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Samsung Galaxy A7

5 Best Dual SIM Phones With Dedicated Expandable MicroSD Card Slot in 2019

Dual SIM smartphones are available in abundance right now. However, there aren’t a lot of good ones out there. The impression that dual SIM phones are only used in emerging markets or Asian regions is not entirely true. However, manufacturers mostly bring dual SIM variants of their flagships to European and Asian markets. There’s no denying that dual SIM phones have utility practically anywhere in the world, considering how it allows you to separate your work number from your personal numbers.

Best Dual SIM Phones With Dedicated Expandable MicroSD Card Slot

ImgAmazon.com LinkBrandProductAmazon.com LinkPrice on Amazon.com
HTCHTC U11599.99
SamsungSamsung Galaxy A7 (2017)527.16
SamsungSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus459.88
SonySony Xperia XZ Premium419
LGLG G6 - Dual Sim289.99

Although there are a handful of dual SIM phones in the world today, some of them make the compromise of offering the second SIM card slot with a microSD card slot. This means that you can either use a second SIM card or a microSD card slot, but not both. However, there are a few smartphones today, especially in 2017, which come with both microSD and second SIM card slots. This allows you the liberty to use both SIM cards as well as the microSD card if you find the storage to be lacking. We’re going to have a look at some of these smartphones today, so be sure to check them out and have your pick.

Samsung Galaxy S8+

The Galaxy S8+ comes with a 6.2-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, accompanied with a 12-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera, an 8-megapixel f/1.7 front camera, the octa-core Exynos 8895 chipset, 64/128GB of expandable storage, 4/6GB of RAM, Android 7.0 Nougat, and a 3,500 mAh battery.

The handset is one of the most popular offerings in the market right now. Although Samsung is heavily focused on the launch of the Galaxy Note 8 right now, the Galaxy S8 and the S8+ remain incredibly popular in the markets today. The handset comes with the company’s Infinity Display, which is the company’s curved display panel that stretches all the way to the sides.

The phone also comes with features like DeX which allows you to use the phone with a compatible desktop. Given that it’s a Samsung smartphone, there’s no dearth of attractive features on board. The phone also comes with Bixby voice on board, which only works in the U.S. and South Korea as of now. This particular variant is currently available for $729.49 via Amazon.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Sony’s 2017 flagship, the Xperia XZ Premium is a showstopper in terms of hardware specs. In addition to packing a microSD card slot and a SIM 2 slot, the phone also comes with a 5.46-inch UHD 4K resolution display. Further, there’s a 19-megapixel rear camera, accompanied by a 13-megapixel front camera. In terms of processing power, the Xperia XZ Premium is packing the octa-core Snapdragon 835 SoC on board.

The phone also comes with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, Android 7.1 Nougat, and a 3,230 mAh battery. If that’s not good enough, the phone also comes with IP68 certified water/dust resistance on board, making it one of the most durable flagships currently available in the market. There are stereo speakers on board as well, so there’s something here for everyone.

Sony smartphones are predominantly sold in European and Asian markets. However, thanks to online retailers in the U.S. customers can get them in the region as well. You will have to shell out $794.46 for the smartphone. It’s pretty hefty, but an excellent handset to own if you’re looking for a top shelf flagship with dual SIM and microSD expansion.

HTC U11

The HTC U11 was rated as one of the best cameraphones available in the market. This is a title that the handset still holds, so it is of great significance to tech experts. The phone is available in two variants depending on the region. While the American model comes with single SIM support, the global model packs a dual SIM card slot and a microSD card slot for increased options.

In the hardware department, the HTC U11 comes with a 5.5-inch Quad HD display, a 12-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera, a 16-megapixel f/2.0 front camera, the octa-core Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4/6GB of storage, 64/128GB of expandable storage, Android 7.1 Nougat, and a 3,000 mAh battery. The phone also comes with IP67 certification and is partially water and dust resistant. The handset might not be able to survive full blown submersions, but should be able to withstand a splash or two.

The handset can be snatched from Amazon for just $649, which is pretty reasonable compared to other flagship offerings available in the industry today.

LG G6

Much like the handsets above, the LG G6 also has a dual SIM variant focused on the international markets. The handset didn’t make much noise in the industry when it was launched, but that was mainly due to the fact that the handset couldn’t compete against the likes of the Galaxy S8 and the S8+. However, if you’ve been an LG fan or are simply contemplating a switch, it makes sense to try this out.

With the LG G6, the users are treated to a 5.7-inch Quad HD display, dual 13-megapixel rear cameras, a 5-megapixel front camera, the quad-core Snapdragon 821 chipset, 32/64/128GB of expandable storage, 4GB of RAM, Android 7.0 Nougat, and a 3,300 mAh battery. The phone is IP68 certified for water/dust resistance and it also comes with MIL-STD-810G certification for durability. The handset can be snatched up for $484.99 via Amazon right away.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)

The Galaxy A7 comes with a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, 32GB of expandable storage, 3GB of RAM, a 16-megapixel rear camera, a 16-megapixel front camera, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and a 3,600 mAh battery. The phone comes with Samsung’s own Exynos 7880 chipset, so the performance probably won’t be on par with the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets.

The Galaxy A7, despite being a mid-ranger comes with features like a fingerprint scanner and a USB C port. Thanks to the presence of a fingerprint scanner, Samsung is bringing support for its wireless payments service, Samsung Pay. The addition of features like this will go a long way in making this an exciting mid-ranger. The phone also comes with IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.

The handset can be snatched up via Amazon for just $368.49 right now, making it the cheapest offering on this list right now.

Best Dual SIM Phones With Dedicated Expandable MicroSD Card Slot

ImgAmazon.com LinkBrandProductAmazon.com LinkPrice on Amazon.com
HTCHTC U11599.99
SamsungSamsung Galaxy A7 (2017)527.16
SamsungSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus459.88
SonySony Xperia XZ Premium419
LGLG G6 - Dual Sim289.99

How to fix Samsung Galaxy A7 that randomly restarts and shuts down [Troubleshooting Guide]

Random restarts and shutdowns are often due to firmware-related issues but there were cases we’ve encountered wherein such problems are due to hardware concerns. Some of our readers have contacted us because their Samsung Galaxy A7 started to randomly reboot and/or shutdown.

It’s not the first time that we encountered this problem but we’ll tackle this again for the benefits of our readers who contacted us seeking for assistance. Now, for this guide, we will try to consider every possible scenario that may have led to this issue and then we’ll rule each possibility out until we can fix the problem.

Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting Galaxy A7 that randomly restarts and/or shuts down

As much as I want to be more detailed in this troubleshooting guide and give you all possible procedures, I won’t because I know a reset an fix this problem. So, instead, I will let you do a couple of things that might help and if they don’t work, then reset your phone. That being said, here’s what you should do about this problem:

Run phone in Safe mode and observe

You need to observe your phone to know if it still reboots and shuts down even in safe mode. In this environment, all third-party apps are disabled so if the problem doesn’t occur, it means one or a few of them is causing the problem. Follow these steps and continue your observation:

  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.

Assuming the device doesn’t randomly reboot and power off in this mode and you’ve recently installed some apps, try to uninstall them one by one because that might be the cause of the problem. This is how you uninstall an app from your A7:

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

However, if the problem still occurs even in this environment, try the next step.

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Reboot phone in Recovery mode and wipe cache partition

This will delete all system caches (temporary files created by the system to make your phone run smoothly) and actually replace them with new ones the moment the phone boots up after the process. For minor firmware issue, this is a very effective procedure and this might be the one that could help you. Don’t worry, none of your files will be deleted so it’s safe for your phone and data:

  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 Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Once the phone becomes active and ready for use, try to reset all settings so the phone will run again on its original configuration. Still, none of your files and data will be deleted, only your preferences for every app or feature:

  1. From a Home screen, swipe up or down from the center of the display to access the apps screen.
  2. Navigate: Settings Settings icon > Backup and reset.
  3. From the Reset section, tap Reset settings.
  4. Review the info then tap RESET SETTINGS.
  5. If presented, enter the current PIN, password, or pattern.
  6. To confirm, review the info then tap RESET SETTINGS.

After these procedures and the phone is still restarting and shutting down on its own, then it’s time to resort to a reset.

Backup your files and data and reset your phone

As I said earlier, a reset will be able to fix it for as long as this problem is not due to physical and liquid damage, or firmware modification such as rooting. But before you actually reset your phone, make sure to make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted during the process. After the backup, follow these steps to disable Factory Reset Protection:

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

Once everything is set and ready, follow these steps to reset your Galaxy A7:

  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 Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ 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 another. If you have other concerns, feel free to contact us.

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How to fix Samsung Galaxy A7 that won’t play YouTube videos [Troubleshooting Guide]

Aside from social media apps, more and more people are now becoming fond of watching YouTube videos on either smartphones or tablets running on iOS or Android platforms. The fact that YouTube videos are free and somehow unlimited, many would have preferred to go for online for free video streaming than pay extra bucks for premium video channel subscriptions on televisions. For as long as your device is connected to the Internet, you should be able to watch any videos from your favorite vlogs or YouTube channels. But just like any other apps, the YouTube app for Android is not perfect. While the app is programmed to become as stable and robust as possible, there are some factors that can cause conflicts and thereby trigger YouTube app to become erratic. What are these factors and how to deal with them when they strike and barge in to your supposedly all fun YouTube video streaming? To find out the answers to these queries, I encourage you to keep reading.

The main problem addressed in this post is on YouTube videos that won’t play on Samsung Galaxy A7. If you happen to encounter a similar issue on the same Samsung device, then this post is for you. So let’s get started.

Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

What’s preventing YouTube app from playing videos on your Samsung Galaxy A7?


The problem you are dealing with is apparently software-related unless all of your apps are not working after having your phone exposed to liquid or dropped it in the pool.

Based on prior reports, problems like this are inflicted by faulty updates either for YouTube app or Android OS. There are also other cases where YouTube suddenly stopped working as intended due to memory problems like when the device is running low on internal memory. It can also happen if the network is unstable or not working at all. An outdated Flash Player is also a possible reason as to why your device won’t play YouTube videos correctly. Corrupted cache and cookies on the browser, app or system partition can likewise cause the same problem to occur on your device.

Recommended Fixes and Workarounds to fix YouTube app problems and errors

The following are recommended workarounds and standard procedures that are used to deal with different apps problems like YouTube errors on Android devices including your Samsung Galaxy A7. Given that these are only generic solutions, some of these methods may not work or bring positive outcome in your case. If possible, try to isolate the problem and determine the underlying cause like what happened before YouTube videos stopped playing on your device. For example, did it happen after making some changes to your phone settings or right after installing a new update, app or content. But if that’s not possible, then you have no option but to go for a trial-and-error approach in troubleshooting software problem on your Galaxy A7 that might have caused the YouTube app to suddenly misbehave.

First solution: Restart your phone (soft reset).

The first recommended solution to deal with minor software glitches in mobile devices is a restart or soft reset. If this is the first time you encounter problems on playing YouTube videos through the app, then don’t forget to perform a soft reset. Here’s how:

  1. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
  2. Then tap Power off option from the menu.
  3. Tap OK to confirm.
  4. Wait for about 30 seconds then press and hold down the Power button again until your phone boots up.

In the case where YouTube suddenly stops playing videos, gets stuck or freezing, you can do a forced restart on your Galaxy A7 instead. A forced restart works the same and offers the same benefits as with the soft reset. The only difference is how it’s carried out. For starters, here’s how to do a forced restart on your Galaxy A7 and fix YouTube app problems without affecting any of your significant data on the phone:

  • Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously for about 10 to 20 seconds then release both buttons when the phone restarts.

After restarting your phone, try to open YouTube app then see if it’s now able to play videos and work properly as it should. If the problem continues, try to force YouTube app to stop then restart your phone again.

  • To force close an app on your Galaxy A7, go to Apps-> Settings-> Applications-> Application manager, then tap to select YouTube app from the list. Finally, tap the Force Stop button.

Restart your device afterwards then try to launch YouTube app and play videos as you normally do.

Second solution: Verify and configure date and time settings, if needed.

Incorrect date and time settings can cause a lot of problems on Android devices. To rule this out from the possible triggers, check and ensure that the date and time settings on your phone are correct. If necessary, change it manually.

  • To change the date and time settings on your Galaxy A7, navigate to Settings-> General-> Date & Time. You can manually set the time zone for your device or sync it on your network operator/carrier. To manually set the date and time, tap Set Time then enter the correct date and time.

After making changes to your date and time settings, restart your device then try to play YouTube videos again to see if it’s now working as intended.

Third solution: Check and manage internal memory on your phone.

To rule insufficient memory out from the probable causes, verify and ensure that your device has ample of storage space left to allocate new processes.

  • To do so, navigate to Settings-> More-> Application Manager, then swipe from the right to left so view Running Apps. Scroll to the bottom to view details on how much memory is used and how much is available.

If the available memory is below 10 percent, then that’s likely the underlying cause. This is where memory management is necessary. Remove all unwanted apps and contents from your device to free up some space.

Fourth solution: Check your Internet connection.

An active and stable Internet connection is required for you to play YouTube videos on your phone unless you’ve downloaded the actual link of the video file on your device for offline viewing. If you couldn’t play videos straight from YouTube and prompted with errors pertaining to network unavailability, try to check your Internet connection and make sure it’s working. If not, then you will need to deal with network or connectivity issues first and once you’ve fixed that, you won’t be having any more problems when playing YouTube videos on your phone.

Fifth solution: Update to or download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player on your phone.

Another required tool for playing YouTube videos on your phone browser app is Adobe Flash player. If the browser you are using has outdated flash player, it won’t be able to play YouTube videos correctly. To fix this, you will need to uninstall your current flash player then reinstall the latest flash player version available. Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded through their website. Just click on the Download and Install button then follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player on your Galaxy A7.

Sixth solution: Uninstall then reinstall YouTube app on your Galaxy A7.

If the previous workarounds failed to fix the problem, then you can uninstall the YouTube app then reinstall it on your phone. Doing so will rectify any errors or glitches that might have caused the app to crash and become erratic thus giving the app a clean start.

 

  • To do so, navigate to Apps-> Settings-> Applications-> Application Manager-> select YouTube app and then tap the Uninstall button.

 

Wait until YouTube app has been completely removed then restart your phone. After the restart, head over to the Play Store then download the app again.

What if the problem persists?

If you still couldn’t get your YouTube app to play videos or work properly on your device, then you may consider resorting to factory reset. This however can be a tedious process especially if you already have stored a lot of files on your device. Note that you will need to back up your data beforehand as they will all be wiped out from the reset process. The more files to back up, the longer it would take for a system reset to get finished. Besides, you will also need to set up your device from scratch afterwards. On the positive note, a factory reset will most likely be able fix the problem especially if it’s triggered by some bugs dwelling in the system registry. Any bugs will be wiped out during the reset along with all your phone data, thus giving your device a clean fresh start.

Any other options than a factory reset?

Your other option aside from a full system reset is to contact Samsung Support. If the problem started after installing a new update to YouTube app, then contact the app developer and escalate the problem for further assistance and recommendations. There may be some settings within the app that needs to be reconfigured after implementing the most recent update and only the app’s developer is able to help you out.

Meanwhile if YouTube videos stopped playing or the YouTube app itself has stopped working after installing a new firmware update to Android, the right department to reach out to is Samsung Support or your carrier’s customer care. In this case, the problem can be due to some bugs contained in the new software update, which needs to be addressed by an official fix patch that usually rolled out by Samsung in the next update.

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How to fix Samsung Galaxy A7 that cannot access Internet through Wi-Fi network [Troubleshooting Guide]

Wireless connectivity issues can occur to any device at any time due to several reasons. That said, obtaining the ultimate resolution may not be that simple given the complexity of the causing factors. You’ll need to dig into a number of probable causes until you’re finally able to identify the main culprit. And that’s when you will know which solution would be necessary.

In this particular post, we’ve tackled a relevant problem encountered by some users of Samsung Galaxy A7 in which the device is unable to access the Internet via Wi-Fi network. Let us find out what’s preventing your Galaxy A7 from connect to Wi-Fi Internet and how to fix it using some standard workarounds.

Before we proceed, if you have other concerns with your Galaxy A7, visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Try to find issues that may be similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they won’t work or if you still need our assistance, feel free to contact us through our questionnaire.

First things first

Before you move on and carry out any troubleshooting methods, try to check the following things:

  • Check if all your devices cannot connect to Wi-Fi internet. If all your devices are unable to connect or cannot access the Internet using the same Wi-Fi network, then it’s possible that the problem is within your network service. It could be the wireless router’s firmware that crashes or is glitching, or it can likewise be an issue on your network service provider’s end. To eliminate this from the possibilities, you can reboot your wireless router for about 3 times then see if that makes any progress. If all your devices still don’t have Internet access through Wi-Fi, contact your Internet service provider to check on your network service status.
  • Check for network outages. Another thing to check beforehand when dealing with no connectivity issues on your device is on network outage. Many people would tend to forget doing so. As a result, they’ve wasted so much time and effort in trying any possible fixes only to end up not connected. Network outages usually don’t last long except if it’s a complex problem your network service provider is currently dealing with.
  • Verify your account status. Service providers normally imposed a temporary disconnection to delinquent accounts or accounts with some unsettled issues. When this happens, outgoing services like texting, outgoing calls, and internet access are not available. For your outgoing services to resume, you’ll need to contact your service provider/carrier and settle any account issues you may have.
  • Check and ensure Airplane Mode is off or disabled. When Airplane mode is enabled or turned on, other connectivity services are automatically turned off. Thus, verify and ensure that it’s off by heading over to Settings-> Airplane mode. You can also try toggling the Airplane mode switch from off to on for a few seconds and then tap to turn it back off.
  • Try other browser app. If the problem only occurs to your Galaxy A7 device, you can rule out the possibility about the problem being isolated to your browser app. There’s a chance that your browser is glitching or has crashed. If you have any other alternative browser, try to switch to the other browser and see if you can connect and browse websites properly. You can also open other apps on your device that require Internet access to work like Facebook or YouTube. If you can browse the Internet using other apps, then it means that your device is connected to the Internet and that it’s most likely a problem with your browser. In this case, you’ll need to troubleshoot your browser app or switch to another mobile browser that’s working.

Solutions to Wi-Fi internet connectivity issues on your Galaxy A7

Demonstrated below are standard workarounds or generic solutions that are used to fix Wi-Fi connectivity problems and errors on your Android phone. If you have done checking all the things mentioned above and the problem persists, then at this point you can go ahead and troubleshoot your Galaxy A7.

First solution: Reboot your wireless router.

Just like computers, network devices like wireless routers also need to be power cycled from time to time. Doing so can help wipe any corrupted firmware data that causes random Internet problems. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press the Power button until your router powers off.
  2. Unplug the A/C adapter or disconnect from the power source.
  3. Keep it unplugged for at least 30 seconds.
  4. After the elapsed time, plug it back in to power.
  5. Press the Power button until all the light indicators get stable. Make sure no red lights on your router. Red lights usually denote a problem with the router that needs to be fixed so as to resume network connectivity on all devices using that network.

If everything is okay with the router and it has booted up successfully, restart your Galaxy A7. Refer to the steps below.

Second solution: Restart (soft reset) your Galaxy A7.

Minor issues in mobile devices like sudden Internet disconnects are often rectified by a reboot or soft reset You may have done it already but give it another try with these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
  2. Then tap Power off option from the menu.
  3. Tap OK to confirm.
  4. Wait for about 30 seconds then press and hold down the Power button again until your phone boots up.

After the restart, try to connect to the Internet. Open your browser then navigate to any website and see if you can go through. A soft reset will not affect any data stored on your device hence there’s no need to worry about data loss.

Third solution: Turn Wi-Fi off and on again.

While a soft reset can often take care of minor glitches, some problems are just tough enough to withstand the process and so they persist. If so, then toggling Wi-Fi off and on might be able to offer some remedy.

  • To do so, go to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu, then tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn the feature off for about 30 seconds. Then tap the switch to turn Wi-Fi back on again.

Give your phone another restart then try to see if you are now able to access the Internet through Wi-Fi.

Fourth solution: Forget your Wi-Fi network.

This process involves deleting your current wireless network from your device. Wireless networks can become corrupted at times and therefore needs to be set up again. But be sure to take note of your Wi-Fi passwords first because this information will be erased in the process. So it’s like you will be connected to the wireless network for the first time. Once you’ve got everything noted, follow these steps to forget Wi-Fi network on your Galaxy A7:

  1. Tap Settings.
  2. Tap Wi-Fi.
  3. Select the wireless network that you want to delete.
  4. Tap Forget.

If you don’t see this option, you may need to tap on your Wi-Fi network then tap Forget network from the given options. Once the network is forgotten or removed, restart your phone.

After the restart, you will need to add and set up your wireless network again then connect.

  • To to do, go back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu. If necessary, tap on Wi-Fi to view available wireless networks. Select your network to connect to, enter the network password then wait until you’re successfully connected.

Do some test browsing to see if you are now able to access any website.

Fifth solution: Reset network settings or APN settings on your Galaxy A7.

A network settings reset is usually needed when things go wrong with your wireless Internet connection after making some changes to your device settings. It’s possible that some of the recent changes had caused conflict with the phone’s network configuration and thereby resulted to an error. Reverting the changes back to the previous configuration will most likely solve the problem but doing so might be too difficult for you especially if you couldn’t remember exactly of what has changed or which option needs to be reverted. This is where a network settings reset serves its purpose. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Take note of your network passwords. Your network password and server information will be erased in the process.
  2. Make sure your SIM card is properly installed on your device.
  3. Go to Settings.
  4. Tap More Networks.
  5. Tap Mobile Networks.
  6. Tap Access Point Names.
  7. Tap the three-dot menu icon.
  8. Then select Reset to Default option.

Reboot your phone then try to test browse and see if you are now able to connect.

Last option: Master reset/reset your Galaxy A7 to factory defaults.

A factory reset should only be considered the last resort especially if you already have exhausted all your efforts and tried all possible solutions but to no avail. Although a full system reset can fix complex software problems, doing so will likewise wipe out all your data stored on the phone. It can be a tedious process especially if you already have a lot of saved files. Should you wish to proceed, don’t forget to back up your device.

You can perform a factory reset through your Galaxy A7 settings menu or using the hardware keys to enter recovery mode. The latter method appears to be more effective but can be a little tricky. You may refer to our walkthroughs and get help in performing a factory reset on your Galaxy A7. A step-by-step guide is posted on our tutorials section.

Other options

After exhausting all your efforts and trying every possible solution but to no avail, consider escalating the problem to your service provider or carrier. If you suspect that the problem is with your wireless router like when all of your devices cannot access Wi-Fi internet, then you can seek more help from your router manufacturer or Internet service provider. If necessary, they can reset your router using a dedicated software on their end to make it work properly again. Some routers and modems need to be provisioned at some point. Provisioning of network equipment is usually carried out by an Internet service provider.

In the case where your Galaxy started to lose Internet connection after installing a new firmware update, contact Samsung Support instead. What you’re dealing with could be tagged among other post-update issues that need to be addressed by another update containing a fix patch.

But if calling is not an option for you, then you can go ahead and take your phone to a Samsung Service center and have it diagnosed by a technician instead.

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How to fix Samsung Galaxy A7 that has no sound, audio problem (step by step guide)

No sound and other audio problems on Samsung Galaxy A7 and other smartphones can be associated with different factors including malware infections, app glitches, faulty updates, misconfigured audio settings, and in worst cases, hardware damage. Learn what to do whenever you encounter a similar issue on your Galaxy A7 with the help of this post.

But before we actually jump to our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your device, then try to visit our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed the most commonly reported issues with this device. Try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions and workarounds we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire. Just give us the information we need and we’ll help you solve your problem.

What causes your Galaxy A7 to lose audio or sound output?


Sound problem appears to be one of the common issues encountered by many users of Galaxy devices especially after installing a new software update. It turned out that the update automatically switched off audio or sound options for certain apps, ringtones, and notifications. This can occur on your device after installing update for apps or Android itself. Aside from software issues, dust and dirt clogging the phone’s sound output channels like the headphone jack and speakers can also be the culprit. With the presence of these factors, the overall audio performance of your phone might be affected. Aside from software issues and dirts on the speakers or headphone jack, the Galaxy A7 sound functions can likewise malfunction due to some bad components or hardware damage. This is often the case if you happened to drop your phone hard or got it wet. It is very likely for your phone to acquire physical or liquid damage from these prior instances. Symptoms of hardware damage may not show up immediately though but if your phone got into any of these circumstances then you couldn’t just neglect this possibility. To help you determine whether or not the sound problem on your Galaxy A7 is inflicted by physical or liquid damage to the relevant audio components, try to troubleshoot the software first. If none of the applicable workarounds is able to fix the problem, then that’s the point when you’ll need to consider having your phone carefully assessed by a technician.

Potential solutions to audio problems on your Galaxy A7

A recommended approach in troubleshooting software-related issues in mobile devices is to think of what has happened prior to the onset of the problem. This means that you need to backtrack the changes you’ve made and actions done to your phone before it started to lose sound or show other audio symptoms. Once you figured out the root cause, you can go ahead and work straight on a solution. However, there are just some instances when the problem just occurred to your device and you couldn’t get to identify the underlying cause. In this case, you may attempt to fix the problem using a trial-and-error troubleshooting approach. All you have to do is try all applicable solutions then test your device to find out the output. To give you some more inputs, here’s a list of standard solutions and pertinent workarounds for you to try on.

Before anything else, make sure to clean up the headphone jack or music dock. Try to insert headphones into the headphone jack then take them out, repeat the process for at least five times. Doing so can help dislodge any dirt or dust that might have build up inside the headphone jack. Or you can use an old toothbrush to brush out the music dock for a few minutes.

If this doesn’t work, then proceed with these subsequent solutions. Don’t forget to test your phone’s audio or sound functions after performing each method so that you’ll know if the problem is fixed or not.

Restart your phone (soft reset)

Many software-related issues in mobile devices are rectified by a simple restart or soft reset. This has been among the first recommended solution to random glitches transpiring in various types of mobile devices including the Galaxy A7. So if this happens to be the first instance when you notice your phone is not emitting any sound, then you should give soft reset a try then see what happens.

To perform a soft reset on your Galaxy A7, simply press the Power button for a few seconds until the phone turns off. After 30 seconds press the Power button again to restart.

Alternatively, you can do a forced restart by holding down the Power button and the Volume Down button simultaneously for about 7 seconds until the Samsung logo appears. Your phone then power cycles.

Neither of these restarts will affect your phone data for as long as done correctly so there’s no need to worry of losing any of your personal information.

Verify and ensure sound settings are properly configured

Sometimes, the sound settings including the volume level are automatically changed after installing a new app, or software update on your device. To make sure everything is properly set, care to verify the audio settings on your Galaxy A7.

To do so, launch the Notification panel then navigate to Settings-> Sound menu. Check the settings for volume, ringtones, notifications, and other audio features and make sure they are properly configured.

Another thing you can try working on is the Accessibility settings. To access this meu, go to Apps-> Settings-> Accessibility-> Hearing. Then check to ensure if the option to turn off all sounds option is not selected. If selected, it mutes all sounds made by the phone during taps, selections and notifications. Deselect this option if necessary.

Restart your phone after making necessary changes to these settings then try to see if sound is working fine again.

Check sound/audio function in safe mode

Booting into safe mode can help you isolate or determine whether or not the problem is triggered by a third-party application on  your device. Only the stock apps are able to run in this mode.

  1. Turn off your phone.
  2. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
  3. When the Samsung logo appears, release the Power button then immediately hold the Volume Down button.
  4. Keep holding the Volume Down button until the phone reboots.
  5. When your phone boots up, you will see the Safe Mode label at the bottom left corner of the screen.

Try to test your phone’s audio functions while in safe mode. If the problem does not occur or your sounds are working as intended, uninstall third-party applications particularly the ones you suspected inflicting the issue. You can try uninstalling the more recent apps (individually) you’ve downloaded then see if that fixes the problem.

To uninstall third-party apps, go to Apps-> Settings-> Application Manager. Then select the app you want to remove and click Uninstall to confirm.

If that won’t help either, then try other options.

Verify and make sure that Bluetooth is turned off

When Bluetooth is enabled on your Galaxy A7, it is possible that the audio output is set to a Bluetooth device like a car stereo, headset, or speaker. Needless to say, you won’t be hearing any sound coming from your phone in this case. To rule this out from the possible cause, you can just disable Bluetooth on your phone the retry testing audio outputs.

To disable Bluetooth, go to Apps-> Settings-> Bluetooth menu, then tap the Bluetooth switch to turn it on or off.

You can also turn Bluetooth off by accessing the notification panel on your Galaxy A7. To do so, simply swipe down on the status bar on your device. Once you’re in the panel, simply tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it on or off. Again you will need to turn Bluetooth off in this case.

After making changes to your Bluetooth settings, restart your phone then try to see if sound functions are already working as intended.

Check for available software update to install

Installing a software update might be necessary especially if the problem is caused by some bugs or malware dwelling in and ruining the system functions on the phone. Aside from bringing in new and enhanced features, software updates also contain bug fixes to address existing problem including sound problems on the Galaxy A7.

To check for available update, go to Settings-> About device-> Software Update menu.

Or follow these steps instead:

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Select Software updates or About Device-> Software updates.

You will see a notification if an update is available. If there is, back up your data for safekeeping then follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with the update download and installation.

Factory reset / Master reset

A master reset or factory reset can be considered as the very last option if you’ve reached this point with the same no sound issue persisting on the phone. The problem might be just too complex and therefore requires a more advanced solution. This reset however will completely wipe out all your data from your device and restores the factory default options. The process can be tedious and could take some time especially if you’ve already stored a lot of contents in your device. But then again, it might be worth a try.

Before you proceed, make sure you back up every critical information you have on your device. Once everything is set, follow these steps:

  1. Turn off your phone by pressing the Power button until it shuts down.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power buttons simultaneously for a few seconds or until you see the Samsung logo.
  3. Then press the Volume Down button to highlight or select Wipe data/factory reset from the recovery menu options.
  4. Press the Power button to confirm selection.
  5. Next, press the Volume button to select Yes — delete all user data option, then press the Power button to confirm selection.
  6. Finally, use the Volume button to highlight or select Reboot system now option then press the Power button to confirm.

Your phone will then restart. Once it completely boots up, try to test the sound functions and see if the problem is fixed.

What to do if the sound problem continues after the master reset?

If the problem persists or your Galaxy A7 still has no sound after carrying out standard solutions and applicable workarounds, then at this point you may consider reaching out to Samsung Support for further assistance and recommendations. Problem escalation is also necessary especially if the problem started to occur after an update installation. Doing so can help the Support team tag the problem among other post-updates issues to be addressed in the next firmware update rollout.

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.

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How to fix Samsung Galaxy A7 black screen of death issue [Troubleshooting Guide]

Some of our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy A7 have contacted us regarding the so-called black screen of death. This problem is often characterized by a black and unresponsive screen, hence the name. It leaves an impression that the phone is powered down and won’t turn on but more often, the device is actually powered on but still not responsive.

There is however, one characteristic that you immediately have to look into to know how serious the problem could be and that would be the LED indicator. There are BSOD cases wherein the phone would flash a blue light at the top of the screen as if the phone has some unread notifications or messages. There are also cases wherein it’s just the black screen and no other. I will briefly explain the difference between these two.

Before we proceed, if you are looking for a solution to a different problem, visit our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this phone. If even you need more help from us, then feel free to contact us by filling up this form.

Troubleshooting Galaxy A7 with black screen of death

If your phone has a black screen and there’s a blue light that keeps flashing at the top of the screen, it’s more likely just a system crash. Fortunately, this problem can easily be fixed. However, if it’s all just black screen and there are no other signs of life, then you might be dealing with a power-related issue, which is a bit more complicated to fix. Regardless what the case maybe, here’s what I suggest you do about it…

Perform the Forced Restart procedure

It is imperative that you begin your troubleshooting with this procedure. It’s very easy and safe to do yet very effective in dealing with issues that have something to do with the firmware. In case you don’t know yet, system crashes happen more often than you think and the black screen of death is often the most common symptom of this problem.

When it happens, your phone won’t respond to whatever you do with it. A few years ago, we usually just pull the battery out to “power shock” the phone but that’s not possible now since your Galaxy A7 doesn’t have a removable battery. There’s a procedure that offers the same effect and that’s the Forced Restart; you just got to press and hold both the volume down and the power keys together for 10 seconds and your device may reboot normally. That’s the end of the problem and you haven’t lost anything from your phone.

Try charging your phone

If the Forced Restart procedure failed to bring the phone back to life, then the next thing you must do is make sure there’s enough battery to power up all your phone’s components. Plug the AC adapter to a working wall outlet and then connect your phone using the original USB cable. I would assume you’re using the original charger and cable that came with the main unit.

Aside from ruling out the possibility that your phone has just drained its battery, charging your device will also give you a clearer perspective if it’s suffering from a serious hardware problem because if so, your phone may fail to charge.

Usually, when you plug the charger in, your phone would show on its screen the charging icon and the LED indicator may light up. If none of these charging signs show, then it could already be a sign of a hardware problem but to make our troubleshooting more thorough, try doing the forced reboot procedure again but this time while the phone is connected to its charger.

Verify there’s no liquid damage

It is important that you are very sure your phone isn’t suffering from liquid damage. There are things you need to do to know if water caused your phone to not turn on. Assuming your device has some liquid damage and you just turned a blind eye about it, then it’s very much possible your phone won’t be able to turn on anymore. As you know, water and electricity don’t mix and if an electronic device is submerged in water, a lot of bad things could happen. So, to verify that your phone doesn’t have liquid damage, try doing these things…

  • Clean the USB port using a cotton swab or insert a small piece of tissue into it so that the moisture will be absorbed.
  • You may also blow into the port or give it a blast of compressed air to get rid of debris or lint.
  • Also check the Liquid Damage Indicator which can be found inside the SIM card slot. Remove the SIM tray first and look into the slot. If the LDI is still white, then your phone is clear of liquid damage. But if the LDI turned to red, pink or purple, it’s a different story.

Try starting it up in Safe mode

Assuming there’s no sign of liquid damage whatsoever and your phone still remains unresponsive, you should try turning it up in Safe mode. This will temporarily disable all third-party and if one of them is causing the problem, then your phone should be able to boot up in this mode without any problem.

This is how to start your device 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.

The moment your phone starts up successfully in this mode, the problem is already halfway to being solved. The next thing you should do is find the culprit and then uninstall it. You may then try rebooting your phone to normal mode to see if it works this time. You may have to uninstall more than one app to fix this problem. However, if your Galaxy A7 still refuses to power up even in this mode, then do the next procedure.

Try booting it up in Recovery mode

The Android system recovery menu also known as Recovery mode is actually the fail-safe of almost all Android devices. It powers up all hardware components but the interface won’t be loaded. If you can successfully bring your phone to boot up in this mode, then you can do a couple of things that might help fix the problem. The first thing would be to wipe the cache partition to delete and replace all system caches. If that doesn’t work then you have to do the Master reset which will bring the device back to its default settings. This is how you start it up in recovery mode:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).

You then have to follow on-screen instructions to wipe the cache partition or do the master reset. If the screen remains blank after doing all these things, then you have no other choice but to get the phone checked by a technician. As far as basic troubleshooting it concerned, you’ve already done what you can. Now it’s time that you let the professional handle the problem for you.

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What to do about the Samsung Galaxy A7 that’s sluggish or running so slow [Troubleshooting Guide]

There will come a time that your smartphone starts to run slow and sluggish. In fact, we’ve already received several complaints from our readers complaining about this specific issue involving the Samsung Galaxy A7. This is a mid-level phone and it actually has a pretty impressive hardware compared to its competitors. Needless to say, it’s fast and considering its firmware is already updated, you can seldom feel the lags and/or freezes.

In this post however, I will tackle the performance issue wherein the phone starts to run very slow or sluggish. While it’s basically not a complicated problem, it’s very annoying because you’ll have to wait for your phone to finish a task that it could do in a few seconds before. For a phone that’s advertised to run fast and buttery smooth, it’s very frustrating use a unit the basically does the opposite. If you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently bugged by a similar problem, continue reading as you may find this post helpful.

Now, before we proceed, if you are looking for a solution to a different problem, make sure you visit our A7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed the most common issues with this device. Browse through the page to find similar issues and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, contact us by completing our questionnaire.

Troubleshooting a slow and sluggish Galaxy A7

The purpose of this troubleshooting guide is for us to determine why a phone with pretty decent specs started to run annoyingly slow and sluggish. We will consider every possibility and rule them out one-by-one until we can easily determine what the problem is all about and what causes it so that we can try to formulate a solution that might fix it for good. Try to go through the procedures below…

Run your Galaxy A7 in safe mode and observe

One of the possibilities why a phone runs slow is due to apps running in the background. Most of the apps that cause problems are third-party or those you downloaded and installed. The reason why we need to run your phone in safe mode is for us to isolate the problem. Doing so will give us a hint as to what the culprit really is. When in safe mode, all third-party apps and services are temporarily disabled. Here’s how you do that…

  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.

If your phone performs really well when in this mode, then it’s confirmed that one or some of the apps you installed is causing the problem. You need to find that app and uninstall it. You may have to uninstall more than one app and reboot your phone countless times to fix this problem.

Here’s how you uninstall an app from your A7…

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

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Reset all settings

If your phone still feels laggy or sluggish even when in safe mode, the next thing you should do is try to bring the phone back to its default settings. There’s a chance that this problem is due to some incorrect settings and we don’t have a clue where to look. So, the best thing you can do right now is to reset all settings so that the phone will be brought back to its out-of-the-box configuration. But the good thing about this method is that you won’t lose a single app, file or data; they will remain untouched even if all settings are reset.

  1. From a Home screen, swipe up or down from the center of the display to access the apps screen.
  2. Navigate: Settings Settings icon > Backup and reset.
  3. From the Reset section, tap Reset settings.
  4. Review the info then tap RESET SETTINGS.
  5. If presented, enter the current PIN, password, or pattern.
  6. To confirm, review the info then tap RESET SETTINGS.

Continue your observation after doing is. If the problem still persists, try the next procedure.

Wipe cache partition

Another possibility that we need to rule out is the fact that corrupt system caches may also cause the phone to slow down and perform poorly. System caches are corruptible in nature and such corruption may occur without apparent reason or cause. It’s therefore advisable to delete the caches created by the firmware from time to time so that they will be replaced with new ones. You don’t have access to single cache so what you need to do is delete all of them at once by wiping off the partition where they’re stored. Here’s how you do that…

  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 Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Perform the Master Reset

If wiping the cache partition doesn’t yield any favorable results, the next thing you should do is the master reset. As far as performance issues are concerned, a reset will be able to fix them all for as long as the firmware hasn’t been modified in any way. However, you will have to go through the hassle of backing up all your files and data and I know that isn’t always easy especially if you have a slow phone. However, you seem to have ran out of options now so take time backing up your important files and data. After which, disable the Factory Reset Protection by removing your Google account from your phone so that you won’t be locked out after the reset. Once everything is set and ready, follow these steps to reset your device:

  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 Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you fix the problem with your phone. If you still need our help, then feel free to contact us and we’ll help you find a solution.

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Why does my Galaxy A7 won’t pair or connect to other Bluetooth devices and how to fix it (easy steps)

When it comes to connectivity issues, Bluetooth is always showing in the list of widely raised concerns from users of Samsung Galaxy devices including the Galaxy A7. What causes the problem and what must users do in order to get the Galaxy A7 to work with a Bluetooth accessory? If you have the same questions in mind that needed answer for, then keep reading to find out.

Something is preventing the Galaxy A7 or the Bluetooth device from establishing proper connection thus they cannot communicate with each other using the current Bluetooth protocol. That “something” is what you should determine first in order to fix the Bluetooth problem on your Galaxy handset once and for all.

Bluetooth problems can be attributed to various factors including network errors, proximity issues, device protocol incompatibility, incorrect settings, and software glitches. Generally, the problem is more likely related to the software. Although there are some people who have had issues with Bluetooth pairing due to a faulty hardware on either the phone or the Bluetooth device. Physical or liquid damage that is present on either devices can bar Bluetooth connection between them. For hardware-related problems on Bluetooth, service is often required so as to make Bluetooth functions work properly or as intended on your Galaxy A7.

On the other hand, Bluetooth problems that are tied to software malfunctions can be rectified by some workarounds and applicable generic solutions. To help you determine and resolve the underlying cause, I have created a rundown of all possible solutions to Bluetooth issues on the Galaxy A7. Feel free to include these methods in your own lined up solutions then try to see if any of them works in your case.

Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Standard solutions to fix Bluetooth connectivity issues on Samsung Galaxy A7


Before you start troubleshooting, there are few things that you shouldn’t miss doing. And they are as follow:

  • Bluetooth protocol. Verify and ensure that the other device supports the same Bluetooth protocols are your Samsung Galaxy A7. You may refer to the user manual of the Bluetooth device for compatibility.
  • Proximity. Make sure that the Bluetooth device is within range. For most devices including your Samsung Galaxy A7, the Bluetooth communication range is about 30 feet. Be sure your devices are in range.
  • Power. Check and ensure that the Bluetooth device you are trying to pair with or connect to is turned on.

First workaround: Turn Bluetooth off and on.

Check and ensure that Bluetooth is enabled on both devices. Many people tend to forget doing this so they ended up wasting time and effort in performing a series of troubleshooting procedures only to find out that Bluetooth is not turned on or enabled on the device. Typically, you’ll the Bluetooth icon shown in the status bar if the feature is active or enabled on your Galaxy A7. So if you don’t see this icon, then you should go ahead and check your Bluetooth settings.

To do so, navigate to Apps-> Settings-> Bluetooth menu, then tap the Bluetooth switch to turn on if necessary.

Alternatively, you can access Bluetooth from the notification panel of your Galaxy A7. Here’s how to access the notification panel on your phone:

Touch and hold on the notification bar at the top of the Home screen then drag it down to show the notification panel.

Locate and tap the Bluetooth icon to enable the feature. If it’s already enabled, tap on the Bluetooth icon to disable the feature then after a few seconds tap the icon again to re-enable Bluetooth on your phone.

Second workaround: Reboot your Galaxy A7 (soft reset).

If toggling the Bluetooth icon off or on doesn’t yield positive results, try performing a soft reset or reboot your Galaxy A7. Any temporary files or corrupt data causing the issue can be resolved by a soft reset. If ever you’ve done it already, then you should give it another try and see what happens.

  1. To do so, press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds or until the Samsung logo appears.
  2. Wait for your phone to boot up completely then try to pair it with your Bluetooth device again.

Third workaround: Remove pairing (unpair) and then pair your devices again.

Remove pairing and then pairing both devices again will help refresh and update your Bluetooth connection. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Go to your phone Settings->Bluetooth-> and make sure Bluetooth is enabled.
  2. Set your Bluetooth device to discoverable or pairing mode.
  3. Allow your Galaxy A7 to search for available Bluetooth devices in range automatically. Once it’s done scanning, tap to select the Bluetooth device you want to pair with your phone.
  4. If the device is not found, tap Scan to carry out another search round.
  5. Also care to check the Bluetooth user manual for specific pairing instructions and requirements.
  6. If prompted with a Bluetooth pairing request, verify the passkey for both devices, make sure it’s the same and then tap OK.
  7. The default passkey for most Bluetooth device is 0000 or 1234. So try entering any of them to see which of these two works.

Your Galaxy A7 is now paired with the Bluetooth device.

Fourth workaround: Reset network settings on your Galaxy A7.

Performing a network settings reset can help clears cache on your phone’s Bluetooth services and eliminates any existing glitches that might have caused trouble with Bluetooth connectivity feature on your device. And here’s how it’s done:

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Scroll to and tap to select Mobile networks.
  4. Tap Access Point Names.
  5. Tap More.
  6. Then select the Reset to default option.
  7. Tap Reset to confirm settings reset.

After the reset, your Galaxy A7 usually reboots automatically. But if it’s not, then restart your phone manually instead.

Fifth workaround: Update software on your Galaxy A7.

To check for available software updates, go to Apps-> Settings-> Software Updates or be then Software updates. Menu items may vary depending on the Android version your phone runs on. If an update is available, backup your phone data and consider installing the new update. Software updates are not only packed with new and enhanced features and services but also offer bug fixes to the receiving device.

Sixth workaround: Wipe cache partition on your Galaxy A7.

Wiping the cache partition on your Galaxy A7 can help eradicate temporary files and corrupted data from the system cache partition. Doing so can likewise erase the Bluetooth cache files and data. To do a wipe cache partition on your Galaxy A7, follow these steps:

  1. Charge your phone up to 50 percent.
  2. Turn your phone off by pressing the Power button for a few seconds until the device powers off.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
  4. Press the Volume buttons to select Wipe Cache Partition from the menu options.
  5. Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
  6. Highlight Yes by pressing the Power button.

Wait until your phone reboots then try to pair it again with your Bluetooth device and see if it’s now able to connect.

Last option: Master reset (optional).

A factory reset or master reset can be considered your last option if none of the prior methods is able to fix the Bluetooth problem on your Galaxy A7. The problem might be due to a more complex glitch affecting the system functions including the Bluetooth functions of your phone.

  1. Press the Power button until your phone shuts down.
  2. With your phone turned off, press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power buttons simultaneously until the Samsung logo appears.
  3. From the recovery menu, select the option to Wipe data/factory reset by pressing the Volume buttons to navigate.
  4. Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
  5. Press the Volume button to highlight Reboot system now option.

Your phone will then restart. Check if it’s already able to connect to your Bluetooth device as intended.

Alternatively, you can do a factory reset through the Settings menu on your device. Here’s how:

  1. Go to Menu-> Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Backup & Reset.
  3. Tap Reset device.
  4. Select the option to Erase everything. That should confirm the master reset.

Seek more help

If none of these methods is able to fix the Bluetooth problem on your Galaxy A7, then you may opt to escalate the problem to Samsung Support or your carrier. At this point, you can say that the problem is most likely due to a faulty hardware component on your phone that needs to be fixed beforehand.

Or you may also contact the manufacturer of your Bluetooth device, to verify and ensure how it works, or if it’s compatible with the Bluetooth protocol used on your Samsung Galaxy 7. You should likewise consider the possibility about the root cause isn’t your phone but rather the Bluetooth accessory you are trying to pair with.

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How to fix Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) that keeps showing “moisture detected” warning [Troubleshooting Guide]

Some of our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy A7 are seeking for our assistance as their phone started showing “Moisture has been detected. To charge your device, make sure the charger/USB port is dry.” Needless to say that when this warning pops up, the capability of your phone to charge its battery is hindered or may cause the phone to act differently.

The warning may be triggered by water itself especially if the phone got splashed with or submerged in water and while it has the IP68 rating, it’s not waterproof and is still vulnerable to liquid. There were cases, however, wherein this warning shows up due to a firmware issue. In fact, we have also received complaints about this kind of problem shortly after an update was installed. Whatever the case may be, we still need to troubleshoot your phone so that you can continue charging it. So, continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

But before we actually jump to our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your device, then try to visit our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed the most commonly reported issues with this device. Try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions and workarounds we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire. Just give us the information we need and we’ll help you solve your problem.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy A7 with ‘moisture detected’ error

The course of our troubleshooting will be to make sure your phone isn’t suffering from liquid damage and then we’ll do a couple of things that may bypass the error and make you charge your phone. Or we may end up doing a reset if we found out this warning is triggered by a firmware issue and that might be all you need to do to fix it. Follow these steps…

Step 1: Check the charger port of your Galaxy A7

You need to check for debris, corrosion and moist. If it looks clean, then get a small piece of tissue and insert it in. Leave the tissue in the port for a minute or two to make sure it absorbs all the moist in there.

For our readers who were asking why they need to check the phone if there’s water in it even if it has the IP68 rating, well, the dust and water-resistance Ingress Protection doesn’t make the phone waterproof. In fact, water may damage it if you take it with you in the pool and do you know the what the main entrance of the water is? That’s right, the USB / charger port.

The warning “moisture detected” specifically tells you that the phone detects water in the port and it’s correct most of the time. So, if you’re the owner and you know that the phone got splashed with or dipped in water, then it’s most likely water that’s causing it.

Step 2: Check the Liquid Damage Indicator

After making sure there’s no moist in the charger port, it’s time to inspect if the phone is suffering from liquid damage. Samsung placed an indicator inside your phone that will tell you immediately if water has somehow found its way into the device.

Remove the SIM tray and then look into the slot. You should find a small sticker in there; if it’s white, then the phone isn’t suffering from liquid damage but it it turned red or pink, it’s a sign that water has messed up your phone. In this case, you don’t have to do anything by yourself anymore as you need a technician to take care of the problem. We also don’t suggest forcing your phone to charge if there’s a sign of liquid damage.

Step 3: Check the charger and the cable

After making sure there’s no moist in the charger port and the LDI doesn’t show signs of liquid damage, it’s time to check the accessories as it’s possible they’re the ones that trigger the problem.

Similar to what you did to the charger port in your phone, get a piece of tissue and insert it to the port in your charger and leave it there for a minute or two. Meanwhile, also check both ends of the cable for signs of liquid, debris or dirt. If you see something between the connectors, get a brush, dip it in alcohol and then brush both ends of the cable.

Step 4: Try to bypass the warning

After making sure the phone isn’t suffering from liquid damage and there are no traces of liquid in it as well as with the charger and cable, try to do these steps to bypass the warning and make your phone charge:

  1. Plug the charger to the wall outlet.
  2. Connect your phone to the charger.
  3. The warning may pop up immediately and charging is stopped.
  4. Without disconnecting your phone from the charger, reboot it.
  5. After the reboot, it should charge normally with or without the warning.

If, however, the phone still refuses to charge after this, move on to the next step.

Step 5: Reboot your phone in Safe mode and charge

Some of our readers suggested this procedure works because it seems like the service that triggers the error isn’t loaded when the phone is running in its bare bones. To make your phone fully-charge even if you’re getting this warning, reboot it in safe mode and connect it to the charger. However, you don’t have to do this if there’s a sign of liquid damage in your phone, it’s dangerous.

  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.

Step 6: Reset your phone to get rid of the warning

If there are no signs of liquid damage or moist in your phone but the error keeps popping up, then it might be just an issue with the firmware. We have received reports from our readers who said that their phones started to act like this after an update. Apparently, it’s not an issue with the hardware but the firmware so you need to reset your phone. However, make sure you backup all your files and data as they will be deleted during the reset process:

  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 Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If there are signs of liquid damage or if the problem continues after this, then bring your phone back to the store and have it repaired or cleaned.

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.

Solved Samsung Galaxy A7 Screen Stopped Responding

The #Samsung #Galaxy #A7 is a premium mid range Android smartphone that has an elegant design. The phone can be easily mistaken as a flagship device since it uses a 5.7 inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. It even has a waterproof and dustproof feature which is usually only found on flagship phones. Although this is a solid performing device there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Galaxy A7 screen stopped responding issue and other related problems.

If you own a Samsung Galaxy A7 or any other Android device for that matter then feel free to contact us using this form. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do contact us try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.  

If you would like to browse the previous parts in this series then check out this link.  

You may also reach us at our Facebook and Google+ social media accounts.

A7 Screen Stopped Responding

Problem: Hello, I have a Samsung A7 (2017) and the screen has suddenly stopped responding! I can still receive texts and calls although I cannot respond to them in any way. the screen will still turn on and off but I cannot unlock my phone. I have restarted, also restated in safe mode but still nothing responded, whilst on safe mode I decided to try restarting into recovery mode, in the time it took for me to look up instructions on how to do so my phone appeared to turned off and now refuses to turn back on, however holding the volume down and power key for several seconds did cause it to vibrate as though it was restarting and the home and back keys did light up for a second but the phone appears to be off! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

Solution: The first thing that you will need to do in this particular case is to make sure that the battery of the phone has sufficient charge. Follow the steps listed below to charge the phone.

  • Clean the charging port of the phone using a can of compressed air. Make sure to remove any dirt or debris stuck in this port.
  • Charge the phone for at least 20 minutes using a wall charger. In case the phone does not charge then you should try using a different charging port and wall charger. You should also check if the phone can charge from a computer USB port.

Once the phone charges you need to turn it on in recovery mode then do a factory reset from here. Take note that this will erase your phone data.

If the above steps fails to fix the problem then you will have to bring the phone to a service center and have it checked.

A7 Screen Is Flickering White

Problem: My screen is more than 3/4’s covered in a blank white screen. Everything is still operating and working in the background, I just can’t see any of it. Safety Mode and charging while it’s off also only shows a mostly blank, white screen.  Every now and then it flickers, and I can see all of the icons and desktop behind it when it flashes.

Related Problem: I had my Samsung A7 phone (which I got about a month and a half ago) in my pocket all day while at the amusements. It was fine and didn’t get thrown about to much. Now the screen won’t turn on and blue/green/red lines sometimes flash across it. It still vibrates but didn’t respond when plugged into the charger. What do?

Solution: The best way to address this problem is to start the phone in recovery mode then do a factory reset. Take note that the reset will erase your phone data. If the issue still occurs after the reset then this is most likely caused by a faulty display assembly. You will need to have this checked at a service center.

A7 Is Unresponsive After Getting Wet

Problem: Hi my phone( Samsung A7  fell in water for about 2 two seconds then immediately pulled it out, from there the screen became unresponsive. I had it in rice for about two days but nothing happened. The battery is irremovable, it’s been a week and a half now and the phone is still unresponsive, i can only answer phone calls with earphones, i cannot access the rest of the phone.

Solution: Although this phone has a waterproof feature there are still instances that water can enter the device especially if the rubber seals are broken. Since placing the phone in a bag of rice for two days does not fix the problem then I recommend that you bring this to a service center and have it checked.

Engage with us

Feel free to send us your questions, suggestions and problems you’ve encountered while using your Android phone. We support every Android device that is available in the market today. And don’t worry, we won’t charge you a single penny for your questions. Contact us using this form. We read every message we receive can’t guarantee a quick response. If we were able to help you, please help us spread the word by sharing our posts with your friends.

How to fix your Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) that can no longer connect to Wi-Fi hotspot [Troubleshooting Guide]

Internet connectivity issues are among the most common problems we’ve received from our readers ever since we started providing support to select devices. But recently, we started receiving complaints from owners of the Samsung Galaxy A7 because according to some our readers, there units can no longer connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot they used to connect. We don’t know why this is happening but we know there were a few forced update for the device but all of them are actually minor. Those updates may have something to do with this problem so we also have to take them into consideration.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy A7 that has issues connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots. We will take every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can easily determine what the problem is, what causes it and what needs to be done to fix it. This isn’t the first time we tackle this problem, in fact, we’ve already published a lot of articles that tackle this topic. We know this problem can be fixed but it all depends on the gravity of the problem. If you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently bugged by a similar issue, then continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

But before we actually jump to our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your device, then try to visit our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed the most commonly reported issues with this device. Try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions and workarounds we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire. Just give us the information we need and we’ll help you solve your problem.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy A7 that can no longer connect via Wi-Fi

Problem: My phone is a Galaxy A7 that I bought in January. There have been quite a few updates but nothing big actually. Recently, there was also an update and that’s when this problem started. My phone can no longer connect to a Wi-Fi network after the update and I really don’t have a clue why it’s doing this. I don’t think it has something to do with the settings since I don’t tinker my phone around. I’m afraid I can mess my phone up and have issues while using it. Can you guys help me out with this please? Thanks.

Troubleshooting: We just have to see if this problem is minor and can be fixed by basic troubleshooting because if it’s a issue with the hardware, then there’s only so much we can do about it. Here are the things you should do about this problem…

Step 1: Try connecting your phone to Wi-Fi network while in safe mode

First off, we have to know if this problem is caused by one or some of the third-party apps you installed on your phone. You have to bring the phone to boot up in Safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party elements and then try to connect it to a Wi-Fi hotspot that you used to connect.

To run your phone in safe mode, here’s what you need to do…

  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.
  8. Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

Now that your phone is already in safe mode, try to connect to see if the problem is fixed because if not, then you have to move on to the next step. However, if you can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi while in this mode, then there might be an app that’s causing the problem. You  have to find that app and reset it first, if it’s not enough, then you have to uninstall it.

How to reset third-party applications on your Galaxy A7

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

How to uninstall applications from your Galaxy A7

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

Step 2: Reset all Network settings

By doing this, you’re actually deleting all your network preferences and this brings the phone to its default settings. The following changes will then occur the moment you reset the network…

  • Stored Wi-Fi networks will be deleted.
  • Paired Bluetooth devices will be deleted.
  • Background data sync settings will be turned on.
  • Data restrictive settings in applications that were manually turned on/off by the customer will be reset to the default setting.
  • Network selection mode will be set to automatic.

The following device connections status will default to when the device was being powered on for the first time.

  • Airplane mode: OFF
  • Bluetooth: OFF
  • Data roaming: OFF
  • Mobile hotspot: OFF
  • VPN: OFF
  • Mobile data: ON
  • Wi-Fi: OFF

To reset network settings, follow these steps…

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps tray.
  2. Tap General Management > Reset > Reset network settings.
  3. Tap Reset settings.
  4. If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
  5. Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.

This procedure can potentially fix the problem but if it remains after doing this, then you have no other choice but to go after the firmware.

Step 3: Delete all the system caches as some of them may have been corrupted

System caches get corrupted all the time and more often they automatically become obsolete when a new firmware is installed on your phone. You’ve already done a couple of procedures that aren’t directed at the firmware to no avail so it’s time to see if this problem gets fixed by this…

  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 Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

After this and the phone is still not capable of connecting to a Wi-Fi network, it’s time to reset it.

Step 4: Backup all your files and data and reset your phone

This is your last resort and you have to do this even if there’s no guarantee the problem will be fixed. It’s because after this and the phone is still not capable of connecting to a Wi-Fi network, you will have to bring it to the shop and let the tech check it for you. To protect your privacy, you have to reset your phone so that all your personal information will be wiped out. But then again if the problem is caused by a minor firmware issue, then this procedure will take care of it.

There’s a catch though. All your personal files and data that are stored in your phone’s internal storage will be deleted so make sure you make a backup before you actually reset the phone. After the backup, I suggest you also disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out of your device after reset especially if you don’t know your Google ID and password. The steps on how to do this as well as how to reset your phone can be found below.

How to disable Factory Reset Protection on Galaxy A7

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

How to reset your Galaxy A7

  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 Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

You can also reset your phone from the Settings menu…

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

If the problem continues after doing all these procedures, then seek further assistance from a tech.

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.

Quick fix for a Samsung Galaxy A7 that won’t turn on

Unless your Samsung Galaxy A7 suffered from some serious physical or liquid damage, fixing the problem that left your device unresponsive with a black screen would be easy. We’ve encountered this problem many times already wherein the phone won’t turn on no matter how many times or how long you press the Power key.

However, we’ve also encountered similar symptoms that were a result of a serious firmware and hardware issues. Having a phone with a black and unresponsive screen won’t tell us anything about the problem so we have to do some basic troubleshooting to determine the issue. There is however, one solution that you should try because it’s been so effective with many of our readers and that’s what I’m going to share with you today.

But before we proceed, if you have other issues with your phone and are looking for a solution for them, then visit our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solution we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more assistance, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Easy steps to fix Galaxy A7 that doesn’t power on

Most of the time, this problem is due to a system crash and we’ve received hundreds of complaints regarding this issue and the most common denominator is that the phone just turned off by itself and would no longer power back on when the Power button is pressed. Now, here’s the solution to this problem–Forced Restart.

Doing Forced Restart on Galaxy A7

If you’re old enough to have owned basic phones (I owned Nokia 3310 back then), those devices would crash from time to time and the most effective way to bring them back to life is to pull their batteries out for a few seconds then replace them and that would be the end of the problem.

Forced Restart has the same effect on your Samsung Galaxy A7. So, to fix this problem, all you gotta do is this:

  • Press and hold both Volume Down and Power keys together for 10 seconds.

Yes, that’s all you need to do to bring your Galaxy A7 back to life however, if it didn’t boot up after trying the method, try it again but this time do this:

  • Press and hold the Volume Down.
  • Without letting go of it, press and hold the Power key.
  • Keep both keys held for 10 seconds.

You know, when you press the Power key, the phone would respond to it immediately so you couldn’t do the combination. However, if you press the Volume Down first and the Power key, then that should result to the Forced Reboot.

After trying this method several times and your phone is still not responding let alone turning on, then you may try doing some troubleshooting to it.

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Troubleshooting Galaxy A7 that won’t respond to Forced Restart

There’s no guarantee that we can bring your phone back to life with this troubleshooting but we still urge you to do it especially if your phone turned off by itself without any apparent reason or cause.

Check for possible physical / liquid damage

Checking the phone for physical damage is easy because any force that may render the phone useless should leave a mark on the outside. Look for scratches, dents and cracks because those are the most common signs of physical damage. If the phone looks flawless or even if there are light scratches and you know weren’t due to a drop, then your phone is free from physical damage.

As to liquid damage, the first thing you should check is the USB / charger port because it is often the gateway of water into your device. Look into it to find trace of moisture but regardless whether there’s moisture in there or not, try cleaning it up. Use a cotton swab or insert a small piece of tissue into it to absorb the moist. You may also blow into the port to get rid of any foreign objects.

To verify further if your device is really suffering from liquid damage, remove the SIM card tray and look into the SIM slot to find the Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI). It should tell you if your phone has liquid damage.

  • If the LDI is white, then there’s no liquid damage
  • If the LDI turned red, pink or purple, then liquid damage is obvious.

How does the phone reacts when charged?

Usually the phone should show charging signs when connected to its charger. So after verifying there’s no physical and liquid damage, plug the charger to a working wall outlet and connect your Galaxy A7 using its original cable to it. Give the phone at least 10 minutes to charge and try to turn it on. If it’s not responding still, do the forced restart while it’s plugged in because maybe the phone crashed when it lost power.

Try running your Galaxy A7 in Safe mode

This is an important thing to do especially if the phone is still not turning on after doing the previous steps. It’s possible the system crashed due to some apps and since we don’t have any idea which of the apps is causing the problem, it’s better to try running the phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps:

  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.

If the phone boots up in this mode, then you can consider the problem as fixed and the next thing you should do is find the app that’s causing the problem and uninstall it.

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

Try starting the phone up in Recovery mode

This is just another mode that you should try running your phone into to see if it responds as you can do a couple of procedures that may fix all the problems with your phone. If the problem is due to a firmware issue, there’s still a big chance you can bring the phone to boot up in this mode since the Android system recovery is the fail-safe for almost all Androids. Follow the procedures below to wipe cache partition and do the master reset.

How to boot Galaxy A7 in Recovery Mode and wipe cache partition

  1. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  2. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  3. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”.
  4. Press Power button to select.
  5. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  6. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  7. Press the Power key to restart the device.

How to do the Master Reset on your Galaxy A7

Please note that all your personal files and data including your apps, contacts and messages will be deleted if you did this:

  1. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  2. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  3. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  4. Press Power button to select.
  5. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  6. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  7. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Bring the phone to Samsung service center

After doing all the steps above and your phone still refuses to turn on, it’s time to bring it to a service center to have it fixed by a technician. As far as basic troubleshooting is concerned, you’ve done everything that you could do to no avail.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you one way or another. Have a great day!

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How to fix SIM card not inserted error on your Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 (easy steps)

When your phone prompts an error message pertaining to the SIM card, it could be due to a system error, a bad SIM card, or damaged network components on the phone. Before you take your device to a service center or request a new SIM card replacement, try to rule software issues out from the possible triggers. Many smartphone owners who encountered SIM card-related errors were able to resolve issues by performing applicable troubleshooting procedures and workarounds.

Highlighted below are a few suggested methods to troubleshoot a SIM card error on the Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 smartphone. If ever you will encounter the same issue in which the device keeps prompting a SIM card not inserted error and unable to recognize the SIM card, you can consider these as additional inputs. Read on and get more help, when needed.

Before anything else though, if you have other issues with your device, then visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed several common problems with this phone. Odds are that there are already existing solutions to your problems so just take time finding issues that are similar with yours. If you can’t find one or if you need further assistance, feel free to contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. Please provide us with as much information as possible so that it would also be easier for us to troubleshoot the problem. Don’t worry as we offer this service for free, so all you have to do is give us sufficient information about the problem.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy A7 with SIM card issue

Before you begin troubleshooting, verify and ensure that you are using the right SIM card type for your device. The Galaxy A7 2017 supports a nano SIM card. You can double-check by removing the SIM card from your device, if necessary. If you got the right SIM card but still getting the same error, then move on and try the following solutions.

First solution: Reboot your phone (soft reset).

A soft reset might be the key to fixing the error if it’s triggered by some minor glitches affecting the phone’s network functions. It’s deemed the simplest yet very effective solution to various types of device issues attributed to software errors. Thus, if you haven’t already, restart your Galaxy A7 2017 with these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds or until the menu options appear.
  2. Tap on Power off then tap OK. Your phone then shuts down.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button until the device reboots.

A soft reset or reboot won’t affect any data stored on the internal memory, so all your files remain intact afterwards.

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Second solution: Remove and reseat the SIM card.

If a soft reset failed to fix the problem and the SIM card error persists, try to remove and reinstall the SIM card on your phone. Aside from the possibility of the SIM card being dislodged or loose, removing the SIM card is also a way of refreshing network function of the phone. Here’s what you should do then:

  1. Turn off your phone completely.
  2. Loosen the SIM card tray by inserting the ejection pin into the tiny hole on the tray. Make sure the ejector pin is perpendicular to the hole to prevent damaging the device.
  3. Gently pull out the SIM card tray from the tray slot.
  4. Remove the SIM card from the tray. Check the card for any visible signs of damages like scratches and dents.
  5. If everything looks okay, place the SIM card on the tray with the gold colored contacts facing downwards.
  6. If possible, use only the SIM card that is provided by your mobile phone service provider/carrier.
  7. Gently press the SIM card into the tray to secure it.
  8. Insert the tray back into the tray slot.

To prevent liquid from entering your device, fully insert the tray into the tray slot.

Third solution: Reset network settings (APN) to default.

Network problems can also be due to invalid network settings on the phone. This is likely the case if you’ve made some changes on your phone settings or installing new software update that automatically overrides the current settings on your device. To rule this out, you can reset the network settings or APN to restore the default options required for your SIM. With the SIM card inserted, follow the steps to restore network settings on your Galaxy A7 smartphone to defaults:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap More Networks.
  3. Tap Mobile Networks.
  4. Tap Access Point Names.
  5. Tap the 3 vertical dots or Menu icon.
  6. Then select Reset to Default option. This will restore the APN settings to the default values that match your SIM. If you’re using a SIM from another network in your device, the APN will reset to the default for that network.
  7. Tap Save to apply the recent changes you’ve made to your phone’s network settings.
  8. Reboot your phone to refresh apps and system functions.

For more information and further assistance on APN settings modification, contact your service provider or carrier.

Fourth solution: Update software to the latest version available.

Aside from new features, software updates also embed fix patches, to address or get rid of software bugs affecting certain devices. Should the No SIM card inserted error you’re dealing with is inflicted by software bugs, installing an update will likely fix it.

  • To check for available software update, go to Apps-> Settings-> About device-> Software update-> then select Update Now or Download updates manually.

Restart your phone when the update is completely installed. Doing so will ensure all new system changes are properly implemented and the device to function properly.

Fifth solution: Reset your phone to factory defaults (master reset).

You may consider a full system reset or master reset as your last resort if all else failed to fix the SIM card error on your Galaxy A7 2017 handset. It might be inflicted by some tough bugs that require more advanced solutions including a full system wipe out. Should you wish to proceed, back up all your important files as they will also be deleted in the process. When you’re done creating backups, proceed to these steps:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap Backup and Reset.
  3. Tap Factory Data Reset.
  4. Tap Reset Device.
  5. Then tap Delete All to confirm.

Your phone then starts clearing all data and restores the default settings. After the reset, it will reboot automatically. You can proceed with the initial device setup by then. Alternatively, you can do a master reset or factory reset via Android recovery mode.

Other options

You can seek further assistance from your carrier or network service provider if your Galaxy A7 still failed to detect your SIM card and continues to prompt a SIM card not inserted error after exhausting all possible means and options. If necessary, you can request for a new SIM card replacement. The SIM card might have been damaged or deactivated and therefore, must be replaced. Your carrier will be able to assist you on that matter.

If you suspect that the problem is not the SIM card but rather due to a complex system error, contact Samsung Support for other options and official recommendations. You can also take your device to a nearby Samsung service center for hardware damage assessment and/or repair. Consider this a must if your device started to show the SIM card error after you’ve accidentally dropped it or got it wet.

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.

Posts you may also like to check out:

How to fix your Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) that won’t turn on [Troubleshooting Guide]

We have received a lot messages from our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy A7 and while we’ve already addressed the not charging issue in a separate post, we find it necessary to address the issue involving some A7s that reportedly won’t turn on anymore.

Power-related concerns are among the most common problems we received from our readers since 2012. It’s because most users start to panic if their phones won’t turn on or charge and we understand why. That’s the reason we publish posts like this because know thousands of people need our help and advice.

In this post, I will be tackling the the “not turning on” problem with the Galaxy A7. We will try to look into every possibility and rule them out one by one until we arrive at a point where we can easily tell what the cause is and what you need to do as a user to fix the problem. If you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently bugged by a similar issue, then continue reading below as this article maybe of great help to you.

But before we actually jump to our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your device, then try to visit our Galaxy A7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed the most commonly reported issues with this device. Try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions and workarounds we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire. Just give us the information we need and we’ll help you solve your problem.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy A7 that no longer powers on

Aside from other possibilities, there are two that often cause this kind of problem; either it’s hardware problem or an issue with the firmware. But then of course, we don’t know why your phone won’t turn on anymore that’s why we need to troubleshoot. Try to read the problem sent by one of our readers below as it describes how this issue occurred…

Problem: Hello. First of all, thank you for fixing my problem a couple of months ago. I was using the Galaxy S6 back then when I encountered the problem and you guys provided me with a solution that actually worked. Thanks for that. Now I need another advice from you since I just got a Galaxy A7 in May and now it seems like it won’t turn on anymore. I mean the screen is black and the phone won’t respond no matter what I do. I already tried charging it thinking it might just be a problem caused low battery but it didn’t charge either. I’m a bit worried about it since the phone is barely a couple of months old and I’ve taken care of it ever since I bought it. Can you guys help me out. Thanks.

Troubleshooting: The purpose of this troubleshooting guide is for us to know if this problem is minor and if we can fix it on our own. There are times when the problem is beyond our league and we have to seek assistance from a technician who can do further tests without voiding the warranty.

Before we begin, please remember that the problem with your phone is that it no longer powers on. So, if we can make it turn on, then problem solved. The thing is, there’s only so much we can do about a phone that won’t power up. So, we can only attempt to do some things just to see if the phone responds. With all that being said, here’s what I suggest you do:

Step 1: Do the soft reset on your Galaxy A7

The first thing I want you to do is Forced Reboot, which is also known as soft reset. It is the same as the battery pull procedure we often do to phones with removable battery but since your A7 has a non-removable battery, then you have to do this.

Press and hold the Volume Down and the Power keys together for 10 seconds and your phone may reboot normally. That is if the problem is caused by a glitch in the system that caused the phone to crash and if the phone still has enough battery left.

If this problem started without apparent reason, this might be the only thing you need to do to bring your phone back to life. However, if the it still won’t respond after this, then move on to the next step.

Step 2: Connect it to the charger and do the soft reset again

Plug your charger to the wall outlet that you know works and then connect your phone. I understand you said you already tried charging your phone but it won’t respond but please do this. Once plugged in, press and hold the Volume Down and Power keys together for 10 seconds to see if the phone responds this time.

The reason why we have to do this is that there’s a possibility that the system crashed and that the battery was all drained. In this case, the phone won’t respond no matter how many times you press the Power key. It won’t also respond even if soft reset is done simply because there’s no battery left to power up all its components as well as load the firmware.

So, we give your phone a stable power source and even if it doesn’t respond to the charger, you have to do the soft reset procedure again to see if it turns on this time. If the phone still won’t respond after this, then leave it plugged in for 10 minutes but from time to time, check if it’s heating up because it does, then there’s a problem with the hardware and you need to unplug the phone from the charger and immediately bring it to the tech.

Step 3: Attempt to boot it up in Safe mode

You only have to continue troubleshooting if your phone doesn’t heat if charged. After leaving it plugged in for at least ten minutes, you have to try to bring it back to life by attempting to boot it up in a different environment.

By booting your phone up in safe mode, you’re actually disabling all third-party apps. There’s always a possibility that the problem is caused by one of the app you installed on your phone. It might have been crashing a lot and caused some conflicts in the system that also resulted to a system crash.

Here are the steps on how to start your phone up in safe mode:

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

Assuming the phone started up in safe mode, then we’re halfway to fixing the problem. We just need to find the apps that might be causing the problem and if you already have a suspect, the first thing you should do is try to update all apps in your phone. Then reset the apps you suspect one by one and if the problem still won’t boot up in normal mode, you have to uninstall them. At this point though, the problem is reduced from “won’t turn on” to “won’t boot up.”

How to update apps on your Galaxy A7

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Play Store.
  3. Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu > Settings then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
  4. Choose one of the following options:
    • Tap Update [xx] to update all applications with updates available.
    • Tap an individual application and then tap Update to update a single application.

How to clear apps caches and data on your Galaxy A7

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

How to uninstall applications from your Galaxy A7

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

However, if the phone doesn’t boot up in safe mode, then you have to move on to the next step.

Step 4: Attempt to start your phone up in Recovery mode

Your phone has a fail-safe that if the firmware fails to load all necessary files and services and gets stuck during boot up, you will still be able to run it in Android system recovery environment wherein the usual Android interface won’t be loaded. This environment is what we often call Recovery mode. The moment your phone boots up in this mode, you can already reset assured that the hardware is fine and that the problem is actually just in the system. In this mode, you can do a couple of things: first, you have to wipe the cache partition and if that won’t work, you have to do the Master reset.

How to wipe Galaxy A7 cache partition

Wiping the cache partition actually means you’re deleting all system caches created by the firmware. Once deleted, the phone will rebuild them when it boots up. If one of those files caused the problem, then this is the only thing you need to do. Here are the steps on how to boot up in recovery mode and wipe cache partition:

  1. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  2. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  3. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”.
  4. Press Power button to select.
  5. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  6. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  7. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the phone failed to start in recovery mode or if wiping the cache partition wasn’t enough to make it work normally again, then you have to reset it.

How to Master Reset your Galaxy A7

You have to do this if your phone can successfully boot up in recovery mode but the problem wasn’t fixed by wiping the cache partition. It’s very effective in addressing almost all system related issues but there’s a catch: you will lose all your personal files and data. At this point though, you have no other choice…

  1. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  2. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  3. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  4. Press Power button to select.
  5. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  6. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  7. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the problem still persists after this, then you have no other option but to bring your phone to the shop and let the tech fix it for you.

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.