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Samsung Galaxy Note 7

How to fix your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that won’t charge [Troubleshooting Guide]

Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s 3500mAh battery is enough to power it up with all its features turned on for several hours. But what would you do if you found out that it won’t charge?

Samsung-Galaxy-Note-7-charging-issues

Charging problems are among the most common power-related issues reported by smartphone users. In fact, we already received hundreds, if not thousands, of complaints from our readers requesting assistance since 2012 when we first started supporting flagship devices.

In other words, charging issues are widespread and may happen to any phone regardless of their brands and models. And now that manufacturers are integrating wireless charging and other features, we are already expecting that complaints regarding the problem will be doubled.

There was a time that when you say “to charge,” it simply means to plug the cable to the phone and the charger to the power source. But charging nowadays could mean a lot of things. That’s why the scope of this problem became bigger and bigger as it now covers wireless charging and quick charging.

Let’s try to look into the possibility that one day, your Galaxy Note 7 may not charge properly or won’t charge at all. If this happens, what would you do to fix the problem or work around it?

But before we jump into our troubleshooting, for our readers who have other issues with their device, make sure you visit our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we list down every solution, troubleshooting guide, tip, tutorial, etc. that we publish on our site in there. If you need more assistance, however, you can always reach out to us by completing our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting Galaxy Note 7 that won’t charge

This troubleshooting guide will be focused more on the more on the wired charging since the phone doesn’t come with a wireless charging pad. But please note that both wired and wireless charging follow the same charging principle and the difference is in the conduction of electricity or in the case of the wireless charging, induction.

Step 1: Verify you’re using the original accessories

The reason why manufacturers always include chargers and cables in the box together with the main unit is because these things are designed to work flawlessly with it. While many third-party accessories offer the same specs as with the OEM, we really can’t rely on them. After all, they are sold for profit as well.

Samsung, on the other hand, is more focused on how to sell its products and quality is the most effective marketing strategy. That’s why you can always count on OEM accessories to work without a hitch.

So, when you plug your phone to charge and it doesn’t respond or charges very slowly, just make sure you’re using the original power adapter and cable.

Step 2: Reboot your phone

There are times when the phone just becomes unresponsive for some reason and won’t charge once you plug the cable. Rebooting it may address the issue immediately but aside from that, it is also one way to find out if the system crashed. If it did, then the phone won’t respond if you hold the Power key. So, in this case, you need to force restart your device by pressing and holding the Volume Down button and the Power key for 10 seconds. Assuming the device still has enough battery left, it should reboot as the procedure is hardwired.

Step 3: Check the cable, charger and the ports

In case the phone is brand new and doesn’t charge out of the box, you are not required to do some troubleshooting because a brand new phone should work without any problems out of the box. In this case, it doesn’t. So, you need to bring it back to the store and have it replaced. Either your provider will give you a new unit or a working charger. Everything depends on your agreement but if only the charger is replaced, test it before leaving.

However, if the phone worked since day 1 and suddenly it refuses to charge, then check the USB cable and its connectors, the charger and its port and the phone’s charging port itself. As to the cable, run your finger from end to end to see if you can feel a breakage or something unusual.

The charger or the power adapter can be damaged if it gets in contact with water, so verify there’s no liquid damage. Also, look into its port and see if there are bent pints, lint or signs of corrosion. When it comes to lints, dirts and corrosion, you can get rid of them by using a Q tip soaked in alcohol or a blast of compressed air. For bent pins, you can actually straighten them out using a pair of tweezers or simply a toothpick.

You also need to check the phone’s charging port for the same things. Anything that blocks the cable’s connectors from making power contact should be the cause of the problem.

Step 4: Request a replacement

It’s futile to continue troubleshooting a brand new Galaxy Note 7 that won’t charge out of the box. So, after doing the steps above and the problem persists, don’t trouble yourself too much, although I understand that some users may prefer not to go back to the store; some may need to travel several miles while others don’t have much time to spend explaining what the problem is.

But then again, you spent several hundred dollars for this phone that, if it doesn’t charge, is nothing more than a paperweight on your table.

Other Charging Issues & Workarounds

  • If the phone heats up while charging, disconnect the charger immediately and turn the device off. There was a case in China wherein the device (yes, a Note 7 unit) allegedly exploded while charging. In this case, return the phone to the store as soon as you can and request a replacement.
  • If the screen flickers, changes color or blacks out while being charged, remove the charger and reboot the phone and then try to charge it again. In case the issue is still happening after that, reset the phone and then continue observing it. If the problem remained, return the device and request a replacement.
  • In case you can see smoke while charging, remove the charger and send the phone in for repair immediately. Do not re-charge the phone to find out if the phone would appear again.

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.

How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that can’t send and receive text messages [Troubleshooting Guide]

Text messaging is one of the most basic services smartphones offer and when a powerful, premium phone such as the #Samsung #Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) is concerned, sending text messages is a very simple task and it should work all time, right? Wrong. Based on complaints we received, text messaging is among the most commonly reported issues with Samsung’s flagships starting from the very first Galaxy.

Galaxy-Note-7-text-messaging-problems
Img credit: Android Authority

In this post, I will tackle the problem wherein the phone cannot send and receive text messages or SMS. Aside from that I will also address yet another common problem related to texting–multimedia messaging or MMS.

Before anything else, if you have another issue with your new device, make sure you visit our Note 7 troubleshooting page where we list down all links that point to problems our readers sent. We update the page every week so try to browse through it to find related issues and feel free to use our suggested solutions or troubleshooting guides. If they don’t work for you, however, you can always reach out to us by completing our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting Galaxy Note 7 that can’t send / receive text messages (SMS)

Majority of smartphones in the United States are carried by big carriers and service providers so these units are already provisioned when they reach the hands of the users. In short, they must be ready to use after purchase and while other services might take a little time activating, sending and receiving text messages should be the first service to be fully working. So, what would you do if your new device cannot send and receive SMS?

Step 1: Reboot your phone

The moment you notice your Note 7 failed to send a simple text message, don’t do anything yet, instead reboot your phone as hardware and firmware glitches happen all the time. A reboot is a very effective troubleshooting procedure you can do for issues that occurred without apparent reason such as this.

After the reboot, try to compose a text message and send it to your own number.

Step 2: Check the signal bars

If a text message doesn’t go through, check the signal bars to see if it has something to do with the reception. Remember, if the phone cannot receive decent signal from the tower, it may not be able to send and receive text messages and even calls.

Assuming the device shows that it’s getting good signal, try making a call to any number on your contact list to know if that goes through. If it does, then the problem might be with the Message Center Number and since we don’t know what’s the correct series, you need to call your service provider and ask the rep to give it to you or set it up on your device.

If the test message, however, went through but your phone hasn’t received it, immediately check the number it was sent to and if it’s correct, verify your phone has enough storage. Your phone downloads messages into its internal storage so if there’s not enough space, try to move some apps, files, pictures, etc. to your SD card if you have one just to free up some space.

But then again, if you’re relying on your phone to notify you when messages come in, double-check if there are unread messages in the inbox. It might have received it without you knowing about it.

Step 3: Do the master reset

If your Galaxy Note 7 is getting a decent signal from your provider and that test message didn’t go through, then take time backing up your data and files and reset your phone to bring it back to its factory defaults as it might be just a misconfiguration issue:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

If all else fails, send the phone back and request a replacement.

Troubleshooting Galaxy Note 7 that can’t send / receive picture messages (MMS)

Picture messages or texts with attached pictures and/or files are considered MMS. Even simple texts that use emojis belong to this category. The big difference between SMS and MMS is that the latter require mobile data to transmit files that are potentially large in size or beyond the limit of the cellular network used for SMS.

If the SMS has the Message Center Number to connect to the cellular network, MMS also has an APN (Access Point Name) to connect to your provider’s mobile data network. With those things said, here’s what you need to do if your new Note7 fails to send and/or receive MMS…

Step 1: Verify if mobile data is enabled in your phone

It is the first requirement that should be met. Without it, there’s no way for your phone to connect to the network, thus, transmission of files and messages that should be sent through it won’t work.

If it’s already enabled, try composing a test MMS attaching a small sized file or photo and send it to your own number. If it goes through, try sending a test message to one of your contacts and confirm if he/she receives it and if so, then the problem might be with the size of file your send. Compressing the files or downsizing the photo may fix this issue. I also suggest you call your provider to inquire about size limit in MMS.

Step 2: Check the APN settings

If the mobile data is already enabled and your Note 7 can’t still send and receive MMS, then it must be the APN settings that have a problem. Such information can always be found in your provider’s website so try to check if the APN in your phone is correct or not and if not, then make necessary changes. If the problem still persists or if you can’t edit the APN, you should call your service provider and let the rep take care of the problem for you.

Step 3: Call service provider for account-related concerns

Do this if mobile data is enabled and that you’ve verified that the APN on your phone is correct. When everything else seems fine yet your phone is having a problem, then it must an account-related issue. Obviously, we can’t do something about it except call your provider and inquire whether there’s a bar on your account from using such service.

Also, if your phone is carried by your current service provider and that there was a recent update, you should try wiping the cache partition or even go as far as the master reset before bringing it back to the store. Here’s how you wipe the cache partition…

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

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.

Things you need to do to setup your new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 [Device Management]

The new #Samsung #Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) is yet to be released and if you’re getting one through your carrier or service provider, you might receive it depending on when the company gets its stocks. But the thing about carried phones is that once they reach customers hands, they’re ready to be used. But even so, there are things that you need to set up so the phone will be ready for use depending on your preference.

Samsung-Galaxy-Note-7-setup-iris-lock

So, in this post, I will guide you through in setting up your new Galaxy Note 7 and I will explain every step if necessary. This is to make sure you can get the most out of your new premium device when it reaches your hand. Of course, for users who are already used to setting up Android devices, you may already know how to go about this but for first time users, go through the steps below.

On this page:

Galaxy Note7 First Time Setup

Step 1: Turn on your phone by pressing and holding Power key until the Samsung Galaxy Note7 screen appears. This is pretty basic procedure and you shouldn’t have any problems turning your device on because most of the time the phone comes with slightly charged battery. However, if the device won’t turn on, don’t panic. Instead connect the charger and leave the phone plugged in for ten minutes and then you can try this step.

Step 2: From the Welcome screen, choose the appropriate language and then touch NEXT. Wait for a few seconds to complete the activation.

Step 3: For carried units, you may need to verify your account. More often, it’s the last 4 digits of the account holder’s Social Security Number or the Billing Password as provided by your carrier.

Step 4: From the Phone Activation screen, touch NEXT. Some carriers added an option wherein you can follow on-screen instructions on how to transfer data from your old phone to the new one–if you’re upgrading, that is–so try following them carefully, otherwise, tap No thanks, then NEXT.

Step 5: Now, it’s time to add a Google account to your Android phone. It is necessary to enable all services and download apps from the Play Store. If you already have an account, click here to add it to your phone and click here if you are yet to create a Google account.

Step 6: After adding your Google account, you will be prompted to setup device security. You can actually skip this step if you want to setup lockscreen security at a later time. But if you want, you can choose whether to use fingerprint, iris scanning, PIN, pattern or password.

Step 7: Pretty much at this point, the setup is done. If ever you want to add another account, you can do so when you’re on Email Accounts screen. From the summary screen, tap DONE and that’s it!

Below are the procedures you may need to learn to properly setup your new Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Go through them to learn.

How to add existing Google account on your Galaxy Note 7

  1. Enter your Gmail address and tap NEXT located in the lower right corner of the screen.
  2. Enter your Gmail password and then touch NEXT.
  3. You may review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and then tap ACCEPT at the lower-right.
  4. From the Google services screen, choose the services you want enabled and tap NEXT.
  5. The next screen will ask you to setup your payment, choose No Thanks then hit CONTINUE. Your payment info can be completed later if you wish through the Play Store.
  6. Should you be prompted to restore your apps and data, touch Don’t restore.

How to create a new Google Account

  1. Enter the appropriate into the First and Last name fields and then tap NEXT.
  2. Find the Username field and enter your desired username and then tap NEXT.
  3. Enter your preferred password and re-enter it to confirm and then tap NEXT.
  4. From the Rescue info screen, verify that the correct phone number is entered then hit NEXT.
  5. On the Confirm phone number screen, verify the correct number is listed and then touch Send It.
  6. Agree with the terms and conditions and hit NEXT.
  7. On the Google services screen, you may check the box next to Keep me up to date… if you want to receive timely updates from Google and hit NEXT.
  8. You may choose Remind me later from the Payment info screen and hit NEXT.
  9. Choose the appropriate data you want synced with your account and finally hit NEXT to finish creating your Google account.

How to setup fingerprint security on your Galaxy Note 7

If you were setting up your phone for the first time, then choose the fingerprint option and hit next. Alternatively, you can follow these steps especially if you opted to setup security at a later time.

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings.
  3. Scroll to and tap Lock screen and security.
  4. Touch Fingerprints.
  5. Choose a backup screen lock in case your fingerprints fail.
  6. Enter your PIN, pattern or password and confirm it.
  7. Now that you’ve setup your backup screen lock type, it’s time you registered your prints. So, place the entire pad of your finger on the Home key. Repeat the process until your progress reaches 100%.
  8. Set the amount of notification information you want displayed on the lock screen or you can just leave the sliders at their default settings and hit Done.
  9. Fingerprints security has now been enabled. Press the Power/Lock key to lock your phone and try to unlock your phone using your fingerprint by placing your registered finger on the Home key.

How to setup Iris Lock on your Galaxy Note 7

Just like fingerprint lock, you can choose to setup iris lock while you’re setting up your device for the first time or you can follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings.
  3. Scroll to and tap Lock screen and security.
  4. Touch Irises.
  5. Choose a backup screen lock in case your fingerprints fail.
  6. Enter your PIN, pattern or password and confirm it.
  7. Review the Disclaimer and hit OK.
  8. Another screen will popup telling you how far you need to hold your phone, tap CONTINUE.
  9. Now, hold your device at least 10 inches away as it will begin scanning; align your eyes in the circles displayed on the screen.
  10. You may view best practices on how to unlock your phone with your irises or touch SKIP.
  11. Set the amount of notification information you want displayed on the lock screen or you can just leave the sliders at their default settings and hit Done.
  12. Iris lock is now set.

How to set up Pattern Lock on your Galaxy Note 7

Pattern lock is probably the most used security measure you can use as you only have to connect the dots, literally. To set it up, here’s what you’re going to do…

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings.
  3. Scroll to and tap Lock screen and security.
  4. Choose Pattern.
  5. Draw the pattern you prefer by connecting, at least, 4 dots, then touch Continue.
  6. Draw the pattern again to confirm, then tap Continue.
  7. If presented, choose whether you want to show all notification content, hide sensitive notification content or don’t show all notifications at all and then tap Done to finish the set up.

How to set up PIN lock on your Galaxy Note 7

I am sure you already know how the PIN works and if I’m not mistaken, you always use your birthday because it’s easy to remember, right? Well, here’s how you set it up…

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings.
  3. Scroll to and tap Lock screen and security.
  4. Tap PIN.
  5. Now, enter your desired PIN (4 to 16 digits) and then tap Continue.
  6. Re-enter your PIN to confirm, then OK.
  7. If presented, choose whether you want to show all notification content, hide sensitive notification content or don’t show all notifications at all and then tap Done to finish the set up.

How to set up Password Lock on your Galaxy Note 7

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings.
  3. Scroll to and tap Lock screen and security.
  4. Tap Password.
  5. Now, enter your desired Password (4 to 16 characters) and then tap Continue.
  6. Re-enter your Password to confirm, then OK.
  7. If presented, choose whether you want to show all notification content, hide sensitive notification content or don’t show all notifications at all and then tap Done to finish the set up.

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.

How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that won’t connect to Wi-Fi [Troubleshooting Guide]

Connecting to the Internet through a Wi-Fi network should be easy for the #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7). But what would you do if your new phone won’t connect to a Wi-Fi network it used to connect anymore?

Galaxy-Note-7-wi-fi-problems

We will try to answer such question in this post and the troubleshooting procedures we present here will be based on situations users are in. We believe that every problem reported by our readers is unique even if they show the same symptoms.

There are 4 Wi-Fi problems I addressed here so take time to read this post especially if you own the new Galaxy Note 7 and are having issues connecting to the internet via WiFi. For those who have other concerns, visit our Note 7 troubleshooting guide as we’ve already listed down the problems we already addressed.

If you need further assistance, you can always contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. It’s a free service so don’t worry about anything, however, we’re asking you to provide us with detailed information about the problem so that we can provide a more accurate solution.

Galaxy Note 7 can no longer connect to Home Wi-Fi

This is a very common issue wherein a phone just stops connecting to known Wi-Fi networks. What’s more frustrating is when your device can no longer connect to your home network even if you haven’t changed any settings. For this issue, here’s what you need to:

  1. Reboot your network equipment – this includes your router and modem. This procedure will refresh your home network and rule out the possibility that the problem was caused due to network equipment that froze for some reason.
  2. Reboot your phone – there’s a possibility that the problem is caused by one of the services that crashed in your phone. A reboot should be able to fix it easily as default services will also be restarted.
  3. Forget the network and reconnect – this is the best way to refresh the connection between your phone and your home network equipment. What you need to do is delete or “Forget” your home Wi-Fi and then allow the phone to scan for it and reconnect to re-establish the connection. It’s a simple procedure but very effective in dealing with problems like this.
  4. Delete the system cache – do this if your phone recently updated it’s firmware. This procedure will delete all caches created by the previous system, which may have been corrupted during the update process. Follow the instructions below…
  5. Perform the master reset – I really can’t imagine the frustration and the hassle you’re experiencing if your phone won’t or can’t connect to your home Wi-Fi. So, if all else fails, you have no other choice but to reset your device. Follow the instructions below…

How to delete system cache on your Galaxy Note 7

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

How to Master Reset your Galaxy Note 7

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Galaxy Note 7 shows “acquiring IP address” then saves the network

If you’ve been a smartphone users for years, you may have already encountered a problem wherein the phone would try to acquired an IP address while attempting to connect to a Wi-Fi network but instead of showing “Connected” it would show “Saved” and leave your phone without a connection. What’s more frustrating is when you used to connect to the network before.

The most common cause of this problem is that your login credentials no longer work for said network. In other words, the admin may have already changed the password. So, you need to ask for the new one and that should give you access to the network. While this could happen to just any devices, more often it occurs to phones that already saved the network.

On the other hand, if the admin didn’t change the password, then it could be that the connection between your device and the network needs to be re-established. That said, “Forget” the network from your phone and allow it to detect and reconnect to the same network. You will be asked to enter the password so make sure you have it with you.

Galaxy Note 7 is connected to Wi-Fi but has to Internet connection

Another issue you may encounter is slow or no connectivity at all even if the device is properly connected to the Wi-Fi network. This problem can be manifested by different issues like when apps cannot pull down updates when the phone is idle. For some that are using Wi-Fi calling, the calls will be disconnected when the screen turns off during calls. It may appear like a serious issue but it’s actually just a matter of setting the phone to stay connected even if it’s idle. You can find the settings in the Wi-Fi Advanced Settings menu.

Others may also complain not being able to download apps even if they’re connected to a network. The best way to address this is to verify if your really don’t have a connection or if the issue is just with the Play Store or any market apps you’re using. To do that, try to open the Internet app or the web browser. If you can browse without a problem, then the issue is with the Play Store  so, try to clear the cache and data of the app and see if that works:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings, then touch Applications.
  3. Find and touch the Google Play Store.
  4. Touch Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data, then OK.

However, if you also can’t browse, then it’s a connection issue. You may reboot your phone and your network equipment to find out if the problem gets fixed with that. If not, try to forget the network and then reconnect.

It would also be recommended to troubleshoot the problem in safe mode to rule out the possibility that your third-party apps have something to do with it.

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

If the problem still happens in safe mode, then backup your data and reset your phone.

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  4. Find and touch Settings.
  5. Go to Cloud and accounts.
  6. Touch Backup and reset.
  7. Tap Factory data reset, then Reset device.
  8. If you have turned on the screen lock, enter your PIN or password.
  9. Touch Continue.
  10. Touch Delete All.

Wi-Fi randomly disconnects and mobile data connects

Ever since Samsung added the Smart Network Switch feature to its flagship devices, we received a lot of complaints after Wi-Fi randomly disconnecting and triggering the mobile data to be used as medium in connecting to the internet and vice versa.

The Smart Network Switch feature is to make the phone smarter and always connected but it seems to be causing a lot of trouble than help. So, I suggest you disable Smart Network Switch and let Wi-Fi or mobile data connect to the network steadily. Frequent disconnection from one network and the connection to the other due to fluctuation in signals could cause connectivity issue; instead of having a backup connection, your phone loses both. Hence, your phone becomes dumber than smarter, right?

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.

What you need to do to prevent your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 from exploding or catching fire [Safety Tip]

The new #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) has an enormous battery but there’s a chance it will explode or set your phone ablaze. The fact is Samsung already issued an official statement confirming there were already 35 reported cases wherein the the units either exploded or caught fire during or after charging.

Galaxy-Note-7-catching-fire

The company has yet to identify which batch is faulty but until then, owners can never be sure the safety of their units. While 35 is quite a small number out of 2.5 million units shipped worldwide, you can never really rule out the possibility that you may wake up one day with your unit smoking hot.

Then, there’s the possibility that the unit may explode or catch fire while you’re sleeping or while you’re holding it and may cause more serious safety hazards. There is something you can do to prevent it from happening…

Tip #1: Closely observe your phone while charging

Reports suggest that Note7 may explode or catch fire during or after charging. Samsung said to investigate on the problem to know the reason why it happens but we can’t wait for the results of the investigation considering the fact that it’s your own safety that’s at stake here.

Here’s a simple logic; phones develop heat while charging, too much heat may cause explosion or fire. If you can just prevent the phone from developing too much heat while charging, then you can prevent those situations. That being said, there are things you can do to keep heat in check during charge:

  • Turn off your phone if you want to fast charge or planning to leave it plugged in while you run your errands.
  • Don’t use the phone or play games while it’s plugged in.
  • Place it in a cool (not hot) place during charge.
  • Take off those third-party cases.
  • Use the original charger and cable.

I understand that doing these things mean you’re walking an extra mile when you shouldn’t be considering you paid several hundred dollars for a premium phone. It should work without a hitch but there are things that even manufacturers can’t control and this is one of them.

So, while charging, try to feel the phone with your fingers to know if it’s heating up too much. Normally, the phone will heat up while plugged in but not to the point where you feel uncomfortable touching it. So, if this is case, unplug the charger immediately and if your phone is powered on, turn it off. Don’t attempt to charge your phone again.

Tip #2: Have the phone replaced

When it comes to safety, there should never be any compromise. If the phone is heating up while charging, bring the phone back to the store and have it replaced. Here in the U.S., the Big Four already advised their subscribers who own the new Note 7, or at least, you rest assured your phone will be replaced no questions asked.

 

AT&T: Samsung has notified us that they have identified a battery cell issue in certain Galaxy Note7s. They have asked all retailers, including AT&T, to stop selling the device. We are in the process of determining the exchange process for our customers and how they can replace their current Note7 as quickly as possible. We will have more information later today.

Verizon Wireless: Samsung has notified us that they have identified a battery cell issue in certain Galaxy Note7s. They have asked all retailers, including AT&T, to stop selling the device. We are in the process of determining the exchange process for our customers and how they can replace their current Note7 as quickly as possible. We will have more information later today.

T-Mobile: Starting immediately, customers who are concerned about using the Note 7 can return the device to T-Mobile for a full, complete refund. They’ll get a full refund of anything paid for the device and any Note7 accessories. We’ll waive any restocking charges and shipping fees, and customers can keep the free Netflix subscription they received with purchase during pre-order.
Customers can visit their local T-Mobile store where they bought the device or call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 to do this, and they can then use their refund to choose a similar device or any device in T-Moble’s stores, including a new Note7 replacement which we expect to be available in the next two weeks.

Sprint: Sprint has suspended sales of Samsung Galaxy Note7 immediately following Samsung’s announcement to discontinue sales of the device globally.  
We are working closely with Samsung to ensure those customers who already have purchased the device are taken care of. For those customers that previously purchased the Note 7 we will offer them a similar device until the issue is resolved. Customers should go to a nearby Sprint store to exchange their Note 7 device.

The bottom line is that you don’t need to take any chances when it comes to this matter especially that your safety is at stake here. Don’t wait for your device to actually catch fire before you something about it. While we understand it’s a hassle and we don’t know yet if you will be provided with a new device immediately considering Samsung is still investigating whether it’s just an issue with some devices that belong to the same batch or not.

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.

How to use Voice Commands (S Voice) on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 [Tutorials]

One of the most interesting features embedded into the new #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) device is the voice commands via Samsung #SVoice application. This tool allows you to use your voice in performing operations you would normally have to do by hand.

note-7-s

For example, using your voice to dial a phone number, send a text message, or play music on your phone. The S Voice’s voice recognition app can be used to activate a wide variety of functions on your phone. With this pre-installed language recognition application, you can ask questions or speak commands for your phone to carry out. And this post will help you get started especially for users who are new to Galaxy devices and for those who are new Android converts.

But before anything else, if you have issues with your new device, make sure you visit our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we have already started supporting the phone weeks before it was made available to public. If you’re currently bugged by an issue or two and if they’re widespread, there’s a chance we’ve already addressed it. Also, you can contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire if you need more assistance.

Now, going back to our tutorial…

Setting up S Voice Commands on your Galaxy Note 7

Follow these steps to begin setting up voice commands for use with S Voice on your device:

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. From the Apps screen, tap Samsung.
  3. Tap S Voice.
  4. Read the S Voice information and tap Start to continue.
  5. Review the Voice recognition legal, mark the checkbox to agree to it and then tap Next.
  6. On the next screen, you will see some instructions on you to start setting up command. Read the instructions carefully and then tap SET UP NOW to set up a command to wake up S Voice.

To set up your wake-up command at some other time, tap LATER. Otherwise, tap SET UP NOW.

  1. Tap SET UP NOW to continue with this guide.
  2. Say the phrase that is shown on the screen.
  3. Tap DONE.
  4. Now, speak to your device. You may need to tap the Microphone icon to wake up S Voice.
  5. To continue with this guide, say “Call [contact name you wish to call]”. This commands your phone to call the contact person you specified.
  6. Wait for S Voice to display the contact details and dial the phone number in response to your request.
  7. To end the call, tap the End Call icon. You will then be routed back the S Voice screen.

On the S Voice screen, you can access additional options by tapping the More options-> Settings icon. The More options icon is represented by three vertical dots. Just tap on the dots and select Settings from the given options. Among the available options you can use or configure would include but not limited to Voice wake-up, Language, Voice feedback, Erase data, Wake up in secured lock, and so on. Simply tap the option you wish to configure.

Using S Voice to open an app on your Galaxy Note 7

Follow these steps to open an app on your phone using voice commands:

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Samsung.
  3. Tap S Voice.
  4. Tap the microphone to activate it if necessary.
  5. Now speak “Open [app name]”.

Wait for your phone to open the desired application in response to your request.

Using S Voice to write a text message (SMS) with Voice Samsung Keyboard

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Messaging to open the messaging app.
  3. Tap the Tap to compose message icon.
  4. Select or enter the contact in the recipient field.
  5. Tap the Enter message field.
  6. Tap the Microphone key located two keys to the left of the Space key.
  7. Next, tap the Microphone icon.
  8. Speak the message (SMS) you want to relay to your recipient.

If you want to change the language from default, follow these steps:

  • Tap Default: English (US).
  • Tap Add more languages.
  • Clear the check box by tapping Automatic.
  • Tap your preferred language to mark the check box.
  • Tap the Back key to go back to the keyboard screen.
  • Tap the Microphone again.
  • Start speaking your message using the language you specified.
  • Once your message is complete, tap the Send icon to send it.

Using S Voice to write a text message (SMS) with Swype Keyboard

  1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
  2. Tap Messaging.
  3. Tap the Tap to compose icon.
  4. Select an option you want to use for entering the message recipient.
  5. Tap the Enter message field.
  6. Tap the Microphone key.
  7. Speak the desired text or message you want to relay to your recipient.
  8. Once you stop speaking, you will automatically be routed back to the keyboard screen.
  9. Tap the Send icon when you’re finished with your message.

And that should help get started with voice commands. Please keep posted for more Samsung Galaxy Note 7 tutorials and Note 7 how-to contents on this site.

Engage with Us

Feel free to visit our Samsung Galaxy Note 7 page for more tutorials, how to’s, as well as answers to some FAQs about this new Samsung flagship device. Should you have any concerns, questions, or requests for support with the use of specific features and functions of the Galaxy Note 7, simply fill up this form with all the required information.

How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that keeps freezing, rebooting or hanging [Troubleshooting Guide]

Among the most common performance-related issues many #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) users encountered are freezing, hanging and random reboots. Assuming you have one of these and you are one of the people who got the first batch of the Note 7, I strongly suggest you don’t try to troubleshoot your phone. Instead, bring it back to the store and have it replaced. If you’re in the U.S., your provider should have already notified you that Samsung recalled the batch of the device that were first shipped due to battery issues and replacement is for free.

galaxy-note-7-rebooting

Now that we’ve established that, it’s time to set our focus on your “new” unit that’s either freezing, hanging or keeps rebooting. Actually, these issues are among the issues you may encounter sooner or later because the more the device is used, the more data and caches accumulate and these files often get corrupted for some reason. Let’s try to look into these issues and see if the situations I cite here are same as yours.

But before anything else though, if you have other concerns with your new phone, make sure you visit our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we have already answered some of the questions are readers sent us and addressed some of the most common issues with this device. There’s a chance there’s already a solution for your problem. If you can’t find anything that’s related to your issue and you need more help, then you may contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. Make sure you provide us with sufficient information about the problem so we can give you accurate solutions.

Fixing Galaxy Note 7 that keeps freezing

When a phone freezes, it may take a few seconds to respond again or not at all. The problem may range from a simple app issue to a more complicated firmware problem wherein the device just won’t respond whatever you do. So, in this category, you can also include a device with black screen and won’t respond. The simple troubleshooting steps below are easy and safe to follow but please proceed at your own risk…

Step 1: Do the forced reboot procedure

For a phone that’s frozen and unresponsive, you need to force it to restart and since the device doesn’t have a removable battery, you need to do a very simple procedure: press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power key for 10 seconds. Assuming there’s enough battery to power the phone up, it should boot up and when it does, that’s the end of the problem.

Step 2: Charge the phone

Should the device remain unresponsive after doing the aforementioned step, then maybe the battery is just too weak to power it up. Therefore, plug the charger in and see if it responds. You’re not actually just trying to charge your phone here but you’re also trying to find out how it reacts when current flows through the circuit. If you can see the usual charging icon on the screen and if the LED notification is lit (regardless whether it’s red or green), then most likely your phone’s hardware is fine and you can just turn it back on after a few minutes. But if that’s not the case, then the next step is necessary.

Step 3: Boot your Note 7 in safe mode

You need to put your device in diagnostic mode so that only pre-installed apps and default services are running. More often, the cause of freezing are third-party apps. While the device is one of the most powerful smartphones in the market today, it is still prone to app crashes, which may also result in firmware crashing.

Booting your device in safe mode will disable everything third-party so if one of them is causing the problem then the phone should be able to boot up without any issues:

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

What if the phone still freezes in safe mode despite the successfully boot up process? Well, the next step will take care of it…

Step 3: Perform the factory reset on your Note 7

Yes, a reset is necessary at this point. Your device may be new but it seems the firmware is pretty much messed up, so you need to bring it back to the default settings and that’s something a reset is best at. A reset through the Settings menu is enough to fix this problem:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  4. Find and touch Settings.
  5. Go to Cloud and accounts.
  6. Touch Backup and reset.
  7. Tap Factory data reset, then Reset device.
  8. If you have turned on the screen lock, enter your PIN or password.
  9. Touch Continue.
  10. Touch Delete All.

I hope this helps.

Fixing Note 7 that keeps hanging

When you say your phone is “hanging” it means it actually freezes momentarily but you can regain control after a few seconds. For instance you’re watching a video and the playback stutters but not because of the internet connection but due to a performance problem that affects the playback.

Basically, it’s less serious than freezing and more often than not, it’s third-party apps that cause it unlike the freezing problem that might be caused by a problem issue. So, for this, this is what you’re going to do:

Step 1: Reboot your phone in safe mode

It’s more of a confirmation than discovery because we already know that most of the time the cause of hanging is apps and we’re just trying to isolate whether it’s a pre-installed app that’s causing it or third-party.

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

While in this state, observe the phone closely to see if there are still instances wherein it hangs or momentarily freezes and if so, then it could be the pre-installed apps that have issues or it could be the firmware. Continue using your phone but be mindful of the apps you use. There must be an app that triggers it and if you can find that app, clear it’s cache and data and that usually fixes this kind of problem. Otherwise, you need to do the next step:

Step 2: Do the factory reset

If the problem occurs in safe mode, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone to eliminate the hanging and momentary stutters. Just make sure you backup your files and data that you don’t want to lose before you follow the steps below:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  4. Find and touch Settings.
  5. Go to Cloud and accounts.
  6. Touch Backup and reset.
  7. Tap Factory data reset, then Reset device.
  8. If you have turned on the screen lock, enter your PIN or password.
  9. Touch Continue.
  10. Touch Delete All.

Fixing Note 7 that random reboots

Random reboots and restarts are often a sign of a more serious firmware issue, although for minor cases, it’s often that caches that need to be cleared. If the problem is more serious, then you need to reformat both the cache and data partitions and this will delete everything in your device and makes it like brand new although basically, it’s just like a reset.

There are still things you need to do to further probe what the problem is and here are the things needed to be done:

Step 1: Restart in safe mode

As always, it would be helpful to know if you’re dealing with third-party or pre-installed apps but it would like a confirmation that it really is an app that’s causing it because if the phone still randomly restarts even in safe mode, then it’s more of a firmware issue.

But if the problem is fixed in safe mode, just find the app that’s causing it and uninstall it. Begin your search from the the most recent installation then move on to the next until you can find it.

Step 2: Wipe the cache partition

Assuming the problem occurs in safe mode, the next thing you got to do is try to clear the system cache by wiping the cache partition. You don’t have to worry about losing your data because you won’t. System caches are files created by the system and therefore dispensable. You can delete them with adverse effects to the performance. The irony is it’s even better that you delete the system cache from time to time to make sure those caches are new and compatible with the system. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Step 3: Do the master reset

If the wiping of the cache partition didn’t fix the problem, then it’s time you did something that will bring the phone back to its original settings and reformat the data partition–master reset. Just like the normal reset, you will lose everything that is stored in your phone’s internal storage so make sure you back them up before following these steps:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

I hope this helps.

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.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: How to clear app cache & data, boot in safe mode, perform resets

Samsung is about to release the new #Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) and we will fully support this device. So, in this post, I will walk you through on how to properly do some procedures you could use to fix problems that may occur while using the phone.

Samsung-Galaxy-Note-7

When the Note 5 was released, we started receiving complaints a day after it was made available. We are expecting the same thing with the Note 7. The tutorials I will include in this post are actually basic troubleshooting procedures you can use for app-related, power, firmware issues and minor hardware problems.

On this page…

How to clear cache and data of apps on Galaxy Note 7

You can use the procedures below to reset apps you’re having problems with. Applications create their own caches and save data their data in the phone’s internal storage or in microSD card if they’ve been moved there.

App crashes and freezes can easily be fixed by the following by you need to backup your data if you have any as it will be deleted:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings, then touch Applications.
  3. Find and touch the app you’re having issues with.
  4. Touch Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data, then OK.

Some app problems may not be fixed by simply clearing the cache and data especially if the issue is version-specific. So, you need to update the app in order to patch the glitch, bug or whatever it is that causes the trouble and here’s how you do it on the Note 7:

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Play Store.
  3. Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps.
  4. Tap Update All to automatically download updates for all apps or tap an app you want updated and touch Update.

If problems remain and you cannot use your phone because of them, then it’s better that you uninstall the app that’s causing them provided it is a third-party or downloaded app. Here’s how you do it…

  1. From the Home screen, tap Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings, then touch Applications.
  3. Find and touch the app you’re having issues with.
  4. Touch Storage.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Touch Uninstall again.

How to boot Galaxy Note 7 in Safe Mode

Booting your phone in safe mode means you’re putting it in its diagnostic state wherein only pre-installed apps and services are running. The procedure below is very helpful when you’re dealing with problems involving apps that keep crashing or causing the firmware to freeze or even crash. It will tell you immediately whether the app that’s causing the problem belongs to pre-installed ones or third-party and here’s how you boot your Note 7 in safe mode:

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

While in this state, uninstall or disable apps that are causing the problem but bear in mind you can only do so for third-party apps. To get out of safe mode, just reboot your phone and it should boot up in normal mode.

How to Wipe Cache Partition of your Galaxy Note 7

Firmware issues are often caused by corrupt caches especially every after update installation. Issues like freezing, hanging, random reboots, stuck on logo during boot up and boot loops are among the symptoms of corrupt system cache. These files can be deleted without causing adverse effects on the phone because Android will create new ones. The fact is it is a good practice to delete system cache from time to time.

The thing is, you cannot delete individual cache that’s why you really need to wipe the entire cache partition.

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

How to reset your Galaxy Note 7

There are two reset procedures you can do on your Galaxy Note 7. As the name implies, both will delete everything in your device and bring it back to its factory default settings. So, that means that you will lose your files, pictures, contacts, messages, personal information, etc. during the process. Therefore, make sure you back them up before doing any of the following.

Resetting Note 7 via Settings menu…

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  4. Find and touch Settings.
  5. Go to Cloud and accounts.
  6. Touch Backup and reset.
  7. Tap Factory data reset, then Reset device.
  8. If you have turned on the screen lock, enter your PIN or password.
  9. Touch Continue.
  10. Touch Delete All.

Depending on the amount of data, it may take a few seconds or a minute to complete the reset but once everything got wiped off, the phone will have a noticeable performance improvement.

This next procedure basically does what the other procedure does but it will come very useful if you’re locked out of your device. It will also reformat both the cache and data partitions while leaving the current firmware installed and you need to boot your device in recovery mode to do so.

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

There you have it! These procedures are very important when troubleshooting issues with your device. Learn them so it would be easier to fix issues you may encounter in the future.

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.

How to fix your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that won’t turn on [Troubleshooting Guide]

The #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) is one of the most powerful and superbly designed smartphones this year but then it is certain many users will encounter a problem or two a few weeks after acquiring it. In fact, it already became controversial after reports that a unit reportedly caught fire while charging.

Galaxy-Note-7-won't-turn-on

Among the most common issues with powerful smartphones are related to its power. Some units may fail to turn on after powering themselves off while others may not charge. In this post, I will tackle the former as I’ve already addressed the latter in my other post.

Possible Causes

Let’s try to look into the possible causes why a well-designed smartphone with high technical specs would one day refuse to turn back on and becomes unresponsive.

  • The device’s firmware crashed
  • Liquid and/or physical damage
  • Drained battery
  • Corrupt system cache and/or data
  • Some apps crashed that also caused the system to crash
  • Misconfiguration or its settings are messed up
  • A serious hardware problem

Our troubleshooting will be based on these possible causes but before anything else, if you have other issues with your new phone, make sure you visit our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we list down every problem we address each week on that page. Find issues that are similar to yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you can’t find related issues, then feel free to contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting Note 7 that won’t turn on

At this point, we don’t know what’s causing the problem with your phone and why it’s not turning on. We need to rule out one possibility after another and we should start with apps then go after the firmware and lastly, the hardware, although, strictly speaking, we really can’t do anything about the hardware because if we do, we might end up voiding the warranty and we don’t want that to happen, do we?

Step 1: Verify that it’s not just a system crash

Firmware crashes from time to time especially if you are a heavy user. The thing about a system crash is that more often, the screen turns black and the device itself won’t respond even if the charger is plugged in.

For users who don’t know exactly what’s happening, they’ll start to panic and when they do, they’ll ask for help saying their new Note 7 has a black screen, won’t turn on, won’t charge, not responding, etc. So, you see, a simple system crash can be reported in different ways and for us technicians who rely on what the customers are saying, it’s very hard to determine exactly what the problem is. That is why, we encourage our readers to do some basic and safe troubleshooting procedures so that they will have an idea what’s happening with their phones.

So, the first thing I want you to do is force restart your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and since it doesn’t have a user-replaceable battery, you can’t just pull the battery out. Rather, you need to press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power key together for 10 seconds. Assuming the problem is a simple system crash and that there’s enough battery to power its components up, your phone should reboot.

Step 2: Attempt to charge the phone

You must do this in case the forced reboot procedure didn’t work. At this point, it’s still safe to assume it’s a firmware crash but the battery got drained completely that’s why the device couldn’t boot up. Therefore, connect the charger and leave the phone charging for, at least, 10 minutes. While doing so, try to check if the phone is heating up because if so, disconnect the charger right away and send the phone in for repair. Do not attempt to troubleshoot a unit that’s heating up while charging, it’s dangerous for now that Samsung hasn’t addressed the reported incident of one of the Note 7 units.

Assuming the phone isn’t heating up while plugged in but charging signs aren’t showing, then try to force reboot the device again. This time it may work but if it doesn’t, then we’re dealing with a charging issue. So, I suggest you try troubleshooting your phone that won’t charge.

Step 3: Attempt to boot your Note 7 in safe mode

You do this if your phone is charging fine but still won’t turn on. There’s a possibility that one of the third-party apps keeps crashing and causing havoc within the system. So, if the phone charges, there’s a chance it can successfully boot in safe mode so it’s worth trying…

  1. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  2. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  3. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  4. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

If the phone successfully powered on in safe mode, you don’t have to worry so much about your phone anymore because apparently, everything in it is working but the some apps or the firmware. In this case, try to reboot it normally and see if it can now boot up and if not, wiping the cache partition may fix the problem:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Step 4: Attempt to boot the phone up in recovery mode

If your phone won’t boot up in safe mode but charges fine, then it might be a firmware problem. Your next bet is to try to boot your device in recovery mode just to find out if it can. At this point, what’s more important is to know whether the phone can power up its components and booting in recovery mode will do that without loading Android’s interface.

  1. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  2. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  3. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.

If successful, you can immediately try to wipe the cache partition as instructed above or simply do the reset but please note that doing this will delete your data and files so proceed at your own risk.

Lastly, if you were able to bring the phone back to life but the problem keeps repeating, you really need to reset your phone but make sure you backup your files and data first.

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  4. Find and touch Settings.
  5. Go to Cloud and accounts.
  6. Touch Backup and reset.
  7. Tap Factory data reset, then Reset device.
  8. If you have turned on the screen lock, enter your PIN or password.
  9. Touch Continue.
  10. Touch Delete All.

Step 5: Send the phone in for checkup or replacement

After doing all those steps above and the phone still refuses to turn back on, then you need to bring the phone back to the store to have it checked by the technician or be replaced with a new one depending on how bad the problem is.

As far as troubleshooting is concerned, you’ve already done everything that needs to be done and that’s more than enough because we can’t touch the device’s hardware as the warranty will be void and null if we do. Besides, this is a new phone and it should work without a hitch. 

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.

How to fix a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that shuts down on its own [Troubleshooting Guide]

When the new #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) was released, a handful of owners encountered serious issues with the battery, which prompted Samsung to issue a recall order. New “safe” devices arrived a few weeks later and there are still reports of overheating, units catching fire and unexpected shutdowns.

note-7-shut-down-issues

I understand why owners feel uneasy about the Note 7 heating up but you should know there’s only a small percentage of units that have issues like that. In fact, there were less than 200 reported cases of units that caught fire or exploded during and/or after charging. But of course, safety should always be your first priority.

With all that being said, I will tackle the unexpected shutdown issue with the Note 7. Some of our readers reported it and so we are obliged to look into it. The troubleshooting procedures I include in this post come with an assumption that the phone doesn’t have a serious problem with the battery, although that would be the first thing we will have to consider.

Now, before anything else, if you have other issues with your new device, make sure you drop by our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we have already answered some of the problems that occurred since the phone was released. If you need further assistance, however, you can always contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting Galaxy Note 7 that randomly shuts off

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was able to help a friend of mine who got the new Note 7 and encountered an issue wherein the device shut down on its own without apparent reason. The most interesting thing was that he said the phone was heating up while charging so the first thing that came to mind was the battery issue that may lead to explosion or catching fire but we tried to troubleshoot it and we actually brought the phone back to life.

The troubleshooting procedures I use here are based on possible causes of the problem starting with the battery. You are not required to follow this guide so if you want to have it checked by a technician, then don’t hesitate to do so. But for those who want to try, please proceed at your own risk.

Step 1: Rule out the possibility that it’s a battery issue

It must be the first thing you should do because if the battery is unstable, the phone may turn off whenever the issue is triggered. You may try charging your phone to see if it does as you’ll immediately know if it’s an issue with the battery or the hardware.

If the phone charges, continue observing it to know if it’s heating up to the point that it’s uncomfortable touching it. In that case, disconnect the charger right away and don’t hold your phone. Instead wait for it to cool down and then bring the phone to the shop or store and request a replacement.

On the other hand, if the phone charges normally and is not heating up, then there’s a possibility that it’s just a temporary issue. Let it continue charging until it’s full and then try using it again to find out if it still shuts down on its own and if it does, the next step might be helpful to you.

Step 2: Make sure you apps have nothing to do with it

Now that we’ve taken the battery issue out of the way, it’s easier to continue our troubleshooting. The next thing that you have to do is rule out the possibility that one or some of your apps is causing the problem. We don’t know for sure if it’s really an app that is the culprit but if it is, then we need to find out if it’s a third-party apps or a pre-installed one. We can do that simply booting the phone into the Safe Mode.

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

While in this state, all third-party apps will be temporarily disabled. If the issue still occurs while the device is in this state, then the problem might be with the pre-installed app or the firmware itself, otherwise, you just have to find the app that’s causing the problem and uninstall it.

I understand that it’s difficult to find that specific app that’s causing the problem. So, if you can’t find it, then backup your files and data especially ones that are saved in your phone and do the factory reset:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  4. Find and touch Settings.
  5. Go to Cloud and accounts.
  6. Touch Backup and reset.
  7. Tap Factory data reset, then Reset device.
  8. If you have turned on the screen lock, enter your PIN or password.
  9. Touch Continue.
  10. Touch Delete All.

After you’ve uninstalled the suspected apps or reset your phone and the problem remains, then it’s safe to assume that it’s a firmware issue, at least, for now.

Step 3: Rule out the possibility that it’s a firmware issue

After doing the first two steps and the issue is still bugging you, it’s time you went after the firmware itself. There’s a couple of procedures you need to do to rule this possibility out and if the problem remains after these procedures, then you need help from a technician.

The first procedure worth trying is wiping the cache partition. This will delete the system cache, which is very effective when it comes to fixing minor firmware problems. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

With this, you don’t have to backup your data and files as they won’t be touched. However, if it fails, then you need to do the Master Reset, which will get rid of all your files, data, contacts, messages, etc. Needless to say, you need to back them up before you follow these steps:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

I hope that this procedure can fix the problem for you so that you won’t be hassled going to a shop and explaining to the technician what happened to your phone and what the problem is.

Step 4: It’s probably a hardware issue, let the tech fix it

As far as troubleshooting is concerned, you’ve already done everything but to no avail. So, it’s time you let the professional handle it for you.

Go to a local shop or the store where you bought it have explain to the technician how the problem occurred or what you think happened prior to the problem. Remember, the more information you can provide, the easier it is for the tech to diagnose the problem and fix it. But I’m hoping you cannot reach this stage because it’s very inconvenient.

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.

What to do if your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 freezes, lags, slows down and turns off unexpectedly

While the #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) is a very powerful smartphone, it’s not perfect. Naturally, its performance will deteriorate over time as you continue using it and it continues to accumulate data. Issues like freezing, lagging, slowing down and random reboots are among the most common problems you may face.

galaxy-note-7-freezing-lagging-slow-down-rebooting

In this post, I will tackle these four issues and will give you the possible solutions and/or workarounds so that if one of them occurs, you already have an idea what to do to continue using your phone without any disruption. There will be four topics and I prepared a list of them just after the break. Click on the link to jump to a specific section in this post.

Now, before we begin our troubleshooting, if you have other concerns with your device, make sure to drop by our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed majority of the serious issues with this phone since it was released. Moreover, if you further assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire. Make sure you provide us with important information about the problem so that we can give you more accurate solutions.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy Note 7 that freezes from time to time

Freezes may be caused by apps or a glitch in the firmware, although there are also instances that a hardware problem may result to the same symptom but most of the time, it’s with the software. That being said, we don’t have to do some troubleshooting for the hardware as we may end up voiding your warranty. For freezes, here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Isolate the problem immediately to know if the cause is one of your downloaded apps

As I said, it’s possible that one or some of your apps is causing the issue but since applications are generally categorized into pre-installed and third-party apps, you need to boot the device in Safe Mode where the latter are temporarily disabled. This way, you will immediately know if the problem is caused by built-in apps or downloaded ones.

Here’s how you start your Note 7 in safe mode:

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

If the phone still freezes in safe mode, then the problem should be in one of the pre-installed apps or with the firmware. Otherwise, you just have to find the app(s) that causes the problem and either disable or uninstall it.

Step 2: Try deleting the system cache to force the phone to create new ones

The system cache can easily be corrupted especially if the phone got updated to a newer version, which I think already happened to your Note 7 considering Samsung rolled out some minor updates for the device when the battery issue was plaguing users. Deleting the cache will force the phone to create new ones to replace them. Don’t worry though, none of your files and data will be deleted. Here’s how.

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Step 3: If wiping the cache partition fails, perform the Factory Reset

If all else fails, backup your data and reset your phone. A Factory Reset is enough to fix this problem but make sure you back up your files and data as they’ll all be deleted during the process.

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

How to fix Galaxy Note 7 that lags randomly while using apps

If the phone lags while using any app, it’s obvious that it’s an app problem and you can almost be certain that the app you’re using when the phone lags is the culprit. However, there are cases wherein it’s caused by another app that is using or being used by the app you’re currently using and that’s what you need to discover to fix the issue. Here’s what you need to do…

Step 1: Clear the cache and/or data of the app you’re using when the phone started to lag

It’s a very simple procedure but it can fix the problem provided that it’s caused by the app you were using.

  1. From the Home screen, tap Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings, then touch Applications.
  3. Find and touch the name of the app you were using.
  4. Touch Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data, then OK.

Just to save you from losing data,

Step 2: Find the apps that are connected to the suspected app

If the problem still occurs, then try to find the apps that are possibly connected to it. For instance, if the lag started when you were using the Camera app, then you need to try clearing the cache and data of the Gallery app, which works hand-in-hand with the camera and other apps that have access to the camera like Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Step 3: Reset your phone if you cannot find the app that’s causing the problem

Finding apps that have issues seems to be so easy to do but it’s not especially if you have hundreds of apps installed on your phone. If you’re patient enough, you may do that but it may take hours before you can find it but if not, then a reset is necessary but make sure you backup your data and files first.

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

I hope this helps.

What to do if your Galaxy Note 7 slowed down after weeks of use

Only a few can notice when a powerful phone like the Note 7 slows down in its performance a bit, however, if an average user can notice it, then it means that device slowed down noticeably which is not good, actually. For this, here’s what you need to do…

Step 1: Boot the device in Recovery Mode and then wipe the cache partition

There’s no need to go after the apps because based on reports, this kind of problem is with the firmware so go after the firmware and the first thing you need to do is delete system cache so it will be replaced:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Step 2: It’s time to do the Master Reset on your Galaxy Note 7

If the first step failed, then the next thing to do is to reset the phone, which will delete everything stored in its internal storage except, of course, system files. Transfer your files to your microSD card or computer before you follow these steps:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy Note 7 that randomly turns off or reboots

For random reboots, there’s a great chance it’s a hardware issue so the only thing we need to do is rule out the possibility that it’s the firmware that’s causing it. With that said, just backup your data and files and then do the master reset.

However, if you are patient enough to follow the procedures in the previous sections, please do to although you may still end up doing the reset. After that, if the problem still persists, try to read these posts:

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.

How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 7 “Warning: Camera failed” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

The #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) error message “Warning: Camera failed” is an indication that there might be something wrong with the sensor or one of the components of the camera not to mention the possibility that it’s caused by the app that crashed or force closed. While it occurs on its own more often, there are times when it’s accompanied by the error message “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped.” And that’s when things get a little more complicated when both the hardware and the app stop working.

galaxy-note-7-warning-camera-failed

In this post, however, I will only be addressing the former, although I may also tackle some points on the latter. But the focus is on the camera that failed to initialize. That’s right, the error message actually comes up more often than not, during initialization or when you tap on the camera icon. There were reported cases wherein the same error showed up while the camera is being used but only rare. So, read on, to understand more about this problem and learn how to fix it.

For those who have other issues, make sure drop by our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed several issues with this phone. Try to find problems that are similar to yours and use the solutions or troubleshooting guides we provided. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, you may contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. Make sure you give us more information about the problem so that we can help you better.

Troubleshooting “Warning: Camera failed” error on Galaxy Note 7

Just before we go into our troubleshooting, I just want to simply show you how the camera works in a smartphone. During bootup, all necessary hardware and services will be loaded up, which means the camera sensor is already powered up waiting to be called upon for use. When the user touch the camera icon, both the Camera app and the sensor will initialize to be in sync. If the app fails to initialize, then you’ll get the “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” error before or shortly after it opens. On the other hand, if the hardware fails to initialize, then you get the “Warning: Camera failed” error.

I am sure there are a lot of things that happen without us knowing it when you use the camera but at least, this is the simplest way to describe the process. Now, let’s put aside and proceed to our troubleshooting.

Step 1: If it’s the first time, reboot your Galaxy Note 7

For first time occurrence, it’s always advisable not to do some complicated troubleshooting steps or procedures because we don’t know if the problem is that serious. Problems also have their “first times” so if it’s the first time it occurs, then a reboot may be enough to fix it.

While the Galaxy Note 7 is a “smart phone,” it’s not perfect. In fact, we already saw that there was indeed a manufacturing issue with some of the units that were first shipped out.

In this case though, it is very much possible that either the hardware or the app glitched. For minor glitches, a reboot will fix them.

Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app to reset it

While the problem could be in the hardware, there’s always a possibility that it’s caused by the app and some of the services running in the background. The next thing you should do if the problem remained after the reboot is to clear or delete the cache and data of the Camera app.

  1. From the Home screen, tap Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings, then touch Applications.
  3. Find and touch Camera.
  4. Touch Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data, then OK.

It would be best to reboot the phone after the procedure.

Step 3: Isolate the problem thoroughly by booting it in Safe Mode

There are also times when a pre-installed app, a hardware or a built-in services crashes due to a third-party app. Before going after the firmware, you need to rule out this possibility first. That being said, you need to restart your Galaxy Note 7 in Safe Mode, which will temporarily disable all downloaded apps and third-party services. The explanation behind it is that the cause cannot trigger the problem if it’s disabled in the first the place.

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

When in safe mode, try to open the camera to find out if the error still pops up. If it doesn’t, then one or some of your downloaded apps is causing the problem. Find out which of them is the culprit and uninstall it or them. But I know it’s easier said than done so if you cannot pinpoint which one is causing the issue–because of your hundreds of them–a factory reset is always your best bet. However, make sure you can backup your data and files as they will all be deleted especially ones in your phone’s internal storage.

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

On the other hand, if the problem continues even when in safe mode, then it’s time to go after the firmware.

Step 4: Reboot your Galaxy Note 7 in Recovery Mode and wipe cache partition

There were cases not just with the Note 7 but with other Galaxy devices wherein the camera failed to initialize shortly after the firmware update. If you own the Note 7, I am sure you’ve already received an update as Samsung already rolled out a few to address some urgent matters or the device may have been updated without your knowledge.

At this point, you just need to make sure that it’s not an issue with the system cache. You have to delete the current cache to force the phone the create a new one and you can do so by booting up your device in Recovery Mode and wiping the cache partition.

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Don’t worry, none of your files, data, apps, etc. will be deleted. You don’t have to back them up when you do this.

Step 5: Restart your phone in Recovery Mode again and do the Master Reset

After clearing the cache and data of the Camera app and deleting the system cache and the problem still persists, you have to backup your data and files as at this point, you really need to perform the master reset.

The process will delete all your files and data saved in your phone’s internal storage so make sure you important files are copied to your microSD card or imported to your computer. After you’ve done your backup, follow these steps to reset your device:

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Step 6: Send the phone in for checkup and/or repair

If the problem persists after the 5th step, then you have no other choice but to send the phone in for checkup and/or repair especially if you are an average user and have no knowledge in flashing firmware whatsoever. For experts, however, re-flashing the firmware may fix the problem provided it is a firmware issue in the first place but if not, then a technician’s help is necessary.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you fix the problem with your new phone. If you have questions or need further assistance, contact us.

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

Fix Samsung Galaxy Note 7 “Unfortunately, Internet has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Unfortunately, Internet has stopped” on your #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (#Note7) is actually referring to the built-in browser called “Internet.” While the subject still has something to do with your internet connectivity, it doesn’t mean that when the error pops up you can no longer use other features that require internet connection. You can still download apps, check your Facebook status or do everything except browsing using the pre-installed web browser.

samsung-galaxy-note-7-internet-has-stopped

On the other hand, you can also download and install third-party web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, etc. to be able to continue browsing. But the of course, these things aren’t the real fix but a band aid that let’s you work around the problem without confronting it. We already received some messages from our readers complaining about this error message so we are obliged to address it.

Fortunately, the error message is an indication of a minor app problem, at least, that’s the first thing we have to assume. If it can’t be fixed by simple troubleshooting procedures, then we will have to step up and look into the firmware to see if we can determine the cause. After all, the Internet app is embedded in the firmware by default. If it crashes, the firmware may have something to do with it.

Continue reading to understand what the error is all about and to learn how to fix it. We will walk you through in safely troubleshooting your device and we’ll provide you with step-by-step procedure to make it easier for you to follow.

For those who have other concerns, make sure you visit our Note 7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed or answered several questions and problems sent by our readers. There may already be a solution to your problem. You may also contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire here. Make sure you give us sufficient information about the problem so we can give you more accurate solutions.

Troubleshooting “Unfortunately, Internet has stopped” Galaxy Note 7 Error

When troubleshooting an app-related problem, it is very helpful if you knew when the problem started, what were the apps you were using the error popped up and how the phone was performing. You can use a different approach in troubleshooting this problem but for the benefit of our readers who are still trying to get used to the phone but already encountered the error, we have a systematic approach below. The procedures are safe but please proceed with caution as things can still occur anytime.

Step 1: For first time occurrence a reboot might fix the problem

Your Galaxy Note 7 is new so it might be the first time that this error occurred–or even if it already occurred a few times before. A reboot is necessary and let it be your first step in troubleshooting this problem.

Apps glitch all the time not to mention the glitches caused by the firmware and the hardware itself. More often than not, a reboot is all it takes to address minor glitches whatever the cause is.

Sometimes, app crashes may result to freezing and hanging leaving your phone unresponsive. In this case, you need to force reboot your device by pressing and holding the Volume Down and Power keys together for 10 seconds. It should restart and bring you back to the Home screen in no time. Launch the Internet app again and try to browse some sites to see if the error still occurs and if so, then the next step is also necessary.

Step 2: Restart your Note7 in safe mode or diagnostic state

That’s right! The Safe Mode is also the phone’s diagnostic state because all third-party apps and services are temporarily disabled when you start it in this mode. With only built-in apps and services running in the background, you could easily determine if the problem is caused by apps and whether or not they’re pre-installed or user-downloaded ones.

It has a very simple logic: if the problem occurs in safe mode, then the problem must be with the pre-installed apps or even the firmware but if it’s fixed, then you have to look into the apps you downloaded to find the culprit. Before going any further though, here’s how you boot your phone in safe mode:

  1. Turn your Galaxy Note 7 off.
  2. Press the Power key and hold it past the screen that shows the model name of the device.
  3. When Samsung logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume down button.
  4. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device successfully booted up.
  5. Once you see “Safe mode” on the bottom left corner of the display, release the Volume Down button.

Step 3: Clear the cache and data of the Internet app

Assuming the error message is still showing up in safe mode, then it’s time to go after the app that’s being mentioned, in this case, it’s the Internet app. You are now leaning towards firmware troubleshooting but you need to rule out the possibility that it’s just a minor app problem. Therefore, you need you to reset the Internet app and see if that gets rid of the error. Follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Apps icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings, then touch Applications.
  3. Find and touch Internet.
  4. Touch Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data, then OK.

For minor app problems, this procedure alone is more than enough to fix them but there’s no guarantee.

What if the error still shows up after clearing the cache and data and you really need to browse the web?

Well, there’s a workaround–install a third-party web browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

Step 4: Delete the system cache so phone will create a new one

The system cache may get corrupted for some reason but the system may still continue using it and that’s where the problem enters. Samsung did roll out a minor update for the Note7 recently and that could be the reason why this problem occurred out of the blue. Therefore, I suggest you take a little of your time deleting the system cache so that a new one that’s compatible with the new system will be created:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  5. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
  6. Use the Volume Down button again to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  7. It may take a few seconds to completely wipe the cache partition so wait a little.
  8. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  9. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

Step 5: At this point, a reset is necessary to get rid of the error message

More often error messages can be fixed by doing the steps above as they aren’t really that serious. However, if the problem persists after wiping the cache partition, then are left with no other option but to do the reset. It will bring the phone back to its default settings and that usually fixes minor problems like this.

  1. Backup your data and files saved in the phone’s internal storage.
  2. Remove your Google account to deactivate the anti-theft function of the phone.
  3. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
  4. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
  5. When the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  6. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
  7. Using the Volume Down button, highlight the option ‘wipe data / factory reset’’ and press the Power key to select it.
  8. Press the Volume Down button a few times to highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
  9. It may take a few seconds to complete the reset so just wait.
  10. Once completed, the option ‘Reboot system now’ must be highlighted, so press the Power button to restart your phone.
  11. The Note 7 will then boot up normally.

I hope this helps.

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.