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Poor signal causes Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge to drop calls frequently [Troubleshooting Guide]

  • Learn how to troubleshoot your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (#Galaxy #S7Edge) that frequently drops calls due to poor signal.
  • Discover the procedures that can help you regain the usability of your phone that’s suffering from bad reception.
  • Learn how to troubleshoot dropped calls issue that started after a firmware update.
  • Know what to do if your phone can make calls but drop them after a few seconds.
  • Learn how to troubleshoot the error “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped” that also results in dropped calls on the Galaxy S7 Edge.

Galaxy-S7-Edge-dropped-calls

We’ve been receiving reports from our readers who own Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge units complaining about dropped calls that are reportedly caused by poor signal or bad reception. This problem also plagued Galaxy S5 and S6 owners but Samsung didn’t acknowledge the issue, although firmware updates seemed to have made the reception of those devices better.

In this post, I will guide you on how to troubleshoot your phone if it frequently drops calls due to poor signal. But please note that we can only rule out problems especially if they’re with your device. Network-related issues should be addressed by your carrier or service provider.

Before going any further, if you have other concerns with your phone, do visit our S7 Edge troubleshooting page and find issues that are similar or related to yours. You may then use the solutions or troubleshooting procedures we suggested.

For those who need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. We are always willing to help you but please provide us with necessary details about the problem and your phone so we can help you better.

Now, going back to our troubleshooting, here’s what you need to do in order to troubleshoot the your Galaxy S7 Edge that drops calls before you call your service provider…

Troubleshooting Galaxy S7 Edge Dropped Calls Issue

As mentioned in the title, the cause of the problem is poor signal reception, so we’ll have to troubleshoot that one first. Before going to our step-by-step instructions, here’s a couple of messages we received from our readers that describe this issue clearly.

“Hello droid guy. I’ve been following you for years now and I started reading your blog when I got my Galaxy S5 about a couple of years ago. I’m contacting you now because I have a problem with my new Galaxy S7 Edge (I upgraded from the S5). It seems that it cannot receive good service because there are times when the signal bars show there are only two bars of signal and there are also times when it’s zero. What’s most annoying though is when it shows all its bars having signal but I can’t make calls. There were so many instances already that my calls got dropped because of this. I already called my carrier but I was pushed to contact Samsung as they said it might be a hardware issue. It’s a hassle really. I’m hoping that you guys can shed light to this problem as I don’t really want to send my phone in for repair because I’m using it for my job. Please help me. Thanks, Joshua.”

Step 1: Remove any third-party accessories and/or cases

There are accessories that may interfere with the signal. It is necessary that when you troubleshoot, there shouldn’t be any third-party accessories attached to your phone to avoid complications.

Step 2: Reboot your phone if you haven’t done it yet

This simple procedure will force the phone to re-establish connection to the network aside from refreshing the phone’s memory. If the phone was set to automatically scan and connect (all phones are set to do this by default unless the owner changed it), then it will regain it cellular connection and you’ll be able to make calls without issues.

Step 3: Contact your service provider or carrier to check if your account is still in good standing

After you removed third-party accessories and rebooted your phone but your phone is still not getting signal, has poor reception or if calls still drop, then it’s time to contact your service provider. You may be required to perform troubleshooting with its tech support to find out what the issue is. Just by ringing your provider, a lot of your questions will be answered. For instance, you’d know if your account is barred or if you’re in an area where there is really poor coverage.

In case you recently changed carrier but kept the same number, both your previous and new provider should be able to give you suggestions on what to do. For instance, it would usually take 48 hours before a phone number is fully ported, so you’ll be advised to wait a day or two.

There are also times when the newly ported number needs to be re-activated on your new provider and such procedure won’t be done unless you made a report.

Step 4: Try to check if your SIM card is properly mounted

Regardless whether your on the phone with tech support or not, check the SIM card if it’s properly mounted especially if you’re not getting any signal. If it’s inserted properly, then there’s a chance the SIM card is damaged and your provider is obliged to provide you with a new one but you’ll have to wait 5 days or more for the replacement to arrive.

As a rule of thumb, if you’re getting the ‘No SIM card’ or ‘Insert SIM card’ error, always check if the SIM card is properly mounted and if the problem persists after that, then contact your provider right away.

Step 5: Do the master reset before sending the phone in for checkup

Assuming that everything is fine with your account and that your provider said there’s no problem on their end and that you’re in an are where there’s usually good coverage, then you’re left with no other choice but to send your phone in for checkup because one of the following is possible:

  1. There’s an issue with your phone’s antenna
  2. A hardware problem is causing the phone to lose signal randomly
  3. The device may have suffered liquid and/or physical damage that affect its normal operations
  4. There’s a serious firmware issue that needs to be addressed immediately

Here’s how you do the master reset on your Galaxy S7 Edge:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.

NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.

  1. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  2. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.

NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.

  1. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
  2. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  3. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  4. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  5. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

After the reset, try to check if there’s an available firmware update and download it.

Related Problems from our Readers

Now that we’re done troubleshooting the Galaxy S7 Edge drop calls issue, we want to show you how this issue occur by citing some of the problems we received from our readers and learn how to address them.

Galaxy S7 Edge started dropping calls after an update

Q: “Hi Droid guys! Got a problem with my Galaxy S7 Edge because it keeps dropping calls. The issue started just a few days ago and I think there was some kind of an update that I downloaded. So my question is how can I get rid of that update that I downloaded so this problem will go away?”

A: If the problem started after an update, then there’s a possibility that it’s caused by some corrupt system caches. For this problem, you should try wiping the cache partition to get rid of the caches that were used by the previous system. Here’s how you do it…

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 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. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  8. Wait until your phone is finished wiping the cache partition. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Galaxy S7 Edge can make calls but they drop after a few seconds

Q: “My phone is actually acting weird and I just can’t understand why it’s doing this. First off, it’s a Galaxy S7 Edge and it’s about 3 months old. This problem started I think 3 weeks ago but I didn’t try to fix it then because I don’t really make phone calls that often. However, as of late, I tried to make a few calls and they always connect but then they got cut off after a few seconds. Can you help?”

A: Please try to follow the troubleshooting procedure above and if the problem persists, you should call your service provider as it’s more likely an issue with the network or your account. There’s nothing more we can do about it but I’m sure your provider can.

Galaxy S7 Edge drop calls when error “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped” shows up

Q: “It doesn’t happen all the time but it’s nevertheless annoying because you wouldn’t know when the problem occurs. I just want to be able to use my new phone without thinking it might fail but it’s not possible because there are times when the error “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped” pops up. Sometimes, before I make a call, the error shows up but there are also times when the call just gets disconnected due to the error. My phone is the S7 Edge and I bought this brand new. What’s causing all this? Help me.”

A: It seems that the minor app problem is causing a big trouble. I think the problem is with the dialer app. For some reason it crashes and when it does, either you get the error message before making a call or get disconnected from your call if the phone app crashes while you’re connected. Try clearing the cache and data of the phone app first:

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap on Settings.
  3. Touch Applications and then Application manager.
  4. Swipe to ALL tab.
  5. Find and touch Dialer.
  6. Touch the Force Close button first.
  7. Then, tap Storage.
  8. Tap Clear cache and then Clear data, Delete.

If this doesn’t fix the problem, then you have to do the master reset.

RELATED POST: How to fix Samsung Galaxy S7 “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped” error

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Galaxy S8+keeps shutting down on its own, screen remains black and won’t turn on, other issues

Welcome to our most recent #GalaxyS8 and #GalaxyS8+ article. This post addresses 8 more issues submitted by some members of our community. We just recently created an S8 troubleshooting page so make sure to visit it if you can’t find a solution to your own issue here.

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 S8+ keeps shutting down on its own

My Galaxy S8+ will reboot randomly and I would have to do a simulated battery pull. First time it took about 7x reset try. The next took 35 or so. My Galaxy S8+ is now locked into the logo screen when first boots. It will not power off. It happened around 450pm pst and it is now 158am. Can’t power down, it loaded 2x today for about 5 seconds then went to reboot and got stuck. I do not know the os system. — Bubblez_760

Solution: Hi Bubblez_760. This kind of problem does not happen in a normally working system out of the blue. Something must have happened to it causing the phone to shut off on its own. In some cases, a failed flashing or installation of custom software is the cause, while others may be due to physical damage. You haven’t given us enough information to help us identify the cause of the problem so there’s nothing much that we can tell you.

To try and fix the problem, consider doing a factory reset and see what happens from there.  Factory reset will return all software settings to their known, working state. If the cause of the problem is software-related, factory reset should help. Here’s how it’s done:

  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 the device.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. 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).
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  6. Press Power button to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  9. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If your phone continues to restart randomly, have it repaired or replaced.

Problem 2: Galaxy S8 black screen issue, won’t power back on

I was using my phone, and the screen went black. The phone is still responsive as sounds work when i press the volume up and down keys, but the display remains black. I tried the rest by pressing the power and volume down button, but the screen still remains black. The Samsung logo never shows up. — Eng51375

Solution: Hi Eng51375. Try booting the phone to alternate modes — recovery mode, safe mode, and download mode. If your phone stays unresponsive, or the screen remains black, bad hardware must be to blame. In this case, you should have the phone repaired or replaced.

Below are the steps on how boot your S8 to different modes:

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 S7 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 S7 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 S7’ 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.

Problem 3: Galaxy S8 camera app only shows button to take pictures

When opening the camera app, I get nothing just the buttons to take a picture. But no feedback or if I have taken pictures before. Screenshot included. I tried clearing the cache, uninstalled the update to Bixby vision (about an hour before this happened I had updated). And rebooted. Besides hard reset I am not sure what to do before that. —         Elizabeth

Solution: Hi Elizabeth. Are you using the stock or built-in camera app or not? If not, try using the stock camera app to fix the problem.

If you are having a problem with the stock camera app itself, try to wipe its cache and data. Here’s how:

  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, look for the camera app in question and tap it.
  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.

If this won’t fix the issue, do a factory reset.

Problem 4: Voice call cuts in and out on Galaxy S8+

I recently purchased a Samsung S8+ and I’m experiencing a call quality issue. Last night, while in my car, i called my dad who had a horrible time hearing me so i disconnected the call. Then today when speaking to a friend, she stated my voice would cut in and out. I could hear her clearly. I’ve never had this issue and I’ve lived in the same location for over 13 years so I’ve never had a dead area in my house. I disconnected the line several times and even disabled my wifi on my phone and she still either couldn’t hear me or the connection was so bad she couldn’t understand what I was saying. Any ideas or suggestions to fix the problem or did i get a bad phone and do I need to return the phone? — Kathleen

Solution: Hi Kathleen. Try to record your voice using the phone’s recorder app or any app to see if the microphone is defective. After recording, listen to it and see if the audio sounds distorted. If it is, have the phone replaced.

If voice recording shows that the microphone is okay, the problem must be network-related. Contact your carrier and let them handle the situation for you.

Problem 5: Galaxy S8 won’t turn on

I’ve had my S8 plus for a month now and one morning it just didn’t turn on and just had black screen. I tried rebooting it and it only flashes some lines of light but it won’t respond, not even to the Home button. — Alan

Solution: Hi Alan. Please refer to our suggestion for Eng51375 above. Remember to seek for a phone replacement if your phone stays dead.

Problem 6: Missing icon for Hancom Office Mobile app in Galaxy S8

MY S8 COMES PRELOADED WITH HANCOM OFFICE EDITOR. HOWEVER THERE IS NO SHORTCUT FOR IT. IF YOU OPEN A SPREAD SHEET IT WILL GIVE YOU AN OPTION TO USE HANCOM OFFICE AS WELL AS ANY OTHER PROGRAM INSTALLED. CLICKING ON HANCOM WILL OPEN THE PROGRAM. FROM THERE YOU CAN CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT IF DESIRED. — Jsparky1

Solution: Hi Jsparky1. If you can’t find its icon anywhere, it may be categorized as a system app and thus, doesn’t need to have an icon displayed in the Home screen or in the Apps tray. To check if this is the case, go to Settings>Apps, tap More options icon (the three-dot icon) on the upper right hand side, and select Show system apps.

If it’s under system apps, you can’t create an icon for it in the Home screen or Apps tray. The app will only work if you try to open a certain file that can be opened by Hancom.

Problem 6: Galaxy S8 can’t send response to SMS Short Codes or Premium Numbers

S8 unblock sending messaged To Premium Numbers Problem: Silly question when ever, an example, Capital One or Verizon or any thing that is not necessarily a number, texts me a message about a charge, I have to respond with a confirm etc. I type the response, and then hit enter and this message comes up (to confirm that I want to send it.. not send it etc.. something about data etc). it does this to only those types of texts, I always hit ok. Well accidently today i hit no.. and i think I saw save and now when I go to respond to those type of texts i get messaged failed, I cannot respond. I do not know what I did or how to fix it. Can you help me? — Amberenglishudy

Solution: Hi Amberenglishudy. We don’t know what happened exactly so the best option for you right now is return the settings of both your messaging app and Contacts app to their defaults by clearing their data. Before doing so, make sure to back your messages and contacts up to avoid losing your contacts and precious messages (if any).

Here’s how it’s done:

  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, look for the camera app in question and tap it.
  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.

Problem 7: Galaxy S8 screen is damaged, not working

Samsung Galaxy S8 touchscreen response but display screen super low contrast brightness almost not visible at all, flickering white rectangle that covers bottom 20% of phone at all times regardless if phone display is on or off, what do i need to replace? — Nhutnam.nguyen93

Solution: Hi Nhutnam.nguyen93. We suggest that you replace the entire screen assembly. It’s possible that the digitizer is okay while the LCD is not, but we understand how tricky it can be to separate the digitizer and LCD at times. To prevent damaging the digitizer during repair, simply replace the entire screen assembly.

Problem 8: Galaxy S8 screen remains black and won’t turn on

My S8 plus just cut off and the screen went black while I was trying to make a call. It had 65% charge. Have tried the resets in step one, nothing happens. Guess I will just have to take it back to the store, which is disappointing because I just activated it on April 22nd. — Stephanie

Solution: Hi Stephanie. This is definitely frustrating but if you can’t turn your phone back on for some reason, the best option for you right now is replacement.

If you haven’t tried it though, consider booting the phone to alternate modes first. See our suggestion for Eng51375 above.

Also, make sure that you try another USB cable and charger to see if it’s a charger issue.

 

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How to recover files if your Galaxy S7 won’t turn back on, other issues

Hello and welcome to our new #GalaxyS7 article. Our post for today discusses 8 more S7-related issues and solutions. Don’t forget to let us know of your issue if you can’t find anything helpful in this post.

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: VR headset mouse cursor not working properly

I recently bought a VR headset and remote, but when i try to use the remote the mouse cursor drifts to the bottom right of my screen. I’ve went through all the settings and didn’t see anything for a mouse. I’ve done a reset on my phone and tried restarting it neither worked. Please tell me how i can fix this mouse drift issue i am unable to figure it out and i didn’t see anything about it on the forums. — Josh

Solution: Hi Josh. We don’t know what VR device and remote you have so we can’t give any specific instruction on what you need to do. We suggest that you try checking the manual of said devices, or contact their makers.

Problem 2: Unable to install Samsung Secure Folder app on Galaxy S7 edge

I recently updated my Samsung S7 edge G935W8 to Nougat 7.0 I purchased this phone from Best Buy April 2015 with Rogers carrier originally but paid the carrier to have it unlocked and now use it with Bell carrier. After doing the newest update, I went to download the secure folder app out of the Galaxy app store. But when I went through the set up wizard for the secure folder it popped up a message saying ” Secure folder cannot be set up as unauthorized software was installed on this device.” I had no idea what this message meant so I spoke to a few friends and Googled it to learn this often indicates my device was rooted. I did not root this phone (didn’t even know how or why it would be rooted) so I looked up how to see if your device is in fact rooted which showed me a few websites and apps. Each one I tried confirmed to me my device was NOT rooted. So are these apps/websites wrong? Can I get my phone into a mode to have it realize it isn’t rooted? I’ve tried factory resetting it both through smart switch and through recovery mode but they didn’t work. — Steve

Solution: Hi Steve. In a lot of cases, yes, the message you are receiving usually indicates that a phone may be rooted or running non-official software. In some cases, it can also be an indicator that Samsung does not detect the software as official even though it is. This usually happens if a carrier modifies the software, making it lose the original configuration that Samsung system recognizes. If the issue continues after a factory reset and without any apps or updates installed, there’s really nothing much that you can do, unless you want to revert the firmware version the one it came with originally.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 keeps freezing, screen becomes unresponsive, reboots randomly

Hi, my S7 stays with unresponsive screen, freezes, lags and reboots without apparent reason. Sometimes, I can force the reboot with the [power + volume down], but the most of the times it stays unresponsive until the battery is empty (sometimes with the LED indicator turned on or blinking in green and blue). Then I have to charge and use it until it freezes again. I already did the master reset. It works for a week then it started to freeze again. I appreciate your help. Thank You. — Iván

Solution: Hi Iván. If your phone works fine after a factory reset, the main cause of your problems may be one of the apps you installed afterwards, or a hardware issue that can develop over time. One such hardware issue is a malfunctioning flash or memory. If it’s not an app problem, you should consider phone replacement as repair won’t fix it.

To see if it’s an app problem, you can either boot the phone to safe mode, or do another round of factory reset and see to it that only good apps are re-installed. Booting to safe mode prevents third party apps and services from running so if the issues won’t occur, you can bet there’s a bad app causing it. To start your S7 to safe mode, follow these steps:

  1. Turn your Galaxy S7 off.
  2. Press and hold the Power button.
  3. Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ 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.

Problem 4: Galaxy S7 phone calls keep dropping, battery drains fast, fingerprint reader not working after Nougat update

I updated my phone last night. it is a unlocked USA version. The software update is listed as G935UUEU4BQE2/G935U0YM4BQE2/G935UUEU4BQE2. It says text messages are not being sent but they are being received by people. I’m dropping a lot of phone calls, my fingerprint reader is not working at all, and my battery is draining quickly. I cleared the system cache but I am holding off on doing a full system. Is there any known version issues I am running an Android Nougat 7.0 not 7.1. I’m using Straight Talk wireless on Verizon towers. — Steve

Solution: Hi Steve. With millions of people using Galaxy devices running all sorts of Android versions, it’s not surprising to receive all kinds of issues following updates. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of possible points of failure in an Android system so anything can happen. Your issues are some of the common problems, even when updates are not installed so you should address them by doing software troubleshooting and solutions. We suggest that you try a factory reset and see what happens from there. Make sure to hold off installation of your apps until you have observed how SMS and other functions are working. This will allow you to check whether the issue remains or not. If the problems won’t occur, that’s an indication that either (A) a problematic app is responsible, or (B) the firmware version you installed is poorly coded. To fix a possible app issue, you can simply uninstall the offending app by doing trial-and-error. For the second possibility (poorly coded firmware), there’s not much that you can do about it. If you received updates by air (over-the-air update or OTA), you should let your carrier know so they can do something about it.

Below are the steps on how to factory reset your Galaxy S7:

  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 S7.
  3. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  5. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  6. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
  7. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  8. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  9. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  10. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Problem 5: Galaxy S7 won’t go past carrier logo screen

Hello. My name is Steve and i recently bought an unlocked Samsung S7 whilst travelling in New York (on the 10th June 2017). I have been assured that the phone will work with other networks but i have entered another different SIM and the phone cannot go past the Metro PCS screen. Basically it seems that the phone just cycles around. I tried removing the SIM and the Micro SD card as well but no luck. I have tried using the Smart Switch software but since the phone does not get to start up properly, the software does not even communicate with the phone. Can you help with some advise on what i could do? I have left the United States already and back in my country, Solomon Islands. — Steve

Solution: Hi Steve. A working smartphone will work normally, that is, load the operating system properly, with or without a SIM card or SD card. We can’t see your logic why you chose to tell us that the phone won’t load at all (can’t go past the Metro PCS screen) with a different SIM card. Did the phone work while you were still in the US? You should have told us if it did, or if you tried doing so after purchasing the device.

We assume that your S7 is not brand new when you bought it (otherwise this issue won’t happen) but if it is, you should have it replaced right away. If phone replacement is out of the question, try to see if you can fix it by doing a cache partition wipe and master  via Recovery mode. Here are the steps on how to boot to 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.

If wiping the cache partition or master reset won’t fix your problem, you can also try to flash the bootloader and/or firmware. Be aware though that flashing is a risky procedure and can potentially brick your phone. Make sure to do more research on how to do it on your particular phone model before doing it.

For demonstration purposes, here are the sample steps on how to flash a bootloader. The exact steps may vary on your phone. Again, you should research beyond our website how to the exact steps on your phone to prevent problems.

  1. Look for the correct firmware for your phone model and download it. Make sure that you select the right one. It should be the same exact firmware that ran previously on your device. We assume that you list down the firmware version somewhere. If you did not take note of it before, there’s a chance that you may pick the wrong one. As you may know now, using an incorrect firmware can cause complications so good luck with that.
  2. Let’s now say that you have identified the correct firmware. You then want to download it to your computer. The firmware file should have a bunch of files in it like AP_, BL_, CSC_, etc.
  3. Look for the file that starts with a label BL; this should be the corresponding bootloader file for this firmware. Once you’ve identified the bootloader file, copy it to your computer’s desktop or to any other folder that you can easily access.
  4. Proceed with the rest of the flashing procedure using the Odin program.
  5. In Odin, click on the BL tab and make sure to use the bootloader file you’ve identified earlier.
  6. Now, make sure that the “Device Added” status and its “ID:COM box” has turned blue before hitting the START button. This will initiate the flashing of your phone’s bootloader.
  7. Restart the phone once the procedure is finished.

Problem 6: Galaxy S7 edge becomes unresponsive, overheats when charging

Hi there .. I got an Ss7 edge. The last few days, my phone start to freeze. The screen became blank and all buttons not responsive. I try all button combination like power + volume down, power + home + volume up or down and nothing is happen. It keeps black. But i feel my phone getting warmer. It will cool after the battery drain i guess (knowing by plug in charging and starts from zero again). When it freeze, all button not working, charging also not working.. please help me. This is really annoying.. i mean wait the battery to drain for a whole day and after charge who knows when it will freeze again ( mostly once a day ). This happen a month after i replace the screen. I don’t remember is there any update but the first time it happen is when i connected to wifi. Thats all… waiting for you suggestion Should i flash it back down to before update or …. well i don’t know anymore.. Thank you. — Primandayosepriadi

Solution: Hi Primandayosepriadi. Android troubleshooting is simple and your issue is not an exception to one particular rule — if no software solution can help, bad hardware must be to blame. That said, we suggest that you try factory reset and yes, if you did flash a non-official firmware to it, flash it back down to an older Android version. If those won’t work, have the phone repaired or replaced.

Problem 7: Galaxy S7 edge won’t charge, won’t turn on

I just read your article “How to fix your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge that doesn’t charge via wired or wireless, heats up when charging [Troubleshooting Guide].” I had hope until I got to step 4. I can’t do anything from step 4 on as my battery is DEAD! However, I believe it to be a firmware issue as the battery had gone dead was remained in that condition for 4 days before I had the time to deal with it. But with a dead battery I cannot reboot, get into Recovery Mode or Safe Mode and it won’t charge by the Samsung Rapid Charger or the Samsung Wireless charger. I am desperate as I have so much on the phone (a lot saved but too much unsaved to lose). How can I get some energy into it? Just enough to get into Recovery Mode?? Thank you. — Rick

Solution: Hi Rick. If your phone does not show any indications of life (LED light lit, vibration during restart, sound or vibration when there incoming notifications), then the only thing that you can do is send it in. Sometimes, the phone can appear dead or not charging due to bad charging port so if you have a wireless charger, try wireless charging for at least 30 minutes. If the phone remains dead, have it repaired or replaced.

As far as data recovery is concerned, you can only do that if you can make your phone boot to normal or safe mode. If the phone is totally dead, you won’t be able to access its memory and transfer contents from it. There’s no software “magic” that you can do to fix bad hardware. It’s possible that the problem is isolated to the battery only so having it replaced by a technician first may solve the issue easily. If the problem is more serious and involves the motherboard, you can kiss those data goodbye.

To prevent losing irreplaceable data (photos, videos, documents, etc.) in the future, always make it a habit of creating a backup. We don’t know how many times we’ve emphasized this in almost all our articles but there’s a reason why this wisdom persists for decades now and that’s because digital storage devices and electronics are unreliable. If you won’t back your files up regularly, you only have yourself to blame.

Problem 8: How to recover files if your Galaxy S7 won’t turn back on

My phone got stuck while rebooting and was showing blue screen. I tried everything on your website and nothing worked then took the phone to the Samsung office. They performed something on it and now all i can see is the black screen with Galaxy S7 edge logo (same logo as you see when you restart the phone). From here I’m unable to start my phone or take it to the safe mode by pressing the keys as per your website. I want to recover my data from my phone before factory reset if required. Need your assistance. If you could help would be genius. — Talat1426

Solution: Hi Talat1426. As mentioned above, you can only access an S7’s memory or storage device if you can boot it to safe mode or normal mode. There’s no other way to moves files from and to the storage device in your phone’s current status. Even Samsung can’t do anything about it.

If you want to fix the issue though, consider doing a factory reset. That would, of course, wipe everything up but you may have a good working phone again.

Also, we don’t know what Samsung did to your phone but if they did try to flash it before, that is, installed a new copy of software, your files must already be gone by now so there’s no point holding off factory reset.

Some users were able to fix a similar issue by booting their phones to alternate modes. For reference, here are the steps on how to do that and the possible follow up troubleshooting that you can do for each:

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.

 

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If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply fill in the short questionnaire in this link and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem.

If you find this post helpful, please help us by spreading the word to your friends. TheDroidGuy has social network presence as well so you may want to interact with our community in our Facebook and Google+ pages.

Samsung Galaxy S8 phone calls keep dropping [Troubleshooting Guide]

We have received some complaints from our readers about the issue with the Samsung Galaxy S8 that reportedly drops phone calls. More often than not, issues like this always have something to do with your provider’s network, unless your phone suffered from a physical or liquid damage and affected its capability to receive radio signal from the tower.

In this post, I will tell you the practical steps to troubleshoot your phone that randomly or frequently dropping phone calls. We’ll take into consideration every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can pinpoint what the problem really is all about. So, if you have a phone like this and are experiencing similar concern, continue reading below as this post might help you.

But before anything else, if you’re currently experiencing different issues with your phone, then I suggest you visit our Samsung Galaxy S8 troubleshooting page for we’ve already started providing support to our readers who own this device. We understand your phone is still brand new and it should work perfectly without a hitch but not even Samsung can guarantee there won’t be any problems. What we do here is provide help to our readers the best we can so if we haven’t published posts about your concern, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot your Samsung Galaxy S8 that keeps dropping calls

Problem: Hi guys. I have a problem with my new Galaxy S8. I can make and receive phone calls but there are times when the calls get disconnected and I have to dial the number again to continue our conversation. This has happened a lot of times already and it’s very annoying. Can you can help me out with this? Thanks.

Troubleshooting: For this problem, we just have to make sure this issue isn’t with your phone and then you confront your service provider about it as it might be a network issue. On your part, here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Observe signal strength while on call

Use a headset while on call and keep your eyes on the signal bars. If the signal fluctuates, then that might be the reason why the call gets disconnected–your phone might be losing signal from time to time and naturally so, calls will be disconnected as your device can no longer connect to the network. More often than not, this problem is network related so as early as now you should call your service provider about it.

Step 2: Reboot your phone in Safe mode and make a call

Assuming the phone signal is stable in your phone, try making a call while all third-party apps are disabled. We have encountered some apps before that cause problems similar to this so we just have to rule out the possibility that your third-party apps have nothing to do with it. Follow these steps to boot your phone up in safe mode:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
  3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
  4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
  5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
  6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

While in this mode calls still get disconnected, then try the next step.

Step 3: Wipe cache partition

Corrupt system caches may also result to this kind of problem so we need to get it out of the way. Reboot your phone in recovery mode and then wipe the cache partition so that all system caches will be deleted. Once the phone boots up, those caches will be replaced with new ones and when the phone becomes active, try to verify if calls still get disconnected.

Here’s how to wipe off your phone’s cache partition…

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. 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).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
  5. Press the Power key to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the problem persists after this, then do the next step before bringing the phone in for checkup.

Step 4: Reset your Galaxy S8

Backup all your important files and data before the reset as they will be deleted. After successfully resetting your phone, don’t install anything yet but try to make phone calls to verify if the problem got fixed. If it still happens, then it’s time to bring your phone back to the store and have your provider take care of the problem. You’ve already done what you need to do to try to fix this problem to no avail.

Here’s how your reset your Galaxy S8…

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

You can also reset it from the Settings menu, just follow these steps…

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
  3. Tap Backup and restore.
  4. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  5. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  6. Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
  7. Tap Reset.
  8. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
  9. Tap Continue.
  10. Tap Delete all.

I hope this helps.

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Why does my Samsung Galaxy A3 keep dropping calls and how to fix it? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Many users of the Galaxy A3 have been raising complaints regarding a problem on dropped calls. In response, Samsung explicated that the placement of the main antenna might be to blame. The main antenna of the Galaxy A3 is located at the bottom part thus more often it will be covered with your hands or other objects. And this is when connectivity issues as well as rapid draining of the battery can instigate. Samsung has therefore advised not to cover the antenna area of the device especially during a phone call as there is a higher chance that the network coverage will be interfered.

Nevertheless there are also other cases in which dropped call problems are triggered by some other factors. That along with potential solutions and workarounds will be tackled in this post. Hence, if you have a Samsung Galaxy A3 that keeps dropping calls then this content might be able to help you.

Before we proceed, should you have other concerns with your phone, visit our A3 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed a lot of issues with this phone before. Browse through the page and find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. If you still need our help, contact us and we’ll help you. Just fill up this questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry it’s free.

Common factors that can trigger dropped calls to occur on your Galaxy A3

Aside from the main antenna placement, there are also other factors that you need to consider when dealing with frequent dropped call problems on the Galaxy A3 smartphone. Among the most common culprits are network problems, bad SIM card, software glitch, and worst, hardware damage.

Network problems like intermittent connectivity, poor signal or weak coverage, or no service are most likely the underlying causes. Without a strong and stable network coverage, relevant services including calls may not be working properly as well.

A bad SIM card can also inflict the same problem on any device. The same thing can happen when the SIM card is not properly installed or secured in the SIM card slot. There is a tendency for it to be dislodged when the device is moved.

Software glitches or bugs can also cause calls to drop more often especially when the Phone app is affected. Even software updates can get you into the same trouble as they too can contain some bugs that trigger post-update issues to surface.

The worst among the possible causes is hardware damage. A physical or liquid damage is most likely to blame especially if there were previous instances when your phone was dropped or exposed to liquid. The antenna or other relevant components on the phone might have been damaged from that prior incident.

As much as possible, try to rule hardware damage out from the possible causes so you can proceed with troubleshooting. But if you suspect that the problem on dropped calls is triggered by a faulty hardware, then you can save time and effort by taking your device straight to a nearby service center for hardware assessment and/or repair if necessary.

Potential Solutions and Workarounds

Considering that the underlying cause is associated with the software, any of these subsequent methods can possibly fix the problem. Don’t forget to do a test call after performing each method to find out whether or not the problem has been resolved. Proceed to the next applicable solution if necessary.

If you haven’t already, update your Galaxy A3 to the latest Android software available. Doing so can help optimize the device functions including calling.

Or you can also try making a call in a different location. Consider doing so if your device has weak or poor network coverage as indicated by the signal strength  on the status bar.

Reboot your Galaxy A3 (soft reset)

A simple reboot on the device can do some wonders. In fact, minor software issues like symptomatic apps and services are often rectified by a reboot. Similar to a computer program, mobile apps can also experience random glitches, which often requires a restart or program reset. The process will not affect any critical data stored on your device so it is definitely a safe process to begin with. Here’s how a soft reset is done on the Galaxy A3:

  1. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
  2. When the menu screen appears, select the option to Power off.
  3. Wait for a few seconds and then press the Power button again until the device power cycles.

After the restart try to do a test call then assess if it is still dropping.

Remove and re-insert SIM card

To eliminate the possibility of a faulty SIM card installation causing you this trouble when having calls on your Galaxy A3, try to remove and then re-insert the SIM card on the device. Be sure to do it properly to avoid causing any further damage to the SIM, SIM card slot/tray, or the device itself. Follow these steps:

  1. Have your SIM eject tool or ejection pin ready.
  2. Power off your device completely.
  3. Insert the ejection pin into the hole on the SIM card tray to loosen the tray. Make sure that the ejection pin is perpendicular to the hole to prevent damaging the device.
  4. You will hear a slight click when the tray pops out.
  5. Then gently pull out the tray from the slot and remove the SIM card from the tray.
  6. Examine the SIM card and the tray for any possible signs of damage like scratches or liquid traces. Contact your carrier if you see any signs of possible damage on the SIM.
  7. Once you’ve ensured no damage on the SIM components, gently place the SIM back into the tray with the gold colored contacts facing downwards.
  8. Insert the SIM card tray back into the SIM card tray slot gently.
  9. Make sure that the tray is secured or closed tightly to prevent water and dust from penetrating the device.

After reinstalling the SIM card, turn on your device then do a test call to see whether or not that has fixed the problem on dropped calls.

Configure or change network modes on your Galaxy A3

Some users have uncovered a temporary solution by switching between cellular data options on their phone. For example, from LTE to 3G, 2G, and the like. If you are still trying to find a fix, then you might as well consider this among your remaining options. Should you wish to give it a shot, here’s how:

  1. Tap and hold the notification bar at the top of the Home screen then slide your finger downwards.
  2. Swipe your finger to the left to view more options.
  3. Tap and hold Mobile data.
  4. Tap Network mode.
  5. Tap to select a network mode to use. If you want to use 4G, select or enable the LTE/WCDMA/GSM option. If you want to switch to 3G network, select WCDMA/GSM option.

After making changes to the network mode, restart your device then try to do a test call.

Related Posts:

Reset network settings on your Galaxy A3

If the problem started after you made some changes to your device’s network settings, then it’s possible that some settings are configured incorrectly then you have frequent dropped calls as the outcome. Should you think that this is causing your trouble, try to revert the settings back to its prior configuration before the onset of the problem. However, tracking the error might be too difficult to accomplish especially if you’ve already made a lot of changes. As remedy, you can just do a network settings reset on your device instead. Please note though that your network information including your network credentials and passwords will be erased in the process. That being said, be sure to write them down before you proceed with these steps:

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Scroll down and select More Networks option.
  4. Tap Mobile Networks.
  5. Tap Access Point Names.
  6. Tap Menu.
  7. Tap the option to Reset to default.

After resetting the network, restart your device then do a test call to assess.

Perform a factory reset (optional)

If nothing else works and you run out of other options, then consider a factory reset as your last resort. This reset often resolves complex issues in mobile devices particularly those that are triggered by software bugs afflicting the system structure. The only downside to note from this reset is that all your personal information will be erased including apps, downloads, settings, and other critical data stored on your phone’s internal memory. That being said, be sure to backup your information before you proceed. Once everything is set, follow these steps to reset your Galaxy A3 to factory defaults:

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Scroll down to and select Backup and reset.
  4. Tap Reset device to continue.
  5. Scroll to and tap Factory data reset.
  6. Tap Erase everything to confirm action.

Wait until your device completes the reset process and then proceed with the initial setup afterwards.

Seek More Help

You can seek more help by contacting your service provider/carrier. You can ask and confirm about possible outages that are affecting the network services in your place. Or you can request further assistance in troubleshooting dropped call problem on Galaxy A3 using advanced tools/software from Samsung Support.

A3 posts you may also be interested in reading:

Galaxy S6 screen keeps flickering when auto lighting is enabled, calls keep dropping, other issues

Here’s another #GalaxyS6 post for you. As usual, we bring you a number of S6-related problems reported to us during the last few days. We’re looking forward to posting more of the same articles in the near future so keep watching for them.

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 S6 can’t transfer photos to computer

Two problems: 1) Not able to transfer photos using MTP or PTP after update, and 2) No audio transmit on phone calls after factory reset.

For over a year I have transferred photos from the S6 to Mac using the MTP option under charging notification when using the USB/charging cable that came with the unit. After an auto update a few months ago, this option is no longer available.  Now when I click on the charging notification I get a page with battery options for power saving. I also get a message saying the phone is charging slowly and to use the original charger. I attached another S6 phone using my cord and my Mac and was able to transfer the photos as before.

I tried an online chat with Verizon and for over an hour the agent walked me through a number of troubleshooting tests, checking all the settings, activating USB debugging, soft reset, etc. He told me the last resort would be a factory reset and that I needed to backup my photos and contacts before doing that. Yesterday I went to the Verizon Corporate Store and for three hours we tried everything including the backup and factory reset. The phone still has no MTP or PTP options page when clicking on the charging notification. Under settings, Developer Options, the USB configuration is set to MTP. I realize I can use the Google Cloud but it is very cumbersome and time consuming to upload and download photos that way.

When I returned home after the factory reset, I received a phone call and they could not hear me, there was no audio transmit. I again used the Verizon online chat for two more hours of testing to no avail. The only way I can use the phone now is on speaker phone. The voice recorder also works fine. They tell me I need a new phone. Could the factory reset have caused the new problem?

Thanks for any information or suggestions you may be able to add. — William

Solution: Hi William. If both problems occur after doing a factory reset (via Recovery mode) and without any apps installed, their most likely cause is bad firmware. One of the reasons (though it’s rare) for problems after installing an update is poor coding. This means that the update you installed was built inefficiently, hence causing bugs to a system. If this is what happened in your case, there should also other users affected by it since updates are released in batches. The thing is, there’s really nothing much that an end user can do about it. You can either demand for a new replacement phone and hope that it doesn’t cause you any problems at all come another update, or you can just ignore the problem for now and wait until it’s patched.

If your carrier can provide a replacement device, we recommend that you go for it.

Problem 2: Galaxy S6 screen keeps flickering when auto lighting is enabled

Hi Samsung. Recently my Samsung Galaxy S6 screen has begun flickering in low light. It continued to do so for a few weeks until it became increasingly bad. In the morning when I woke up to grab my phone I’d press the middle button and the screen would be black. It didn’t matter how many times pressed it, the screen would remain black.

Once I turn the auto lighting off it is fine. However, when I return it to auto it begins to flicker in low light again. I have done a factory reset and taken it to many service centres who are unable to help me as they do not understand the issue.

I have read many concerns about this issue on this page in the same way and all of the responses tell me to do what I have already done. Please could you help me with this!  — Sofiadevita97

Solution: Hi Sofiadevita97. We’ve heard of this issue for some time now but we still can’t figure out if it’s a glitch in certain firmware versions, or if it’s caused by bad hardware in some batches of this device. There’s no official word from Samsung or from Google about it so we can’t say it’s a known issue. Like in some odd cases before, it’s possible that there’s a certain batch of these devices that have this problem. We are positive though that it’s not a common issue, at least, for Galaxy S6 devices if we take into account the millions of such devices in the wild.

Like in most isolated cases, the direction that you should take is to exhaust all possible software troubleshooting including factory reset and flashing (if you can manage). If you want to go with flashing, start by installing the original firmware that came with it (most probably Android 6.0). If these software troubleshooting won’t fix the problem at all, have the phone replaced.

Problem 3: Galaxy S6 calls keep dropping

Hi guys. I have Samsung Galaxy S6 and while on the phone, talking to someone, the call will either drop or will go to hold itself. The sensor is fine, I tried to check if the screen goes black when it’s by my ear. I am definitely not pressing any button during call, reception is always good, plus this is happening to me on my second S6 already. It’s sooo frustrating, because sometimes I am talking to someone for 30 second without knowing they can’t hear me and then they can hear me again. Sometimes call just drops.

I tried to do soft and hard reset, update software, even pressing the home button during call to go to homescreen, just to make sure I’m not touching hold button. I think I tried everything. Thanks for your help guys!! — Alex.voznak

Solution: Hi Alex.voznak. If the proximity sensor works fine, then your next move is to check whether it’s due to a bug in the phone app you’re using. Make sure that you wipe it’s cache and data. Here’s how it’s done:

  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 Cache and Clear Data buttons for the application.
  6. Tap Clear Cache button first and observe how calls work afterwards. If nothing changes, do the Clear Data option.

Should the issue remain after doing the two steps above, you should then try to see what happens if you use another phone app like Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, or any similar app.

If you tend to install apps without checking their sources, it’s possible that a bad third party app is behind the trouble. Try to observe how calling works when the phone is in safe mode. Safe mode blocks third party apps and services so if one of the apps is responsible, the issue won’t occur. Below are the steps on how to boot your phone to safe mode:

  1. Press and hold the Volume Down and Power keys for 20 to 30 seconds.
  2. Once you see the Samsung logo, release the Power key immediately but continue pressing the Volume Down key.
  3. Your phone should continue booting up and you will be prompted to unlock your phone as usual.
  4. You will know if the phone successfully booted in safe mode if the text “Safe mode” is displayed at the lower-left corner of the screen.

If the problem continues even when you boot your S6 to safe mode, you should then try a factory reset. If that won’t fix it either, contact your carrier for support.

Problem 4: Galaxy S6 screen won’t respond, stays black

I have had my Samsung Galaxy S6 about 2 to 2 and a half years. Just Saturday night while I was at work, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time and the screen was fading. Mind you, I stand at work all day long with my phone in my pocket and had not dropped it at all that day. I have dropped this phone many times in the past and it’s never done this, and only one drop a year ago resulted in multiple cracks across the back of the phone. When I woke up the next morning, Sunday (6/18/17), the screen had completely went out. It was on vibrate before it went out so I can still get calls and hear that messages are coming in, but I can’t see anything. The only things that still work are the LED lights at the top and bottom of the phone. My insurance is void because of the cracks and I have tried all the different methods of trying to get it to cut back on (hold down the volume, power, and home buttons in different combinations), but NOTHING is working. The phone restarts but nothing happens to the screen. I don’t have any alternatives and money’s tight so the phone probably won’t be paid off and upgraded any time soon. Are there any other ways to get the phone screen to work again, or am i just screwed? — Lauren

Solution: Hi Lauren. If the phone screen remains unresponsive and nothing comes out positive when you try all hardware button combinations, you can assume the screen assembly is broken. To fix that, you must send the phone in. We know a paid repair may not be an easy option for you but it’s the only way to fix a bad screen. There’s no software magic or hardware button combinations that you can perform to fix a malfunctioning hardware.

Problem 5: How to unlock FRP-locked Galaxy S6

I rooted my S6 because I wanted SuperUser access to use an interactive shell. I did a factory reset beforehand and then I set up my Google account after the root was completed so I could have access to the Play Store to get the apps I wanted. My S6 had been having battery issues (I recently upgraded to S8) and it died. When I try to start it, I get the “Custom Binary Blocked by FRP lock” error and the phone won’t turn on. I’ve read that FRP is automatically turned on when a google account is connected, and that is why I’m getting the error. Is there any way to get around the FRP lock so my phone will turn on? — Kalebschulz

Solution: Hi Kalebschulz. There’s no official workaround if your phone gets locked due to FRP. You must enter the correct Google account credentials in order to unlock the device.

Some users were reportedly able to unlock an FRP-locked device by flashing the firmware though we haven’t tried it so we can’t verify them ourselves. Try to visit Youtube and find videos that demonstrate workarounds for this issue.

Problem 6: Galaxy S6 stuck in boot loop after an update

In May, my daughter allowed a recent system update to run on her phone, and now it won’t work anymore. She doesn’t know the version, but it was the update it forces us to do in May. (Note: My Galaxy Note 5 hasn’t been the same since that update either, but I am still able to use my phone after a successful factory data reset.) It goes from the Samsung Galaxy S6 screen to “Installing System Update” w/Android guy screen to error screen with yellow triangle/black exclamation point/dead Android guy screen, in that order. She tried to factory reset, but it wasn’t successful. Acted like it was restarting, but then different error screen than this one, then shut off and started this endless error loop. Sure would love to have some help with this! — Scopeland062611

Solution: Hi Scopeland062611. If the phone started having the problem after a carrier-provided over-the-air update was installed, then the best thing option for you right now is to let your carrier handle the situation. It was their update or firmware that caused the problem after all. They should either fix the phone, or replace it.

If carrier repair or replacement is out of the question, you can try flashing the bootloader. Bear in mind though that this procedure may not work at all and can potentially brick the phone for good if not done correctly. If you haven’t tried doing this before, you should do research first so you’ll be familiar with the steps. Below

are the steps on how to flash a typical bootloader. The exact steps for your phone may be slightly different so make sure to find a good guide on how to do it properly.

The steps below are only for demonstration purposes:

  1. Look for the correct firmware for your phone model and download it. Make sure that you select the right one. It should be the same exact firmware that ran previously on your device. We assume that you list down the firmware version somewhere. If you did not take note of it before, there’s a chance that you may pick the wrong one. As you may know now, using an incorrect firmware can cause complications so good luck with that.
  2. Let’s now say that you have identified the correct firmware. You then want to download it to your computer. The firmware file should have a bunch of files in it like AP_, BL_, CSC_, etc.
  3. Look for the file that starts with a label BL; this should be the corresponding bootloader file for this firmware. Once you’ve identified the bootloader file, copy it to your computer’s desktop or to any other folder that you can easily access.
  4. Proceed with the rest of the flashing procedure using the Odin program.
  5. In Odin, click on the BL tab and make sure to use the bootloader file you’ve identified earlier.
  6. Now, make sure that the “Device Added” status and its “ID:COM box” has turned blue before hitting the START button. This will initiate the flashing of your phone’s bootloader.
  7. Restart the phone once the procedure is finished.

Problem 7: Galaxy S6 screen remains black, won’t turn on

Well you see yesterday my phone was working absolutely fine but though during when i was sleeping i charged as it was dead aka out of battery. The next morning i woke up and phone had a black screen with nothing responsive and the phone was extremly hot and somehow i was unable to turn on. I’ve tried methods on Youtube be draining the battery and charging again but it dosent work. Also when i charge the phone starts to heat up but i can’t turn it on and nothing shows up at ALL. I’ve attempted to use other chargers and different location but it hasn’t worked. I’ve tried not charging it for a day and charge it once again it still doesn’t work and i honestly think it’s a physical problem as it was working fine but when i charged it and woke up it didn’t work. So how am i suppose to fix this? — Anthony.sao

Solution: Hi Anthony.sao. Try to see if you can turn the phone on to other modes so you can do follow up troubleshooting. If your phone stays unresponsive, send it in for repair or replacement.

Below are the steps to turn the phone on to other modes:

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.

Problem 8: Galaxy S6 bottom screen has white snow

I was charging my phone on the Samsung WIRELESS charging pad like I’ve always done and when I woke up it had a screen that I’ve never seen on the front of it. 3/4 of the screen from the top is a dark burgundy color with it saying “Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Powered by Android and the bottom other half of the screen is covered in white snow…the kind of white snow that would be on an old TV screen. This is new.

Also when I plug it in manually to charge…the same color screen comes up with the white snow at the bottom of it but it has an empty battery charging icon on it instead. Both screens that appear like that only stay on for a couple of seconds and then it goes back black. SIDE NOTE…I’m not sure what operating system is on the phone.         — Sim0ne99

Solution: Hi Sim0ne99. Try to restart the phone to Recovery mode (steps given above) and see if the screen issue stays. If it does, that’s a confirmation that the screen assembly is not working right. In that case, you should contact Samsung or any relevant party so it can be repaired or replaced.

Problem 9: Galaxy S6 edge keeps freezing and turning on and off

I have been having some issues with my Samsung S6 Edge lately. it started freezing up then kept turning on and off then it just turned off and won’t turn on. I followed the steps on your website and got it to turn on. it works for a couple days and just turned off by itself and would not turn on, in either safe or recovery mode. i had to take it to a technician who opened it up and applied a solution to the board. it started working fine until it turned off on its own yesterday. I have managed to get it started again but i need to rectify the problem. I seems to me to be a software issue. Would it be a good idea to flash the phone or can you advise what i should do. Please to hear from you soonest.  — Jeffrey.browne

Solution: Hi Jeffrey.browne. When it comes to Android troubleshooting, the most that you can do is usually a factory reset. If you’ve tried that without any positive result, you can also try to flash it, if you can manage it. Keep in mind that flashing can potentially brick the device so you want to make sure that you know what you’re doing.

We don’t think this is a software issue though so if there’s no change after a factory reset and flashing, consider a phone replacement.

Problem 10: Galaxy S6 edge won’t turn on

Hey Droid bro. I have Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge sm-g925f. It was on marshmallow update when I bought it. While using it, it randomly crash and hangs on but a normal restart used to solve the problem. But yesterday when i opened up camera app it just froze and when i tried to restart it, the screen went black and since then nothing shows up on the screen . I tried your troubleshooting guide but no help. I tried booting up in recovery mode and in download mode but nothing shows up. I plugged into the charger but no signs of luck. I am really worried. I shall be very thankful if you help me out. Thanks. — My7h5542

Solution: Hi My7h5542. If your phone won’t turn on, there’s obviously nothing much that you can do. The only suggested troubleshooting in this case is to try turning on the device to other modes — Recovery mode, Download mode, and Safe mode. If the phone refuses to boot up to any of them, you must send it in. Your phone needs to be checked so you’ll know if it can be repaired, or if a phone replacement is needed.

 

Engage with us

If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply fill in the short questionnaire in this link and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem.

If you find this post helpful, please help us by spreading the word to your friends. TheDroidGuy has social network presence as well so you may want to interact with our community in our Facebook and Google+ pages.

Galaxy Note 4 fast charging won’t work, won’t charge up to 100%, other issues

Welcome to another #GalaxyNote4 post for this week. We bring you another batch of common Note 4 problems in this one so we hope that you’ll find this material 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.

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

Problem 1: Galaxy Note 4 freezing and shutting down on its own

Recently, my phone has been lagging and the screen would freeze after I downloaded a few apps. Then one day the phone shut off and wouldn’t turn back on. I did a soft reset and it would work but the problem would happen again. Every time the problem occurs, I do another soft reset and it would work again.

One day, I got an error message that says, “cannot boot in normal mode” along with a bunch of other things. I called tech support who told me to take the battery out and put it back in after 10 seconds and it would work again. The phone still shuts off and won’t turn back on and a soft reset always works but every now and then I get that error message again that says “cannot boot in normal mode.” Again, I reached out to Samsung tech support who told me to take out the battery for 10 seconds and put it back in and it would work.

A few days ago, I uninstalled all the apps that I downloaded prior to all these issues and did a software update. The phone had been working fine ever since but the problems are coming back again. It seems to happen every time I try to charge my phone. This has been going on for over a week now and I want a more permanent solution than taking the battery out all the time. This problem happens even when in safe mode. Any ideas what it could be? I really don’t want to have to buy a new phone. — Mimiexue

Solution: Hi Mimiexue. Try to recalibrate the battery and observe how your phone works for a couple days afterwards. This procedure should force the phone to retrain Android on how to detect battery levels correctly. Sometimes, inaccurate battery readings can cause random shut downs. Here are the steps that you want to do:

  1. Use the phone by playing games or doing tasks to hasten power discharge, until the phone turns itself off.
  2. Turn the phone on again and let it turn itself off.
  3. Charge the phone without turning it back on.
  4. Wait until the battery says it fully charged to 100%
  5. Unplug the charger and turn the phone on.
  6. If the phone says it’s not 100% anymore, turn it off, plug the charger back in and wait until 100% charge is reached.
  7. Unplug the charger the turn the phone on again.
  8. Use the phone until you drain the battery down to 0.
  9. Repeat the cycle once.

If battery calibration won’t work, do the more drastic factory reset. This should be the last software troubleshooting step that you must do. Factory reset returns all software settings to their defaults, which means that the device should be in a stable condition software-wise. If the problem is caused by a software bug, it should be absent after a factory reset. To get a baseline performance, make sure not to install any app right after a factory reset. Let the phone run for another couple days without any apps. Use it normally by doing texts and calls and let it run. If everything is normal and the phone does not shut down on its own at all, that’s a sign that the cause of the problem is software malfunction or a bad app. To see which of them is true, you must install apps one by one so you can observe how the phone works after some time. This will take time but is the only effective way to identify the cause, especially if it’s an app.

On the other hand, if the issue returns after a factory reset and even without any apps installed, you can bet the problem is due to bad hardware. It can be the battery so try to replace it first. Make sure to calibrate the new replacement battery before using it fully. If the problem persists, send the phone for repair or replacement.

For reference, these are the steps on how to factory reset your Note 4:

  1. Turn off the Galaxy Note 4 completely.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home keys together, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Note 4 vibrates, release both the Home and Power keys but continue holding the Volume Up key.
  4. When the Android System Recovery shows on the screen, release the Vol Up key.
  5. Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Now highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Vol Down key and press the Power key to begin the reset.
  7. When the master reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key.
  8. The Note 4 will restart but it will be longer than usual. When it reaches the Home screen, then begin your setup.

Problem 2: Galaxy Note 4 fast charging won’t work, won’t charge up to 100%

I have a Samsung Note 4 that I bought in 2014. My phone charged beautifully within hour or less to 100%. Now, whenever I connect my phone to the fast charger, it says it’s fast charging but it charges slow. In fact, I leave it for 2 to 3 hours and the phone only charges up to 85% to 90%. It never goes past 90%. I did complete the soft reset by removing the battery for 10 seconds and restarting the phone. I also did another soft reset by removing the battery and holding the power button for a minute with no luck. I cleared my cache, and cleared any debris from the charging slot with no luck. My charger is in good shape since the day I bought the phone. I have kept it the same way since day one but I don’t know why it’s not charging fast. I have noticed one thing that when I remove the battery and place it back in and then turn my phone back on, my battery level shows as 100% but before that it would continue to show 85 to 90% not going past it. Today, i charged my phone for 4 hours and my battery level is showing at 88% for over 30min. Please help! — Abhishekmahendru

Solution: Hi Abhishekmahendru. Based in our own experience and from reports from others users with a similar problem, the cause is mainly a bad charging port. To check if that’s true in your case, below are the steps that you can try (minus the steps you already mention):

  1. use a different known working USB cable and fast charger
  2. Try a wireless charger (Note 4 wireless charging requires additional upgrade so it’s up to you if you want to try it)
  3. Recalibrate the battery (steps provided above)
  4. Do a factory reset (steps provided above)
  5. Change the battery
  6. Submit the phone for repair or replacement

Problem 3: Galaxy Note 4 is laggy and randomly shuts down itself

For a couple of months every time my phone shuts off, it would not turn back on unless i took battery out and waited about an hour. It would then be super laggy and shut itself off again. I had to install an app called wake lock to stop the screen from going black and shutting off my phone. The partial wake lock helped my phone stay on. My phone is now trying to update. It will say installing update, get to 100% then just shut off and not do anything else. I then have to take battery out, wait a while and put battery back in to power it back on. It then goes into update screen again. Please help. I don’t know how to get it to finish update so i can have phone working again. — Clarelouise1982

Solution: Hi Clarelouise1982. Android troubleshooting is more of a trial-and-error rather than a sure-fire way of identifying the cause so if you’ve already exhausted software solutions, including of course the temporary workaround of installing Wake Lock app, then you must be dealing with a hardware malfunction here. Please check our suggestions for Abhishekmahendru above. If those steps we provide above won’t work in your phone, consider a repair or replacement.

Problem 4: Galaxy Note 4 won’t connect to network after charging port replacement

I recently replaced the charging port on my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and have since had Network connectivity problem. I have reopened the phone and made sure the signal cord is probably fitted on the small knot on the charging port , as well as one on the motherboard. I have factory reset but the problem is same. My network provider is sky mobile. When Sky SIM is in , network search displays EE, but in my bedroom you can see Vodafone, EE and Sky. When l connect to Sky , it will say not connected to sky. I called sky to help manual setting before resetting phone but nothing has worked. Please help. No money to go for formal repair. — W Laryea

Solution: Hi W Laryea. We have virtually no knowledge of your particular phone and how your repair goes so we can’t say for sure what happened. Since the phone appears to detect multiple networks at one time, this is definitely not an issue about hardware failure. There must be some configuration issue that must be worked out with your carrier to register the phone in their system again. It’s also possible that the phone’s network programming was changed for some reason after the repair so if working with your carrier won’t work, you’re out of luck. Only Samsung can check if the phone’s modem is programmed correctly or not so if you want to get to the bottom of this, you’ll have to ask their support

Problem 5: Galaxy Note 4 won’t install Android update

Hi. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 that I bought in December of 2014 from Walmart and use through the Straight Talk Service. My phone is basically stuck on Android version 4.4.2. When I check for software updates it says, “the latest updates have already been installed” but obviously they haven’t. I have tried specifically calling the Straight Talk tech support and they had absolutely no idea what I was even talking about. They just kept saying, “you need to be under WiFi to update your phone.” But even under WiFi it still says the latest updates are already there. Most of my apps work well, but my phone not being on the latest update doesn’t allow me to have some features from certain apps. Thanks in advance for any help. — Marissa

Solution: Hi Marissa. If you have a computer, try to install Samsung Smart Switch to it  and see if you can update your Note 4 after linking it by USB cable. If there’s an available update for your device, Smart Switch should tell you so the moment it detects your phone being connected. If it doesn’t, that means that you’ll be unable to  update it via that app.

If you badly want to install a new Android update, you can do so manually via flashing. Keep in mind though that flashing is basically modifying core system files, so if it’s not done properly, you may end up with a bricked phone. Should you want to take the risks involved, go online and find a good guide on how to do it on your particular phone model. Exact steps vary by phone model. This means that a flashing guide for Verizon Note 4 may be a bit different from a guide for Straight Talk Note 4. Be very careful in using the firmware version since using an incorrect one can lead to boot loop problems.

Problem 6: Galaxy Note 4 with new motherboard can’t decrypt SD card

Hi there. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with an encrypted 64GB SD card. One week ago the device hang and by rebooting it never passed the welcome screen. Samsung told me the motherboard is not working so I replaced it. When inserting the SD card the message appears that the device is preparing the SD card / check for error which is still the current state. Using the SD card with PC, all info is accessible with file extension like jpeg and so on but cannot open because encrypted. I also tried another Samsung phone and same message comes up. After the breakdown the first thing I did was copying the whole SD card to my laptop. Any advise how to get the files from the SD card ? Would be great if yes. Thanks a lot in advance Best regards. — Karl

Solution: Hi Karl. Unfortunately, an encrypted storage medium like an SD card can only be decrypted by the device that coded it previously. Since you had the motherboard replaced, your phone is now basically a “different” phone and can no longer decrypt the card. The same is true even if you use another Note 4 or any other device. The strength of encryption is also its main weakness in this case so you’re out of luck. There’s no way you’ll be able to decrypt the SD card.

Problem 7: Galaxy Note 4 loses battery fast when not connected to a charger

Hi there. My name is Ameerah and I own a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. I’ve had it for just over 3 years now and it hasn’t been giving me problems until now. My phone’s lights of the buttons at the bottom end won’t stop flickering and if I try to use my device (even just unlocking it) it just switches off in a few seconds while I’m using it. Before it did this it would freeze and I would hold the power button for a few seconds and then it would come back on. The battery would end up going from eg. 58% to 23% when it switches back on, and the lights would start flickering again.

I’ve noticed that if I keep my phone in charge, the flickering stops and it works as normal. But I don’t like using it while it’s charging. I was hoping if you could please help me out as to maybe what is causing this issue.

I feel as though it might be the battery and I have read about opening the back and the connection with the battery and so on, but I just wanted to know if it is the battery or something else.

Also this has happened before but not as bad. before I thought it was the RAM being full. I downloaded ‘clean master’ as well as “CM security.” After about a week or so my phone worked perfectly fine. This happened about a year back. But now it’s worse. — Ameerah

Solution: Hi Ameerah. It does look like a battery problem to us. Make sure that you follow our suggestions for others above by recalibrating the battery and doing a factory reset. If those two won’t improve the situation, get a new battery.

Problem 8: Galaxy Note 4 reboots when using some apps

I have a 3-year old Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Sometimes, my phone turns off by itself and it keeps attempting to reboot (it vibrates and displays Samsung text) but does not succeed to reboot until I plug it back for charging. As soon as I plug in for charging it shows 0% battery. Within a second or two it will show the original battery percentage it had before turning off automatically. This happens when I try to use some heavy weight apps like Google maps, Uber and sometimes with Google browser.

There are days when the reboot happens 3-4 times a day and sometimes it does not happen at all specially the days when I don’t use any app, just use it to make calls. My Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was bought from AT&T but I am using it on Cricket Wireless. — FN

Solution: Hi FN. Despite some similarities of your issue with others above, we would like to think that your phone may be having a problem with its power management IC. That’s because the problem appears only at random, and only when you’re using apps that require a lot of computing resources. We still encourage you to do the basic software troubleshooting stuff though such as battery calibration, factory reset, flashing back stock firmware (if you’re running custom ROM), unrooting (if phone is rooted), and battery replacement. If all of these won’t make any difference at all, have the phone replaced.

Problem 9: Galaxy Note 4 stuck in Samsung logo screen, keeps saying battery compartment is open

Hi. I have an Note 4. I have removed the battery, left it out for an hour and tried a complete wipe. As I write this, my phone is flashing the Samsung logo and nothing else. Previous problems include physical problem, the port cover is broken. Have just replaced the Samsung battery with a genuine one (well it says Samsung on it). it comes up with a Touch wiz error and also an error saying to close the battery compartment which I have done, several times. It has been playing up for a while. I am currently in NYC but the phone is a UK phone with a UK SIM card. I will continue to try and do some more hard resets. — Barry

Solution: Hi Barry. There’s only so much an end user like you can do in terms of Android troubleshooting. If you’ve already tried a new battery and factory reset before contacting us, then the problem must be on the hardware side. The only other software trick left for you is to try flashing an older or newer Android version. We doubt that it will change anything but again, as we’ve said, there’s not much that can be done on your end. Software troubleshooting can only fix software problems. There’s no amount of resets that you can do to fix a hardware malfunction.

We can’t tell you what that malfunctioning hardware is unless a thorough hardware diagnostics is done. If you want to get to the bottom of the problem, submit the phone to Samsung so it can be tested. Otherwise, simply consider a phone replacement.

Problem 10: Galaxy Note 4 keeps dropping calls, apps keep freezing, crashing

Respected all. My Note 4 was a perfect machine till last week. All it happened sudden without any pulled activity. During random outgoing calls each day on a Mid-workings hours point 2 – 3 calls were dropped. I blamed on network as usual and moved to some other engagements, some random checks on notifications realized me that my cell is not ringing. I didn’t pay much attention and tried to get back to those missed calls which were missed because of x-y-z reason. All calls were established but without voice at either end. Since that day my all voice functions of Note 4 are retired along with application hanging concern. I consulted with an software expert who has flashed it a couple of times. It works fine with every voice function of the device for next couple of minutes after a fresh ROM. Then again silence. Sorry for the extra briefing. — Meer

Solution: Hi Meer. Since you’re using a non-official ROM, we recommend that you try to find answers from the developer of the software you’re using or from the community that also uses it. The solution to your problems may be ROM specific and we have no idea about it.

The most that we can tell you about this issue is to flash the official Samsung firmware first, and if that won’t work either, to contact your carrier about disconnected calls issue.

If you continue to experience app lock ups even when using stock firmware, you should do a factory reset and observe how pre-installed apps like the built-in Phone app works. If everything works normally when there are no third party apps installed, you can bet one of the apps you install that’s not from Samsung or Google is to blame.

 

Engage with us

If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply fill in the short questionnaire in this link and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem.

If you find this post helpful, please help us by spreading the word to your friends. TheDroidGuy has social network presence as well so you may want to interact with our community in our Facebook and Google+ pages.

Galaxy S7 is frozen and becomes totally unresponsive, Settings app keeps crashing, other issues

Welcome to another #GalaxyS7 article for this week. This post answers 9 more S7 and S7 edge issues sent our way by some of our readers. Be sure to browse through the end to see if you have a similar experience.

Below are the specific topics we cover for you today:

  1. Galaxy S7 keeps showing “Contacts has stopped” error
  2. Galaxy S7 Settings app keeps crashing after installing Android Nougat
  3. Galaxy S7 edge calls keep dropping, getting hot when charging
  4. Galaxy S7 fast charge not working
  5. Galaxy S7 “Settings has stopped working” error when opening wifi
  6. Galaxy S7 cannot save or download MMS
  7. Galaxy S7 not receiving all SMS
  8. Galaxy S7 is frozen and becomes totally unresponsive
  9. Galaxy S7 turning off on its own while charging

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, or you can install our free app from Google Play Store.

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: Galaxy S7 keeps showing “Contacts has stopped” error

Hi. I appreciate the fact there is someone out there willing to help with this nonsense. I am dealing with the “Contacts has stopped” issue. I’m not sure what’s causing it. It’s now happened for a 3rd time and what i did to correct it in the past no longer works. I did the “clear cache” as well as hold the Volume and Home key down then power on to clear cache partition. I’ve done it several times. I will not clear data since it tells me i will lose all files. I only had the phone for one week the first time it happened. I’ve now owned it for about 7 weeks and i have no idea what’s causing it. I have updated the phone a few times. I am thoroughly disgusted with Samsung for not creating a patch for this problem. I will not be purchasing another one in the future. I am at a loss and have no idea what to do. I cannot use the phone to call out. I’m to the point of getting my credit card involved to get my money back and start over. I’m not tech savvy. If you can help, great. Thank you. — John

Solution: Hi John. Since you’re dealing with one particular app here, we strongly recommend that you do all the basic software troubleshooting if you want to get to the bottom of this issue. If you don’t want to lose important files and contacts, mke sure to back them via Smart Switch first. This is a free application from Samsung designed to give users like you an easy option to create copies of their important files to another device. Smart Switch can be installed on another Samsung smartphone that you can use to keep your files but we recommend that you use a computer instead. If you haven’t tried using Smart Switch yet, we recommend that you visit this link for step by step instructions.

Once you’ve already created a back up for your important data, your next step would be to clear the cache and data of Contacts app. Here’s how:

  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 6.0.
  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.

After clearing Contacts’ cache and data, be sure to restart the phone and see if the problem is resolved. If nothing changes, you must do a full wipe by doing a factory reset.

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings and then touch Backup and reset.
  3. Tap Factory data reset and touch Reset device.
  4. If you have screen lock feature turned on, enter your password or PIN.
  5. Touch Continue.
  6. Tap Delete all to confirm your action.

Problem #2: Galaxy S7 Settings app keeps crashing after installing Android Nougat

Settings keeps crashing. I’ve tried wiping the cache, starting in safe mode, and a complete factory reset. Still does it. It seems to be limited to the wifi settings. I can’t pull up the available wifi channels. If I long press the wifi icon on the drop down notifications (or if I go deeper into the wifi manager), I get a message that the settings app has crashed. The same happens if I try to setup wifi calling. This all started when I updated to Nougat. — Adam

Solution: HI Adam. If the problem occurred right after installing an Android update and you downloaded it from your carrier (OTA update), the problem is most probably beyond your ability to fix. There’s a chance that the firmware you installed is poorly or inefficiently coded. An issue like this is usually fixed by a patch but it may take some time to arrive, especially if there’s no one or only a small number is reporting the issue. We suggest that you contact your carrier and let them know about it.

If you updated the operating system via others means and not by air, your only way out may be to revert to the previous firmware version by manually flashing it.

Problem #3: Galaxy S7 edge calls keep dropping, getting hot when charging

Hi. I just got my Galaxy S7 edge. I only had it for 2 weeks now. It’s good but i have garbage service. My calls keep dropping, I am having connectivity issues. I can’t take a video, watch a video or go live from Facebook. i am through Straight Talk Smart Pay.

My Galaxy Grand Prime is cheaper and works better. Can you please help me to figure this out?

Of course I’ve factory reset it once already. It’s also starting to burn while chARGING. BASICALLY GETTING TO HOT. — Nene

Solution: Hi Nene. If factory reset did not fix the issues and it gets hot when charging, the phone is most probably having a hardware malfunction. Some of the common causes of bad hardware includes accidentally dropping the device, exposure to elements (cold, heat, water, moisture), and manufacturing defects. If this was a brand new phone and not a pre-owned one when you got it, contact the seller or your carrier so you can have the hardware checked for errors.

For your network service issues such as random voice drops and internet connectivity interruptions, it’s important that you seek the help of your carrier as they can be due to service outages or poor coverage quality in your area.

Problem #4: Galaxy S7 fast charge not working

I have the same issue as concerns of many. i am worried too. My device does not fast charge and is showing cable charging for up to 7 hours charge time. I did clear system cache about 3 times on my device and the matter was not resolved. I have tried different original fast chargers and the charger doesn’t seem to be an issue but perhaps it’s the device. If my phone cable charges instead of activating fast charging does this cause damage to my device? Thank you please reply a.s.a.p. — Ridah

Solution: Hi Ridah. A lot of times, fast charging issues boils down to a faulty charging port but we’ve never heard of it causing other problems in a device. Fast charging feature can sometimes also be caused by a software glitch so if you haven’t tried it yet, we recommend that you do a master reset at this time. If you can’t restore the fast charging feature after this reset, you can assume that bad hardware is to blame. To fix it you should, you can either have the phone repaired or replaced.

For reference, here are the full steps on how to master reset your Galaxy S7:

  1. Create a backup of your important files such as photos, videos, etc.
  2. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
  3. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  5. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  6. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
  7. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  8. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  9. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  10. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Problem #5: Galaxy S7 “Settings has stopped working” error when opening wifi

So I’m getting the “Settings has stopped working” notification whenever i try open my list of available wifi networks and occasionally when i leave the slide down settings bar open. I followed the steps on one of your posts, did the master reset and i could once more use wifi as normal and access the nearby networks. I then restored my old back up and am now back to not being able to access the wifi menu again. Any advice on this issue?

*i can still reconnect to networks automatically i had already connected to before this issue started. Thank you in advance. — Lockie

Solution: Hi Lockie. Looks like your issue is similar to the one Adam is experiencing above. If “Settings has stopped working” error started happening after you installed the most recent Android Nougat iteration, this may be a firmware coding issue, which means that there’s no amount of troubleshooting that you can do on your end to fix it. The only thing that you can do is to report the trouble to your carrier and hope that they can release a patch as soon as possible.

Problem #6: Galaxy S7 cannot save or download MMS

My boyfriend is sending MMS screen shots or multi media messages/pictures. I tap on it to download and it says receiving. Then after a 15-30 seconds it tells me unable to download. Fail. I hope hold my finger on the pic to see what my options are to forward or convert the format and the only option I get is to delete or save attachment. I try to save it and it will either say unable to save to SD card or application not supported or found. I saw on another post when i asked this same question to make sure my phone was set up properly for Metro and the information is all correct. I also have my data turned on and the downloaded another text app that was also suggested called Textra. I don’t see the messages or pics at all on the new app either. What can i do? — Vamj0414

Solution: Hi Vamj0414. If all APN settings are correct on your phone and mobile data connection is working, the problem is most probably account related. This may be the reason why MMS does not also work even when using a third party app like Textra. Contact your carrier and let them fix the issue for you.

Problem #7: Galaxy S7 not receiving all SMS

I have been having a problem with my Galaxy S7 recently wherein people will send me text messages or even phone calls and I simply will not receive them. It seems to be completely random as I will receive a specific person’s message one time and the next time they send me one I will not, but it will appear as sent on their device, and it has happened with many different people. I have not, however, had any problem with people not receiving my messages. For example, my friend sent me an important text message two days ago which I did not receive on my phone. The next day she asked why I never responded and I said because she never sent it to me but upon comparing our messaging apps, (we both use the default messaging apps on our phones) on her iPhone it said the message was sent, but on my phone it was never received. — Tommy

Solution: Hi Tommy. An issue like this can have several moving parts and most of them  can only be addressed by your carrier. The best that you can do on your end is to do some software troubleshooting to hopefully prevent the issue from happening again. In a case like this, identifying the cause is usually almost impossible to do so unless there’s a known network-related glitch already identified by your carrier, there’s really no way of telling for sure where the problem lies. There’s no diagnostics that you can run on your end to help you pinpoint the cause. It can be a device issue or something in your carrier’s system. SMS and MMS issues are best addressed by the network providing them so if you haven’t contacted them yet about it, be sure to do so.

Problem #8: Galaxy S7 is frozen and becomes totally unresponsive

Hi. I have a Samsung Galaxy S7. I live in FL and was outside all day at a vendor event in the heat when the phone got pretty hot and froze up. I did a soft restart (volume down + power) but the screen got stuck in the Samsung screen with the blue led light pulsing. After getting home and letting the phone charge it seemed to be ok. But today it did it again but worse this time. I tried to do a reset to clear the cache but now it is stuck on the Android recovery screen. I am unable to use the volume up or down keys to make a selection as it is completely frozen. What can I do now? — Piphidavis

Solution: Hi Piphidavis. The first thing that you want to do is to let the phone drain battery power, especially if the phone is completely unresponsive. After that, you want to see if you can boot the phone normally or not. If not, that’s the time you will attempt to boot it to alternate modes. Below are the steps on how to do each hardware button combination and a follow up solution for each one:

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 S7 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 S7 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 S7’ 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.

Should the phone continue to refuse to boot normally, or you won’t be able to boot it to any of the alternate modes above, have it repaired or replaced. The battery may have died or become damaged so it’s good if you can have the hardware checked.

Problem #9: Galaxy S7 turning off on its own while charging

Hi team! Over the last week my Samsung S7 has been turning off while on charge overnight. I use my phone for alarm clock so this has been a little frustrating for the work alarms but hey, happy to get an alarm clock in the mean time. The fault has only happened 3 times within the last week, first and second time the phone was stuck on the Samsung loading screen and I had to force restart. The 3rd time was just turned off while on the battery fully charged screen and turned on with the power button. Each time it does this it closes all apps and when the phone comes back on it will not have alarms set either. I have seen a lot of threads in regards to this but yet to find a solution really? Is there a definite fix for this or what would you guys recommend? I look forward to hearing from you. — Adam C

Solution: Hi Adam C. This may be caused by software glitch so the first thing that you want to do is wipe the cache partition to refresh the system cache. If that won’t fix the problem, you have to do the more drastic solution of factory reset (steps provided above).

For reference, here are the steps on how to wipe the cache partition:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 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. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

 

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Galaxy S7 screen changes to black when opening apps, calls keep dropping, other issues

If you’re reading this, you must be looking for a solution to your own #GalaxyS7 issue. Keep reading and perhaps there’s something that you can get out of this material.

In this post, we share to you 6 more issues that we’ve collected since last week. We hope that this post will help more Android users.

s7

For now, these are the topics that we’ve included in this post:

  1. Galaxy S7 losing network signal at random
  2. Galaxy S7 will not play media sound when using Bluetooth headset
  3. Calls keep dropping on Galaxy S7
  4. Galaxy S7 screen changes to black when opening apps or when pulling notification tab
  5. Galaxy S7 black screen issue after accidental drop
  6. Galaxy S7 freezing and screen keeps turning black

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, or you can install our free app from Google Play Store.

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: Galaxy S7 losing network signal at random

Week old Samsung S7 losing network at random. Shows “Network out of range” message when attempting to use it. Shows no bars on scale. Have to reboot to regain Network. Had this phone for a week and has happened 3 times already. Got this phone because my Note3 was doing the same thing, and has done it from the time I got it. That was a replacement phone that they gave me because the New one I got was doing this too. So that makes 2 Note3 phones, and now the S7 doing this. Frustrating. I have had heart surgery and can not depend on my phone if I had to make an emergency call. Going back to Verizon Center tomorrow again. The phone has no bars now, and can show them in the store what it does. — Boris

Solution: Hi Boris. If the same problem keeps on happening on more than 2 devices, one of these scenarios may be true:

  1. A third party app may be interfering with your phone’s network function.
  2. There’s an unknown operating system glitch causing the problem.
  3. The network signal in your area is terrible.

The first two situations are phone-specific so doing some software troubleshooting may help. We suggest that you start by booting the phone in safe mode. This is the most efficient way to see if one of your installed apps is problematic. Safe mode blocks third party apps and services from running. If the problem will be absent while your phone is in safe mode, that’s proof that our hunch is right. To boot your S7 to safe mode, follow these steps:

  • Turn your Galaxy S7 off.
  • Press and hold the Power button.
  • Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  • Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
  • Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
  • Observe the phone for a few days while this mode is enabled to see if there’s any difference. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to use third party apps while safe mode is active.
  • To boot back to normal mode, simply restart the phone.

If there’s no difference even if the phone is in safe mode for a while, the problem may also be caused by an operating system glitch. To see if you can fix it on your level, you must wipe the phone via factory reset. This will not only eliminate bugs but will also restore all software settings back to their known, working state. Because the factory state of an Android operating system is generally bug free, it should help you determine if the issue is on the OS level or not. Just like in safe mode, you must observe your phone for a few days so you can compare how a factory reset software fares. Also, make sure not to install anything during the observation period so as to eliminate interference from apps. To factory reset your phone, kindly follow these steps:

  • Create a backup of your important files and contacts.
  • Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
  • Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  • When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  • When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
  • Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  • Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  • Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  • The phone will now reboot longer than usual.
  • Install the latest system update (if available).
  • Observe the phone for a few days.

If the problem remains, the issue may not be on your phone but rather on the network side. If you notice the network signal fluctuating or disappearing most of the time, the problem could be due to poor network service in your area. To address this type of situation, you must talk to your carrier’s technical support team so they can troubleshoot it.

Problem #2: Galaxy S7 will not play media sound when using Bluetooth headset

Suddenly my 2 Bluetooth headsets will not play media sound, only calls. Media sound is coming out of the loud speakers The button for turning media sound on does not react. Headsets works fine on other phones. I have:

  • Paired, un-paired many times
  • Adjusted sound levels
  • Factory reset my unit and reinstalled from back up –
  • Contacted Samsung Support Denmark who used Smart Tutor to take control over my phone. They could not solve it and concluded it was a hardware problem
  • Bought a new S7 and used Smart Switch to install the settings from the old phone, still having the same problem!
  • Gave my old phone to my wife — installed it via Smart Switch with settings from her old Galaxy Alpha. Now it works perfect with media sound = not a hardware problem
  • Started new phone in safe mode — same problem
  • Has surfed all over the net for a solution – are desperate – really hope you can help !!! — Morten

Solution: Hi Morten. You’re dealing with at least two devices here — your phone and bluetooth headset. Your problem description only shows troubleshooting for your phone but not on your headset. To see if the problem lies on your phone or bluetooth headsets, do another round of factory reset on your S7 and try to pair with one of your headsets. Make sure that you don’t install anything right after you factory reset the S7. simply do the reset then pair the bluetooth headset right away. If you can get the headset to work when the phone’s software is on factory state, that’s a sign that an app or phone setting may be causing the trouble. On the other hand, if the headset fails to work while the phone is running a clean OS version, you can assume that the problem is on the headset.

Problem #3: Calls keep dropping on Galaxy S7

Hello. I’m having an issue when being in calls with my Samsung Galaxy S7. When in a call, it doesn’t matter if I’m calling or being called, the call suddenly breaks up. And this happens at almost every call. The signal in my apartment isn’t the best, but it’s usually at least 2/4 lines (approx. between -106 dBm 36 asu and -109 dBm 31 asu). My carrier is Telekom Germany. I can’t do the soft reset as the battery is not removable for the Galaxy S7. You have a similar thread, but my exact problem is not described there: https://thedroidguy.com/2016/06/fix-samsung-galaxy-s7-cant-make-receive-phone-calls-plus-call-related-issues-1060383. Maybe the one vaguely described issue in the thread just above, where the user mentioned he changed the SIM card relates to my problem? I’ll try to change the SIM card and see if it persists. But are there similar problems with the S7? Or is my signal not enough? Or is the (not so smooth) switching between cell tower / phone mast happening within the small space of my flat as I sometimes walk around (the issue persists even if I’m sitting still).

One remark is that while I’m having a WhatsApp call AND am connected to my WiFi network, the call still gets interrupted and the app tries to reconnect, randomly with or without success whereas my laptop doesn’t seem to lose the WiFi signal. I would really appreciate your opinion on this and maybe others can also benefit from an answer to this issue. Many thanks in advance and best regards. — Fernando

Solution: Hi Fernando. In general, the closer the signal strength is to zero, the stronger the signal should be. Signal strength that goes beyond -98dBm can be problematic and can significantly raise the possibility of calls being dropped. We recommend that you work with your carrier on how to improve the signal reception in your place first so you’ll know if the problem lies on the phone. If you can improve the signal strength in your apartment to -76 to -90 dBm, then we think your calls should work as normal.

Alternatively, you can try to observe how calls work when you are in an area with good signal reception (where it shows -76 to -90 dBm at least). If your calls work normally, that’s proof that signal reception is the cause of your problem. Otherwise, there may be an unknown software or hardware issue on your phone.

To minimize network-related problems in an Android phone, make sure that you install system updates as they become available as network chip developers sometimes need to update the baseband (the operating system used by your phone’s modem) of their chips (phone modem).

Problem #4: Galaxy S7 screen changes to black when opening apps or when pulling notification tab

I have had my phone since Nov 5th, 2016. This phone was sent to me by my insurance (Asurion). It was not refurbished, it was brand new. The problems i am having are that my phone is that the lower 75% of the screen is white and it flickers… although it is completely responsive. The screen changes to black when i open apps like messages or settings and even when i pull down the notification tab. Please help! i have been restarting it, letting it sit for a while and nothing seems to work. i have NOT dropped the phone into water, but i unfortunately cracked the screen on Nov 13th. When the screen cracked, everything continued to work smoothly but today, the screen suddenly became white and glitchy when i was simply opening Google search. desperately looking for a solution! thank you. — Zalma

Solution: Hi Zalma. As we’ve been repeating time and again, water damage and accidental drops can both short-term and long-term effects. Some devices can continue operating normally while others may show indications of problems immediately or later. One of the signs of damaged screen is flickering and loss of touchscreen functionality in all or portions of the screen. If you haven’t done any software changes before the screen started to flicker, then bad hardware must be to blame.

If you want to check if there’s something that you can do, do a factory reset. If that won’t fix the screen flickering issue, bring the phone to a Samsung shop so the screen or the unit can be repaired or replaced.

More advanced Android users may risk fixing the screen themselves. If you are the more adventurous type, try looking for online guides on how to replace the screen yourself. We will warn you though that hardware repair is risky and can permanently damage other components if not done correctly. You also need to have some basic knowledge on electronics as well as the necessary tools to do the job. If you can accept the risks involved, try to look for guides via Google.

Problem #5: Galaxy S7 black screen issue after accidental drop

Hi, my phone accidentally flew out my hand whilst i was returning to my desk and it slid across my desk and hit my keyboard. I was worried as i havent dropped my phone before (got it in April) and i was relieved when the screen hadn’t smashed or anything but i went to turn the screen on and it won’t turn on. At the bottom of the screen i get a quick white flash (taking up the whole width from the bottom of the screen up almost a centimetre) when i press the home key or power button and then back to a plain black screen. I’ve done the reset where you hold the power button and volume key down for 7 seconds and it vibrated as it does but still this problem persists. I know my phone is on as the blue LED notification light is flashing. I’ve even called my phone and it vibrates. I swiped on the blank screen as i called my phone with a landline as if i was answering my phone and my phone answered! I’m assuming things are working on the phone but the screen is blank. What can i do? Please help. Thanks. — Kyle

Solution: Hi Kyle. The best thing that you can do right now is to send the phone to Samsung, your carrier, or the retailer so they can replace the screen. The accidental drop must have damaged the LCD in the least, thus all you’re getting is a black screen. Before you go though, you can also try to boot the phone to alternate modes, if only to check doing so will make any difference. If the black screen issue persists as you try different hardware button combinations, then you can proceed with repair. Below are the steps on how to boot to other modes:

Boot in Recovery mode:

  • Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  • Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  • When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  • When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  • You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

  • Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  • Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  • When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
  • Wait until the Download screen appears.
  • 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.
  • Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

  • Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  • Press and hold the Power button.
  • Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  • Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
  • Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
  • 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.

Problem #6: Galaxy S7 freezing and screen keeps turning black

I’ve had my S7 since March. Worked flawlessly until around 2 weeks back. The first issue I got was that the phone stopped responding. I haven’t linked that to any specific application. It happened at random. So the phone freezes and screen goes black. I used the Power button + Lower Volume button to power up the phone again and it worked. But then the no response problem happened more often. So I decided to go for a factory reset. I did this using recovery. But I continued to get the freezing issue. And the last time I got it was a few hours ago. But this time when I used the power button+ down volume button, the phone got stuck in a boot loop. I managed to bring up recovery to power down the phone. When I booted into recovery, I got the a dead android logo with a yellow exclamation mark in a triangle. I tried to power up my phone back, but it again got stuck in a boot loop. I know I can resolve this situation by doing a reset again. But I suppose this is not the solution as I will continue to get the freezing and not responding problem again. Any advice please? Thank you. — Mystie

Solution: Hi Mystie. The general rule in Android troubleshooting is simple — if all software troubleshooting have already been exhausted, then the problem must be hardware in nature. The same is true in your case. To see if bad hardware is to blame, make sure that you do all software troubleshooting.

  • The first thing that you want to do is wipe the cache partition. Here’s how:
  • Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
  • Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  • When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  • When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  • Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  • Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  • Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  • The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

If nothing changes after wiping the cache partition, you can then restart the phone in safe mode to see if a third party app is problematic. Refer to the steps above. Finally, if the problem remains even when you boot your S7 to safe mode, do a factory reset. Make sure to observe how the phone works without apps for a few days. If the problem won’t go away, find a way to have the device replaced.

 

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