Welcome to our special series dedicated to other non-standard issues for Samsung Galaxy Note 4. These problems do not belong to the usual series we write for Note 4 devices so we have decided to create a new one for you.

If you have your own unique issue that you don’t find here, tell us about it by using the link provided at the bottom of the page.

Problem #1: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 keeps on giving option what app to use when loading something

Same issue as with Note 2 but worse. It is always asking what to open with and gives options.  When I choose and say always IT ALWAYS SAYS TO CLEAR DEFAULT AND GIVES INSTRUCTIONS. I clear defaults day after day after day with no change in how the phone works. On my note 2 it only asked with what when opening a browser but the Note 4 asks even when I hit the main button just to go back to desk top. It is driving me crazy. Sure hope there is an easy solution. — Vanya

Solution: Hi Vanya. Normally, your Note 4 should only ask you once what app you would like to use to open or load something. If that’s not happening, there must be a firmware glitch preventing it from remembering your selection the next time you load the same thing. Here are the things that you can try:

Clear the cache partition

The cache partition is where an Android device saves information to hasten loading times of apps. Sometimes, the cache gets corrupted, or more specifically, gets outdated after some time. Deleting the phone’s cache partition is an effective solution when dealing with any app-related problem. Here are the steps:

• 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 Vol Up key.
• Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
• When the wiping of the cache partition is finished, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the power key.

Restore the phone to its factory defaults

This solution is usually performed last as it involves wiping the phone’s internal memory clean. This also results to giving your device a fresh firmware version so if clearing the cache partition won’t make any difference, considering performing a factory reset. If you haven’t tried this before, just follow these steps:

• 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 Vol 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 Vol 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.

Note: This process will wipe everything that’s stored in your phone’s internal memory. Make sure you have created a back up of all your personal data before you proceed.

Problem #2: Galaxy Note 4 mobile data keeps on disconnecting if no app is using it

My phone keeps disconnecting from the mobile data network if I don’t have a app open that’s using it. Every time I want to use a app that needs the mobile data I have to go and hit mobile data to connect. — Donald

Solution: Hi Donald. Sometimes, if your Note 4’s smart network switch is enabled while using mobile data network, it sort of confuses the operating system to do other things like jumping from one Wi-Fi network to another. Other glitches associated with this switch had been reported in other forums and by our own readers so make sure it is disabled all the time. To do that, just follow these steps:

• Tap Settings.
• Tap Wi-Fi.
• Tap Smart Network Switch and make sure the box is unchecked.
• Tap OK.

Now, if turning off smart network switch won’t resolve the problem, try do a factory reset. Instructions are provided above.

Problem #3: Galaxy Note 4 screen keeps on turning on and off during calls

During calls screen blacks out… Blinks on and off if I try using the screen during a call. Almost like a “catch me if you can”  game. Also, when trying to make a call there seems to be a delay (latency) as the phone progresses through its steps. I understand what the other person claimed  to be blackouts  and latency. — Andy

Solution: Hi Andy. Your Note 4 is equipped with a proximity sensor (one of the circles beside phone’s speaker) to allow it detect your face while talking to it during calls. The screen is  turned off by default when your device detects you’re using it near your face. Sometimes, if the proximity sensor is partially blocked or covered, it may get confusing signals resulting to the problem you are experiencing. Make sure that there’s no dust or debris covering the proximity sensor.

You can also try checking the status of the proximity sensor via the phone’s service menu. Simply pull up your dialer and dial *#0*#. Once you have activated the service menu, tap Sensor and check the value for PROXIMITY. The number should be 0.0 as this indicates that the sensor is working as expected. If the number is 1.0, it means something is triggering it.

In the event that the sensor is not working properly, kindly coordinate with your carrier or Samsung so you can get it repaired or the phone replaced.

Problem #4: Galaxy Note 4 keeps showing the “optimizing” screen and reboots

My phone got the new Lollipop update last night. Now every time you turn it on it goes to the optimizing apps screen and then reboots, goes to optimizing apps, gets to a different number, and reboots. I brought it to Samsung and has been soft reset factory reset and master reset and none of those work. It still is if you turn it on it will go through at startup then go to optimizing apps get to a number and reboot continuously you can I get anything else thank you. — Rob

Solution: Hi Rob. If this device has already been examined by Samsung, we don’t think there’s anything else that we can do. Try to perform another round of factory reset and observe the phone for a few hours before installing any app. If everything goes back to normal, that should tell you that one of your apps may be causing this problem. If nothing changes, please find a way to have the device replaced.

Problem #5: Car Mode is missing in AT&T Galaxy Note 4

Hi. I want to turn on driving/safe mode to announce callers and texted like my Galaxy Mega did. I  can’t find it on AT&T Note 4 can you help? — Stephen

Solution: Hi Stephen. The stock Samsung Car Mode app in Note 4 was replaced by AT&T with their own Drive Mode app. This app should be included under Quick Settings.

Problem #6: Question why a major update usually leads to problems

Hello, I’m with Claro Company. Recently I installed Lollipop 5.2 and since I downloaded the Mayor time it freezes the action, call that You are trying to make and so do other things like messages delay, poor signal or Wi-Fi action near to the antenna.. Why is this happening with the upgrades so often? — Javier

Solution: Hi Javier. If you want to know why you have multiple issues after a major update, try to read our post, Why Android Lollipop Causes Problems.

Problem #7: Galaxy Note 4 does not open apps properly and sometimes skips directly to the home screen

The phone won’t open sometimes when pushing screen button. When it does open it jumps to home screen without apps showing then goes back to lock screen. It will also lock up during texts and then jump to home screen then cycle back to lock screen. This all started after update to 5.1. — Mitch

Solution: Hi Mitch. Please follow the suggestions we give to Vanya above.

Problem #8: Galaxy Note 4 showing “download do not turn off target page” & in red at the top corner it says “could not do normal boot” error

My phone continues to boot up slowly. Sometimes it will shut off, vibrate twice, and reboot itself when my phone freezes. I have rebooted my device and formatted my SD card, however the problem persists. Also, if I try to restart my phone, I am occasionally prompted with a “download do not turn off target page” & in red at the top corner it says “could not do normal boot” or something like that. Is this common with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4? These problems just began to occur last week. — Brian

Solution: Hi Brian. This problem was noticed by users whose phone were rooted. If you did root your phone, consider using the stock ROM again or try a different custom ROM.

Problem #9: Galaxy Note 4 slow performance problems even after doing a factory reset

Freezing, lagging, process slowness, lacking the smooth transition even after a disable of: Home screen effects, S voice, development options to 0.5 transition speeds, clearing cache partition, factory resets. Seems to be a simple OP flaw or inadequacy of the phone.  Not sure what to do even I got a refresh from best buy. — Sam

Solution: Hi Sam. The symptoms you mentioned here are usually indicators of either a firmware or hardware issue. If this has been how the phone behaves after unboxing it, you have a more likely hardware issue at hand. Your first task should be to identify which is which. Try doing the troubleshooting steps provided above (clearing the cache partition and factory reset) and see which one works for you.

Otherwise, getting a replacement may be your best bet.

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. 

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.

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