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How to fix your Samsung Galaxy A6 2019 camera that’s not working, error: Warning camera failed [Troubleshooting Guide]

There are two possible reasons as to why you will be prompted with the Warning: Camera failed error on your Samsung Galaxy A6 2018 device. First is that the Camera app might have failed to load or was able to load but crashed. Second is that your device might have obtained some hardware damage from accidentally drops or liquid exposure. Aside from the Warning camera failed error, you may likewise see a pertinent error that says “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” on your Galaxy A6 2018 screen while attempting to use the camera app. This can be so annoying if you badly needed to use the camera at the moment.

Before rushing to a Samsung service center, you still can try some means to fix the problem on your end. Highlighted below are some applicable solutions you can try on to troubleshoot and rule out software problems that might have triggered this camera error. Read on for more details.

Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a solution to a problem with your phone, try to browse through our troubleshooting pages to see if we support your device. If your phone is in the list of our supported devices, then go to the troubleshooting page and look for similar problems. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. Don’t worry it’s free. But if you still need our help, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

First solution: Force stop camera app then restart the phone.

Like any other apps, the Camera app may also succumb into random errors and would fail to work as intended. If this is the first time you’re having trouble with your Galaxy A6 2018 camera app, then it’s probably just a random glitch that’s easily remedied by restarting the app and the phone itself. Here’s what you should do then:

  1. Tap to open the Apps menu screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Go to Application Manager.
  4. Swipe left to select All tab.
  5. Scroll down and tap on Camera.
  6. Tap the Force Stop button to quit the camera app.

After closing the camera app, reboot/soft reset your phone to clear and refresh it’s internal memory and dumps any errant cache files that might have also caused conflict to the camera application.

To soft reset your Galaxy A6 2018, simply press and hold the Volume Down button and Power button simultaneously for about 10 to 20 seconds and then release both buttons when the phone power cycles.

After it reboots, launch the Camera app again and see if the camera failed warning is gone. Continue to troubleshoot if the error reoccurs.

Second solution: Clear app cache and data on your Galaxy A6 2018.

Errant cache files can also trigger errors when using an application. To make sure this isn’t what’s causing the camera app to fail or to encounter an error, clearing cache and data on the camera app can help. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Tap to open the Apps menu screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Go to Application Manager.
  4. Swipe left to select All tab.
  5. Scroll down and tap on Camera.
  6. Tap the Clear Cache button to wipe cache from the camera app.
  7. You can also tap the Clear Data button to erase temporary data on the camera app.

Aside from the Camera app, clearing cache and data from the Gallery app can also help. The Camera and Gallery apps are interrelated applications and work side by side. Thus, if there’s a problem with the Gallery like when the app has crashed or become corrupted, the Camera app may also be affected. To ensure that this isn’t happening, clear cache and data on the Gallery app as well.

Third solution: Update phone software to the latest version available.

Installing the latest software update on your device can also help get rid of any bug-inflicted errors and system problems. New system updates usually offer bug fixes for security enhancements. If you haven’t updated your Galaxy A6 2018 to the latest Android version released, then check for and manually install the latest system update on your phone. Here’s how:

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen to launch view and access the Apps screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Scroll to and tap Software Update.
  4. Select the option to Download updates manually.

Wait for the phone to search for system updates. You will then see an update notification if a new system update is available for download. Otherwise, you’ll be prompted with a message saying that your phone is up to date. Your phone must have a strong and stable Wi-Fi internet connection, ample of storage, and at least 50 percent battery to complete the update download and installation.

Fourth solution: Wipe cache partition on your Galaxy A6 2018.

If your phone’s camera app started to glitch after installing an update, then it’s likely a post-update issue that can easily be remedied by wiping cache partition on the phone. Apps and the phone system can become rogue following a system transition as some changes weren’t properly applied. To clear this out, wiping cache partition is recommended. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Turn off the phone completely.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up and Power buttons simultaneously for a few seconds and then release both buttons when the Samsung logo appears.
  3. As soon as you see the Android bot logo, tap on the screen to enter recovery mode. You will then a list of options including reboot system now, reboot to bootloader, wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache partition, and others.
  4. Press the Volume Down button several times to highlight/select wipe cache partition option.
  5. Then press the Power button to confirm selection. Your phone will then start wiping cache partition and then prompts you to Reboot system now when done.
  6. Press the Power button to confirm system reboot.

Test the camera app as soon as the phone boots up to see if the error is gone.

Fifth solution: Master reset and restore your Galaxy A6 2018 to its factory defaults.

Wiping your phone and restoring the default settings are usually among the last options to consider if all else failed to offer solution. Your device may be going through some fatal system errors that eventually afflicted the camera and relevant applications on the phone. All these can potentially be rectified by a master reset. This will erase everything from your device, thus backing up critical data is recommended beforehand. Here’s how a master reset or factory data reset is done:

  1. Tap to open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Cloud and accounts.
  3. Tap the option to Backup and restore then turn on Back up my data and Restore options, if necessary.
  4. Go back to Settings-> General management menu.
  5. Then tap Reset.
  6. Select Factory data reset from the given options.
  7. Then tap Reset device.
  8. If prompted, enter your password or PIN to continue.
  9. Then tap Delete all to confirm reset.

Software-related issues are usually obliterated by a full system reset and so your camera app should already be working properly again. If the camera failed warning still shows after a master reset, then you’re most likely dealing with hardware damage.

Other options

For further suggestions and more advanced troubleshooting procedures, contact your carrier or Samsung Support. If you suspect that the problem is attributed to hardware damage, then take your device to a Samsung-authorized service center instead. You’re most likely dealing with hardware problem if the Camera failed error persists and the camera app on your Galaxy A6 2018 smartphone still won’t work after exhausting all possible solutions to fix it on your end. In that case, your phone needs service.

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How to fix Huawei Mate 10 Pro camera that is not working, warning camera failed [Troubleshooting Guide]

One of the features smartphone users are keen on is the camera. In fact, most people would first examine the camera specs before purchasing a new phone. But the thing is, even the highest-tiered smartphone that sports the best camera features isn’t free from flaws. While it’s very unlikely for a new device to experience camera issues, there are some factors that make them unavoidable. That said, adverse symptoms can occur unexpectedly.

Tackled in this post is a pertinent issue on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro camera. Read on to find out what to do if the camera suddenly stops working and you’re prompted with the camera failed warning on the same Huawei smartphone.

Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a solution to a problem with your phone, try to browse through our troubleshooting pages to see if we support your device. If your phone is in the list of our supported devices, then go to the troubleshooting page and look for similar problems. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. Don’t worry it’s free. But if you still need our help, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to troubleshoot Mate 10 Pro with its camera that’s not working

The following are potential solutions and workarounds that are used to deal with software issues that might have caused trouble on the Mate 10 Pro camera app and halted it from working properly. Don’t forget to test the camera app after performing each solution to determine whether or not the problem is solved. Proceed to the next applicable solution, if needed.

First solution: Force close Camera app then reboot your phone.

For first instances, the problem is likely occurring as a random glitch on the camera app or other errant applications. Background apps that are crashing may also be the culprit. To clear these out, clearing the camera and background apps can help. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Tap the Recent Apps button from the main screen.
  2. Select the Active apps icon.
  3. Tap End next to the Camera app.
  4. To quit all background apps at once, tap End all.
  5. Then tap OK to confirm.

After clearing the Camera and all background applications, reboot or soft reset your Huawei Mate 10 Pro. Doing so will dump cached data and frees up space of the internal memory. This also prevents apps and phone system from going rogue.

Second solution: Clear app cache and data.

Cached stored on the camera app’s memory may become corrupted and when this happens, there is a tendency for the app to misbehave and stop working properly. Corresponding errors are likewise triggered. As resolution, try clearing cache and data on the camera app with these steps:

  1. Go to the Main Menu.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Select Application manager.
  4. Select the All tab.
  5. Select Camera from the list of apps.
  6. Tap the option to Clear Cache or Clear Data. Choose Clear Cache option to clear cache without erasing saved data on the app. Choose Clear Data option to delete all saved temporary information on the camera app. The latter option is necessary if corrupted camera app data are to blame.
  7. If prompted, read and review the warning then tap OK to confirm action.

Wait until the phone is done clearing cache and data from the camera app. To refresh the phone system, reboot your phone again.

Third solution: Wipe cache partition.

If clearing the app cache and data failed to offer solution, wiping cache partition on the phone can be considered the next option. This will clear cache and data from the system folders including errant files and temporary data that may have afflicted the camera features. Here’s how to wipe cache partition on your Huawei Mate 10 Pro:

  1. Turn off your phone.
  2. Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Up button simultaneously for a few seconds.
  3. When you see the Huawei logo, release both buttons. You will then be routed to the EMUI or Android Recovery menu with a few options to choose from.
  4. Press the Volume Down button to scroll to and highlight Wipe cache partition from the given options.
  5. Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
  6. Wait until your device is done wiping the cache partition and once it’s done, the Reboot system now option will be highlighted.
  7. Press the Power button to confirm and reboot your phone.

Allow your device to boot up completely then launch the camera app and see how it works. If the problem continues, move on to the next applicable solution.

Fourth solution: Install the latest software version available.

Keeping your phone software up to date is recommended to ensure that your device is at its optimum performance. Device manufacturers typically address common device issues through an update containing the required fix patch. Should the camera issue on your Huawei Mate 10 Pro is caused by complex software error, then installing update may help. If you haven’t updated already, then check the latest firmware version available for your phone. If a new version is available, then you can update your phone via over-the-air (wirelessly). To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Scroll to and tap System.
  3. Tap About phone.
  4. To view the current software version of your phone, scroll to and tap Android version.
  5. To check for new updates available, tap System Update instead.
  6. On the System update screen, tap the Check For Updates button and then wait for your phone to scan for new updates.

A notification will then tell you if a new software version is available. To update the software on your device, simply follow the onscreen instructions. Again, your phone must be connected to the Wi-Fi internet, has at least 50 percent battery life and enough memory space.

When the software update installation is complete, reboot your phone to apply the new system changes accordingly and refresh the apps and operating system.

Fifth solution: Reset and restore your phone to factory defaults.

Among the last options and possible solutions you can try on is a master reset or factory data reset. This will erase everything from your phone system and then restore it to factory defaults or its original state. Should there be any tough bugs that caused fatal errors on the phone’s camera system, then that will be cleared too. Nonetheless, you’ll lose important data in the process. Should you wish to continue, back up all your critical files, apps and other important contents so you can recover them later. Then follow these steps to master reset or factory reset your Huawei Mate 10 Pro via settings menu:

  1. Tap Settings from the Main menu.
  2. Scroll to and tap Advanced settings.
  3. Scroll to then tap to select Backup & Reset option.
  4. Tap Factory data reset to continue.
  5. Then tap Reset phone twice to confirm.

Complicated issues in mobile devices that are attributed to fatal system errors are typically resolved after performing a full system wipe out or factory reset. With that said, launch the camera app and then see if it’s already working properly this time. The camera failed warning should also be gone at this point. If the camera is still not working as intended and the camera failed warning persists, then your device may require service.

Other options

The problem on your Huawei Mate 10 Pro camera may likely be tied to hardware damage if it persists after exhausting app prior methods to clear software errors on your device. In that case, you can take your device to the nearest Huawei service center in your place and have it examined by an authorized technician. For other options and recommendations, contact your device carrier or Huawei Support. Relaying the issue to the support team is also necessary especially if the problem started after installing a new firmware update.

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We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.

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Fix Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge “Warning: Camera failed” error and other camera problems

“My Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (#Samsung #GalaxyS6Edge) keeps on saying “Camera failed” if I open camera. The same thing happens if I use the camera through Facebook and SnapChat.”

S6-Edge-camera-failed

More often, major firmware updates may lead to multiple app crashes including the error message I cited in the title. Based on the problem sent by our reader below, the error occurred immediately after an update. So, it’s most likely just some corrupt caches and/or data. Continue reading to learn how to fix the problem.

I also included other camera-related problems. Go through the list below to know if your issue is among the ones I addressed in this article.

  1. Galaxy S6 Edge showing “Camera failed” error
  2. Photos sometimes disappear from the Gallery
  3. S6 Edge camera makes noise as if it’s trying to focus
  4. Camera isn’t working on Galaxy S6 Edge due to liquid damage
  5. White flashes appear on S6 Edge screen when changing orientation

For those who have other issues and need further assistance, feel free to contact us by completing this questionnaire. Make sure you provide all necessary details we can help you better. Or, you may visit our S6 Edge troubleshooting page, find problems similar to yours and use the solutions we provided.

Galaxy S6 Edge showing “Camera failed” error

Problem: There was an update recently, but not Marshmallow, and I downloaded it to my Galaxy S6 Edge. Prior to this update, I already received a few in the last couple of months and all of them have been successful, except this one. I mean, I successfully installed it but something happened after the installation.

The first thing I immediately experienced was the camera. When I tried to open it to snap some photos, I was greeted by the warning “Camera failed.” So I rebooted the phone thinking it was just a glitch but the same thing happened when I opened it again. Can this be fixed?

The other thing I noticed is the performance of the phone. There are times when the device hangs for a couple of seconds. This behavior didn’t happen with previous updates. Please help me fix it. Thanks.

Related Problem: Hi guys. Help me out please. My S6 Edge keeps popping up a message saying that the camera failed. I didn’t do anything to it but there was an update yesterday and then this problem occurred. Help me fix it please. Thank you.

Troubleshooting: It looks like the problem was caused by corrupt caches and/or data. During updates, the version of the operating system will be bumped up so the caches of the previous OS may become obsolete. However, since they’re not deleted automatically during updates, problems occur when the new system uses them. In this case, it’s necessary to clear the system cache so the phone will be forced to create new files. With that, all you need is to wipe the cache partition:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, and Power key.
  3. When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
  4. When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
  5. Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  6. 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 deleting the system cache didn’t improve the situation, then you have no other choice but to do the master reset to deleted all obsolete data. Be warned, however, that all your settings and data will be deleted, so you need to back them up before you follow these steps:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power keys together.
  3. When the device powers on and displays ‘Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
  4. Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
  5. Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Press the Vol Down button again until the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
  7. After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.

Photos sometimes disappear from the Gallery

Problem: My messages show up when I go to read them they are not there, this is the same with my photos reviewed them when I went to show someone they were not in the gallery or albums. I know I did not delete them.  How can I get them back?

Answer: It seems to me that there’s not enough storage space left in your device that the camera can snap photos then you can view them but they’re not saved. If that’s not the case, however, then you need to observe your phone further. Or, you can do the master reset, which I think will fix this issue. However, you need to go through all the hassles of backing up your data.

S6 Edge camera makes noise as if it’s trying to focus

Problem: When I turn my camera on (mainly with the snapchat app) it makes a loud noise likes it trying to focus. It lasts about 30 seconds unless I turn my screen off all together. Also the flash when I’m recording it flickers none stop which is very frustrating. I really do like this phone but as of lately I’ve had more problems with this phone wI thing the 2 months of having it then I did in the 2 years  with my old iPhone. It’s a beautiful phone so I honestly don’t want to get rid of it but I’m starting to consider it.

Answer: I don’t know how much noise you hear every time you access the camera using Snapchat but you’re right, it’s actually trying to focus. As to the amount of time it takes before it can gain focus, I think it depends on the app. But to confirm, try accessing the camera using the stock Camera app and see if the amount of noise and time is the same as with SnapChat. If not, then it’s an issue with the app, otherwise, you need to reset your phone to see if it can be fixed because if it remained after the reset, there’s a chance it’s an issue with the hardware. And for that, you need a technician to check it for you.

Camera isn’t working on Galaxy S6 Edge due to liquid damage

Problem: My S6 Edge fell down the toilet. I retrieved it immediately and put in a bag of rice overnight.  I switched it on the next day and everything was working fine including the camera. This evening the camera has stopped working. It’s just a black screen or something evt or call error message comes up.

Suggestion: My advice to you is this: have the phone checked properly by a technician because somehow, liquid has found it’s way into the device and apparently caused problems. There might still be liquid residue inside that needs to be cleaned up. We know it’s probably liquid damage but we can never be sure the extent of the damage. Opening the phone by yourself will void the warranty so you have no other option but to see professional help for your S6 Edge.

White flashes appear on S6 Edge screen when changing orientation

Problem: When I rotate my phone white flashes appears in my phone then stop, while flashes are appearing I can’t take a photo which makes me take late photos, as I need a good photo and fast lt that’s why I bought this phone. but when I take a video and rotate my camera and those flashes appears, but when I open the video there is none. But still those annoys me and making me take bad photos I hope solution as fast as possible. Sincerely, Modi.

Troubleshooting: It might be a hardware issue and might have something to do with one of the sensors. There’s nothing we can do about it if that’s the case. So, your best course of action is to reset the phone and if the problem remained, then it’s time you sent it in for further check up and repair.

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.

Galaxy S7 not receiving notifications after installing Nougat update, other issues

Hello Android community! Here’s another #GalaxyS7 post for you today. This material today addresses 7 problems submitted by our readers during the past few days. We hope that the solutions will be of help to the users mentioned here as well as those who may be experiencing similar issues.

Below are the topics we are discussing in thie material:

  1. Galaxy S7 not receiving notifications after installing Nougat update
  2. Galaxy S7 camera is defective | Galaxy S7 screen won’t unlock
  3. Galaxy S7 edge stuck in boot loop after installing Android Nougat
  4. Galaxy S7 stops booting after installing Nougat update
  5. Galaxy S7 doesn’t save sent email in sent folder
  6. Galaxy S7 edge won’t boot back on
  7. Accidentally dropped Galaxy S7 won’t turn back on

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 not receiving notifications after installing Nougat update

Hi. Since the Nougat update my notifications from installed apps from the Play Store will not come through when my phone is in idle mode, i.e., screen off and not being used within the last 5 minutes and longer. We have emptied the cache, updated the apps, and did all the usual notification settings. This was not a problem prior to the Nougat update. An example, my YI Home camera app is to notify me when my home security cameras detect motion. This does not happen unless my phone screen is on. I will not get notified if my phone has gone idle. Again, this was not an issue prior to the update. Notifications on installed apps slow to come through. — Kathy

Solution: Hi Kathy. There’s no specific set of troubleshooting when it comes to issues following an update. The same old formula is the recommended troubleshooting which consists of wiping the cache partition, updating of apps, uninstalling incompatible apps, and factory reset. If you are positive that this issue did not occur before you installed a new Android version, you should the usual dose of troubleshooting. We haven’t noticed you doing a factory reset so if you think fixing this problem is worth the hassle, then go ahead and do it.

To factory reset your S7, follow these steps:

  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 data / factory reset.’
  6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ 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.

NOTE: Factory reset will wipe user data such as photos, videos, contacts, etc. Make sure that you create a backup of your important files before doing it.

Problem #2: Galaxy S7 camera is defective | Galaxy S7 screen won’t unlock

Hi. I read over your posts but I couldn’t find the one that i could relate to. So this morning i realized that my camera is broken. Which doesn’t make sense because i have a heavy duty case and didn’t drop my phone.

So as i opened my camera app the camera does not work. But i restarted my phone accidentally my phone died. And now the phone won’t load. The phone goes through the start motion such as asks me to unlock the phone using my pattern but after that its stuck on the unlock graphic where it’s trying to load it basically the pad lock and on the screen and won’t get past the unlock signal. — Elham

Solution: Hi Elham. You have two major issues here — defective camera and phone won’t unlock the screen — so we recommend that you try the two basic Android troubleshooting. The first one that you want to do is to boot the phone to recovery mode so you can wipe the cache partition. Here’s what you need to do:

  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

If you’ll be able to wipe the cache partition, that’s a good sign. It also means that there’s a chance you may be able to unlock the screen. However, if nothing changes, you can proceed to factory reset to bring all software settings to their defaults. If you haven’t tried factory reset before, please refer to the steps above. Doing a factory reset will of course delete files stored in your phone’s internal storage device but if you want to unlock the phone again, it must be done.

Keep in mind that factory reset is meant to fix software issues only. If the hardware of the camera assembly is the problem itself, you should send the phone in so it can be repaired or replaced.

Problem #3: Galaxy S7 edge stuck in boot loop after installing Android Nougat

Hello. My Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is stuck in this reboot loop. I have tried everything on the support page (plugging it in, pressing volume up and power but it is not ‘off’ for long enough for that to work, pressing home, volume down and power) nothing seems to work. Third time this has happened now and it seems to have started after the Nougat upgrade. What can I try in the short term to get it functioning again? Samsung are of course being useless! — Nicola

Solution: Hi Nicola. We rarely encounter boot loop issue after an OTA update (we assume it’s an over-the-air update since you didn’t indicate otherwise) but just like in any boot loop situation, the most effective solution to try first is to boot the phone to recovery mode so you can do follow up steps like wipe the cache partition and factory reset. If your phone is unable to boot to any alternate mode such as recovery mode, safe mode, or Odin mode, consider using Smart Switch app to see if you can flash the firmware with it. You need a PC for this to work of course.

If your computer won’t detect the phone, or if the phone continues to reboot so as to prevent flashing, that’s an indication that something must have damaged the motherboard, or that the bootloader has been corrupted. In any case, you need to send the phone to Samsung so it can be repaired or replaced.

Problem #4: Galaxy S7 stops booting after installing Nougat update

Hi. Samsung S7. Did the software update Nougat. Woke up in the morning to a blue light in the left hand corner pulsing slowly with a little green on the edge of the light. Did the reset functions and nothing. No indication of life. It’s a 5-month old and has a lot of pictures I want 🙁

I  tried everything to get it to boot but the light still pulses in the corner. Left it plugged in for 1/2 day and tried again. I bought this phone outright thinking it’s new and I’ll be right. Need help please if you can. I have tried everything on your pages 🙁 — Jason        

Solution: Hi Jason. Ideally, you’re supposed to back your files up before you install any software update. The wisdom for such a hassle is to prevent losing irreplaceable data when a situation like yours occurs. Right now, there’s nothing much that you can do unless you’ll be able to fix the phone by booting to recovery mode so you can wipe the cache partition.

In some cases, restarting an Android device to safe mode can get the phone to boot normally back up so you should also try that.

For a complete list of steps that you can try, please check the things below:

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

Remember, if the phone remains unresponsive or won’t boot to any of these modes, there must be an unknown hardware problem behind the trouble. Have the phone repaired or replaced.

Problem #5: Galaxy S7 doesn’t save sent email in sent folder

Hi. Some of my sent messages are not saving in sent items on my phone. This mainly seems to be the case when they go into outbox first due to little or no wi-fi or 4G signal through 02 carrier. Once they send when phone is back in signal they don’t save into the sent items.

I have tried all of the suggestions on this page & nothing is working, I have even deleted the email account &set it back up through the email app on phone, with IMAP as before. My emails are through Outlook 2013 & the ones which dont save on the phone aren’t accessible through webmail or PC either. However I know the recipients receive them & i have sent test messages to my Gmail account which show up there but sometimes don’t save as a sent item even when phone is in full signal. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you. — Paula

Solution: Hi Paula. Try to clear the phone cache partition first as sometimes, bugs can occur when the system cache is outdated or corrupted.

  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

If wiping the cache partition won’t fix the issue, you can then clear the email app’s cache and data. This will ensure that you deal with whatever bug coming from the email app.

  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.

If both these solutions won’t work, do a factory reset.

Problem #6: Galaxy S7 edge won’t boot back on

Hi. so I browsed your great website first but still can’t find a solution. I still want to try although i’ve given up on my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge that I bought about a year  ago.

It started turning on and off by itself. So I did the soft and then the hard reset several times. Now it won’t go on. It won’t charge. Not with 3 different chargers, not with a computer or laptop, and not with the wireless charger. The battery is 0% so i can’t do any resets anymore. Please tell me. Do I really have to throw it away? 🙁 — Fayolah01

Solution: Hi Fayolah01. There’s not much to do if your phone does not even power on in the first place. There’s a few things that must be checked in this case but unfortunately, you can’t do the checking yourself.  The possible causes can range from a defective battery, a malfunctioning power IC, or any unknown motherboard problem that affects power management of the phone. All these scenarios require a thorough physical check of the hardware so we suggest that you send the device to Samsung. If that’s not possible, consider having an independent service center do the diagnostics.

Problem #7: Accidentally dropped Galaxy S7 won’t turn back on

I have a Samsung S7 and dropped it from around a meter high. It fell on the top of the phone. No damage was done to the device on the outside and screen is perfectly fine. The case, I have protected it from any outside damage. Straight away the device turned off and would not turn back on until connected to the charger. I had 85% and once I put in my password after 2 seconds it turns off again but will switch back on go to Samsung logo and then my network provider’s logo. It’s only after entering my password it turns off again. It’s not staying on long enough for me to back up my data. Is there anything I can do to get this done or do you have a idea of what the problem maybe!? — Rashida

Solution: Hi Rashida. If this problem was there before and only started occurring after the device was accidentally dropped, then you can assume hardware malfunction is to blame. The unnecessary shock may have damaged the battery or some other components. The best thing that you want to do right now is to determine if internal damage can be fixed. For example, if the shock dislodged the battery from its metallic contacts, the problem may be fixed by simply soldering the loosely connected part. However, if the damage is extensive and there’s a number of critical components that no longer works properly, a full motherboard replacement may be required. All these scenarios can only be determined after a thorough inspection so there’s no point doing anything on your end. A hardware problem can’t be fixed by a software hack.

Because your phone no longer boots up at this time, we can’t , of course do back up procedures. If an attending technician can’t get the phone to turn back on, there’s no way you’ll be able to recover your files.

 

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.

Why does Camera keeps closing on Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and how do I fix it?

The Camera in your Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comprises both the app and the sensor; when you open the app, the hardware also initializes. When you encounter a problem, it’s possible that it’s just an issue with the app or the hardware or both. It’s difficult to pinpoint what the problem really is that’s why it’s necessary to troubleshoot your phone.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy Note 8 with its camera that keeps on crashing or closing. We will try to consider every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can determine the issue and the best course of action. So, if you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently having problems when using the Camera of your phone, continue reading as this article may be able to help you one way or another.

Now, before anything else, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already provided solutions to hundreds of problems reported by our readers. Odds are that we may have already provided a solution to the problem you currently have so try to find issues that are similar with yours on that page and feel free to use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to fix Galaxy Note 8 with its Camera that keeps crashing


We have addressed similar problems in the past and we know from experience that this problem could pretty minor or very complicated depending on whether the hardware is affected or not. If it’s just a problem with the app, then you can fix it on your own without any help from a tech but if it’s a problem with the sensor, then it might need to be replaced. Now, here’s what you should do about this…

First solution: Restart your Note 8

A reboot might be all you need to get this problem sorted out especially if this is the first time that the problem occurred. Let’s try to rule out the possibility that it’s just a result of a minor glitch so restart your phone and see if the camera works after that. You may also try doing the Forced Reboot which is far more effective than the normal restart.

Press and hold the volume down and power keys at the same time for 10 seconds or more. Your phone will restart normally but its memory will be refreshed and all apps and services reloaded. If the camera still closes on its own after doing this, then move on to the next solution.

Second solution: Clear the cache and data of Camera

We will now try to see if this is just a problem with the application. By clearing the camera’s cache and data, you’re resetting it back to its default settings and configuration as well as replacing the files that are deleted. If this is indeed just a problem with the app, then this procedure is more than enough to fix the problem.

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Find and tap Camera.
  4. Tap Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

If it still crashes after doing this, then you can expect that the problem is more serious than we thought.

RELEVANT POSTS:

Third solution: Find out if it’s caused by third party apps

You need to run your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps and services. If the camera doesn’t crash while the phone is in this mode, then it means there’s a third party that’s causing this problem. Find that app and uninstall it. Here’s how you reboot your phone 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.

However, if the problem continues even in safe mode, then try the next procedure to rule out the possibility that it’s just a firmware problem.

Fourth solution: Backup important files and reset phone

At this point, a reset is necessary and this will conclude your troubleshooting. If the problem continues after this, then you have to bring the phone to the service center. The firmware may need to be reflashed or it could be a hardware problem.

Before the reset, however, make sure to backup all your important files and data as they will be deleted. After the backup, follow these steps to reset your phone:

  1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
  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 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).
  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.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you one way or the other. If you have other concerns you want to share with us, feel free to contact us through our questionnaire or leave a comment below.

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.

Articles you may also find helpful:

Samsung Galaxy J3 keeps showing “Warning: Camera failed” when camera is opened [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Warning: Camera failed” is often referring to the sensor that failed to initialize or failed to do what’s expected of it. Some of our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy J3 seem to be experiencing this error every time they try to take pictures.

In this post, I will guide you through in troubleshooting your device that may help us get rid of the error and bring the phone back to its normal operation with its camera working without a hitch. So, if you own this phone and are currently bugged by the same problem, read on as this post may be able to help you.

Before we jump right into our tutorials, if you have other issues, drop by our Galaxy J3 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed many issues with this phone since we started supporting it. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the troubleshooting procedures or solutions we suggested. Should you need further assistance from us, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s free.

Error message “Warning: Camera failed” shows when camera is opened

Problem: I’m not sure if this problem is with the app or with the camera hardware but apparently, I need your help in figuring out the error message “Warning: Camera failed.” It opens as soon as I open the camera app. Oh well, the camera app doesn’t open when I tap it, instead this error message shows up. I’m not sure what I need to do to fix this or get rid of the message to give way for the camera to work. Can you help? Thank you.

Troubleshooting: There are, at least, two error messages you may get when the camera freezes, crashes or stops working. The first one is “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” while the second is “Warning: Camera failed.” The former usually occurs when the problem is with the app and latter when the problem is with the hardware. However, we’ve encountered cases wherein this error occurs simply because the sensor was able to initialize leaving the hardware to crash. Therefore, just by looking at the error message, we really can’t tell if the problem is with the app, the firmware or the hardware itself. We need to troubleshoot. That said, here’s what I suggest you do…

Step 1: Make sure third-party apps have nothing to do with the problem

There are times when third-party apps crash and affect the normal operation of the phone. So, we need to make sure it’s not that. I need you to boot your Galaxy J3 to temporarily disable all third-party apps. In so doing, you’re already isolating the problem to know if it has something to do with third-party or pre-installed apps. This is how you run your device in safe mode:

  1. Power off your Galaxy J3. Press and hold the Power key, tap Power off and then touch POWER OFF to confirm.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
  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 the phone is in this mode, try to open the camera app to see if you’ll still be greeted with the same error. If so, then the apps you downloaded and installed have nothing to do with the problem, otherwise, you just have to find the apps that cause it and uninstall them.

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Applications.
  4. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  5. Tap Storage.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
  7. Tap Clear cache.

Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app

Assuming the error still shows up when the camera app is opened in safe mode or if the problem still persists after doing the first step, then it’s time to go after the app itself. You have to reset it by clearing its cache and data so it will be brought back to its default settings as well as delete all possible corrupt caches and data. If the problem is with the app only, then this procedure is enough to fix it…

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Applications.
  4. Tap the Camera app in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  5. Tap Storage.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
  7. Tap Clear cache.

Don’t worry, none of your pictures or videos will be deleted as they’re saved somewhere else. So, after doing this, try to open the app to see if the error still shows up and if so, then move on to the next step.

Step 3: Wipe the cache partition so caches will be replaced

We need to rule out the possibility that some of the caches got corrupted and are causing this kind of problem. Since we don’t have access to individual caches nor can we delete them individually, we have to bring the phone to boot in recovery mode and wipe the cache partition from there. This is how you do it:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the device logo screen displays, release only 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 key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
  6. Press the Power key to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  8. When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

It will take a little longer for the phone to become active but when it does, try to open the camera to know if the error pops up and if so, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

Step 4: Perform a reset on your Samsung Galaxy J3

A reset will bring the phone back to its factory default settings ruling out the possibility that the problem might have been caused by incorrect settings or configurations. Other than that, it will also delete all possible corrupt data and system files. However, all your personal files and data will also be deleted, so make sure you make a backup prior to the reset.

When you’re ready to reset your phone, disable the anti-theft feature first to make sure you won’t be locked out of your device after the reset. Here’s how…

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Cloud and accounts.
  4. Tap Accounts.
  5. Tap Google.
  6. Tap your Google ID email address. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
  7. Tap Menu.
  8. Tap Remove account.
  9. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

After disabling anti-theft, follow these steps to do the Master reset…

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the device logo screen displays, release only 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 key 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.

Step 5: Bring the phone to the shop or store to have it checked

After the reset and the problem still occurs, then we can say that it’s already a hardware issue since we’ve already done all the basic procedures that may have fixed the issue provided it’s a problem with one of the apps or the firmware. So, at this point, it’s better to just send the phone in or bring it to the shop and have the tech take a look at it.

Error “Camera failed” shows when picture is taken using default camera app

Problem: Hi guys. My phone is the cheap Galaxy J3 and while I don’t expect it to work like my Galaxy S5 before, it pretty much do what I want it to do but recently, an error keeps showing up whenever I take pictures. The error message says “Camera failed” but I can open the camera without any issues. It only shows when a picture is taken. Have you encountered this problem before? What should I do to get rid of this error message? Thanks.

Troubleshooting: Unlike the first problem, this one allows the user to open the camera successfully but the same error message shows up when the owner starts to snap some photos. We also cannot be sure if it’s the problem with the hardware or just an issue with the app or the firmware. But let me tell you the basic operation of the camera before we proceed.

When you take a photo, of course, you will open the camera. Once tapped, the app, the firmware and the camera sensor initialize to become ready. The Gallery app will also be called to initialize since it works side-by-side the camera. When the picture is taken, the sensor will register the image then pass it over to the Gallery, which will manage it and it might be at this point that the problem occurs. That said, here’s what you should do…

Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the Camera

Since the camera is concerned, it must be the first one that should be reset to rule out the possibility that the it’s just an issue with the app itself or some of its configurations.

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Applications.
  4. Tap the Camera app in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  5. Tap Storage.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
  7. Tap Clear cache.

If the error still shows up after this, the next step might help.

Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the Gallery app

It’s possible that it’s the Gallery that’s crashing and affects the operation of the camera since the error occurs after the picture is taken. So, we need to draw it out of the picture by clearing its cache and data. Don’t worry, it only manages your picture and videos so when it’s reset, none of those files will be deleted as they’re saved somewhere safe.

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Applications.
  4. Tap the Gallery app in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  5. Tap Storage.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
  7. Tap Clear cache.

Step 3: Wipe the cache partition

Assuming the error still shows up even after clearing the caches and data of both the Camera and Gallery, then it’s time to go after the firmware. The first thing you should do is delete all possible corrupt caches by wiping the cache partition. Follow the guide on how to boot your phone in recovery mode and wipe the cache partition in the first problem.

Step 4: Perform the Factory Reset on your Galaxy J3

After wiping the cache partition and the issue still occurs, then there’s nothing more you can do than reset  your phone. But then again, you need to backup all your files and data before doing the procedure especially your pictures and videos.

  1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
  2. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Cloud and accounts.
  5. Tap Backup and restore.
  6. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  7. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  8. Tap the back key twice to return to the Settings menu, then tap General Management.
  9. Tap Reset.
  10. Tap Factory data reset.
  11. Tap Reset device.
  12. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
  13. Tap Continue.
  14. Tap Delete all.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide helps, if not, then send the phone to a shop to be fixed.

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.

Galaxy Note 5 won’t work with in-vehicle Bluetooth system, showing screen discoloration, other issues

Hello Android community! Welcome to our most recent #GalaxyNote5 post for the day. In this article, we’re bringing you 8 more Note 5 issues we’ve collected for the past few days. We hope the solutions in this material will be useful not only for guys mentioned here, but also for the rest of Android users.

If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.

When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

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

Problem 1: Galaxy Note 5 showing screen discoloration

Hi. So i am having issues with my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. I haven’t dropped it or anything. I don’t go to any malicious sites that could cause a virus. I have noticed a green line on the left side of my screen all day long. I was really annoyed for a little bit, tried restarting it nothing helped. I was looking at Instagram, then the right side went dark and the left side is blinking. Not a solid color, it goes from dark to light with varying colors in between. Do you have any idea as to what is going on?        — Ruthy85.aw

Solution: Hi Ruthy85.aw. Any abnormal discoloration of the screen usually signals a malfunctioning hardware. To see if that’s the case, try to boot the phone to either Recovery or Download mode to see if something will change. Any of these modes won’t run Android operating system and apps so if the problem is hardware-related, the screen should show the same annoying discoloration. If that’s the case, you should have the phone repaired or replaced.

Below are the steps on how to boot to either Recovery or Download mode.

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.

If the problem won’t occur while the phone is in Recovery or Download mode, the issue must be caused by either Android operating system or app glitch. Do a factory reset and observe how the phone works before installing any app. Here are the steps on how to factory reset your Note 5:

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap the Settings icon.
  3. Under the ‘Personal’ section, find and tap Backup and reset.
  4. Tap Factory data reset.
  5. Touch Reset device to proceed with the reset.
  6. Depending on the security lock you used, enter the PIN or password.
  7. Tap Continue.
  8. Touch Delete all to confirm your action.

Problem 2: Galaxy Note 5 apps keep stopping, shutting down on its own

Good day! I do have a specific problem with my phone and i hope you can help me.

 

  • App. My apps in my Note 5 often stopped, even if i didn’t use it. For example, I’m just scrolling in my Gallery and eventually something pop up and it said “Twitter has stopped.” (This kind of context and even in my Samsung Keypad and other apps it also happens). The other apps also stopped just what i described above mention. So what i do is restart it so everything will refresh, but after few minutes it will happen again.
  • Automatically Restarting. This happen often also i just don’t know how to solve this restarting problem and when its restarted my network doesn’t work so what i do is i personally restart it so when it restart again my networks will reread and start working again. I hope you could help me. Please.. thank you so much. — Kristoffer

 

Solution: Hi Kristoffer. Try wiping the cache partition first and see what happens afterwards. This troubleshooting step is necessary to force the phone to refresh the system cache. Sometimes, the system cache gets corrupted after installing an app or update, resulting to all sorts of problems. To fix the issue, you want to clear the cache partition where the system cache is housed. Below are the steps on how to wipe the cache partition:

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

If nothing will change after wiping the cache partition, you should return all software settings to their defaults. This is done by performing a master reset. Here’s how:

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

Problem 3: Galaxy Note 5 screen stays black

I actually have bought the too much expensive Samsung smartphone Note 5 but such kind of accident with smartphone …  its LCD display went on dimming and dimming. it colour display black slowly and slowly eventually went black after 1 week time period .. but at that time the all thing was working means its sound, touch, call, sound, led light … and also these all thing also work today when i see the smartphone note 5 … but still its showing nothing any display on it … But the issue is related to this … kindly guide me or contact mr on no. 03********4 or my Gmail account please as soon as possible. — Dilawar

Solution: Hi Dilawar. We don’t think we understand your concern correctly but if you’re having an issue with your screen not turning on, the only other option for you is to have the hardware checked by a technician. Software troubleshooting can only be done with a working screen. If your phone powers on but the screen stays black or unresponsive, you won’t be able to do perform anything. A black screen such as this is usually indicative of a damaged screen. Consider sending it in for repair or replacement.

To see if the black screen issue is caused by a software or app bug, try booting the phone to alternate modes. Here’s how:

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 4: Galaxy Note 5 not working with Bluetooth headset and Bluetooth speaker

Just installed the new nougat software and when I have my Plantronics Bluetooth paired with my phone and I get into my car or truck that has Bluetooth, my vehicle Bluetooth will pair while my Plantronics is already paired. So when I get a phone call I have 2 Bluetooth trying to answer the call at the same time. Sometimes my vehicle Bluetooth would answer the call, then my Plantronics Bluetooth would interfere and try to connect.

Before the update if my vehicle Bluetooth saw that my phone was paired with my Plantronics Bluetooth it would not try to pair with my phone until I unpaired manually from my Plantronics Bluetooth. I’m trying to figure out why I have this problem now and what can I do to fix this problem. I did a restart and that didn’t help and of course with the newer Samsung you can’t remove the battery for a restart. — Christian

Solution: Hi Christian. An issue like this happens often due to incompatibility. If the only different thing you did was to update your phone, that means that the two other Bluetooth devices may have become incompatible with it. If you can’t fix the problem by un-pairing all devices, deleting all Bluetooth profiles, and re-pairing them, you must try to do the following:

  1. Wipe the cache partition of your Note 5.
  2. Factory reset the Note 5.
  3. Factory reset other Bluetooth devices.
  4. Install updates for your Note 5.

If the steps above won’t work, try to update your two other Bluetooth devices as they have obviously become outdated or incompatible with the new Bluetooth system on your Note 5.

Problem 5: Galaxy Note 5 won’t work with in-vehicle Bluetooth system

Hello. So, I have a Samsung Note 5 and since this new update I installed I can’t connect to my car Bluetooth, which is a Clarion NX602 nav bluetooth system. I should say it connects like it says on my phone connect but no one can hear me. plus the big deal breaker: there’s no audio sound option so I can’t even listen to music I downloaded on my phone to the car.

I used to be fine without this new update. Everything worked but it seems this new update screwed with my Bluetooth. Any idea what I can do? i reseted the cache etc and tried on safe mode still nothing. It just shows call audio and that’s it. FYI: when I go connect it to a portable Bluetooth speaker, I have it works just fine. The audio and stuff volume is all there just not for my car. — Bruno

Solution: Hi Bruno. Your issue is similar to Christian’s above so kindly refer to our suggestion for him.

Car Bluetooth systems do not receive regular updates as often as smartphones do so older devices tend to become incompatible as time goes by. This is often the problem encountered by car owners who rely on their in-vehicle Bluetooth system for communication or entertainment. To fix your issue, contact your auto maker or the manufacturer of your car Bluetooth system to see if there’s any way to make their system compatible with the Bluetooth in your phone.

Problem 6: Galaxy Note 5 camera not working when using Instagram

I have a Galaxy Note 5 by Verizon that I just got from a friend and he reset it for me. I installed Instagram and my usual apps afterwards. I tried opening the camera on Instagram and it told me about the screen overlay. I turned that off and that went away. But then Instagram had a pop up that said “take photos and videos using the Instagram app.” So I clicked turn on: it then takes me to the app info for Instagram where my permissions are turned on for the camera and storage BUT I still can’t use my camera on Instagram. I go back to the main camera again and it takes me right back to the app info. Please help because I’ve tried everything and am at a loss. — Caitlin

Solution: Hi Caitlin. Try to delete the app’s cache and data and see what happens. This troubleshooting step is often the first thing a user must do if faced with a problem with a particular app or apps. Below are the steps on how to do it:

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

Should clearing Instagram’s data won’t work, do a full factory reset. Refer to the steps above.

Problem 7: Galaxy Note 5 screen stays black, not working

Good day The Droid Guy. My Samsung phone has been through contact with water (not so deep though) but i immediately brought it out on water without a second (the screen was still on). I also immediately dried it out a bit and settled it in a container with rice. After a couple of hours, i turned it back on and it was working just fine as it was before.

Now after weeks, it wasn’t charged for 2 days straight (i was having fever) I had it charged it back again and then it has been having white horizontal lines on screen but still can still be swiped. The next day when i was still using it, the display would suddenly disappear but after pushing some button it shows again.. until one time the display didn’t show once more unless if you let the phone restarts. The Samsung logo would appear and nothing shows up again and today the phone now would only vibrate if the power button is pressed. Nothing shows in the screen anymore.

I also already had personal contact with some technicians in town. They’re saying that the LCD is broken and must be replaced at a very high price. I’m humbly asking for your opinion and suggestions on what must be done. Please give and advise some alternative ways that I can do to get my phone back to life again. Other than negotiating to a risky price on replacing its LCD. Thanks and MORE POWER. — Zhenaseguido

Solution: Hi Zhenaseguido. If the hardware has already been assessed by a technician and it’s been established that the screen is damaged, we’re afraid there’s not much option left for you. There’s no software hack that you can do to fix a bad hardware. In your particular case, there’s no settings to change or code to modify in order to make the screen to work again. You must have the screen assembly repaired or replaced if you want to use your phone again.

Problem 8: Galaxy Note 5 screen turns unstable when using clock apps

I’ve read the pages about the yellow/green flashing screen. I also have this problem but it seems to be associated with the Night Clock apps that I have tried recently. These apps mean that the display is on for several hours (so I can see the time while half asleep at night). The phone is also left charging overnight. The display starts flashing unstable by about 2am so I have to close the clock app. In the morning the display is very unstable and it can take ages before I can use the phone. I sometimes re-boot the phone, but this seems to make no difference. During the course of the morning it settles down and is stable by lunch time. Does the display not like to be alive but unused for a long time (several hours)?

The same problem occurs with a number of clock Apps (e.g. My Alarm Clock, Nice Night Clock) not just one specific one. I contacted the Help Desk at My Alarm Clock, and they investigated for a while but could not help in the end. Do you know of a clock app which does not have this problem? Regards. — Bob

Solution: Hi Bob. If your phone displays the same screen behavior regardless of the app clock you’re using, the problem must lie on the device itself. There must be an unknown software or hardware glitch that causes this isolated issue. We have our own Galaxy Note 5 and we tried to install the apps you mention here. So far, we haven’t observed any screen problem, especially the one you’re experiencing.

If a factory reset won’t fix your issue, consider getting a new phone.

 

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 S6 fails to play video and audio files after installing Android Nougat, other issues

Hello everyone! Welcome to another #GalaxyS6 post for the day. We hope that you will find this   material useful.

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 edge losing People edge contact color after Nougat update

My edge contact colour gone, music player keeps stopping with error… all after the update! So disappointed. Wish i hadn’t updated. It’s like my phone is a different phone altogether. Horrible job Android…my Samsung S6 edge isn’t what it was before. All the features i loved, are gone! What is the point of the edge contacts??? No point now???? Why take it away now???? Samsung should refund us and give out new phones then if they dont want us to use the features we had on our phone…. My phone is called a Galaxy S6 Edge!!!! So unhappy! The update has ruined all my settings and taken a lot away from the features i loved. Not happy at all. — Sandra

Solution: Hi Sandra. Android as an operating system evolves. That means that it regularly receives new features while also losing some. Unfortunately, the end user like you does not control what gets added or removed come a new Android version. It all depends on the developers, which can be Samsung (or any other hardware maker), Google, or your carrier.

We are positive that Samsung removed some features in their Galaxy S6 and S7 edge phones, like the one that allows a user to assign different colors for a number of contacts in People edge. We think this feature is a handy one but Samsung did not provide any rationale why they stopped supporting it. Like you, there’s nothing much that we can do for this. We have no influence over Samsung’s or any developer’s decision to change whatever they feel is necessary.

If you want to let Samsung know of your negative experience, we suggest that you contact its customer service directly.

Problem 2: Galaxy S6 randomly calls numbers not listed in Contacts app

I just recently bought a used unlocked Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 and my service provider is Straight Talk. The phone is in mint condition, however, it makes random calls to random people who are not in my contacts. I keep getting callbacks from people saying that they got a missed call from my phone number. I am not calling anyone. This happens often and it’s getting very frustrating. Please help! ***I’m also not sure what android version I have so I guessed. — Tammy

Solution: Hi Tammy. Do a factory reset first and observe your phone for a few days. Make sure that you don’t install anything — apps or updates — during this period. Since your phone will be running pre-installed apps only at this time, this may help your identify or narrow down possible causes. If your phone goes back to working normally during this time, it’s very likely that one of the installed third party apps is to blame. On the other hand, if the issue continues even after a factory reset and without any apps installed, you must contact your carrier and report the problem.

Below are the steps on how to factory reset your Galaxy S6:

  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 S6 Edge.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power keys together.
  4. When the device powers on and displays ‘Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
  5. Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
  6. Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
  7. Press the Volume Down button again until the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
  8. After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.

 Problem 3: Galaxy S6 fails to play video and audio files after installing Android Nougat

After updating my phone to Nougat, audio and video files failed to play. This happens on the default video ad music app as well as in Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube whenever I play video. However, the problem is fixed when I restart my phone but it doesn’t fix it permanently. The problem returns after 1 or 2 days. I already did a wipe cache partition as well as factory reset but the problem still persist. Thank you for the time for reading this and helping me. I’m really hoping that you could help me as I was desperately finding a solution for my phone. Have a nice day! — Raymond

Solution: Hi Raymond. The cause of the problem may be app-related. To check, set your phone to safe mode and see how the device works while playing a video or audio file. Safe mode blocks third party apps and services. If the issue is non-existent during this time, you can bet one of your apps is causing the problem. Here’s how to do that:

  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.

It’s important that you invest some time to do the observation since there’s no direct way to test if an app is causing the problem. Allow the phone to run in safe mode for a few days so you’ll see the difference.

If the phone continues to fail to load video or audio files even when on safe mode, do another round of factory reset and again observe how the phone works for a few days. Make sure that you don’t install any app or update to allow only pre-installed apps to work during this time. This will be the last troubleshooting step that you must do, and should give you an idea whether the problem can be fixed or not. If the issue remains during the observation period, have the phone replaced.

We think that your problem is caused by an app so if the phone works normally after a factory reset, be sure to install only compatible and trusted apps. Some compromised apps will initially allow you to install legit versions but would later on switch to bad versions for whatever purpose their developers may have in mind. This is the main reason why you should only install apps from trusted developers. If you tend to install apps from third party sources, don’t expect not to experience problems later on.

Problem 4: Galaxy S6 edge stuck in Sprint logo screen, apps keep freezing

Hello! I own a Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. I updated the latest software around a week ago and since then my phone freezes on apps and when I restart it freeze on the “Sprint LTE” screen in which I have to hold power and home button down to get it out of. The typing has become laggy and the charge doesn’t stay anymore either. I don’t know if it’s the new software or time for a new one considering the S8 came out. Please help! — Madisynh

Solution: Hi Madisynh. Try wiping the cache partition first. This will ensure that you have refresh the phone’s system cache. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, and Power key.
  3. When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
  4. When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
  5. Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  6. 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 issue continues after wiping the cache partition, do a factory reset. We believe that any or both of these procedures should address your issues. If they won’t, that’s an indication that the firmware version may be coded poorly, or that a much deeper problem like a bad hardware exists. Either case, you’ll need to send the phone in for repair or replacement.

Problem 5: Galaxy S6 laggy and slow, camera keeps crashing, and apps become unresponsive after an update

Hi. Thank you so much for helping! The tips on the website are excellent.

I installed a new update on my Samsung S6 Edge yesterday to Android 7.0. After the update, the phone became very slow, several apps are unresponsive and shut down, the camera goes to black every few seconds and the back button doesn’t work. I performed a cache wipe based on instructions from your site. This didn’t resolve the issues, unfortunately. Is there any known resolution to these issues, or would I need to replace the phone? The hardware of the phone is in otherwise excellent condition, as it lay unused for over a year when I originally bought it, so it is as good as new. — Radha

Solution: Hi Radha. The other troubleshooting steps that you can do in this case should be to:

  1. factory reset the device
  2. and to ensure that you only install necessary and 100% compatible and official apps.

If the problem continues after doing these two steps, go ahead with a phone replacement.

Problem 6: Galaxy S6 camera won’t work after hardware repair

Just replaced the LCD and digitizer on my Galaxy S6 (due to moisture damage). All works fine with the exception of camera. A “CAL” change testing device error appears.

Also, wifi works fine. however I cannot get a connection to my carrier’s network. Tried rebooting, clearing data and cache etc. Haven’t tried a Factory Reset. Is that required after a screen replacement? Thanks. — Jim

Solution: Hi Jim. Factory reset is usually the last possible software solution an end user can try. It’s not necessary after hardware repair but if you think the problem is due to a software bug, go ahead and do it. We don’t think it will help fix your problem though. If your phone was previously exposed to water, the most likely reason for your problems is hardware malfunction and not software-related, which means you may not be able to fix them at all unless you replace the entire motherboard or the phone.

Problem 7: Galaxy S6 soft keys not working after water damage

I dropped my S6 into a water (toilet) for a 1 second and grab it and clean it immediately with towel. It wasn’t shut down and it was working, but the touchscreen is pressing one or two buttons by itself. It works and I can use it and open everything I want, but it goes back by itself. So, if I’m trying to type message on Facebook, I must write few letters then it closes Facebook app by itself. so I have to open it again and continue writing, and etc. Or when I’m in messages app, it opens settings in right up corner. So I thing that it have been pressing this two buttons in right up and right down corners. Everything else works. I try to left it in rice but it didn’t help. Thank you for your help. — Katarina

Solution: Hi Katarina. The length of time when your phone got exposed to water does not matter at all. What matters is the fact that your phone started showing problems right after the incident. The Galaxy S6 does not enjoy water resistance protection so even a fraction of a second of exposure can lead to permanent problems. Ideally, you’re supposed to turn off the phone, remove the battery, dismantle everything, clean all the parts with alcohol, and dry the phone in a bag of rice for a few days. And that’s only the “first aid,” not the “cure.” You must then have the device repaired if problems show.

We know you can’t do the “first aid” part because the phone is difficult to open. This is the reason why recommend that you let a professional check your phone now. If you’re lucky and the water damage is only isolated to the soft keys area, a repair may  bring back your device to working order.

Problem 8: Galaxy S6 won’t charge unless plugged in

Hi. I’m actually in Canada with Telus. Not T-Mobile. My phone will not connect or at least show a charge when connected to cable. Outlet, USD to PC, it doesn’t start to charge or show lightning bolt icon.

If powered off and connected, it does charge to 100% over about 8 hours. I’ve never noticed power issues. The previous day it was powered down to zero for a few hours as I didn’t have access to a charger. It charged over night in power off status, to about 65 percent. When it got down to 5% later that day I tried to charge It, and that’s when I first noticed. I’m using 2 different cables, one came with mine and one with my wife’s S8, (fast charging something which seems to be a much slower cable to charge with on either phone) both cables work for S8.

What I find the strangest is that it does charge in power off, but not at all if power is on. Any help would be appreciated. Running Android software version 7.0. — Alex

Solution: Hi Alex. There may be a lot of apps and services running actively and in the background when your phone is turned on. Go over your list of apps and uninstall the  ones you don’t need. After that, check your apps again and make sure that you only leave those that are compatible and coming from trusted developers. Remove anything that you don’t need like games. If possible, do a factory reset and observe how charging works when only pre-installed apps are there.

You also want to ensure that the operating system detects the battery level properly so make sure that you recalibrate the battery after a factory reset. Here’s how it’s done:

  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.

Problem 9: Galaxy S6 edge plus won’t charge or turn on

I have a S6 edge plus, used it for 1 and a half year. Everything was fine till yesterday. I was browsing through my phone and insert the original fast charging cable to the phone. Suddenly it just auto restart. After it restart, it hangs again. Then auto restarts. The cycle went on many times. So I just quickly did a software upgrade while it is still on. The upgrade took about 15 mins, and the phone stay on throughout. After update, the same thing happen again… hang and auto restart. After several tries, I can’t turn on the phone at all, but the blue LED light is on. Tried to power it on  after many attempts. Finally it powered on once… but went off. This time around i can’t power it on and can’t charge. Plug it into many different charger and computer , and it is still not responding , not even the red charging led light. Please help… Thanks in advance. — Dodo

Solution: Hi Dodo. Try to see if you can start the phone to alternate modes. If your phone remains unresponsive and continue not to charge, there’s really nothing much that you can do except to send it in to be repaired or replaced.

Below are the steps on how to boot your phone to alternate 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 10: Galaxy S6 won’t fast charge with Anker power bank

Hi. would be curious to find an answer to this: my Samsung S6 was updated around the 2nd week in May and it has never charged up fast again, using my Anker power charger anymore, without it being a painstaking experience. Oddly, it does still charge normally using the Samsung wall charger (it takes the same fast charge time as before) but the power battery charger that worked perfectly before, (charged fast) now takes 5-6 -7 hours to fully charge. I’ve charged my wife’s iPhone 7S using the power charger and it charges just normal (as fast) as before. So I know it is the phone not the charger … and it started EXACTLY the first time i used the power charger after the update. I’ve cleared cache, charged in Safe Mode … nothing has worked to let me use the power charger. What gives?! — Francis

Solution: Hi Francis. Try a factory reset and see what happens. There may be a software glitch causing it. There’s no way to know where the problem lies but if you’re positive that the only different thing that you did was to install an Android update, we hope that a factory reset on your phone will help. Refer to the steps above on how to do it.

 

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 S6 microphone not working when using speakerphone during calls, other issues

Hello Android fans! Here’s another #GalaxyS6 post for you. We hope that this will become another useful reference for our ever-growing community.

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 won’t charge, charging port not working

The phone started having issues charging about two days ago. When plugging in the charger I had to wiggle it around to get it connected properly. Yesterday it would not stay connected even after wiggling it. It would keep connecting and disconnecting. Now the charger will not connect at all even after wiggling the charger plug in the phone. I tested the charger and it works properly. I believe maybe there is some build up of dust in the charging port of the phone or there is a loose connection within the charging port of the phone. I used a flashlight to check look into the charging port and got a small amount of dust out with a paper clip. This did not fix the issue. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. P.S. I am not completely sure about the Android version. I always update to the new version but an update showed up yesterday (24Jun17) and I have not updated it yet and am not able to now because my phone is dead.         — Daniel

Solution: Hi Daniel. We don’t think you would be able to fix this issue on your end.  The most likely problem is a broken charging port, which means the device has to be repaired. Unless you have the expertise and tools to do a charging port replacement, the only effective way to fix your problem would be to contact Samsung or your carrier so the device can replaced or repaired.

If you want to do a do-it-yourself charging port replacement, go online and look for a good guide to help you.

Problem 2: Galaxy S6 stopped charging after installing an update

I let my phone update last night 06/24/17 after it had been harassing me to update for the last 2 days. When update was completed everything seemed fine. Then i realized that it would no longer charge using multiple cords and chargers. I have come to the conclusion it is not my charger or cords that are the issue, it is my phone. Please help. it was working fine before the update. Now I’m going to have to buy a new phone if the issue cannot be resolved. — Blkcloud85

Solution: Hi Blkcloud85. If you’re sure that the problem started after an update, then the usual set of post-update software solutions may help. First, you want to wipe the cache partition. This will help ensure that your device is using the fresh system cache. If you haven’t tried it before, these are the steps:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, and Power key.
  3. When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
  4. When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
  5. Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  6. 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 wiping the cache partition won’t fix the problem, create a backup of your data (photos, videos, etc.) and factory reset your phone. Below are the steps on how to factory reset your phone:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power keys together.
  3. When the device powers on and displays ‘Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
  4. Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
  5. Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Press the Volume Down button again until the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
  7. After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.

Problem 3: Water damaged Galaxy S6 won’t charge, stopped working

Hello. Yesterday I took my phone (Samsung S6) to the bathroom, and a few splashes of water went onto it. It suddenly stopped playing music and turned off. i tried charging it, and it shows the symbol but doesn’t actually charge. i put it in a bag of rice overnight, as i don’t think it was a lot of water, but from what I’m reading, turning it on, is going to damage it further if all the water inside of it, isn’t cleared. what do you advise that i do? take it straight to be fixed or try putting it on again. And if water damaged, will it actually work again like before, or must i think if getting a new one? — Winnieliagatha

Solution: Hi Winnieliagatha. Your Galaxy S6 does not have water resistance protection so even if only a small amount of water reached the motherboard or some components inside, permanent damage can occur. Ideally, you’re supposed to do the following:

  1. turn the phone off
  2. remove the battery
  3. dismantle the phone
  4. clean and dry dismantled parts for days or weeks
  5. pray that your phone works normally afterwards.

We understand that you cannot easily open your phone to remove the battery and dismantle it (which is one of weaknesses of this phone). Thus, we recommend that you let  a professional check your phone so you’ll know if it can still be saved. Water damage can lead to all sorts of problems so there’s no telling what happens after repair. In some lucky cases, wet phones can continue working normally. A majority of cases do not always result to happy users though. Water and electronics do not mix and even tiny moisture can lead to serious motherboard damage. If you’re lucky and damage is isolated to an easily replaceable component only like the battery or charging port, repair may fix the problem for good.

If your phone no longer turns on at this time, it’s very likely that the device has already been damaged permanently. If money is not an issue, we suggest that you let the phone go and simply get a new one.

Problem 4: Galaxy S6 edge won’t power back on

Hi guys! I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. It’s been with me for a couple of months now and I’ve always took good care of it. No water damage, it wasn’t dropped or something. Today, it turned off on its own and when I tried to turn it on, nothing happened. I’m freaking out now because I don’t know what to do so if you could just help me with it, I would surely appreciate it. — Kenan.sakirovski7

Solution: Hi Kenan.sakirovski7. The first thing that you must do is ensure that you’re using a known, working charger and USB cord. The current charger may have stopped working so checking it is an important first step.

If you’ve already checked the charger before contacting us, then the only other troubleshooting step that you can do is to see if your phone will respond to different hardware button combinations. Each of these combinations is supposed to restart the device to a specific boot mode, which would then allow you to perform a follow up troubleshooting. If your phone fails to power back on after attempting all three boot modes, send it in for repair or replacement. Below are the steps on how to do 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 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 5: Galaxy S6 camera not working properly, phone vibrates when loading camera app

A friend recommended your site when all else options for me faded away. It’s my camera. Let me give you a little background here.

When I had my s6 edge plus I was more than satisfied with the camera results and it’s functionality. The quality never disappointed me. Then after few months the problem first occurred. Whenever I opened my default camera app, it produced a vibrating sound like buzzing of a bee . Then after sometime it progressed to faltering of image on screen before focusing fully to any image. My carrier gave me the replacement. Now after few months, I again had to face same problem. When I open my camera, 5 out of ten times, it produces buzzing. The faltering of image not yet developed. But I’m positive it would like the previous phone.

My current phone is updated to newest software and Android 7.0. I’ve already performed camera resetting, soft reset , safe mode and finally phone reset (just like I had done so with my last phone ) but of no use. What’s going on here? Kindly reply me back with some solid reason and solution. Counting on your help.. Regards. — Waqasjaved1

Solution: Hi Waqasjaved1. There’s a very slim chance of experiencing exactly the same camera problem on at least 2 devices so we’re thinking that the cause of the problem is either due to a problematic app installed on both phones, or you’re simply unlucky of having to get the a replacement phone with the same bad hardware.

The second one is rare but can happen but we think the problem lies on one of your apps. To check that, do another round of factory reset and observe how camera works without any apps installed. If our suspicion is right, your camera should work fine when there are no apps installed. This won’t mean that all your apps is bad though. To see which of yours is responsible, you must install each one and observe how camera works afterwards. Do the same routine until the very last one is installed. You should see the difference somewhere along the way. This is the only way to pinpoint the culprit.

If the problem stays after a factory reset without any apps installed though, you should continue to work with your carrier to have the device replaced.

Problem 6: Galaxy S6 deleted SMS/MMS

I have a Galaxy S6. I have 1585 SMS/MMS sent messages on the device. I also have 1864 SMS/MMS received messages. If I delete all of these, are they deleted from the cloud? If i delete these, they are permanently removed?

Also, if I lock the most recent messages from some people I have been texting, then go to my eraser app and delete all the messages, will the ones I have locked, be deleted? Thanks. — Rhett

Solution: Hi Rhett. If you’re using the native Samsung messaging app (named Messages), then deleting your messages from the phone may be permanent. SMS stored by Messages app is stored locally, that is, they’re kept within the device only. If you delete them from the messaging app, you will lose them permanently.

However, if you’re using a third party (non-Samsung) messaging app with cloud support, which means that your messages are being backed up in some remote somewhere, deleting your messages from the device will not lead to permanent loss. You only need to access your cloud account (exact steps can vary) and redownload your messages.

The lock feature (we’re assuming that you’re using the Samsung Messages app) only applies within the app. If your eraser app can override the functions of the messaging app you’re using and will delete the message from the system, your locked messages may still get deleted. To see if that’s the case, you can try to simulate what happens before you actually erase your precious messages. Try to lock an SMS message that you can afford to lose, then delete it using your eraser app to see what happens.

Problem 7: Galaxy S6 microphone not working when using speakerphone during calls

My wife’s Samsung S6 Nougat O/S T-mobile has an issue with the speaker phone. During a call, you select the speaker phone option. I can hear the other person but the other person cannot hear me. I have powered down and restarted, started in Safe Mode, factory reset and restored and also tried a voice record. My voice recording was fine. Hands free does not work, does not allow the other participant in the call to hear my voice. Any suggestions? — Jeffreyedgar

Solution: Hi Jeffreyedgar. If nothing happens when the phone is in safe mode, or after you wiped it with factory reset, the problem is most probably caused by inefficient firmware coding. This means that the operating system from your carrier may be buggy. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that you can do about it at all. Make sure to report the issue to your carrier though so they can keep note of it and hopefully build a patch for it.

Problem 8: Galaxy S6 sound notifications not working properly after an update

So I installed the new update on my Samsung Galaxy s6. Now my notifications are all wack. Sometimes I’ll receive them but no sound will notify me, or sometimes ill get the notification with sound the second time a notification comes up, this issue is really making me regret this update. I don’t understand why this issue is occuring, I have already tried restarting my phone but it still does the same thing. — Rosanna

Solution: Hi Rosanna. Please refer to our suggestion for Blkcloud85 above and wipe the cache partition and do a factory reset.

Problem 9: Galaxy S6 MMS not working on Consumer Cellular service

I’ve had my phone for about half a year now and I still haven’t been able to figure this out. I am not able to send pictures through text messaging. When I send a picture it keeps saying “sending” and then later says that it couldn’t send. It still happens when I have my data on, too. I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 active, and my carrier is AT&T. (My phone being Consumer Cellular). Hope that this could be fixed, and if not that’s okay. Thanks! — Nicole

Solution: Hi Nicole. Phones built for a particular carrier may not work fully when used in a different network. Your issue is not uncommon. We suggest that you contact your current carrier though for support. They should help you check the APN settings on the device. If they can change it, there’s a chance that MMS will work.

 

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 5 stuck in Download mode, keeps sending shared photos to wrong email account, other issues

Hello Android community. Welcome to another post about #GalaxyNote5 issues and their solutions. We bring you yet again 6 more Note 5 cases that we’ve come across these past few days. Remember to visit our main Galaxy Note 5 troubleshooting page should you not find this post helpful.

Below are the specific topics we are discussing for you:

  1. Galaxy Note 5 stuck in Android screen
  2. Galaxy Note 5 plays music on its own, randomly changes volume level
  3. Galaxy Note 5 Galaxy Note 5 shuts down when battery level reaches 20% | Galaxy Note 5 stuck in Download mode
  4. Galaxy Note 5 camera keeps focusing on a small area
  5. Galaxy Note 5 keeps turning and off
  6. Galaxy Note 5 Gallery app keeps sending shared photos to wrong email account

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 Note 5 stuck in Android screen

When I unplugged my Galaxy Note 5 from the charger, it was off. When I went to turn it on, it loaded up to the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 – Powered By Android screen and would not advance further. Also, there is a solid White LED light on the notification light that has not stopped. After consulting many websites, including your own, I have tried the following solutions. 1. Holding down the VOLUME DOWN key and the POWER key and accessing the Boot Page. I have tried all of these options: Normal Boot, Factory Reset, Safe Mode, and Power Down. I have NOT tried to USB Debug, because I don’t know what that is. All of these options lead back to being stuck at the screen mentioned above, and the only way to SHUT OFF the device is to go into the aforementioned Boot Page and to select Power Down. 2. Holding the VOLUME UP, POWER, and HOME keys until vibration occurs and I reach the same starting screen. I released the HOME button but kept holding down the VOLUME UP and POWER expecting to go to the Android Recovery screen. This did not work and it still did not advance past the starting screen. Please help! — Zack

Solution: Hi Zack. We’re pretty sure we always make it a point in our posts that if you’ve exhausted all software troubleshooting, then the problem must be hardware in nature. There’s nothing much that you can do for an issue like yours. The possible software solutions that you can try in your case involves wiping the cache partition, factory reset, and flashing stock ROM. If you’ve tried all of them before contacting us, the next best thing to do would be to find a way to have the phone repaired or replaced.

Problem #2: Galaxy Note 5 plays music on its own, randomly changes volume level

For starters, music will start playing on its own… like when I’m doing stuff it will play random songs and I have to stop it. Also, the volume will adjust on its own…. I didn’t even touch the volume button! And the phone will open speak search randomly… I also didn’t press that. Lastly, whenever I watch videos on YouTube, the system will pause the video and makes me choose between some search engines but I didn’t do anything! I saw someone online who has faced the same issue as me but they had a different model Samsung phone and it was like 3 years ago. — Qianyi

Solution: Hi Qianyi. The phone may be infected with malicious software so the first thing that you want to do is factory reset. A factory reset will erase all user data in the phone’s internal storage and revert all software settings back to their known working state so it will most likely eliminate the virus or malware. To do that, kindly do the following steps:

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

Once you’ve reset the phone, you then have to make sure that you won’t be reintroducing the problem. Keep in mind that viruses in Android, just like in Windows, are introduced to the system by installing apps, visiting compromised websites, or opening dubious email attachments. In other words, you want to be careful with what apps you install, websites you go to, and with your email behaviors.

If you are fond of installing apps without checking the reviews from other users and the reputation of the developer, you will most likely encounter the same problem again in the future. So, once you’ve factory reset the device, you must go over your list of apps so you can only reinstall good ones. A general rule of thumb when it comes to picking apps is by using official apps only. Stay away from apps you don’t hear of. Also, make sure that you go over the posted reviews for each app, especially those from unknown developers so you’ll see what other users are saying about an app. Good apps generally get positive reviews while bad ones are mostly negative.

Now, a good way to know if your phone was indeed infected by malware is by observing how the phone behaves after a factory reset. Don’t rush to reinstall all your apps back. Observe the phone for at least 24 hours after a factory reset so you’ll see the difference. If all the issues you mention here won’t occur after a factory reset (when you haven’t installed apps yet), that’s a confirmation of our hunch.

If, on the other hand, the problems will remain after a factory reset and during the observation period, you can try a more drastic software solution — flashing stock firmware. Flashing is the Android equivalent of installing in Windows environment. So basically, what you want to do is to manually replace the existing Android operating system (OS) with another one. While there may be some who will advise for flashing of custom ROM or firmware, we want you instead to install just another official Samsung OS to avoid more issues. Flashing an operating system can sometimes lead to problems so you have to make sure that you follow instructions to the letter. You also want to see to it that you use the correct firmware version for your particular phone model. Not doing so may result to an issue called boot loop. Some carrier and Samsung stores can assist you with flashing a new OS but if you want to do it yourself, try to do some research first.

Problem #3: Galaxy Note 5 Galaxy Note 5 shuts down when battery level reaches 20% | Galaxy Note 5 stuck in Download mode

Hi. I have a Note 5. A few weeks back it started shutting down at 20% battery, especially if I was using camera or Gallery. One week later it started getting frozen/halted and one day it just turned off and there was this ‘downloading target, do not turn off’ message on screen. I didn’t do anything for quite a few hours but it didn’t resolve so I rebooted phone. Since then my phone will turn off anytime and wouldn’t respond to charging or rebooting and if left for a few hours or a day and tried again then it will charge and turn on. After sometime it’ll shut down again and this is what’s going on for over a week now. I’m not sure what’s going on? I hope it’s not a big problem. Please, can you advise step by step? Many thanks in anticipation. — Ashia

Solution: Hi Ashia. Like in most Android problems, we always have to consider both software and hardware causes in solving your case. The possible causes can range from a simple app bug, an operating system glitch, to bad hardware like a malfunctioning battery. Thus, the troubleshooting in this case should include steps to check if the issue is software in nature. Usually, software problems are easier to solve because there’s a number of thing that you can try on your end. Hardware issues are different and average Android users are usually helpless in fixing them.

Recalibrate the battery

To start, the first step that you want to try here is to recalibrate the battery. This is a simple process that will help us check if the problem is being caused by the operating system not reading battery levels right. Here’s how it’s done:

  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.

Wipe the cache partition

Another good troubleshooting step that you can try is to delete the cache partition. This will tell the system to build a new system cache. There are times when a system cache can get corrupted after a system update or app installation. Corrupted system cache may make some apps to behave erratically  so you want to make sure that the cache is up-to-date. Here’s how to do it:

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

Observe the phone in safe mode

Some apps can sometimes become incompatible with the operating system and they may manifest as problem. If you have plenty of installed apps, you want to make sure that not one of them is the reason for the trouble. To do that, you can try to boot the phone to safe mode. Below are the steps:

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

Factory reset

If the phone remains problematic after doing all the processes above, the last troubleshooting step that you can try on your end should be factory reset. As mentioned above, this step will wipe all user data and return the software environment to its factory state. If the trouble is due to an operating system glitch, factory reset should take care of it. Please refer to the steps above on how to do it.

If, on the other hand, nothing will change and the phone continues to show the issues, you can assume that there must be something wrong with the hardware. Contact Samsung or your carrier so you can arrange a repair or replacement request.

Problem #4: Galaxy Note 5 camera keeps focusing on a small area

Hello. I got my phone on December 25 and I am facing this problem since then. When I open the camera, it focused itself. The place that is focused is very small and everything around is so blurry. Same thing happens if I try to take a video. Then, by tapping on the screen I try to change focus, it sometimes changes the place but the area is still small. Also, it’s kinda shaking when it tries to focus and has some strange sounds while “shaking”. This sounds are not loud. Then I try to focus again and it doesn’t obey me, like it still continues to shake. I don’t know what to do, help me please if you can. Thank you in advance. — Nutsa

Solution: Hi Nutsa. If you want to get to the bottom of the issue, there are three things that you can do:

  1. reset camera settings to default,
  2. restore all software settings via factory reset
  3. Submit the phone for repair or replacement

To do the first one on the list, kindly do the following:

  1. Open the camera app.
  2. Go to Settings (by tapping on the gear icon).
  3. Scroll down and tap Reset settings.

You can also try to wipe the cache and data of the camera app with these steps:

  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.

Should both processes won’t change anything, do a factory reset or find a way to have the phone repaired or replaced.

Problem #5: Galaxy Note 5 keeps turning and off

Hello Droidguy. My name is Nana and I saw your article about wifi which are not able to turn on. I am using a Note 5 which has this problem since I started using it. One day, I noticed that the wifi has turned on and I was very happy about that. I turned it on and off several times to confirm that it has started working alright and it was. About four days later, when I turned on the wifi, I noticed it has malfunctioned again as it was at first. Attached are screen shots I snapped when it started working alright. When I turn it on now, it looks as if its turning on then it goes off. I want to bring this problem to your attention since you are the Droidguy so that you can assist me with a solution. I look forward to a solution. — Nana

Solution: Hi Nana. Wifi problems, just like the rest of the problems in this post can be due to a software glitch or bad hardware. Your phone has a special chip that handles all networking functions and if that chip does not receive an updated firmware or gets damaged physically, it may result to connection problems. If your wifi issue has been around since you unboxed your phone, it may be due to a bad hardware in the first place. You should have contacted Samsung right away so the device can be assessed if it needs to be replaced.

If you intend to do some software solutions first, the following are the things that you must do:

  1. Update the operating system and all apps.
  2. Observe the phone for a few days while it’s booted to safe mode.
  3. Wipe the cache partition.
  4. Restore all software settings to default via factory reset.

All the steps for each of these items are provided above.

Problem #6: Galaxy Note 5 Gallery app keeps sending shared photos to wrong email account

When I purchased my Note 5, I setup a new Outlook account that I don’t use. When I try to share pictures from my phone’s gallery via email, I type my MSN email address but the address defaults to the Outlook address. Somehow I linked the two accounts in name only because the information never goes to the MSN address. I have deleted the MSN address from my phone and open a new email under the MSN address. I synced the phone. Under email settings the MSN address is the default, but my photo Gallery still sends everything to the Outlook address. Please help. — Dee

Solution: Hi Dee. Sharing a photo in the Gallery gives you multiple options, one of them being “email,” which usually refers to the native Samsung email app. This means that the email account configured on this app will automatically be the chosen “default” email account the Gallery app will send the message to. Deleting your MSN account from the phone and creating a new one will therefore not fix anything. You must either delete the email account from the email app first, or add the new MSN account to the email app in order to fix the issue.

To add an email account, follow these steps:

  1. Touch Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Touch Email to open the Email Inbox screen.
  3. Touch More to view more options.
  4. Touch to select Settings.
  5. Touch Add account.
  6. Follow the instructions to complete the account set up. Once the email account is successfully added, you will start receiving emails for that account.

Should you need more assistance on how to configure your email in a Note 5, you can also visit this page: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Email Guide: Setup, Add, Manage, Compose, Send & Delete Email Accounts.

 

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 5 keeps saying memory is full, stuck in Android logo screen, other issues

Hello guys! Welcome to another #GalaxyNote5 article. This post covers 9 more Note 5 problems we’ve received over the span of a few days so we hope that some of you will find it helpful.

Below are the topics that are included in this post:

  1. Galaxy Note 5 becomes unresponsive after clearing cache
  2. Galaxy Note 5 messaging app keeps crashing
  3. Galaxy Note 5 can’t send/receive group messages
  4. Galaxy Note 5 keeps saying memory is full
  5. Photos taken by Galaxy Note 5 camera disappeared
  6. Galaxy Note 5 lock screen not working all the time
  7. Galaxy Note 5 camera not working, won’t take pictures
  8. Galaxy Note 5 stuck in Android logo screen after an update
  9. Galaxy Note 5 bluetooth issues after repair

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 Note 5 becomes unresponsive after clearing cache

I was attempting to clear the cache and cookies on my Samsung Note 5 and the screen turned to a yellow triangle with a black exclamation mark inside 2 vertical white dots in decreasing size below the middle of the bottom of the triangle and a white android symbol tipped to the right with “x’s” for eyes. The phone is locked. Cannot turn off…just waiting for the battery to wear down. Could not figure out how to remove the back cover to attempt a soft reset but reading some online discussions on this problem that did not fix the problem for others. Thank you for any assistance you can provide! — Kim

Solution: Hi Kim. In older phones, removing the back cover and the battery would have easily did a restart. This is not obviously possible with the Galaxy Note 5 so to simulate a “battery pull,”  also known as soft reset, you must do the following:

  1. Press and hold the Power and Volume down buttons for 12 seconds.
  2. Use the Volume down button to scroll to the Power Down option.
  3. Press the Home key to select.
  4. Note The device powers down completely. It is recommended that the device be powered up in Safe Mode.

Problem #2: Galaxy Note 5 messaging app keeps crashing

My text messaging lags a lot, sometimes even closing completely out and I get an on screen error notification saying (sorry messaging isn’t responding right now). When I’m typing and the phone is receiving a message it will close out giving me the same notification. I will open up the messaging to go back to my conversation and everything I had typed out is gone, not saved as a draft.

It will also sometimes include words I didn’t type when it’s freezing up then will continue allowing me to type without force closing. I’ve done everything I know to do besides a hard reset and clearing data in my app manager. Yes I have cleared the cache and kept all running apps closed. No I have not recently downloaded anything that could cause my phone to be bugged or have a virus.         — Ashley

Solution: Hi Ashley. Try to boot the phone to safe mode to see if a third party app is causing this trouble. Safe Mode is the first fail-safe procedure you can use to diagnose a problem. Once the device has booted up in this mode, all third-party or downloaded apps would be temporarily disabled leaving pre-installed and core services running.

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

Observe the phone by creating a message in the messaging app. Try to do this for a few hours to notice any difference. You can also try to see if this is an app-level bug by using a different messaging app.

If the problem returns, do a factory reset. Here’s how:

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

Problem #3: Galaxy Note 5 can’t send/receive group messages

I am having difficulty sending/receiving text messages to multiple recipients with my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. My carrier is PureTalk on the ATT network. I am using the default Samsung messaging app. I text with my two brothers frequently and receive MMS messages from one of them. They could include a photo or a video and the letters MMS show up just above the received text time stamp. MMS also appears in this location with text only. I interpret this to be a message from my brother that is also being sent to the other brother, hence the MMS indication. There is no way that I can find how to tell whether the received message is delivered to multiple recipients. I have assumed that a reply to a message sent to multiple recipients is a reply to all. However, my brother continues to ask me why I did not reply to all. He says he is able to tell I do not reply to all when he checks responses to his group messages and sees my responses are never listed and that my texts are always to him only. He said try creating a group comprised of my two brothers and sending the reply to the group. I did this and am told I am still replying only to him.

Also, when I reply to one of these MMS texts and choose to specify the recipients (without using the group I created), the sender shows up as the only recipient (by default I guess). When I add the 2nd brother from my contacts list the screen changes to a text chain from the added brother, rather than the sending brother, and I then have no idea if the reply went to both or just the newly added brother. This is all so non-intuitive when coming from a flip phone (with SMS only) to this 2-month old Note 5. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks. — Scott

Solution: Hi Scott. Group messaging is a hit-and-miss feature that has multiple moving parts. A lot of times, group messaging is affected by incompatible devices, apps, or network. If your two brothers are using different phones like iPhones or different, non-Android phones, there’s a big chance that group messaging may not work between the three of you at all. Even if you send a message as a group message from your end, one brother may only receive it as an individual message due to incompatibility issue. The same is true in reverse, with your phone receiving only individual texts even though your brothers replied to the message as a group message.

As a workaround, you can try to use inter-platform apps instead such as Google Hangouts or Facebook’s Messenger to ensure that each one of you receives messages in a group setting.

As reference, below are the steps on how to send a group message in a Galaxy Note 5:

  1. From any Home screen, tap Messages.
  2. Tap the Compose icon.
  3. Tap the Contacts icon.
  4. Drop down and tap Groups.
  5. Tap the group you want to send the message to.
  6. Tap Select all or manually select recipients.
  7. Tap Done.
  8. Enter message text in the Group conversation box.
  9. When done, tap the Send icon

If you’ve been doing this already but the problem continues, you’re out of luck and must use alternate means to group messaging.

Problem #4: Galaxy Note 5 keeps saying memory is full

My husband purchased a Galaxy Note 5 on 2-25-17 and it keeps saying memory full. His phone is only half full. He shuts it off and turns it back on and his correct memory usage comes back. The Note 5 has no removable battery and no SD card. Any suggestions? — Carrie

Solution: Hi Carrie. If the phone is brand new, consider doing some software troubleshooting first to see if there’s an app or software bug that causes the trouble. If, on the other hand, the phone is pre-owned, this may be an on-going problem that the previous owner failed to notify you of so you must try to have it returned.

To troubleshoot the problem, the first step that you want to do is wipe the cache partition to refresh the system cache. Here’s how:

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

Other troubleshooting steps that you can try include:

  • Booting to safe mode (refer to the steps above)
  • Installing app and system updates
  • Factory reset (refer to the steps above)

Problem #5: Photos taken by Galaxy Note 5 camera disappeared

I noticed that some pictures are missing from my Gallery. I searched in the phone folders but they are gone. I am sure i did not delete and also sure that i took those pictures with my phone camera.        — Azizashal

Solution: Hi Azizashal. If you’ve already scoured all phone folders for your photos, try to back your phone up using Samsung Smart Switch and search all folders again in the computer. If this won’t help find them either, that’s sad but there’s nothing more that we can do to help.

Problem #6: Galaxy Note 5 lock screen not working all the time

Phone will not lock immediately on occasions. I have checked all settings and taken it to the Verizon store for them to work in it. They reset everything back to factory settings and checked my settings. After several days the swipe screen lock did the same thing. — Lynndavis0428

Solution: Hi Lynndavis0428. If the problem returns after a factory reset, you may have simply re-introduced the cause of it by installing a problematic app. Try to start the phone in safe mode and observe how the lock screen works for a few days. Safe mode blocks third party apps and services so you will be unable to use third party apps throughout the observation period. To boot to safe mode, do these steps:

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

Alternatively, you can do another round of factory reset and observe how lock screen works when there are no apps and updates installed.

If you think an app is causing the problem, you must uninstall them one by one in order to identify it.

Problem #7: Galaxy Note 5 camera not working, won’t take pictures

The camera stopped video recording a few days ago, then I woke up to find that the camera will not take pictures either. No error message, just nothing happens when I hit either button. I tried turning my phone off, but still the same outcome. I do not have access to the battery for a soft reset. — Bruce

Solution: Hi Bruce. Do a factory reset and see how it goes from there. If this is due to a software bug, factory reset should fix it. If the problem remains after a factory reset, that’s an indication that bad hardware is causing it. In this case, you want to send it in for repair or replacement.

  1. To factory reset your Note 5, follow these steps:
  2. Create a backup of your important files.
  3. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  4. Find and tap the Settings icon.
  5. Under the ‘Personal’ section, find and tap Backup and reset.
  6. Tap Factory data reset.
  7. Touch Reset device to proceed with the reset.
  8. Depending on the security lock you used, enter the PIN or password.
  9. Tap Continue.
  10. Touch Delete all to confirm your action.

Problem #8: Galaxy Note 5 stuck in Android logo screen after an update

Hi. I completed the new update on my Note 5. I cleared the caches like you instructed in the troubleshooting section, sadly that did not work. I even went as far as doing a factory reset and the Android icon keeps flashing as well as the black screen with the logo. What else can i do? It was perfectly fine until the update. Thanks in advance for any information. — Tdfajardo

Solution: Hi Tdfajardo. We don’t know the history of your device so there’s really nothing much that we can do to help. If factory reset did not fix the issue though, the update may have corrupted the bootloader so there may be a need to reflash it. Before you try manual flashing though, we strongly suggest that you talk to Samsung or your carrier for  a replacement instead. We are assuming of course that OTA update was the only thing that you tried differently. If this problem occurred after a failed manual flashing, try to reflash the bootloader before attempting to reflash a stock firmware. Below are the general steps on how to flash a bootloader. Keep in mind that the exact steps may vary on your phone model so we are not responsible for any damage. Do your own research first to avoid causing further complications.

  1. Look for the correct firmware for your phone model and download it. Make sure that 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 #9: Galaxy Note 5 bluetooth issues after repair

I recently replaced the screen, LCD, digitizer and the charging port in my Note 5 and after I put it back together bluetooth is having major connectivity issues. Is there something in the phone that could cause this? My battery also gets hot. — Jeremy

Solution: Hi Jeremy. This is exactly one of the reasons why repairs should only be done by professionals. If you don’t know what to do next, we suggest that you let someone that knows how to do the job check the phone.

As far as knowing what may be causing the issues, there’s nothing that we can do for you. A full hardware check and diagnostics must be done to determine that. We can’t obviously check the device physically so we can’t even know where to start. There may be a short in the logic board or poorly done weld between parts. If you were not careful and used an incompatible replacement part, that can also result to issues that  may manifest in something you’re experiencing right now.

 

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Galaxy Note 4 motherboard replacement guide (we don’t provide it), other issues

If you’re reading this post, you are most likely looking for answers for your own #GalaxyNote4 issue. Below are 8 issues reported by some members of our community for the past few days. If you can’t find a similar issue or solution for your problem in this post, we encourage you to take a look at previously published articles in this page.

For now, here are the specific topics we’re discussing for you:

  1. Galaxy Note 4 won’t turn on if not connected to charger | Galaxy Note 4 shuts down on its own
  2. Wet Galaxy Note 4 does not work, won’t turn on
  3. Apps (Ibotta & Savings Star) not working on Galaxy Note 4
  4. Galaxy Note 4 motherboard replacement guide
  5. Galaxy Note 4 hardware not working, won’t boot up
  6. Galaxy Note 4 WfcService keeps crashing | Galaxy Note 4 “Unfortunately WfcService has stopped working” error
  7. Cyanogenmod camera error on Galaxy Note 4
  8. Galaxy Note 4 restarts on its own

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 Note 4 won’t turn on if not connected to charger | Galaxy Note 4 shuts down on its own

My phone has been having several battery related issues. It started fairly recently. My phone would randomly restart out of nowhere and would loop until plugged into a charger. Currently, this has evolved into shutting off randomly and not turning on until it is plugged into the charger. This happens at random percentages. It started at the thirties and twenties but now even with a percentage in the seventies my phone will die. When plugged back in, it either says that it was at 0% or the same % as it was when it stopped working. In general, the battery also drains very quickly. I always shut down apps in the background and keep my phone in power saving mode. I have tried both a factory reset and replacing the battery and it is only a year and 4 months old. I am very careful with it so it has only been dropped a couple of times and I do not know what could be the cause of this. — Seilebeth

Solution: Hi Seilebeth. We recommend that you try to recalibrate the new battery first so as to retrain the operating system how to detect its true remaining power levels first. Battery calibration is usually done if an Android phone manifests power issues like the one that you have. This procedure aims to correct how the software manages power on the phone. Together with factory reset, battery calibration is one of the most effective solutions available for this problem. However, if nothing will change after doing it (and factory reset), you can assume that hardware may be to blame. In some instances, a bad power IC (integrated circuit) may be directly responsible while in others, some components in the motherboard. If your phone continues to exhibit the same problems after a battery calibration and hard reset, we recommend that you have it repaired or replaced altogether.

  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.

Problem #2: Wet Galaxy Note 4 does not work, won’t turn on

My phone had been working normally, then it shut down and wouldn’t turn back on. i took the case off and noticed that it was sticky and possibly wet (have no idea how that happened) on the back. When i plug the charger back in the google sign shows up then it shuts off and repeats it again after 3 seconds until i take the charger out then it completely shuts off. It’s been wet before and I’ve left it in rice for 3 days and it worked fine. It’s day 2 of it being in the rice and still doesn’t work. is there anything else i can do to try and fix it?

The time i can remember it could’ve gotten wet was maybe 1 1/2 till it completely shut off. thank you for you help and hope to hear from you soon! with good news. Thanks again! — Maria

Solution: Hi Maria. For cases like this, luck plays a critical role. Liquid or moisture is can seep inside the device causing havoc among components or the motherboard in general. If that happens, it may only be a matter of time before your phone starts showing problems. In some cases, damage from moisture or liquid exposure may not happen right away, while in some, it can be immediate.

The aim of keeping a wet phone in a bag or container of rice is to remove moisture from the device. It’s like a first aid procedure and if done in a timely manner, can be an effective measure to save the device. However, it must be performed properly together with other basic must-dos in this situation. Before placing a device in a bag of rice, you’re supposed to dismantle the phone first so you can:

  • clean the insides with alcohol (not the drinking type),
  • remove dirt,
  • wipe away visible liquid, and more importantly,
  • remove the battery.

Placing a wet device in a bag of rice without doing the items above lessens the chances of saving your phone. Leaving the phone’s power source (battery) connected  to a wet motherboard can potentially lead to disaster as there’s high risk of shorting components. Because dismantling a phone for easier cleaning requires some tools that may not be immediately available to an average user, we always recommend that the phone be handled by a professional right away. If you have the necessary kit to open the phone up and disconnect the motherboard from case, we suggest that you do so so you can clean the phone. Once that’s done, clean the phone thoroughly and leave it (in its dismantled form) in a bag of rice for about a week. If you can’t do that, have it checked by a service center so a full hardware check can be done.

You can’t fix a hardware issue with software tweaks so we don’t recommend any type of software troubleshooting.

Problem #3: Apps (Ibotta & Savings Star) not working on Galaxy Note 4

I use a couple of rebate apps (Ibotta & Savings Star) that require you to take a photo of your shopping receipt and upload to them, via their app. Their app provides for you to be able to take multiple pictures of your receipt, if it is long and won’t all fit into one pic. However, with my Samsung Galaxy Note 4, I can only take one picture. After taking the first picture, the app should go to the next screen that has an empty window to focus your receipt in for the next pic. The app does this, however the window is not empty as it shows the picture I have previously taken. Both apps do this and after about a year of arguing with them over it, I think it is not their app, but my phone. I had no problems with my previous Samsung Galaxy phone. I am beyond frustrated with this. Any suggestions you can give me to resolve this? — Becky

Solution: Hi Becky. This problem can either be a phone- or app-specific problem. If you’ve already contacted the respective developers of each app and they confirmed that their product support the phone that you have, the problem must be caused by your phone’s operating system. This means that even if the app is designed by its to work on a Galaxy Note 4, there must be a specific limitation in your phone’s particular operating system that prevents the functionality of the app from working. As such, there’s nothing much that you can do about it; it’s a software coding problem that’s beyond a user’s ability to correct.

We tried to install these two apps in a number of Samsung devices (S3, S4, Note 3, and Note 4) in our lab and interestingly, all of them show as incompatible. If you want to get to the bottom of the issue, we recommend that work with the developers to see if there are any incompatibility issues that may be causing the problem.

Problem #4: Galaxy Note 4 motherboard replacement guide (we don’t provide it)

I have similar problem described in your post: “Note 4 No Response Even When Charged” You said suspect the Power IC and have it checked by service Tech. Since I don’t have local service tech and the Power IC is on the logic board, couldn’t I just replace the whole board myself? It’s almost as cheap as having a tech do the Power IC only? Any chance you could give me a ballpark estimate for either scenario? This Note 4 power problem went from bad to worse and now shows no response. After two factory resets and new official Samsung battery, the phone is now totally unresponsive. I replaced the power button assembly but still nothing with USB charger or when using a fully charged battery. — James

Solution: Hi James. Our blog does not provide hardware troubleshooting and diagnostics so if you want to do the repair yourself, kindly look for other sources of information that you can use.

Keep in mind that power IC is only one of the possible culprits for a power issue. Before you decide on removing the original from the logic board, make sure to do some relevant checks on other components like the battery. You also want to make sure that the integrity of the logic board is okay, especially if the phone has been dropped before. A small crack somewhere may have damaged a component or broke a circuit rendering the board useless. If your phone got wet before it lost power, there’s a chance that a component may have been shorted somewhere. Motherboard replacement is safer than removing and replacing parts piecemeal but with the current motherboard price for this device, we don’t think you want to do that. Of course, a motherboard replacement not done correctly can be risky too but if you want to take the risks involved go ahead with it. Again, we don’t provide guides on how to do hardware repair or diagnostics so you want to look for other websites that may be able to give you step-by-step instructions on how to do the job.

Problem #5: Galaxy Note 4 hardware not working, won’t boot up

Hello 🙂 I have an idea if you can help me, but here goes, will make it quick. Here is info, what I have done and the issues. 

Wifi used it only to surf, no modifications etc. never had problems before. put it on charger as I always do at night. next morning black screen, nothing worked, no charging icon, buttons don’t work. no lights, no nothing. what I did so far: lots of different button combinations. new original charging cable. adapter thingy in the socket is working. new battery, new charging port. reseated all ribbons. download and recovery mode. not working attached to desktop and laptop, device seen as apx, installed loads of different drivers. fastboot and nvflash not working, device is not found even though its seen in PC. Disconnected battery for a while, no change. researched for weeks on end how to solve this and even better find out what caused it as I am clueless. Device is not rooted or has had any other stuff done to it. just a normal phone used for normal every day things. I have ordered a new LCD ribbon , long shot but hey I cannot stand the fact that it’s not working, I did nothing wrong !. So, please help me out dear Sir or Madam 🙂 any and all advice is greatly appreciated. !! Thank You. — Kaatje63

Solution: Hi Kaatje63. you’ve already tried more than enough as far as troubleshooting, both software and hardware, is concerned. As mentioned above, there a power issue can be caused other factors such as a damaged power IC, a bad battery or other unknown hardware failure. A more thorough hardware diagnostics must be done on your phone to know where the problem may lie. Depending on the issue, it may or may not be fixed after knowing what the problem is. Of course a complete diagnosis requires tools and training and doing that is beyond the scope of support of this article. If you think that the effort and money to fix the problem are worth it, we suggest that you let someone who does repair for a living do the job for you.

Problem #6: Galaxy Note 4 WfcService keeps crashing | Galaxy Note 4 “Unfortunately WfcService has stopped working” error

I keep getting the notification error message box “Unfortunately WfcService has stopped working.” you push “ok” and it pops right back up.

Here are things I have tried with no remedy in every imaginable combination:

1) Safe Mode start (pwr/volume down)

2) Turn off WiFi

3) Disable WiFi Calling

4) wfc Service “Clear Cache”

5) wfc Service “Force Stop”

6) wfc Service “uncheck notifications”

7) WiFi “uncheck notifications”

8) Factory Reset from “Settings” menu

9) Clear Cache Partitions & Reboot (pwr/home/volume up)

10) Clear Data & Reset & Reboot / clear data=yes (pwr/home/volume up)

All of these actions with no remedy. Have run Norton Security as well as the factory Security app with no indication of malware or other conditions. Even after a Factory Reset or Clear Data & Reset, on reboot, without entering accounts, or recovering apps, settings etc. from backup, the “Unfortunately WfcService has stopped working” message pops up on reboot  such that you have to hit “OK” and then quickly tap one letter before it pops back up in order to activate the Google account, Samsung account and passwords, etc. from a blank start just to get back to the home screen or screen saver (lock) page. I have even rebooted without a SIM Card and tried disabling T-Mobile Wifi apps and notifications. Any ideas?        — Eric

Solution: Hi Eric. Wifi calling service is a carrier-provided app so a bug in the operating system must be causing it to malfunction. Since you’ve already tried to fix the issue by doing a factory reset, the only suggestion that we can give you now is to try to manually flash the original firmware of this device. That means using the original, stock firmware for this model when you first unboxed it. This should revert all software and app settings to its known, working configuration.

If you haven’t tried to flash a firmware on an Android device before, be sure that you use a good guide. You can use Google to search for guide or you can visit active Android forums like XDA to ask for validated guides from other users. Of course, you have to also use the correct firmware so make sure that you download one from a good site like Sammobile.

Problem #7: Cyanogenmod camera error on Galaxy Note 4

I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with Cyanogenmod on it, running Android 7.1. I’ve had to factory reset it once because it’ll shut off and on by itself. Then battery life would be drained tremendously. Checked battery diagnostics and its definitely the battery. I have to get a new one. Either way, I had it factory reset and the newest Cyanogenmod installed on it. Now, the camera app says “camera error: can’t connect to camera.” I’ve reboot phone and even cleared cache…downloaded camera restart/fix. However I still have the same issue as well as my flashlight application not working at all. The cast feature on the phone recognizes the Smart TV acts like its gonna connect and then just simply won’t connect to the TV at all even though it is a Samsung as well.

I apologize that this email isn’t exactly organized and I’m asking advice on so many issues but, I don’t know what to do with this thing besides use it as target practice if the phone keeps acting up. Personally, I like the phone so I’d rather not reduce it to dust if it is smthn that can be fixed. — Steven

Solution: Hi Steven. Using third party ROMs can sometimes be problematic because the developer may not be able to test all functionalities and aspects of the phone. Since you’re running Cyanogenmod, we suggest that get assistance from the community that uses this mod or contact the developer directly for answers. The issues you mention here, like the Cyanogenmod camera error, have been reported by other Cyanogenmod users before so you’re not the first user to complain about them. We don’t think these issues have been fixed on all phone models though so we doubt if you someone can point you to an effective solution as well. Still, it’s the only way to go for you if you want to stick with this mod. Otherwise, simply flash a stock firmware to fix these problems.

Problem #8: Galaxy Note 4 restarts on its own

I bought this phone as a brick. Samsung shop looked when it was dead and said battery. I said I’d charged the battery outside the phone and it was fine. They then said new motherboard. I took it home and using Odin and pit put the latest build on it and it came back to life. Phone restarts randomly. Can happen anytime but tends to happen when selecting apps. I restarted and ran in safe mode and still happened. Regressed to a 2015 firmware and still happening. Cleared cache and factory reset and it runs but still restarts randomly. I have ordered a new battery just in case as you suggest the current one is not providing enough charge.        — Larry

Solution: Hi Larry. Like some of the problems mentioned above, random reboot issue can be caused by other factors such as a system-on-a-chip (SoC), bad battery, or other unknown hardware problems. For example, any single bad transistor in your phone’s SoC can create a chain of problems that may manifest in random reboot issue. If you can’t fix it by doing the simple software and hardware troubleshooting such as factory reset, flashing, or changing of the battery, then there must be a deeper cause underlying it. A situation like this often results to hardware repair and most of the time a technician will simply declare it as an unfixable motherboard problem.

 

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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.

Galaxy Note 4 rear camera not working, “Server error occurred. Restart camera.” error

In majority of cases, #GalaxyNote4 issues that involves the camera is ends up in the replacement department so we hope that our suggestions for one of our readers will work. We also cover 4 other issues in this post  so hopefully more users will find this material helpful.

note-4

For those looking for other Note 4 issues, kindly check our main Note 4 troubleshooting page. We’ve also just recently made our YouTube page public so if you’re looking for more useful Android tidbits, don’t forget to visit it.

  1. Solutions to Galaxy Note 4 keeps freezing and randomly rebooting issues | Galaxy Note 4 apps keep crashing
  2. Galaxy Note 4 rear camera not working | “Warning: server error occurred. Restart camera.” error when using Galaxy Note 4 main camera
  3. Galaxy Note 4 Edge “not registered on the network” error | Galaxy Note 4 signal dropping when set to WCDMA/3G/4G or auto detect
  4. Galaxy Note 4 “Phone has stopped” error
  5. Galaxy Note 4 freezing, randomly rebooting, and won’t turn on

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: Solutions to Galaxy Note 4 keeps freezing and randomly rebooting issues | Galaxy Note 4 apps keep crashing

I have a T-Mobile Note 4 that randomly freezes, doesn’t wake up, and frequently reboot itself. It would freeze and later say “so and so app isn’t responding.” I have read a lot from your website and thought I should contribute my experience. I have factory reset multiple times to no avail. However, I recently made a long business trip, and I did observe this:

  1. when the phone is in airplane mode and use the wifi on the airplane, no problem.
  2. when I was in Japan roaming on their 4G network, very bad.
  3. when I was in Taiwan roaming on their 3G network, no problem.
  4. When I was in China roaming on the 2G network, very bad.
  5. When I was in France roaming on 4G network, very bad. So it seemed to me that this problem had something to do with the mobile network radio. After I came back to the States, I went to T-Mobile and got a new SIM card. After installing the new SIM card, the problem persisted. I then proceeded to have another factory reset, now the problem appears 90% gone.

I hope this experience may render some help to others who suffers from the same problem. One easy thing to find out if you have the same problem as me is to switch to airplane mode, then turn on the wifi. If the freezing goes away, then getting a new SIM followed by a factory hard reset would probably help. Thank you, — Ching

Solution: Hi Ching. There a number of reasons why an Android device randomly reboots, freezes, and loses mobile data connectivity so we’re glad that some of the software solutions work for you. It can sometimes be hard to pinpoint where the problem lies so trial-and-error is the best way to go. Thanks for sharing experiences with us. We hope that publishing them will help more Android users.

Problem #2: Galaxy Note 4 rear camera not working | “Warning: server error occurred. Restart camera.” error when using Galaxy Note 4 main camera

Hello! I’m having some issues with my camera. I have a Galaxy Note 4. It was working fine when i got the phone but then for some reason it decided to stop. I thought it was one of those temporary things that only last a day then the next it starts working but in this case it’s not like that. The front camera works fine, but whenever i flip to the back camera, it’s a black screen then it says “Warning: server error occurred. Restart camera.”

I’ve already restarted my device and did everything I could, but nothing worked. I read online that the back camera could’ve possibly dislocated itself but I don’t know how if I hardly ever drop the phone. But if you have any thing that could help me fix this problem it would be great! Thank you! — Mary

Solution: Hi Mary. The only thing that a user can do in this case is to try software solutions. If you’ve already exhausted everything on your end, then you should submit the phone to a repair shop (Samsung or third party) so they can check if there’s a hardware malfunction that’s causing the problem. We suggest that you try the usual dose of software troubleshooting first to see if there’s something that you can do at this time.

The first solution you want to try is refresh the system cache. Sometimes, updates and installation of new app can corrupt the system cache. Making sure that you wipe the cache partition is a must in this case. Here’s how to do that:

  • Power down the phone.
  • Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time:
  • Volume Up key
  • Home key
  • Power key.
  • When the phone vibrates, release the Power and Home key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key.
  • Continue holding the Volume Up key until the Android System Recovery menu displays and then release. This step may take several seconds.
  • Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
  • Press the Power key to select.
  • Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ then press the Power key to select.
  • When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  • Press the Power key to restart the device.
  • Check the rear camera.

If wiping the cache partition won’t fix the issue, the next thing that you want to try is to see if a third party app is causing the problem. This can be done by powering up the phone in safe mode. Booting Galaxy Note 4 in safe mode will temporarily disable all third-party or download apps leaving pre-installed ones and core services running. This procedure can help you determine which of your apps is causing a problem.

  • Turn off the phone completely.
  • Press and hold the Power key and the Volume Down key.
  • When the phone starts to boot, release the Power key but continue holding the Volume Down key until the phone finished restarting.
  • Safe mode will be display at the lower left corner; you may release the Volume Down key now.
  • If the rear camera works fine while safe mode is enabled, that’s a confirmation that one of your third party apps is problematic. Remember, safe mode won’t pinpoint the exact app so you must identify it yourself by uninstalling apps one by one and observing how camera works after each removal.

Finally, if both procedures won’t improve the situation at all, you must do a master reset. This will bring all software settings to default. If an operating system glitch is causing the camera app to malfunction when using the rear camera, master reset should fix it. Here’s how to do it:

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

Now, if nothing still changes after a factory reset, that’s proof that the problem lies on the hardware department. The camera assembly may be damaged or some unknown hardware malfunction is preventing it from running problem. In this case, the only solution is repair or replacement.

Problem #3: Galaxy Note 4 Edge “not registered on the network” error | Galaxy Note 4 signal dropping when set to WCDMA/3G/4G or auto detect

Hi there. I own a Galaxy Note 4 Edge which i recently bought 2nd hand off eBay. It is currently on an Amaysim 4G unlimited service utilising the Optus network of towers. Amaysim is a reseller of mobile services. I have been experiencing chronic dropouts when set to “WCDMA/3G/4G auto detect” or set to “3G only” settings, getting “not registered on the network” errors when in lower coverage areas.

 It is maddening as i also lose data access and cant text or dial out. The ability to receive incoming communications are also thwarted. It is of course (Murphy’s law) when i am at home in my dead spot unit. When in high coverage areas the phone works perfectly.

I have tried EVERY fix on the internet including a hard reset. Have tried so far:

  • hard/soft reset – removal of battery, wait 30 seconds calling my provider to check settings at their end are
  • swapped out SIM card with friend. My SIM worked fine in their Apple phone. Their SIM still met with same problems I have been experiencing in my handset.
  • new SIM card
  • updating firmware
  • holding down and releasing home, on/off and volume buttons
  • turning flight mode on and off etc
  • changing network settings from WCDMA to 3G only to 2G only

The only mildly successful adjustment i have been able to make is to run it on GSM 2G setting only, which is slow and also due to close in April 2017 (Optus).

Switching to 3G only does not fix the problem either. 2G is not great and still shows errors occasionally but at least it allows me to still have faith that what i have purchased is indeed a mobile phone.

Before anyone suggests returning it for a refund, let me tell you that 1 week after buying it (2nd hand) i dropped it and cracked the screen … so returning it is not an option. It was working fine for the first couple of weeks too. I can’t seem to quite remember when the problems became evident. The dropping of it and also the Android 6.01 software updates are the two most significant events for this phone since i purchased it but i don’t recall either event immediately foreshadowing the network issues. Any advice with regards to this would be very much appreciated.

Some questions:

  • assuming it is a software problem preventing the phone’s antenna from switching between networks/towers consistently, how can i tell which brand of antenna is installed in my model phone?
  • This is the phone’s build no.: MMB29M.N915GXXS1DPH. The phone appears to have originally been branded by our largest carrier in Australia: Telstra as the logo comes up during reboot. It is not locked to Telstra though. Model number: Intel or Realtek which has been suggested to me may be the actual issue. Is it feasible to effectively replace the antenna with an intel one? I can easily manage to complete this task so as long as i can get a new or 2nd hand one cheaply and find a YouTube tutorial. i have a good degree of tech skills which will help to reduce costs.
  • if the above options are not plausible and i have to live with what i have and hope a software fix is released before 2G is turned off, would there be any benefit to purchasing any of your antennae products to improve connectivity? i am also considering buying a mobile signal booster to improve reception at home. Another less than ideal response but in the absence of a good reliable fix becoming known i don’t have any other ideas other than to replace the phone. Did i mention that I am stubborn and don’t give in easily? Thanks in advance – Craig

Solution: Hi Craig. There are three possible reasons for the troubles you’re having:

  1. phone’s radio is defective (perhaps that’s why it may had been sold by the original owner in the first place)
  2. there’s an unknown software/baseband glitch
  3. poor reception in your area

Although we think that the most likely reason for your problem is the third, as you yourself mentioned that the phone works fine when you are in an area with good reception, there’s also a possibility that it may be a combination of any of them. That the phone suffered significant damage after dropping it won’t rule out the possibility that there’s an issue on the hardware department. Like water damage, unnecessary shock to the motherboard can sometimes both lead to short-term and long-term problems.

You can scratch software or baseband issue as factory reset should have eliminated that. If the phone behaves the same after a factory reset and without apps installed, the only possible causes are the first and third.

Now, let’s answer your specific questions.

  1. If you want to know the specific brand and make of the phone’s radio (or antenna as you call it), you need to open up the phone check it on the motherboard itself. We’re pretty sure some websites out there must have a comprehensive list of parts of all Samsung devices. Our blog does not handle hardware troubleshooting and diagnostics though so we don’t normally keep a list like this.
  2. Replacing a particular component is definitely possible but, as we said above, our blog does not address hardware issues so kindly look for other sources of hardware troubleshooting steps.
  3. We don’t sell phone parts so please look for e-commerce sites that do. We will suggest though that you push through with your plans to get a signal booster to improve reception at your place.

Problem #4: Galaxy Note 4 “Phone has stopped” error

Hello! I am using a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (my father as well) and we both have the “Phone has stopped” error. It only occurs when somebody is calling us, while one app (ex. : Phone, Whatsapp, Gallery, Contacts, Camera, Messages) is open. It does not occur (lets us answer the call) when the phone is locked or we are not using it. My mom is using Samsung Galaxy Note Edge with the exact same software specifications, but luckily she has never has problems. I tried every suggested solution you wrote in your article about this problem and the problem came back. Please help, or let me know who else could help. Thank you! — Ivett

Solution: Hi Ivett. A third party app may be to blame. Boot the phone in safe mode and replicate the issue. A service or app may be creating a conflict with the operating system so observing how calls behave while safe mode is enabled may give you an idea. Refer to the steps above on how to do this procedure.

Problem #5: Galaxy Note 4 freezing, randomly rebooting, and won’t turn on

Hi. My phone has been suddenly freezing and restarting and some times won’t even turn on. I have tried all the steps mentioned in this forum to troubleshoot it and the fix was only temporary. I brought my phone into a Samsung store and the tech helped me do a phone reset. However, it didn’t solve the lagging and restarting issue. Therefore, I purchased a new battery 2 days ago. Phone worked fine and did not reset suddenly anymore, but my phone would suddenly freeze, screen turns black and shuts off completely. Can you please help me? This phone is only 2 years old!! Thanks. — Maggie

Solution: Hi Maggie. Below are the potential solutions that you can try:

 

  1. Wipe the cache partition. This should the first thing that you want to try. Making sure that the system cache is fresh is important in any Android troubleshooting. Refer to the steps above on how to do it.
  2. Recalibrate the battery. The aim of this procedure is to train the operating system how to read battery levels properly. Follow the steps below on how to do it:
    • Use the phone by playing games or doing tasks to hasten power discharge, until the phone turns itself off.
    • Turn the phone on again and let it turn itself off.
    • Charge the phone without turning it back on.
    • Wait until the battery says it fully charged to 100%
    • Unplug the charger and turn the phone on.
    • If the phone says it’s not 100% anymore, turn it off, plug the charger back in and wait until 100% charge is reached.
    • Unplug the charger the turn the phone on again.
    • Use the phone until you drain the battery down to 0.
    • Repeat the cycle once.
  3. Power up the phone in safe mode. If the problem persists after calibrating the battery, the next step should be to observe how the device behaves if it’s booted to safe mode. If the problem won’t happen while in safe mode, that’s a sign that a third party app is causing it.
  4. Do another round of factory reset. This is the last step that you can do on your end. The aim of this exercise is to restore all software settings to default so you can observe how the device works when there are no third party apps installed. Let the phone run for 24 hours without installing anything so you’ll notice any difference. If the problem is still present, find a way to have it repaired or replaced as there may be an unknown hardware issue.

 

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.

Can’t unlock Galaxy S5 screen due to unlock pattern and PIN error, other issues

The #GalaxyS5 is one of the older devices that we still continue to support at this time, a testament to its popularity and reliability throughout the years since it was released. Every week, we continue to receive hundreds of appeals for help from S5 users around the world so we will continue to publish more S5 posts in the coming months. If you don’t find a solution to your own S5 problem in this post, don’t forget to watch out for more of the same articles in the coming weeks. You can also try to visit our main Galaxy S5 troubleshooting page.

s5

Below are the issues we cover in this post today:

  1. Galaxy S5 won’t send/receive text or pictures
  2. Can’t unlock Galaxy S5 screen due to unlock pattern and PIN error
  3. Galaxy S5 won’t charge and power sharing app notice keeps popping up
  4. Galaxy S5 camera not working
  5. Galaxy S5 software update error
  6. Galaxy S5 fails to update software

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 S5 won’t send/receive text or pictures

My  Samsung Galaxy S5 suddenly won’t allow me to send out or receive a long text & won’t let me send or receive pictures.  I followed your direction and it didn’t worked. So I went into Application manager and stop every app I wasn’t using. which was most of them I cleared data and cache. Then I rebooted. This happened to my first Galaxy 5. When I couldn’t fix it I purchased a brand new one one month ago. Every thing worked great. But now I have already developed the same issues. I dared not buy on any newer because of all the problems they have had with them blowing up. please advise. Thank You. —  Agnes

Solution: Hi Agnes. Since you have encountered this issue on at least two phones, the problem might be caused by your own network. There might be some settings that needs to be corrected in your phone. I recommend that you contact your network regarding this concern. But before you this, kindly perform a factory reset for you to ensure and see for yourself that this is not something to do with the apps installed. Create a backup for all the files you wish to save from your phone.

Below are the steps to perform a factory reset:

  • From the Home Screen, select Apps
  • Then press Settings
  • Select “User and  Backup“
  • Press “Back up and reset“
  • Press “Factory data reset“
  • Confirm by selecting “Reset device“

 

The factory reset will complete in a few minutes. Do not install any apps on your phone and observe your phone for 24 hours. if you can try to send an MMS. If issue is still not resolved after the factory reset, call your network for direct assistance.

Probem #2: Can’t unlock Galaxy S5 screen due to unlock pattern and PIN error

I’ve had a Galaxy S5 for nearly 2 years now. In the last couple months I’ve had it stop accepting my unlock pattern & then not accept my PIN when I exceed the 5 try limit. I’m 100000000% sure I entered the pattern correctly & 99% sure on the PIN (and 100% sure the 5 options I tried would have included the correct PIN). I’ll be able to unlock it via the Remote Tools on my Google account, but that won’t be for another couple hours, until then I may as well have a flip phone that can’t make outgoing calls :\ The problem is intermittent. It just happened and last happened before that about 2 or 3 months ago. I don’t really have any other issues with it and if I can fix whatever keeps causing the issue, that would be great as I’d like to keep it longer. As to what was going on when I encountered the issue. I was listening to a podcast with Podcast Addict, Lookout (free version) was running. I had played some Tinker Island quickly while waiting for some tasks to finish running on my work computer and then let my phone lock via timeout. The podcast was still running, but when I tried to unlock a couple minutes after the phone auto-locked the pattern was not accepted. When I tried my PIN that was also rejected. I’m fuzzy on the prior instances context, but I don’t believe there were any common applications I had run recently before that one with the exception of Lookout obviously still running in background. I believe I’m on Marshmallow, but as I can’t unlock I’m not 100% certain, so I defaulted to Lollipop which I definitely have. Thanks for your help! — Jason

Solution: Hi Jason. There are a lot of possible reasons why you have encountered this problem. One of these reasons could be caused by a third party application that is not compatible with your phone. For us to identify if this issue is caused by an app or operating system, you need to set your phone in Safe mode. This feature temporarily disables third party apps from running and use to determine if the application installed is causing this issue. Safe mode also reduces operating system functionality that will allow troubleshooting to resolve the issue.

Follow the steps below to set your phone in safe mode:

  • Turn off the device.
  • Press and hold the Power button.
  • Release the Power button once the Samsung logo appears on the screen.
  • Immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  • The lock screen will displays on the screen, the Safe mode will appear.
  • Observe your phone for 24 hours while safe mode is on.

If issue remains, the next step is to clear the cache partition in your phone. Cache partition is a system that stores temporary files, logs and remembered bits from different applications on your device. It also stores old files and will remained even if an update on your phone has been done. If cache partition will not be cleared, your device will still use old files that are stored even if it’s not compatible with the current update on your phone. This will result to a corrupted app, or other problems may occur.

Clearing the cache will not remove your apps, data or configuration. Steps to clear cache partition are follows:

  • Turn off the device.
  • Press and hold the Volume Up and Volume Down, the Power and Home buttons simultaneously.
  • Release the keys when the Android System Recovery screen appears.
  • Scroll down by using the Volume Up/Volume Down and select Wipe Cache Partition.
  • Press the Power button to confirm your selection.
  • A notification will appear at the bottom of the screen and after about 20 seconds it will likely show Done
  • Then reboot the device and check if problem is fixed.

After doing these steps and problem is still not resolved, a factory reset is required. Steps are provided above on how to perform a factory reset for you to be guided.

Problem #3: Galaxy S5 won’t charge and power sharing app notice keeps popping up

Hello, I started having issues with charging my phone over the past couple days. When at home, I use the original charger that came with the phone. Some days I need to wiggle it around a little bit but once it’s charging it works well. Last night, I plugged it in as normal and this morning when I woke up my phone was completely dead. It was at around 75% last night so even if it hadn’t been charging it shouldn’t have died. This morning I got it up to about 60% but had to go to work. I plugged it into the car, which I’ve never had a problem with and it won’t charge. When I first plugged it into the car there was a pop up telling me I need an app to use power sharing. I did a soft reset and that did nothing. Do you have any idea what might be wrong with it? — Victoria

Solution: Hi Victoria. The Power Sharing app is a third-party application that was developed by Samsung which makes your phone as a power bank using a special cable. The pop up message you have encountered may appear regardless if the app has been installed or not. There are instances that a malware or bugs will corrupt an application and will affect your battery life. If you have installed this app before, you need to uninstall this app from your device to prevent this message from showing up.

  • From the Home screen, touch the Menu key.
  • Select Settings.
  • Select More tab.
  • Tap the Application manager.
  • Swipe left or right to the All tab.
  • Scroll to and select Power Sharing.
  • Tap Uninstall.

If the Power Sharing app wasn’t installed and the notification still appears, you need to clear the cache partition of your device.

Set your phone in safe mode if still unresolved. This will prevent some apps from running and allows you to isolate apps that lead to this error. The battery can charge normally again if the app is the culprit. Uninstall suspected third party apps one at a time and observe if issue is fix.

If these doesn’t work, then a factory reset must be performed in your device. This will remove everything including all the junk files saved and will go back to its default settings. This may fix your battery problems. Instructions are provided above on how to wipe the cache partition, set the device in safe mode or reset your phone to its original settings.

If all steps provided fails, we suggest that you contact your carrier. If you are still under warranty, get a replacement of  your battery. The good thing about Samsung Galaxy S5 is that it has a removable battery, so if you have a faulty battery, you can replace it without buying a new phone.

Problem #4: Galaxy S5 camera not working

The camera is not working and is saying device full when there is 4 GB left.I have an SD card and it has only used 765 MB and but cannot set up. Also the bottom half ONLY of the phone screen (when not in use or being touched help or carried) will start to flash 5 or 6 times then everything goes black. I called the T Mobile service and they helped me clear the cache. and since then I can’t take pictures. I have also removed several hundred texts to make things move smoother and faster. But really concerned about the screen lighting up then going black. I try to turn my phone off now, once a day so it has the ability to reset. Any suggestions? — Maria

Solution: Hi Maria. There are a lot of factors that could affect the functionality of the camera on your phone. This error could be caused by a camera app, a corrupted firmware or the SD card. Some Samsung users who encountered camera issues with their phones were able to fix the problem by just removing the SD card alone. If unresolved, you need to clear the cache and data from the app. The data and cache temporarily stored from the app can cause some features on your phone to malfunction.

Follow the steps to clear app cache:

  • From the Home screen, open the Apps icon.
  • Navigate to Settings app.
  • Select the Applications section.
  • Tap the Application manager.
  • Tap the appropriate app.
  • Select Storage.
  • Tap Clear cache.

Below are the steps to clear the data from the app:

  • From the Home screen, open the Apps icon.
  • Go to Settings.
  • Select Storage.
  • Tap  Cached data.
  • Press Delete to confirm.

Once you have done all the steps provided and the problem still exists, the resolution given to Jason above is also applicable. You may have encountered different issues with your devices but this can be fixed by the same troubleshooting steps. If the camera is still not working, have your phone repaired.

Problem #5: Galaxy  S5 software update error

Hi there, i recently attempted to update my software on my Samsung galaxy s5, i went to settings, about device, software updates and then i had last checked on the 19th of September, also, there was only a ‘check for updates’ button, which i then pressed. After about 4 seconds, it stopped and then a small white box appeared at the bottom of the screen saying, “Failed to communicate with server, please try again later” so far I’ve, restarted the phone, downloaded Samsung smart switch but it says that i have the latest software. But i have android version 5.0. I would appreciate any help with this, thanks. — Kit

Solution: Hi Kit. There are two possible reasons why the update is not working in your device. The first scenario why you have this error is when you have an unlocked mobile phone. This means that the sim used is different from the network who originally provided your device. If this is your situation, your device will only work for any update available if your using the sim card provided by the same network. This is done by mobile networks to discourage their customers from moving to other networks. If the sim card and phone you are using is provided from the same network, the reason could be caused by a software update that is not offered by your network anymore. In this case, you need to wait for another update that will be offered from your carrier.

If the above scenarios are not applicable in your situation, I recommend that you wipe the cached partition in your phone. This is necessary because the temporary files that were stored in your device might have been corrupted which prevents from doing the update. A factory reset is the next best thing to do if clearing the cached partition didn’t fixed the problem. Ensure to create a backup for all files that you want to save before restoring your device to its default settings.

Another workaround that you can try is to manually install stock ROM. If you don’t know how to do this, kindly search in google the steps for you to be guided.

Problem #6: Galaxy S5 fails to update software

hey guys, I hope you can help.I read over your section on updating the galaxy s5, but i still cant do it. My device status says its custom(however i never rooted the device) So it doesnt let me update from the device. Also then i connect to smartswitch, no update shows up. This has been driving me insane for a month now. Do you guys have any idea what I could do to solve this issue? Im stuck on 4.4.2. I really NEED to update ASAP Thanks in advance. — Tannus

Solution: Hi Tannus. The problem you have raised is similar to what Kit has encountered. Kindly refer to above solution provided for this.

 

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.