Sprint Galaxy S5 Problems, Errors & How To Fix Them [Part 2]

Dear readers! Welcome to the 2nd part of our Sprint Galaxy S5 Troubleshooting series. While we already have an existing series for the S5, we found it necessary to publish support articles for our readers who explicitly mentioned their service provider or carrier. This is one of our ways to provide personalized support, although, we only support service providers in the U.S.

In this post, I included a dozen of problems Sprint users reported plus their solutions and/or workarounds. Please browse through this page to see if your concern is among the ones I addressed.

For those who have issues with their phones, feel free to ask us questions or seek help. You may contact us through email at [email protected] or post on our social pages: Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. I also suggest you visit our Samsung Galaxy S5 Troubleshooting page as it contains hundreds of problems we previously addressed.

Click on a link below to jump to a specific section:

Sprint Galaxy S5 Can’t Connect To The Internet
Sprint Galaxy S5 Restarts Randomly
Multiple Issues With Sprint Galaxy S5 After Lollipop Update
Galaxy S5 Stuck On Sprint Spark Screen
Can’t Edit/Reset APN Settings on Sprint Galaxy S5
Sprint Galaxy S5 Won’t Boot Up
Sprint Galaxy S5 Issue With Stock Email App
Multiple Performance Issues With Sprint Galaxy S5
Lollipop Update Corrupted Photos in Galaxy S5 Sport
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync Issue On Sprint Galaxy S5
Sprint Galaxy S5 Can’t Connect to Home WiFi
S Health & Samsung Galaxy Stopped Working

Sprint Galaxy S5 Can’t Connect To The Internet

Problem: Hello, I purchased my Galaxy S5 back in October and I have had no problems with it up until now. We have 24GB of data per month and have not came close to going over which leads me to my problem. I can receive phone calls, emails, and text messages while not on wifi, but none of my apps will work. Snapchat will jot send snaps and proceeds to tell me I have no Internet connection, Twitter and all related apps will not refresh until I am back on wifi. Please help!

Troubleshooting: Hi! First of all, turn off WiFi in your phone and then, double-check if mobile data is enabled in your phone by following the steps below:

From the top edge of your phone screen, slide two fingers down.
If the mobile data icon is colored neon green, it’s enabled. Otherwise, just tap on it to turn on and this could be just the fix you’re looking for.

However, if mobile data was already turned on yet the phone can’t still connect to the internet, then there must be something wrong with the APN. Check to see if your phone still has the correct APN from Sprint. Follow these steps to check APN settings:

Go to Settings.
Tap More networks.
Tap Mobile networks.
Touch Access Point Names.
If the phone’s from Sprint originally, it must already have an APN. All you need to do is tap Restore defaults.

After that, check if the phone can now connect to the internet. If not, then double-check if the APN conforms with the following settings:

Name: Sprint
APN: cinet.spcs
Proxy: blank
Username: blank
Password: blank
Server: Not set
MMSC: blank
MMS Proxy: 68.28.31.7
MMS Port: blank
MCC: 234
MNC: 15
Authentication type: not set
APN Type: default
APN protocol: IPv4

If everything else failed, please call Sprint and ask for the correct APN or ask the rep to check if everything is fine on their end.

Sprint Galaxy S5 Restarts Randomly

Problem: So every now and then my S5 comes up with a 1 minute timer to restart the device with no reason why. Notification says device will restart in (1 minute timer) I have found nothing in any of the forums i have read to fix it and was wondering if anyone else is having this issue. I’ve noticed it sometimes during daylight hours but mainly around 11pm +/- half an hour. Please help. — Cody

Troubleshooting: Hi Cody. If the phone “randomly” restarts at a specific time of the day, it could be an app that’s causing it. I haven’t heard of a pre-installed app that would cause the phone to reboot so it might be a third-party one that’s causing the problem. One way to isolate the problem is to reboot the phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all downloaded applications. Once the phone is in safe mode, observe if the phone still reboots. If not, then find the app that’s causing the problem and uninstall it. Otherwise, the problem is with the firmware and factory reset might just be the most logical thing to do since we don’t know what’s really causing the issue.

Multiple Issues With Sprint Galaxy S5 After Lollipop Update

Problems: Hello Droid Guy, soon after I upgraded to the S5, the lollipop release was issued for my provider. Not sure if that is the culprit. Currently having issues with:

MANY applications constantly updating. Especially apps that are inconveniently pre-loaded,
wifi continuously scanning (with those options turned off), switching between open networks and dropping,
a notification that the phone is “downloading avatars” for over 24 hours!?! Unable to find the app that is responsible.

Are you aware of any of the above concerns?

Samsung Galaxy S5 purchased 12/27/2014 through Sprint now running the “Connections Optimizer” program, with no difference. Thanks in advance for any response, Michelle W.

Troubleshooting: Yes, Michelle. The problems you’ve encountered after you updated your phone to lollipop are among the most common issues owners reported. But don’t worry, these issues can be fixed:

First, about the apps that constantly updating, just reboot the phone until all apps are optimized. Some users reported they had to restart their phones more than 5 times to optimize all their apps.

Second, disabling the Smart Network Switch often fixes issues with wireless connectivity. But since you said you already did that and the problem remained, then wipe the cache partition to force the phone to delete previous service caches and create new ones. That should do it.

About the third problem, just clear the cache and data of the Download manager and the phone will stop downloading all files or documents or whatever it is your phone is downloading.

I hope this helps, Michelle.

Galaxy S5 Stuck On Sprint Spark Screen

Problem: Hello. I have the Samsung Galaxy S5 (Sprint Spark) for about 7 months and I first upgraded the phone firmware and the phone didn’t turn on, so I went to the Sprint store and they restore the device to its factory mode.

Now, It happened again… I received the request to upgrade the firmware, I made a backup and give the ok to upgrade. Once again I got a problem, but this time the boot get stuck on the yellow Sprint Spark and stays there forever. After a minute or so the phone starts to get hotter and hotter. Try to power off and the button doesn’t work, the only way to turn it off is removing the battery.

Thing I’ve already done:

wipe data/factory reset (ok) (stays frozen on Sprint Spark screen)
wipe cache partition (ok) (stays frozen on Sprint Spark screen)
reboot to bootloader (stay on downloading mode forever)

After all this it freezes on Sprint Spark screen. I’ll appreciate any recommendation or quick fix to resolve this problem. Thanks, Marco.

Troubleshooting: Hi Marco. The only way (the way I see it) to fix this problem is to “reflash” the firmware and there are two options to go about it: either you reflash the previous firmware and re-update or simply flash the new firmware into your phone. However, doing so on your end will void the warranty. So, I suggest you let Sprint’s technicians do it for you. I really am not sure why your phone can’t successfully update over the air. Maybe next time try using Samsung Kies when updating to prevent this issue.

Can’t Edit/Reset APN Settings on Sprint Galaxy S5

Question: Hey my Galaxy S5 updated to the 5.0 version and I’m trying to get my mms to start back working…But under my access point names menu, its not letting me reset to default..could you please help me out? My phone is under Sprint but was flashed over to page plus. — Ryan

Answer: More often, CDMA phones (those that don’t use SIM cards) come with APN already embedded in the firmware and end users have no way of editing it. In this case, only your provider can help you.

During my tenure as a tech support for one of the wireless companies in the US, we have a tool that could reset APN settings in both Verizon and Sprint networks. So, I suggest you call Sprint’s tech support and have the rep reset the APN for you.

Sprint Galaxy S5 Won’t Boot Up

Problem: Hello. I did a reset to factory defaults and now the phone won’t power back on. It is a Sprint phone and worked just fine until an update took it from kit kat to android. Now I have glitches where the camera malfunctions apps stop working and now it gets hot and uses battery very fast even though I have all apps as forced stop in application manager. Even when in sleep mode it doesn’t want to wake up all the time. It will vibrate go to Samsung Galaxy S5 start screen, stay there for a bit bout 30 seconds and then turn black screen and try to restart again over and over again and again. This especially happens a lot when Sprint updates their SprintZone app, which seems to be daily. Any ideas prior to trading it in for a note 4? — Larry

Related Problem: Hello, I have this annoying issue with my Sprint Galaxy S5 after I updated its software to lollipop. After a day or two my mobile keeps on rebooting and I don’t know what causes the issue. I tried removing the battery and waited several hours assuming that the issue will be fixed. But when I placed it back the battery, my phone still keeps on rebooting and I can’t use it. Is there any fix for this issue? Help! – Owen

Troubleshooting: Hi Larry! First of all, make sure the phone has enough battery to power it on. Plug it in to charge until it’s full and then begin your troubleshooting.

Based on your description, it seems like the Power key of your device is stuck. Try pressing the button several times to see if you can make the device to power up until the Home screen shows.

In the case where the phone can boot up successfully but reboots randomly, the problem might be in the firmware. The best way to isolate the issue is to boot it up in safe mode and observe closely if the problem still occurs. Hard reset is you last option before you decide to trade it with a different device. But if I were you, I won’t trouble myself so much with troubleshooting when I’m considering buying a new phone to replace it.

Sprint Galaxy S5 Issue With Stock Email App

Problem: I have a Galaxy S5 I purchased in January 2015. My carrier is Sprint. It has had the lollipop update for quite a while now, maybe a couple of months, with no real problems. Just in the last week or so I noticed an issue with the email app. (Stock app.).

When viewing the email folders the trash folder will show X number of deleted emails next to it. After opening the trash folder and deleting all trash emails, the trash folder is empty, however, when you return to the folders view the trash folder will still show that there are X number of deleted emails in the folder, but when you open the trash folder again it is empty. For example right now the trash folder shows there are 63 deleted emails in it but when I open it, it is empty. If I delete all of my email accounts and then set them all back up it corrects the problem but after about a day or so the problem returns. I have done this 3 times now. Also when viewing the individual accounts (I have 4) it is not always the same account causing the problem, it may be any of the 4 or a combination. I have looked online and this seems to be an issue that has been around for quite some time with Galaxy products but no one has found a solution for it so far. Also I called Sprint tech. support and after an hour and a half they gave up and connected me to Samsung support who tied directly into my phone and after another hour they gave up. Would really appreciate any help in finding a fix. Thanks, Marty.

Troubleshooting: I really feel sorry for you knowing you’ve already spent so much time with different tech support groups to no avail. I have seen a lot of problems like this before and most of the time, deleting the problematic account and setting it back up will fix the issue.

I really don’t know what troubleshooting procedures you’ve already done with Sprint and Samsung tech support but the way I see it, deleting all the accounts and clearing both the cache and data of the Email app before setting them all back up will fix this. Also, to troubleshoot further (and it may take days depending on the number of accounts you have), I suggest you setup just one account per day and observe when the problem would show up. This way, you will know for sure if the issue is with the app or with your accounts.

Multiple Performance Issues With Sprint Galaxy S5

Problem: Hello. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read the following b/c it’s EXACTLY how I feel:

“I’ve never been so disgusted with a piece of hardware or software after an upgrade. It’s almost enough to make me go buy that fruit version of a phone.”

I am not an Apple user but I would give up my 1st born (which I don’t have) to get rid of this phone. This is my 2nd Galaxy S5 in 3 months and I have had nothing but problems. Brought the 1st one to the Sprint store – repair person said she’d never seen that issue – a display issue. Got me a replacement phone….and then things REALLY started going wrong. The phone freezes, shuts down, starts up…displays app error messages constantly “<fill in the blank> has stopped working.”

I noticed a Sprint KB article on all this, so I’m sure they’re aware of it but….doesn’t matter what I do…..camera, internet, text, emails….pick up the darn thing….look at it….I mean, I can’t turn it on most of the times without pulling the battery…and yes, I’ve done all of the things I’ve found in the Android forums….clear cache….etc. AND I just did a ‘factory reset’….nothing fixes it.

Happened before the Lollipop update AND after…no change.

Given that Samsung has sold probably millions of these things the ONLY thing I can think of is that I am a Sprint user on the West Coast…so just maybe the operating system is not interfacing well with the Sprint network here which as everyone knows is not as good as Verizon or ATT. Any ideas, suggestions other than getting an iPhone? Thanks. — Barb

Troubleshooting: Hey Barb. I understand the frustration and I’m really sorry if you feel that way and that your provider hasn’t fixed the problem for you. I doubt the replacement unit you got was brand new; more often, customers are given refurbished phones to replace their “problematic” brand new phones. That said, it is almost certain that the unit has issues.

The problems you mentioned are a combination of firmware and hardware issues and all your efforts to troubleshoot them will be useless. So, the only way you can go about this is to request for a “working” replacement unit. As you said, you already did factory reset but these problems remained. I know it will be very inconvenient to go to Sprint store and request for yet another replacement unit but there’s nothing much you can do about it. I’m sorry.

Lollipop Update Corrupted Photos in Galaxy S5 Sport

Problem: Good morning, I am hoping you are able to help. Two days ago, Sprint did a lollipop update on my Samsung Galaxy S5 Sport. Since that time, about half of my pictures, are black, stating unsupported, or media not found. I am heartbroken, as many of the pics are of our new grandchild. I have tried everything to fix this, but to no avail. I do have backup on, but, they are not there either. When removing sd card, to put on computer, same issue remains. Please help. — Julie

Troubleshooting: It appears like the update, somehow, has reached your microSD card and corrupted its contents. If your computer can’t ready from the card either, then find some technicians in your area who knows how to extract photos or files from corrupted SD cards. There’s nothing much we can do about it because it’s more of a hardware issue than anything else.

Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync Issue On Sprint Galaxy S5

Problem: Since I downloaded the lollipop upgrade to my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 my work email won’t work. I tried deleting the account and reinstalling it but I am not being allowed to set it up. It is a Microsoft Exchange Activesync type. The message says that there are problems with the security certificate for the site, that it isn’t from a trusted authority. But it is and was on there before the upgrade. Any ideas. — Jill

Troubleshooting: Hi Jill. As long as you have all the correct information entered on each field, the Security Warning doesn’t matter at all. Just tap Continue and you should be able to setup your Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync account. But actually, that warning message is expected to come up almost every time you setup an account.

Sprint Galaxy S5 Can’t Connect to Home WiFi

Problem: Hi guys, I have this annoying issue with my Sprint Galaxy S5 for almost 2 weeks now. The issue started after I updated my phone’s software from lollipop to Kitkat. After the update, my device cannot anymore connect to my Home Wi-Fi, I rebooted it multiple times but my phone still won’t connect. How can I fix it? – Emma

Troubleshooting: Hello Emma, the type of issue you have in your device is very rampant especially after updating phone’s software from Kitkat to Lollipop. Since you’ve mentioned that you’ve been having this issue for 2 weeks already, I’m not really sure what procedures you already did in your device are.

Try to connect to any public WiFi networks just to see if your phone is still capable of doing that. If so, then the problem is with your Home network and not your phone. Otherwise, continue troubleshooting by booting your phone in safe mode first. After booting up the device in Safe Mode and the issue persists then, you can try wiping the cache partition of the device. Lastly, a hard reset is necessary if everything else failed.

Sprint Galaxy S5 Can’t Connect With Bluetooth Speaker

Problem: Hello guys, I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 and I bought it from Sprint a year ago. After I updated my phone’s software the device performance was good and I didn’t have any issue with it. However, I noticed the issue 3 days ago when I tried to use my Bluetooth but my device won’t connect to the other device or to my portable speaker. I’m really sure that my portable speaker has no problem because I’m using it with my tablet and laptop. I rebooted my S5 multiple times but the issue still persists and until now my Bluetooth is useless. I think this issue is minor and I hope you can help me. Thanks and more power! – Riley

Troubleshooting: Hi Riley, this issue is very common to S5 users especially after updating the phone’s firmware to lollipop. In fact, a lot of our readers have also have also this same exact problem. First, you can try deleting all those paired Bluetooth devices in your S5. Doing this will delete all Bluetooth data that was stored in your Galaxy S5 and will create newer data. Try to see if your device will detect or can connect to the other devices. If the procedure didn’t work then you don’t have a choice but to perform factory reset.

S Health & Samsung Galaxy Stopped Working

Problem: Good day guys, since I purchased my Galaxy S5 from Sprint I don’t have any issues on my device. However, since last week after I updated my phone’s software to lollipop my S Health App is not working anymore. When I open the app the message will appear saying “Unfortunately S Health stopped working”. I removed the battery of the device and place it back but the message still appears on the phone screen. I’m not a tech savvy guy maybe you can help me with my issue. Thanks and more power! – Grant

Related Problem: Hi, last week I updated my phone’s software from Kitkat to lollipop but after a few hours the issue occurs. Every time I open any of my apps there’s message popping up saying “Samsung Galaxy has stopped”. I already close all running apps of my device but the issue still happening. How can I fix it? – Jade

Troubleshooting: I assume that the update process was successful and that you haven’t received any error message while trying to upgrade from Kitkat to Lollipop. We have several readers who also have this kind of problem and since S Health is a pre-installed app or a system service, a master reset is necessary to fix this problem.

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