Samsung Galaxy S6 Most Common Problems, Errors, Glitches & How To Fix Them

Welcome to the first part of our Samsung Galaxy S6 Troubleshooting series. Shortly after the phone was released, we already received a lot of emails from users asking us to help them fix problems they’ve encountered. The phone may have impressive specs and stunning design but there’s no guarantee everything will be smooth. So, we dedicated a troubleshooting page for the Galaxy S6 for the benefits of our readers.

I included ten problems in this post and these are the first batch of emails we received. This is a series so we will be publishing more posts like this in the following months (or years). As always, we are open to your problems and we are willing to help you fix them for free. All you need to do is send all necessary details about your phone and the problem to [email protected]. You may also post them on our Facebook wall and/or Google+ page or seek support through Twitter.

Click on a link to jump to a specific problem:

1. Galaxy S6 Battery Drains Fast, Won’t Last Long
2. Galaxy S6 Has Poor WiFi Connection
3. Galaxy S6 Cannot Continue Booting Up
4. Galaxy S6 Can’t Find Plantronics BackBeat 903+ Headset
5. Question On Galaxy S6 Non-Removable Battery, Absence Of MicroSD Card Slot
6. Galaxy S6 Won’t Turn On But Vibrates
7. Galaxy S6 Using Too Much RAM With Few Apps Running
8. Galaxy S6 Apps Disappear But Reappear After A Day
9. Issue With Galaxy S6 Wireless Charging
10. Galaxy S6 Screen Turns Off Immediately
11. Galaxy S6 Talkback Issue 

Galaxy S6 Battery Drains Fast, Won’t Last Long

Problem: Hi guys! How come Galaxy S6’s battery isn’t as good as S5’s? I upgraded thinking the new device would be better but it seems like I made a wrong turn on this. I go to work at 7 AM and often come home around 6 PM, so I need a phone that will last that long. Sad to say that around 1 or 2 PM, the S6 has drained its battery with only 15% to 20% left (yes, it has been consistent for a week now). So, I will have to enable the power saving mode just to make the phone last until I’m home. My previous phone didn’t have issues like this and to think, I only installed very few apps (not a single game). I’m really frustrated. Can you guys recommend something I have to do to remedy this? Thanks. — Jorgina

Problem 2: I just got my new Galaxy S6 about two days ago and since then, I haven’t installed an app. But it’s battery cannot make it through the day. I am not a heavy user but half way through the afternoon, I will need to plug it in to charge. Is this normal for a powerful phone like this or did I get a lemon unit? Prior to this, I had the Galaxy S3 and it would last more than 12 hours considering I’m not a heavy user. For the record, I never changed my habit of using my phone since I use it only for business purposes and not for gaming or prolonged internet surfing. It’s a shame a beautiful phone like this doesn’t have enough battery to power it up for more than 8 hours.

Suggestion: We actually received a lot of emails complaining about how short S6’s battery life is. In fact, owners who upgraded from S5 are the ones that can easily spot this issue. While Samsung, apparently, made a great effort in making the new flagship look “better,” a lot of people were asking why it only has 2550 mAh compared to S5’s 2800 mAh battery. The company’s defense is that the new device uses new technologies and components that are power-efficient (especially the display and processor). However, it appears like it could have been a better idea if the engineers put a bigger inside the phone.

Now, for our readers who are experiencing battery-related issues, please observe closely if the phone drains it’s battery under 6 or 7 hours with minimal use. If so, try to factory reset the phone and see if it still depletes it at the same (or close) rate because it could be a hardware issue. In this case, you need to have the device replaced immediately.

For owners who noticed this issue after installing apps, then try to close apps running in the background. Almost all of pre-installed apps on the S6 are running in the background by default not to mention all other features that use the sensors, heart rate monitor, camera, and other hardware. Pull up the task manager and end apps that you aren’t using. Or you may use any of the following apps:

• Greenify
• ShutApp – Real Battery Saver

I have personally used these apps so I know they’re effective when it comes to making the battery lasts longer. Also, it could help if you turn off wireless connectivity services like Bluetooth, mobile data and WiFi if you’re not using them. I use the free app LeanDroid to automatically turn off these services after a few minutes of being idle.

NOTE: We are not, in any way, affiliated with the developers of apps I mentioned here. I personally used these apps so I know how effective they are.

Galaxy S6 Has Poor WiFi Connection

Problem: Aside from battery issues I have with my new phone, Galaxy S6, the device also has issues connecting to my WiFi network. I don’t know for sure if it gets disconnected from time to time or not but it’s connection is very poor and I have a really fast internet plan. There are also times when the phone gets just one or two signal bars even if it sits just a few feet from the router. It’s frustrating to know an expensive phone like this can’t even perform the way it should. I use my phone for my email and there are messages that needs to be responded to immediately but I couldn’t do that if the phone can’t sync with the servers in real-time due to inconsistent and poor WiFi connection. Your suggestion will surely be appreciated. — Shawn

Problem 2: My Galaxy S6 has been with me for over a week already and I noticed that its internet connection is very unstable. More often when I open the browser, I will get the ‘unable to connect’ error message, which means there’s no internet connection. It happens when I’m at home and at work. I only connect to WiFi so I’m expecting the phone can load pages faster because my connection at home is over 12mbps while my company has more than that. Help please. — Jane

Troubleshooting: WiFi connection problems are common not only to Galaxy devices but to any Android smartphone, so it’s not a surprise that a lot of users have been complaining about this. We haven’t heard of a bug that affects the phone’s WiFi connection problem, so it could be something else. To troubleshoot this problem, please follow the simple guide I outlined for you:

1. First of all, reboot the phone if you haven’t done yet and then observe if the connectivity improved.
2. If not, try disabling mobile data so that the phone can stay connected with WiFi.
3. In case disabling mobile data won’t fix the problem, the next thing you do is ‘Forget’ the network(s) you get your connection from and let the phone scan and reconnect to it.
4. To troubleshot further, try connecting to other WiFi networks and observe if the connection is still unstable or slow. If so, contact your carrier or provider and have it checked or replaced.
5. If the phone can get good connection from other networks, then it’s the network you often connect to that has a problem. You may reboot your network equipment such as routers and/or modems or contact your internet service provider and have it fixed.

Galaxy S6 Cannot Continue Booting Up

Problem: So yesterday my phone randomly shut off. When I tried to power back on the maintenance mode reboot came up. My buddy said to start it in safe mode which I did. It turned back on and was fine. When I got home from work I turned off safe mode and it was fine all night until this morning when it froze up. Now even when I try to reboot it in any mode it will not start. Not normal, not safe, not factory reset, nothing. After I make the selection it won’t go past the galaxy s6/powered by android screen. — Zach

Troubleshooting: Hey Zach. Please try to press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons for more than 10 seconds until the phone turns off. This will “soft reset” the phone and it is effective when it comes to minor firmware and hardware glitches. I really don’t know what happened to the phone but there are always units that have problems out of the box. So, if soft reset won’t fix the problem, I suggest you request for a replacement right away. Any store or provider would replace a defective unit as long as it’s a manufacturing defect.

If it were just a firmware issue, re-flashing the firmware may fix the problem. However, the procedure will void the warranty so it’s not really an option for you.

Galaxy S6 Can’t Find Plantronics BackBeat 903+ Headset

Problem: Hello, my name is Michael. My problem is, that I tried to connect my Backbeat 903+ to my new Samsung galaxy S6, but the phone just seem can´t find the headphones.

I had an old android phone that died on me (Motorola Razr) the headphones are brand new and worked fine on the old phone, before it died, but when I start the Bluetooth search button on my new S6, nothing can be found in the near.

Sometimes in the list appears “6C:94:F8:E3:C1:4D” (I don´t know what that is for a device) but when trying to connect to this, it says it can´t communicate with it. I apologize for my bad English and wish you a nice day.

Suggestion: Hi Michael! Your phone already answered your question–it can’t communicate with your Bluetooth headset. The BackBeat 903+ (by Plantronics) was released around the last quarter of 2010. I should know because I received one from a local retailer for review. There have been a lot of improvements to Bluetooth since that time and as much as we want our older BT devices to work our new phones, we really can’t do anything if the issue is with compatibility. They’re not just compatible. The fact is a lot of Bluetooth headsets can no longer be used or paired with new devices bearing newer technologies. But apparently, your phone can still detect a device that is trying to pair with it through Bluetooth only that it can’t recognize it and therefore, they can’t be paired or connected.

Question On Galaxy S6 Non-Removable Battery, Absence Of MicroSD Card Slot

Question: Hi, I understand that the new Samsung S6 will no longer have a removable battery and will not take a mini SD card any longer. Please write an article explaining WHY! I love having my photos and music on the SD card on my Samsung S4. What is the rationale/excuse for the change? Thanks, Marion.

Question 2: Last year, my son gave me a Galaxy S5 phone and just this week, he said he would upgrade it to S6 and gave me a new phone. The problem is it doesn’t last as long so I wanted to buy a spare battery like what I did with the S5 but there are no spare batteries for the phone. The sales lady said that the S6 has a non-replaceable battery. Why is that? Can you explain to me why? I’m 67 years old and since last year, I have become dependent to my phone that I need it to be powered up the entire day.

Commentary: If I were to choose between an iPhone and Galaxy S5, I would not hesitate to pick up the latter not because it’s better than Apple’s product but because it has two things I am looking for in a device–removable (replaceable) battery and a microSD card slot. These things differentiate Samsung from its competitors and if you were a Samsung fan and have purchased its flagships year after year, you will ask why Galaxy S6 (and Edge)–so far, the best-looking Galaxy device–doesn’t have these differentiating factors.

Our reader Marion asked us to explain why, so I’ll explain briefly. The first factor is the design. The Galaxy S6 is noticeably thinner than the S5 at 6.8 mm (0.27 in) compared to 8.1 mm (0.32 in). A storage expansion slot will take up more space and will ruin the design, which is also the reason why it has a smaller battery than the S5.

Last year, the company was bombarded with criticisms and complaints from owners who purchased the 16GB variant of S5 because the Android system, the new features and pre-installed apps occupied almost 50% of the total internal storage. So Samsung was like, “Hey, buy the 32GB or 64GB model!” Then, there was the issue with third-party microSD cards that couldn’t be read by the device, and then complaints about data in the SD card being corrupted during or after an update. To address these issues all at once, it’s better if the expansion slot will be ditched.

Of course, there are other factors like hardware and applications stability because the phone will be reading directly from its internal storage where system files are stored. For sure, Samsung’s engineers found more benefits than disadvantages that helped them decide not to include an expansion slot.

Galaxy S6 Won’t Turn On But Vibrates

Problem: I hope you guys can figure out my problem with my Galaxy S6. This phone is still two weeks old and I’ve encountered various problems already. First it was my internet that kept disconnecting, then my emails won’t sync, then my MMS won’t work, etc. All of them, however, were fixed when I got my phone replaced. Now, there is this new problem and it seems worse because my phone won’t turn on anymore. It just keeps vibrating every few seconds and whatever I do, it just won’t power on. I am sure there’s no physical damage or any trace of liquid. I am really frustrated to have to spend for an expensive phone that I can’t use. What can you guys suggest I do to fix this? Or, can this be fixed at all? Thanks and more power! — Jessica

Problem 2: Hi guys! Help me please. My Galaxy S6 slipped out of my pocket yesterday and hit the tiled floor. The phone was off when I picked it up. I inspected it for some physical damage but there was none, only a couple of slight scratches on the side. I tried to turn it on and it did. I was able to use the phone all through the day but when I arrived home, I found out it was turned off. I though the battery was dead so I charged it in and it showed it still has 37% battery. I attempted to turn it on but nothing happened. I attempted several times, even tried booting it in safe mode and recovery mode but it just won’t respond. However, it keeps vibrating every now and then so I’m really confused why it’s acting strange. Did the drop caused the problem? How can I bring the phone back to life? Thank you! — Miles

Troubleshooting: Hi Jessica and Miles. It seems like the power keys/buttons of your devices are stuck that’s why they won’t boot up and keeps vibrating every few seconds. Try to press the Power key several times to see if it can be fixed by doing that especially in Jessica’s case wherein the phone didn’t suffer any physical damage.

Miles, the drop may have affected the power key of your phone. Well, based on your description, that’s the only thing that could cause a problem like this. But the thing is, for a new phone, there’s nothing much you can do to troubleshoot the problem. I suggest you send the phone in for repair or have it replaced immediately.

Galaxy S6 Using Too Much RAM With Few Apps Running

Problem: Do you guys noticed that Galaxy S6 is using more than 80% most of the time even if there are few apps running? I am not really a heavy user so it’s surprising to see that the RAM is almost full when all I do all day is send text messages, use the phone for calls and a few hours of browsing the internet plus email. I tried a lot of task killers already but there is virtually no process to kill because all that’s left are default apps and whatnot. How can I minimize the phone’s use of RAM? — Victor

Problem 2: Hello. I felt like my Galaxy S6 slowed down a bit performance-wise so I tried to take a look at the RAM usage and I was surprised seeing Facebook is the top RAM hog eating 143MB followed by its messenger using 86MB. Of course, other apps are also using the RAM but not as high as FB. I tried to close the app hoping the next time I run it its memory usage will go down and it did for only 20MB because it’s now using 120MB. So, I uninstalled it and reinstalled after an hour, still the same. So, my question is that is it Facebook’s fault or my phone’s? How can I fix this, by the way? — Mirana

Troubleshooting: Victor, don’t worry so much about seeing your phone use up almost all of its RAM because that’s how phones are supposed to work. In the tech community, we have this saying, “Unused RAM is wasted RAM.” It’s true as long as there’s enough room for other apps to run. Android, regardless of the brand of phone, automatically closes apps when it detects there isn’t enough space for caching the moment the user opens another app. So, don’t stress yourself out finding what the best task killer is and using it to close apps you don’t use because the system will do it for you. But just to answer your question, the only way to minimize the use of RAM is not to use heavy apps like games and other CPU-intensive apps. But even so, the phone will still use enough RAM to run pre-installed apps, its features and services.

Mirana, about your question on Facebook’s RAM use, no it’s the apps fault. It’s the firmware that needs fixing. We’re not sure if affected units are based on models but not all users have the same problem as yours. There were complaints from Galaxy S5 users saying the same thing after the lollipop update. So, there’s a chance that it is indeed firmware-related. There’s no way you can fix that but for sure Samsung will be working on it and probably roll out a minor update to fix it. If the phone slowed down just a bit, that’s normal. For other severe performance-related issues, a master reset will fix them.

Galaxy S6 Apps Disappear But Reappear After A Day

Question: It’s weird but some of my apps disappear for no reason at all. Like yesterday, there were a couple of apps that disappeared but they got back in the morning. It wasn’t the first time it happened because I already noticed such kind of behavior last week. I know it’s not really a serious problem considering those apps just reappear but I was just confused by it. Do you guys know what’s the cause of this? Thanks! – Nikki

Answer: Nikki, I was hoping you would tell us what those apps are but it’s okay. Actually, there were several Android owners who were complaining that some of the icons in their apps drawer just disappear but emerge after some time. My point is, the problem does not only occur to Galaxy S6 but to other phones as well. In fact, we already have a reader who experienced this problem with her Galaxy S6 Edge. According to her, reboot will fix the problem. The following is her actual email to us:

Email from our reader: I’ve had my s6 edge for about 2 or 3 weeks and recently I’ve noticed this problem after I organized all my apps into folders. Sometimes an app will disappear for no reason like its been deleted from the device but, when going into the app store and searching for the missing app, realize it’s still installed on the device. The only way to reach the app after this disappearance is to open the app store and open the app through there.

To fix the problem: restart device. It should return to your app screen; if you had it in a folder or a shortcut for it on the home/main screen you will have to reorganize it back into the folder it was in as well as create a new short cut for it. — Hannah

Issue With Galaxy S6 Wireless Charging

Problem: Hi! I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 since last Wednesday. I have using a Tech-Matte wireless charger without any problems from Wednesday up until Sunday. The phone charged normally Sunday morning but has not been able to wirelessly charge Sunday evening. I have rebooted the phone started in safe mode and still nothing. I have also tried a different wireless charger. I was wondering if this is a problem that anyone else has encountered. When I spoke to Verizon tech support they mentioned that this may be a new product glitch that needs to be corrected. Any ideas that you might have would be appreciated. Thanks, Alvin.

Troubleshooting: Hi Alvin! Based on your description, I really am not sure if the problem is with the phone or with the charger. To determine further which one is at fault here, try using a different wireless charger and see if your phone responds to it. If the phone won’t charge, then you request for a replacement unit from Verizon. There’s nothing much you can do about it considering it’s more of a hardware issue than software. However, if your phone charges fine with other wireless chargers, then it may be time to buy a new one.

Galaxy S6 Screen Turns Off Immediately

Problem: Hello Droid Guy, I have an AT&T enabled Samsung S6. I love the phone with one exception. When waking the phone from either sleep or locked mode, the screen stays on for only 3 seconds.

I do have Power Save Mode enabled, not Ultra. I had changed the screen timeout to 15 seconds, then tried 30 seconds as well. Basically, once the phone has been enabled (swiped or fingerprint scanned), the screen timeout works perfectly. The only time I have a problem is in the initial wake up / locked screen mode. The screen stays awake for only 3 seconds. I have search diligently on the web to find a resolution, but to no avail. Bug, or a setting that I have somehow missed? Thanks, Jeff.

Troubleshooting: Hi Jeff. There’s a setting you need to change and while it screen timeout overrides it, it will still turn the screen off if set to a shorter time. Please follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Lock screen and security.
3. Tap Secure Lock settings.
4. Tap Lock automatically.
5. Choose the timing you want.

Galaxy S6 Talkback Issue

One of our readers shared her experience with the Galaxy S6 that had issues with its Talkback feature. I just want to include her testimony for the benefit of others out there who also encounter this problem.

Email from our reader: I just wanted to put this out there for any future problems with the Samsung S6 “talkback” app. I was helping my mother get her phone set up and we were looking at the different accessibility apps. She asked what talkback was so I clicked on it. What ensued was hours of talkback hell! I basically switched it to on and couldn’t get out of the screen, I ended up just rebooting the phone and when it came back on it wouldn’t recognize her fingerprint, it wouldn’t recognize her password. All while the possessed voice in the background dialogues every button pushed. I started to notice that I would push a number and it would enter a letter. Not even something close to the button, like I would press 1 and it would input c. All while trying the double tapping.

I called Verizon and of course they couldn’t help. I did soft resets and still that annoying voice and vibration was back. Finally I told my mom to go order a new one, because if she accidentally pushes on it again she may encounter this problem again. I think hers was a lemon but I wasn’t about to try it on my own S6 so she has a new one on the way. She didn’t want to hard reset but I guess now she will lose her contacts regardless, unless best buy can get her data from her old phone transferred without getting into her old phone. Anyway, I have no input on the solution, just that the phone needed an exorcism and you may hear about this issue at some point. — Theresa

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