos, Chrome, Tumblr, etc.) directly, and what information is stored in their app’s Data on my phone? THANK YOU VERY MUCH for any help you can give me. — Todd

Solution: Hi Todd. The answer to your question depends on the type of app. For example, most social networking apps like Facebook may keep cache (in general, these are temporary set of files used for performance- and update related tasks) and  user data such as photos, videos, screenshots, or any other type of files that are saved locally (meaning kept under main the Facebook folder). In other words, the type of files a particular app is keeping varies. Some of them can be deleted safely while others may be necessary to maintain certain functions of an app. If you want to know what an app is keeping, you can play around with My Files app to browse folders.

If you want to permanently resolve the issue though, we suggest that you lessen the number of apps you install, as well as move non-system critical files such as photos, videos, music, etc out of the phone’s internal storage device. You can use your SD card to store them.

Problem 8: Wet Galaxy Note 5 won’t turn on anymore, cannot recover files after Note 5 stopped turning back on

I have a Galaxy Note 5. Two months ago I locked myself out of my phone and performed a factory reset. Unfortunately, my memory card had recently been corrupted so I lost ALL of my pictures… which included pictures of my then 3-month old baby. Fast forward to this morning… My phone was working at about 5 am. I used a few apps, shut them down and tried to get a few hours of sleep. Tried to use my phone some time around 10 am and I got a frozen screen which turned into a black screen. The phone hasn’t powered on since. As stated, I had to factory reset my phone 2 or 3 months ago. 2 or 3 months before that, I dropped my phone in the toilet. Opened it up, dropped it in rice, powered it on 14 hours later and it worked like new.  I really don’t want to lose all of my pictures again. Please help! — Mary

Solution: Hi Mary. In a of lot cases, effects of water damage can be instantaneous, while in others, problems can sometimes take time to develop. Putting a wet phone inside a bag of rice is NOT a fix. It’s just one of the series of steps that you need to do to apply “first aid” to your wet device (others include dismantling the phone, removing the battery, cleaning dismantled parts and battery with alcohol, and drying the parts in a bag of rice for a few days). And like in real life, a first aid procedure can be critical but it won’t cure the real issue. Exposing the motherboard to moisture, however small, can have longer-lasting effect as corrosion can develop for days or weeks. Once corrosion has reached a certain extent though, it can never be undone, and will more likely to expand further. If you never sent the phone to a technician after getting it wet a few months back, now is the right time to do that. If you’re lucky and the damage is only isolated to a component that can easily be replaced like the battery or charging port, you may still be able to save your phone, thus saving your photos as well.

And by the way, always make it a habit of creating a backup of your irreplaceable digital moments like photos and videos in a another device or cloud at all times. Digital storage devices can fail anytime. That’s a fact. You only have yourself to blame if you’ll lose important data again in the future.

 


TheDroidGuy Mailbag

🛠️If you have questions, check our Help section for details on how to submit your questions.💡


Posts You Might Like

1 thought on “How to recover files from a Note 5 that won’t turn on, won’t recognize fingerprint, other issues”

  1. i have galaxy note 5 since almost 2 year. since last week it is not charging properly
    it is taking way longer time to charge i. e 8 hour to fully charge.
    i have changed cable changed adopter as well , but no luck.
    when i am charging phone with laptop it is taking same time as it is taking with fast power adopter or any other adopter. i .e 7-8 hour.
    also would like to let you know battery performance is normal , i did not observer any difference in performance of battery.
    it seems like hardware issue to me sometime, may be port is faulty , but at the same time, if usb port is at fault it should not charge phone at all.
    pls help
    i have reset the phone as well

Leave a Comment