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Samsung Galaxy S3

How To Fix No Signal, Network Connectivity Issues On Samsung Galaxy S3 [Part 1]

Welcome to our first part in our focused troubleshooting series that deals mainly with no signal and network related issues concerning the Samsung Galaxy S3. Although this phone model is already 3 years old we are still getting a lot of emails from our readers regarding the issues that they are experiencing surrounding this device.

In this installment of the series we will feature 5 problems sent to us by our readers. These problems are related to the signal and network of the phone. We hope that the troubleshooting steps we provide can resolve these issues.

If you own the Galaxy S3 or any other Android device for that matter then feel free to send us an email at [email protected] regarding any issue that you may have with your device. We will be more than happy to help you with any concern that you may have. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do send us an email try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.

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

Aside from sending us an email you may also contact us through our Facebook and Google+ social media accounts.

S3 Not Registered On Network

Problem: my s3 have showing sim signals but whenever i make a call or send a msg it shows that u r not registered on a network. my sim card is ok i checked it on other devices. can u solve my problem?

Solution: If the SIM card has been checked on other phones and the issue does not occur on other phones then the problem is most likely with your S3.

The first thing that you should do is to check if the SIM card is properly inserted on the phone. Verify if it is secured in the SIM holder and does not move around. Sometimes if the SIM has movement on the SIM holder your phone will lose its connection to the network. Try to cut out a piece of paper the size of your SIM and insert it on top of the SIM to secure it in place.

The next step is to check if this issue is caused by a software problem. To do this you will need to back up your phone data and then perform a factory reset.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press Power button to select and start the master reset. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to turn the restart the device.

If the problem still persists at this point then this may already be caused by a faulty hardware component. Bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.

S3 No Signal Found For Mobile Network Error

Problem: Hello! So i have a quick question as my s3 is acting up. It is locked to Wind (Ontario, Canada), or should I say was. My husband bought an unlock code online and now I am using my Telus SIM in it currently. It works for my data to go online, make calls, text and anything else I would like to do except it will not text pics (MMS). The error message reads “No signal found for mobile network.” My data is on and I have selected Telus from the list of networks after the search and selected each one out if the list to give it a go and i still cannot get any pictures to send. Any suggestions???

Solution: Try to check first if your phone is running on the latest software update. If there are updates available then install them on your phone.

Next, you should check the network mode your phone is using. Go to settings – more options under wireless and networks – mobile network – network mode. Try to choose GSM/HSPA (autoconnect). Once you have chosen this option try to check if you still get the same error message.

If the problem still occurs then you will need to delete the Telus APN setting of your phone then set it up again. The correct APN settings can be found at the Telus website.

Navigate to “Settings”
Tap “Wireless & networks” or “More…”
Tap “Access Point Names”
Tap “Access Point Names”
Tap “New APN” or the “+” icon

Manually type in the following information

Name: Enter any name
APN: sp.telus.com
Proxy server: leave blank
Port: leave blank
Username: leave blank
Password: leave blank
Server: leave blank
MMSC: https://aliasredirect.net/proxy/mmsc
Proxy server: 74.49.0.18
Port: 80
MCC:302
MNC: 220
Authentication type: None
APN type: default, mms, supl

S3 Can’t Make Calls Texts Unless Connected To Wi-Fi

Problem: Sir, I’ve had my S3 for 2 years and it has worked perfectly until about 2 weeks ago when it “suddenly” stopped working properly. It will make and receive phone calls and texts when I’m connected to WiFi, but it will not make or receive them otherwise. It seems my phone cannot find 4G service (even in areas in which I’ve had perfect service before (like home) and even when my husband’s phone (Samsung Galaxy Light) has great 4G service). When I attempt to make a phone call, it says “dialing” and it tries for a bit, but then disconnects, saying, “call ended”. I have bars of service, but the 4G icon is not there. I went to a local T-mobile store (where the problem persisted) and they switched my SIM card, but that didn’t fix the problem. I went back to the same T-mobile and they ran a diagnostics test on the phone and determined nothing at all. The rep then suggested a factory reset. I went home, backed-up items, and then did the factory reset. My phone still won’t work when not connected to WiFi. Do you have a solution? If not, do I take it to a generic cell phone repair place or just buy a new phone? Ugh. My S3 was working perfectly until two weeks ago! What happened? Thank you for your time and consideration!

Solution: Try updating the profile and prl information of your phone and check if this resolves the issue.

Make sure your phone is connected to a stable Wi-Fi connection
Select the menu button (located to the right of the home button)
Tap Settings
Tap More(upper right)
Then scroll down and tap System Update
Select Update Profile and let it run fully (may take up to 90 seconds)
After the network profile is updated, repeat the same steps, but this time select Update PRL instead of update profile

If the issue persists then try to change your phone network mode.

Go to Apps through Home screen.
Scroll to Settings, then tap on it.
Tap More settings.
Tap Mobile networks.
Tap Network mode.

Try to choose GSM/WCDMA (Auto mode) then check if the issue persists. Do the same for GSM only and WCDMA only.

You should also check if the issue occurs only in your house or in different areas as well. If it is only in your house then the problem may be with the network.

S3 Mobile Data Turns On Randomly

Problem: My S3 has just started indicating that the 3G is on but when I check on the pull down menu the mobile data is turned off. I never used mobile data as it is way to expensive here. Do you know how I can turn it off? For some reason I went through $20 in one day! Any help much appreciated.

Solution: In most cases where the mobile data turns on randomly the most likely culprit is an app installed in your phone. To check if this is the case you should start your phone in Safe Mode.

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ appears on the screen, release the Power key Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
‘Safe mode’ will display in the bottom left corner of the screen. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode.’

Observe your phone and check if the mobile data turns on. If it doesn’t then the issue is most likely caused by an app. Find out what app is causing this and uninstall it.

If however the issue still occurs even in Safe Mode then you will have to back up your phone data and do a factory reset.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press Power button to select and start the master reset. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to turn the restart the device.

S3 Mobile Data Turns Off Randomly

Problem: Hi, I found your website and was hoping you guys can help me. I have an S3 and my mobile data keeps turning off, which stops MMS from coming in. I have to keep manually toggling on mobile data throughout the day. How can I keep mobile data on and/or make sure MMS still comes to my phone? Thank you for any help you can provide! Regards.

Solution: This issue is the reverse condition of the problem we tackled above. The troubleshooting steps to be done are still the same.

You should first determine if an app installed in your phone is causing this problem. To verify if this is the case you should start your phone in Safe Mode.

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ appears on the screen, release the Power key Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
‘Safe mode’ will display in the bottom left corner of the screen. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode.’

If the issue does not occur then it is most likely caused by an app. Find out what app is causing this to occur and uninstall it.

If the issue persists then back up your phone data and do a factory reset.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press Power button to select and start the master reset. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to turn the restart the device.

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Feel free to send us your questions, suggestions and problems you’ve encountered while using your Android phone at [email protected]. We read every email but can’t guarantee a timely response. Lastly, if we were able to help you, please help spread the word by sharing our posts with your friends. Thanks.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Problems, Errors, Glitches and Ways to Fix Them [Part 54]

Hey guys! This is the 54th installment of our Samsung Galaxy S3 problems troubleshooting series and judging from the number of emails that were left unanswered; I think we can publish 50 parts more even if we stop receiving emails from S3 owners now. We literally receive hundreds of emails daily and we read each one of them.

For those who already sent us emails, your concerns may be featured in our next posts and for those who just tuned in, we are open to your questions and problems. Send them over at [email protected] or post them on our Facebook wall or Google+ page. We already addressed more than 600 problems for this device and we created an index page for them. Visit our Galaxy S3 Troubleshooting page, look for a problem close to what you have and try our troubleshooting procedures.

Click on a link below to jump to a specific problem:

Galaxy S3 Shuts Down Even With Enough Battery
Galaxy S3 Won’t Boot Up, Can’t Recover Photos
Calls Go Straight To Voicemail on Galaxy S3
Having Trouble Shutting Off and Rebooting Galaxy S3
Galaxy S3 Can’t Establish Secure Connection Error
Galaxy S3 Booted Up in Safe Mode
Galaxy S3 Doesn’t Display the Usual Mobile Data Icon
Galaxy S3 Won’t Turn On Completely
Can Receive Pictures But Can’t Send on Galaxy S3
Galaxy S3 Drains the Battery Quicker
Galaxy S3 System UIDs Inconsistent Error
Galaxy S3 Can’t Get Detected and Recognized by Computer
Galaxy S3 Screen Flickers, Freezes and Get Stuck During Boot Up
Galaxy S3 Can’t Send Picture Messages After Update

Galaxy S3 Shuts Down Even With Enough Battery

Problem: Recently I have been having what appears to be a very frustrating battery problem. I charge the phone fully and after a couple minutes it goes off and I have to put it back on the charger to get it back on. When it comes on the battery is sometimes at over 60%. Today with a full battery I tried taking some pictures. After the second snap the phone goes off. I put it back on the charger and it was almost 90%. I have ordered a new battery but is this the real problem? I don’t take my phone out with me any more because even the receipt of a WhatsApp message shuts it down. Will an upgrade of the OS helps?

Even without using, the battery goes real fast but it dies mostly with an activity. Really frustrated. — Pat

Troubleshooting: Hi Pat. Based on your description, it sounds like the battery is really the problem here. You know, it’s one of the few components that will deteriorate first, although, there is a possibility of a firmware issue, too.

Since you’ve already ordered a new battery, wait for it and see if the problem still occurs. If so, I would suggest you perform master reset but before doing so, make sure you make a backup of you important data and follow these steps:

Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
When the phone vibrates, release the Power button but continue holding the other two until Android System Recovery screen appears.
Use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power button to select it.
When finished, use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power button to select it.
Still use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘delete all user data’ and press the Power button to select the option.
Once the master reset is finished, highlight ‘reboot system now’ and hit the Power button one more time.

Galaxy S3 Won’t Boot Up, Can’t Recover Photos

Problem: Hello, my S3 won’t turn on and if possible I would really appreciate some help. All I’m looking to do is to recover my pictures stored on the phone (whether or not the phone is fixable is not really an issue for me). Phone: Samsung GALAXY SIII GT-19300

Info:

I can’t seem to turn on the Safe Mode though I may be doing it wrong? (Power button, when I see the logo let go of the power button and hold the volume down button?)
I can turn on Recovery Mode and I tried wiping the cache partition and then rebooting but it’s still stuck at the white logo screen
I can turn on the Download Mode (ODIN?), is there anything I can download to recover my photos?
The phone’s USB port (the one that connects the phone to a computer?) is very difficult to connect; I gave up on charging through a charger via outlet and just bought a charger to charge batteries and switch them out now.

I would greatly appreciate any help or advice in recovering my photos. Thanks in advance! — Henry

Troubleshooting: If the phone can’t boot up to the Home screen, there’s no way you can access the phone’s internal storage. I understand you already tried booting the S3 in safe mode but to no avail. But the only thing we can do is troubleshoot it and bring it back to life without doing factory reset. I outlined a simple troubleshooting guide for you to follow:

While the phone is on or stuck in the logo, remove the back cover and pull the battery out.
Without the battery in place, press and hold the power key for 1 minute.
Replace the battery and secure it with the back cover.
Attempt to turn the phone on.
Once you see the logo, keep tapping the Menu key (left of the Home key).
If successful, you’ll see the Safe mode text at the lower-left corner.

If this method wasn’t successful, try the other method to boot the phone in safe mode again. At the end of the day when the phone still refuses to come back on, you may need help from a technician to recover your photos.

Calls Go Straight To Voicemail on Galaxy S3

Problem: I have a problem with my galaxy s3. When I first got it, it worked perfectly. But after I set up my voicemail, I couldn’t receive phone calls anymore. I could make phone calls and send and receive texts, but I couldn’t get calls. It just goes straight to voicemail. I’ve tried turning off and on blocking mode: nothing. I would hate to do a factory reset and lose everything. Please, can you help? Thank you so much! — Hannah

Suggestion: Hey Hannah, issues like this can’t be fixed by changing a setting or two in your phone. You can setup voicemail and all in your phone but you don’t have access to whether a call gets routed to the voice inbox or not, but your provider does. So, please call them regarding this issue as they may be able to help you or answer more of your questions than we do.

Having Trouble Shutting Off and Rebooting Galaxy S3

Problem: Hi my name is Meghan, I bought a galaxy s3 back in march and I have been having trouble with it shutting off and then rebooting. Sometime it does not reboot though, also, recently I have been having problems with my phone getting black and white or sometimes even colored lines across the screen before it shuts off. Sometimes it would make a noise like static until I could get the battery out of it. Today it happened, I got it turned back on for a few minutes and then it shut back off, and I have not been able to get it back on. It’s been about 5 hours now. I’ve taken the battery out for about an hour, I’ve tested the battery with a volt reader and the battery is good. Out of ideas now. Could you help me in any way or do I need to send it out to get repaired? Thank you, Meghan.

Troubleshooting: Hi Meghan, I think the battery is fine. There could be something else that’s causing the problem, although I can’t pinpoint what it is, but I’m sure it’s not the firmware either. Honestly, after reading the first two sentences of your description, I thought it’s another Power key issue but the black and white or colored lines across the screen could be a sign of a more serious issue.

Meghan, I’m afraid you will have to send your phone for proper diagnosis and probably having this problem sorted out. As much as we want to help you, we can’t when it comes to hardware issues. We appreciate you reaching out to us.

Galaxy S3 Can’t Establish Secure Connection Error

Problem: The internet apps on my Galaxy S3 appear to be working fine EXCEPT I can’t log into Facebook. I keep getting a message that it cannot establish a secure connection. I just (after the problem started) set up Facebook account as an added account on the phone, but that didn’t help. I’ve deleted history, emptied cache. Still get same result when I try to get into Facebook. I can access my Facebook account without problem on our iMac, but I’ve been accustomed to using my phone for email, Facebook and a variety of other things. This problem just started three or four days ago, and it’s very frustrating. Can you help? Thanks. — Grace

Troubleshooting: Hey Grace. While the error message suggests something is wrong when trying to connect to Facebook servers, it’s not a connectivity issue. It’s the time and/or date. Change the time and date in your phone to reflect correct values and try again. That should fix this problem.

Galaxy S3 Booted Up in Safe Mode

Problem: Hi, my phone is great but it ran out of battery and when I turned it back on after charging it, all of my apps were gone. The app store says they are installed but I cant find them anywhere on my phone. Also, in the bottom left of the screen it has safe mode on it… it just came on not sure if that’s important. — Sally

Solution: It’s a minor issue, Sally. In fact, I think it’s not an issue at all. When the battery got depleted, there might have been some conflicts between apps and services, thus, the next time you boot it up, it booted straight to safe mode.

To get the phone out of safe mode, just reboot it normally and make sure your hand or fingers don’t touch the Menu key or press the Volume Down key. If the phone still boots in safe mode, then clear the cache partition. That should fix the problem:

Turn off the phone completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
When the phone vibrates, release the Power button but continue holding the other two until Android System Recovery screen appears.
Use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power button to select it.
Highlight ‘reboot system now’ and hit the Power key.

Galaxy S3 Doesn’t Display the Usual Mobile Data Icon

Problem: Dear sir, after updating my phone with the system update (the latest update) I started not receiving the 4g lte/ 3g icon on the top of my screen where the wifi icon is located. I’m pretty sure that it is supposed to be there because it only happened after I updated my phone and when I noticed my internet would no longer work outside of wifi I searched the problem and one of the suggestions was to uninstall the update and when I tried it, it still would not show my 4g/3g icon. But it might also have to do with the fact that I force stopped a built in app called flipboard because i was trying to uninstall it from my phone, but after I updated my phone it was still there. Then an app appeared on my home screen it was called zone- libenterainment and when I began uninstalling the update it became mobile zone with the green android icon.

If you could please give me a few suggestions on what to do to fix this problem it would be greatly appreciated an also if you could get back to me as soon as possible please and thank you. — Natalie

Troubleshooting: Natalie, thanks for providing details about your problem. But I was wondering if your phone was bought from your current provider because if not, I am almost certain the APN settings have been changed or was reset to default. That is the reason why you can no longer connect to the internet using mobile data. In fact, even if the phone was provided to you by your service provider, there is still a chance the APN was messed during the update. The best thing to do is call them and let the rep walk you through setting it back on your phone.

Galaxy S3 Won’t Turn On Completely

Problem: Hey Droid Guy, I really hope you can help me out here! I have a Samsung galaxy s3 that can’t be turned on completely.

Whenever I turn on the device (when it’s plugged in, since it doesn’t work without a power source for some reason), it vibrates, shows the Samsung logo, occasionally shows the Sprint screen, and then vibrates and turns off (goes back to the charging battery graphic). This happens whenever I press the power button, and it’s really frustrating.

I’ve tried to boot to safe mode, but the device still can’t turn on. When I unplug the power cord, I can’t do anything with the phone at all (won;t turn on, boot to anything, etc). It’s basically a useless paperweight.

I’m not sure if this is a battery problem, as I did borrow a friend’s battery and the same problem persists. I’ve read that this may be a power button issue, but I’m not sure. Could you please help me out? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks. — Teresa

Troubleshooting: That would become of any smartphone that has no power–a useless paperweight. I think, based on your description, the problem is with the Power key, it’s either stuck or totally damaged. But since the phone still responds when you press it, then it must be stuck partially. To get it out of being stuck, repeatedly press and release it. More often this simple procedure can fix this problem. However, to avoid getting some data corrupted due to repeated turning on and off, remove the battery first so the phone won’t attempt to boot up during the process. In the event that you can’t fix it by pressing the Power button a lot of time, it’s time you brought it to a technician and have it fixed.

Can Receive Pictures But Can’t Send on Galaxy S3

Problem: I have been unable to send pictures from my Samsung Galaxy S3. I can receive pictures and movie with sound but I can not send a picture. I changed the Group messaging from checked to unchecked with no change in the result except the ability to send to multiple receivers. Last year I reinstalled the O/S because I could not receive messages but I want to avoid that at all costs because the two backups did not work well when recovering. My vendor is Virgin Mobile. — Ed

Troubleshooting: Hey Ed, please call your service provider and inquire about the status of your account. It could be an account-related issue. If it shows that you can use data with your phone, then it must be the APN (Access Point Name). Ask for the correct APN for your phone and let the representative guide you through setting it up.

Galaxy S3 Drains the Battery Quicker

Problem: I have a Galaxy S3 which indicates fully charged, but when turned on there appears to be a huge battery draw because the battery charge only last 2.5 hours even if the phone is just sitting on the desk! I’ve replace the battery with a brand new Samsung battery with the same issue. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, Ken.

Related Problem: I have an issue with my galaxy s3. I have a sprint phone and this problem has been going on for a while. When using my phone my battery dies really fast for some odd reason ill be on it for about 1 minute and the battery will go down 2% the original percent. I have went to sprint multiple times and the same exact problem keeps happening! I got a new phone, but it still happens. I am getting frustrated! Is it the battery? I got a new one but it keeps happening! What do i do? Please help me.

Troubleshooting: Hey Ken. It sounds like there are a lot apps running in the background or your phone’s processor is always on hyper-drive. There is also a possibility that it’s a hardware issue. To find out more, I need you to boot the phone in safe mode and observe it closely.

Turn the phone off completely. If possible, remove the battery for a few seconds and place it back.
Turn the phone on normally.
As the phone boots up, keep tapping the Menu key (left of Home key).
If successful, the phone should be able to boot to the Home screen but it has a little chrome text on the lower left corner that says “Safe Mode.”

While in safe mode, continue using the phone and observe closely how long it can drain its battery. If there’s a huge difference, then your apps may be the culprit. However, if the problem still persists even in safe mode, it’s a hardware issue and you need to have the phone checked. In case your phone’s screen keeps turning on without your intervention when in normal mode, then there are wakelocks in it. Install the Wakelock Detector app from the Play Store, it can help you get rid of those wakelocks that help drain the battery faster.

Galaxy S3 System UIDs Inconsistent Error

Problem: Hi! Good day!!! I forgot to charge my phone but when I turn on my phone, the application that I downloaded were missing. I already reboot the phone and I got an error about UID I don’t know what that means.

I also checked the applications and all the applications that I downloaded were still there but showing all 0 MB. What shall I do? Please help me. Thanks!!! — JB

Troubleshooting: It means that some files inside the data partition are corrupted and it’s causing conflicts with the phone’s normal operation. I don’t know what happened to your phone but draining the battery won’t result to this problem.

Assuming the problem just started without apparent reason, then it must be a glitch. For that, I want you to perform soft reset:

While the phone is on, pull the battery out.
Without the battery in place, press and hold the power key for 1 minute.
Replace the battery and secure it with the back cover.
Attempt to turn the phone on.

If the phone still shows the same error message, try the safe mode and restart the phone one more time. If still the same, there’s no other option but to perform hard reset to format the data partition.

Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
When the phone vibrates, release the Power button but continue holding the other two until Android System Recovery screen appears.
Use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power button to select it.
When finished, use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power button to select it.
Still use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘delete all user data’ and press the Power button to select the option.
Once the master reset is finished, highlight ‘reboot system now’ and hit the Power button one more time.

Galaxy S3 Can’t Get Detected and Recognized by Computer

Problem: I have been able to do this in the past in order to transfer photos and other files between my computer and my smartphone. But, after recent updates, when I connect my phone to my computer via USB, the computer doesn’t recognize the phone and I can’t transfer files. I remember there used to be a setting available to make the phone work as a media player or as a removable drive, but I don’t see that setting anymore. Any ideas? Thanks, Glen.

Troubleshooting: Hi Glen. Let’s make things easier for us, okay. The problem is with the drivers in your computer. I’m not sure if you already have Samsung Kies on it or not but if there is, then uninstall it. After that, log on to Samsung Kies page and download the appropriate version. You said the problem started after the recent update, so I assume your phone is running Android 4.3 or higher. Download Kies 3.0 instead of 2.6. after downloading and installing it, the computer must be able to detect and recognize your phone.

Galaxy S3 Screen Flickers, Freezes and Get Stuck During Boot Up

Problem: Hi, I’ve read your page on how to fix a Samsung S3 screen which flickers and dies and I’ve tried all the solutions but none of them work.

What happens is when I try to open large applications such as Playstore the screen will flicker, lose connectivity and then freeze, at which point I have to remove the battery and restart the phone. Usually during the restart process the phone will get stuck on the Samsung Logo. Please help. Thanks. — Raheez

Related Problem: I need help. My galaxy s3 keeps reading. Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped. I tried clearing my systems catch in apps under all. I believe I deleted the stock call app by accident when I rooted my phone under the file manager app called explorer. I reset my phone several times. Please help, I love my S3 and I’m currently out of options

Troubleshooting: Raheez, it is a firmware issue. I understand the hassle of resetting the phone but in your case, you have no other choice but to factory reset it. And I suggest you do it via recovery mode.

Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
When the phone vibrates, release the Power button but continue holding the other two until Android System Recovery screen appears.
Use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power button to select it.
When finished, use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power button to select it.
Still use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘delete all user data’ and press the Power button to select the option.
Once the master reset is finished, highlight ‘reboot system now’ and hit the Power button one more time.

Galaxy S3 Can’t Send Picture Messages After Update

Problem: Hello, I was on chat with Samsung yesterday for about an hour, and did not fix my problem.

Since the update, I can send Text Messages, but cannot send Pictures.

I checked my Wi-Fi, is it OK.

We cleared the cache and rebooted.

Next suggestion was to Factory Reset. Trying to avoid this.

Any advice? Thanks, Joe.

Solution: Don’t reset your phone over this, Joe. Instead turn on your mobile data as MMS messages are sent via mobile data networks. If it’s already on and you still can’t send a picture message, call your provider and specifically ask for the correct APN for your device, and perhaps, let the rep walk you through setting it up in your phone.

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Feel free to send us your questions, suggestions and problems you’ve encountered while using your Android phone. We support every Android that is available in the market today. And don’t worry, we won’t charge you a single penny for your emails. Email us via [email protected] any time. We read every email but can’t guarantee a response. Lastly, if we were able to help you, please help us spread the word by sharing our posts with your friends or visit our Troubleshooting Page. Thanks.

How To Fix No Internet Access On The Samsung Galaxy S3 & Other Related Issues

Welcome to our focused troubleshooting series that aims to resolve no Internet access on the Samsung Galaxy S3 & other related issues. If you own this particular model and you can’t get online with it then you have come to the right place as we may be able to help you with your problem. We have selected four connectivity related issues which we will tackle. These issues have been recently sent to us by our readers seeking assistance. We will provide the necessary troubleshooting steps needed to resolve each issue which you too can apply on your device if it is experiencing a similar problem.

If you own an Samsung Galaxy S3 or any other Android device for that matter then feel free to contact us using this form. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do contact us try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.

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

Aside from sending us an email you may also reach us at our Facebook and Google+ social media accounts.

S3 Cannot Get Online

Problem: I purchased a Sprint phone from a friend which was already set up for straight talk. I had the phone activated, and can make and receive calls but can’t get online.

Solution: The first thing you need to check in this case is if your account has an active mobile data subscription.

The next thing you need to do is to check if your phone APN settings matches the one your current carrier is using. To do this just follow the steps listed below.

From any Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap the Connections tab.
Under Network connections, tap More networks.
Tap Mobile networks.
Tap Access Point Names.
To reset your APN, tap the Menu key and then tap Reset to default.
If available, tap APN (the bullet point fills with green).
Verify and update the settings for the Data APN.

You can get the list of APN settings your carrier is using from their website or by contacting their technical support hotline.

S3 Lock Symbol On Wi-Fi

Problem: Issue i am facing is WIFI is not working and lock symbol is coming on the display, please advise what could be the possible reason.

Solution: In what part of the display is the lock symbol appearing? There are several factors that can cause this type of issue. Try to rule out a router issue first by connecting to a different Wi-Fi network. If your phone can connect then there may be a problem with the previous router you ae connecting to. If it doesn’t connect then proceed with the troubleshooting steps listed below.

First, restart both your phone and the router. In most cases like this restarting both devices usually helps. On your phone turn on the Wi-Fi feature then forget the Wi-Fi network. Scan for the network again and connect to it. You may need to enter the password again.

You should also try to check if this issue is caused by an app installed in your phone, especially a security related app. To do this you need to start your device in Safe Mode.

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ appears on the screen, release the Power key Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
‘Safe mode’ will display in the bottom left corner of the screen. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode.’

Try connecting to your Wi-Fi in this mode. If you can connect then the problem may be caused by an app. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.

S3 No Internet Access When Using Static IP

Problem: I’ve had connectivity problems and I used a static ip as advised now my phone says it’s connected but when I try to access Google play or chrome it tells me there is no internet connection please help

Solution: I’m assuming you are connecting to the Internet using a Wi-Fi source. The first thing you need to do is to check if the router you are connecting to is indeed working properly. If you have another device such as a laptop or a phone then try to get online with it while connected to your Wi-Fi. If you can get online using another device then it’s time to troubleshoot your phone.

Restarting your phone is the first step that you need to do.

Once your phone has booted up forget your Wi-Fi connection then scan for it again and connect to it. Tap on “show password “and “show advanced options” boxes. A new dropdown showing ‘IP Settings’ will currently show DHCP. Touch DHCP and a new dropdown popup allows you to toggle DHCP and Static. Enter your static IP info, and “Connect” to save.

If you still can’t access Google Play Store or go online on Chrome then try starting your phone in Safe Mode.

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ appears on the screen, release the Power key Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
‘Safe mode’ will display in the bottom left corner of the screen. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode.’

If the issue disappears in this mode then it may be caused by an app installed in your phone Find out what app this is and uninstall it.

S3 Poor Wi-Fi Range

Problem: Hi there, First of all, thank you for making it possible for us phone noobs to email you our questions when we are desperate for answers. I have had my S3 for more than 3 years now, and even though it has become somewhat slower it still functioned pretty well. Up to today. I am currently in Japan (on holiday) and most of the hosts provide wireless WiFi routers you can take with you so you are connected all day long. It is now my fifth day of being connected to one particular WiFi device and it has worked fine until now. My WiFi signal was very strong and the Internet very fast. No problem whatsoever. This morning when I woke up there did not seem to be any problem either. Now, however, my phone will only connect to the router when it is on top of the WiFi device or right next to it. Being 1 meter away from it causes the phone not to scan the network anymore. What’s more, I cannot seem to scan any other networks anymore. It is as if my antenna suddenly broke. The other devices that are/were connected to the WiFi device do not have any problems at all. I haven’t a clue what to do anymore. I’ve tried several resets and fixes that I found on your website, but none of them seem to work (partly because I suspect it’s a hardware problem). But maybe you have heard of this before and know a different quick fix? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance. Best regard

Solution: I suggest you do a factory reset on your phone to check if this is a software related concern. Make sure to back up your phone data before performing this procedure.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press Power button to select and start the master reset. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to turn the restart the device.

If the issue still remains then this may already be a hardware related problem. If this is the case then you will have to bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.

Engage with us

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

How to Wipe the Dalvik Cache of the Samsung Galaxy S3

wipe the dalvik cache of samsung galaxy s3

Before we start, please be reminded that this option is only available for rooted Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone. So, if your phone is not rooted, you will not be able to see most of the options that you have to select in order to successfully wipe the Dalvik Cache.

Just so we are clear, be reminded as well that we are not encouraging you to root your phone in any way if you are not familiar with the process because there are risks associated with it like bricking your device when not done properly. Lastly, make sure that your important files are backed up because you will surely lose them after this process has been completed.

If you have understood the risks and you have already rooted your Samsung Galaxy S3, you can now proceed with this.

Clearing the Dalvik Cache of the Galaxy S3

Simply follow the steps enumerated below to complete the process:

Turn off the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Enter Recovery Mode by holding down the Power, Volume Down and Home buttons altogether.
When you get the black screen with the Recovery Mode message, let go off the keys.
Use the Volume key to navigate your way on the options. Use it to highlight Advanced in the given choices. Press the Home key to select it.
Choose Wipe Dalvik Cache using the same method in the previous step.
When the confirmation message appears, just scroll down until you reach the option that says, “Yes – Wipe Dalvik Cache”. Then select it.
After that, select the “Go Back” option.
Choose Wipe Data/ Factory Reset.
Again, you will encounter a confirmation message wherein you have to select “Yes”.
Upon seeing the “Data Wipe Complete” message on the bottom of your screen, choose “Wipe Cache Partition” and confirm your action by selecting “Yes”.
When you see the message that says “Complete”, choose Reboot and wait until your phone starts normally.

Why Wipe the Dalvik Cache

Wiping the Dalvik Cache of your Galaxy S3 is important after installation of a new firmware to remove any incompatible files left behind by your old one. This method is also a good way to fix various errors in your device like the Wi-Fi auto connect issue, “Storage Space Running Low” error and others if all possible solutions have failed.

Email Us

For questions or ideas that you wish to share to us regarding this subject, feel free to email us at [email protected].

What To Do When Samsung Galaxy S3 Shows Blank microSD Card

One of the most disappointing experiences many Samsung Galaxy S3 owners encountered since the release of the device was when everything in the microSD card was deleted. Others also complained after finding their card was blank. Here’s one emails from our reader:

Hey my Galaxy S3 just got a message that says SD card is blank. I apparently have lost everything on this SD card. I’ve read online that this is happening a lot to the S3. Is there a way to recover my SD card?

Mike

Basically, when it comes to this problem, there’s nothing much you can do than check the microSD card’s condition. Here’s how…

Also read: Solution to the Samsung Galaxy S3 Micro SD Card Problem

#1. Reboot your phone. If this just happened to you, then try rebooting your phone first before you consider the thought that the microSD card was damaged. There were a lot of reports from owners claiming a reboot could fix this problem. Basically, the procedure works for minor or temporary device problems. If a restart remedies the issue, try to back everything up in your card because the problem might happen again and there might not be a next time when it happens.

#2. Let your computer read the card. If the phone sees your microSD card as a blank storage device, then let your computer confirm it. Take the card out, insert it into a card reader and plug it into your computer. Oftentimes, it wouldn’t take a minute to do so depending on how fast your computer could detect it. If there’s no problem with the card, the computer would display all your files. However, if the card was damaged, the computer will say so and recommend you reformat it.

#3. Reformat the microSD card. Now face it, if the computer couldn’t read from the SD card, it is either defective or just needs to be formatted. You can’t do anything but buy a new one if the case is the former. However, you should try the latter because that’s your last resort. Reformat the microSD card (FAT32) using your computer or phone and see if the phone could detect it after doing so. If not, then go with buying a new one.

Tell us your phone problems

We are among the very few online communities that are open to receive questions from our readers about the problems they’ve encountered with their phones. Don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] and tell us your problems and we will do our own research to be able to provide you with solutions and / or ideas that may lead to the resolution of your problems. That’s for free. All we ask of you is to mention all possible details so we’ll know where to start.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Cannot Display Website Content [How To Fix]

My Samsung Galaxy S3 cannot view a website’s content. It seems like it’s stuck somewhere that it cannot fully open almost all websites I go to. I’m not really a savvy person so I don’t know what to say but I need your help.

I launch my browser, type in the website’s address and tap Go. It worked before, in fact, I often use it to post anything on my blog. It actually started about a couple of weeks ago and I don’t know what happened. I thought it was just a temporary issue with my phone. I think there are some settings messed up somewhere but I just cannot pin-point it. By the way, my son often plays his favorite game on my phone so I suspect he was the one who messed it up.

I would surely appreciate your suggestions or directions. Thank you!

The problem is quite simple: the user cannot view contents of some websites. Thus, we are inclined to believe it is a browser issue and that’s just right. However, before we actually take steps to troubleshoot the browser, we will try to find out if there are underlying problems that could have contributed to it.

Troubleshooting

First Step: When experiencing problems like this, always check the internet connection first before going further. If you’re using mobile data, check if you’re getting good coverage, currently not in the area with outages, or if the phone is receiving sufficient signal. For those who are connected through WiFi, make sure the signal is good, too. If you were able to send or receive emails then you have a good internet connection.

Second Step: If you have a laptop, a desktop or other mobile devices, go try to browse the web and visit the website you tried to visit using your Galaxy S3. See if everything looks fine on the site. If you failed to do this, you might end up troubleshooting your device without knowing that the problem is with the website.

Third Step: The browser bandwidth limitation setting may have been set not to load images and other multimedia files on websites. You need to check on this:

Launch the browser.
Tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Choose Bandwidth Management.
Check the box beside Load Images.
Now refresh the page to check if you can now display the contents.

Fourth Step: After doing the previous step and the problem still persists, check on Content Settings of your browser. It may have been set not to load JavaScripts.

Launch the browser.
Tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap Content Settings.
Check the box next to Enable JavaScript.
Now check if the page loads contents.

Fifth Step: If the problem wasn’t resolved in the previous step, you should check to see if the pop-up blocker was turned on. There have been a lot of cases that the pop-up blocker was the one causing browsing problems on smartphones.

Launch the browser.
Tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap Content Settings.
Uncheck the box next to Block Pop-ups.
Now check if the problem was resolved.

Sixth Step: Lastly, if all procedures above fail, there is nothing left for you to do than to clear the browser’s cache and data. Be advised that you may lose some settings, data and bookmarks when you clear data.

From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Choose Application Manager.
Scroll to and tap Browser.
Tap Clear Cache, then Clear Data.
Tap Force Close button.
Reboot phone.

After doing this procedure and the problem still persists, then try to use a different browser like Chrome, etc.

Having problems with your phone?

Tell us about them by emailing us at [email protected] Make sure to include as much details as possible so that we could understand the problem well and find the best solutions for you. If you can share a screenshot or two, that would be better.

We may not be able to respond to every email we receive but rest assured we do read them… yes, all of them even if some do look like spams.

Google Play Music Always Running in Samsung Galaxy S3

There have been various complaints about the Google Play Music App. One Samsung Galaxy S3 user relayed to us that his phone is constantly running this app in the background. According to him, he forces it to stop or he uses task killer to disable the app but it resumes its operation again after a few minutes.

Possible Solutions to the Google Play Music Auto Run Problem

Based on our research, there are different methods to prevent Google Play Music from automatically running in the background of the Galaxy S3. Here they are:

1. Disable Google Play Music Syncing

One contributor in the Android Central forums shared the solution that Google Support provided him. In his post in the thread, he said that Google Support advised him to disable the syncing of the Google Play Music app. This can be done using the following steps:

a. From the Home screen, go to Settings.

b. Head over to Accounts followed by selecting Google.

c. Proceed to the Accounts configuration.

d. Select the email address that you are using which you have registered in Google.

e. Uncheck the Sync Google Play Music option.

Take note that while many have said that this solution worked for them, some stated that the app still persistently pops out after doing this.

2. Uninstall Updates of Google Play Music and Stop the App Completely

If the solution above fails to work, try this method:

a. Go to the Google Play app.

b. Choose the Google Play Music app.

c. Open the Settings.

d. Click Auto-Update Apps and hit “Do Not Auto Update Apps”.

e. Next go to back to the Home screen and open Settings.

f. Proceed to Application Manager.

g. Select the Google Play Music App and choose the Uninstall Updates option.

h. After that, repeat the items d, e and f of this section of the guide.

i. Tap the Google Play Music app and select Force Stop.

j. Repeat steps d, e and f again.

k. Show the cached processes.

l. Select the action to stop the running apps in the background.

m. Swipe to the All panel and disable Google Play Music from there.

Email Us

For more questions or insights about this Galaxy S3 issue, email us at [email protected] or hit the comment box below.

“Unfortunately, Messaging Has Stopped” Error Message in Galaxy S3

We received a new message via The Droid Guy Mailbag which reads, “Hello. My problem started this morning. I do text a lot but much to my surprise, my Samsung Galaxy S3 keeps freezing on every text I attempt to send this morning. Several times, the ‘Unfortunately, messaging has stopped’ error message comes out. I have restarted the phone several times. I took the battery out as well. I went to Settings, Applications Manager, Samsung Keyboard and I cleared data and cache. None of the above made things any better. I still have plenty of memory on my phone as well as on memory card. Please help. I don’t want to go back to factory settings. Thanks.”

How to Eliminate the “Unfortunately, Messaging Has Stopped” Error in Galaxy S3

Restarting plus clearing the cache and data of the Samsung keyboard is a good thing to do but you should also try clearing the cache and then the data of the text messaging app. These should eliminate the “Unfortunately, messaging has stopped” error message of the Galaxy S3 if the issue is confined within the text messaging app alone.

If those solutions don’t work, try to see if there are updates for the text messaging app of your device. Download and install the update especially if it contains bug fixes.

Third-party apps that are eating up too much of your phone’s processing power may cause the “Unfortunately, messaging has stopped” error message of the GS3 too. Start under Safe Mode to see if the problem persists. If the issue no longer occurs there, then, it is definitely a third-party app causing the error message. If that’s the case look for the app eating too much RAM and disable or uninstall it.

When all else fails, perform a Factory Reset. However, if the hard reset fails or the problem still persists under Safe Mode, have the internal hardware of your phone checked by a Smartphone repairman for a possible defect.

Email Us

For more questions about Android devices, feel free to email us at [email protected]

Cannot Delete Photos from Galaxy S3 SD Card

Personalize Galaxy S3 SMS Notification Sound

Here is another question that was sent to us in Mailbag, “I am experiencing a very peculiar problem. I cannot delete the pictures from my SD card. At every attempt to delete photos from it, I encounter an error message which tells me that the action has failed. Can you please provide me solutions to this problem I am experiencing with my Galaxy S3?”

If you cannot delete photos from Galaxy S3 SD card similar to the problem above, the issue may have been triggered by corrupted image files, glitch in the SD card or it may be related to a defective memory card.

What to Do if You Cannot Delete Photos from Galaxy S3 SD Card

Here are the steps that you have to perform to fix the issue:

1. Restart Your Phone

Restart your device or do a soft reset (by holding down the Power/Lock button until the phone restarts). Then, access the photos and delete them again.

2. Enter Safe Mode

There are instances wherein third-party apps start getting erratic. During those times, certain glitches are triggered randomly which may include the issue being discussed here. If you suspect that a third-party app is preventing you from deleting a photo, enter Safe Mode and attempt the deletion of the images there.

3. Delete the Photos via the Computer

Another way to delete a photo which is stuck in your SD card is by connecting your phone to a computer using its USB cable or insert the SD card to its intended slot in the computer. From there, open the SD card directory and delete the images using your computer.

4. Format the SD Card

If the solutions above fail to work, format the SD card using your phone or computer. Use the methods described in the article titled “Galaxy S4 SD Card Error Fix“ to go about this.

Email Your Android Questions

For more questions about Android devices, email us at [email protected].

Wi-Fi Auto Off Fix in Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4

One common problem experienced by Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 users with custom ROMs are getting disconnected in Wi-Fi when it is idle. So far, there is no clear explanation as to what is causing the problem but some speculate that it might be connected to rooting. However, there are other users who have stated that the issue is already there the moment they bought their units. Thus, we can’t say for sure what is really causing this.

Provided below are solutions just in case the usual rebooting process and disabling interfering apps will not solve the issue.

#1 Solution for the Wi-Fi Auto Off Problem

If you are using the AOKP Jelly Bean custom ROM in your Galaxy S3 or Galaxy S4, perform the following steps provided by the XDA Developers forum:

1. Dial *#0011#.

2. Press the Menu key.

3. Choose Wi-Fi.

4. Uncheck the Wi-Fi Power Saving Mode option. It will appear green when enabled.

5. Go back to the Home screen of your device.

This should reboot its Wi-Fi driver and solve the problem.

#2 Solution for the Wi-Fi Auto Off Problem

Users who are using stock ROM or who have never rooted their Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 can perform these steps from the Phandroid forum:

1. Press the Menu button.

2. Go to Settings.

3. Tap Wi-Fi.

4. Press the Menu button again.

5. Select Advanced.

6. Choose Keep Wi-Fi On During Sleep.

7. Tap the radio button to Always.

This will prevent your Wi-Fi from turning off even when your phone is idle or in Sleep mode.

#3 Solution for the Wi-Fi Auto Off Problem

For users who are experiencing intermittent signals in their Wi-Fi, they can also apply these steps:

1. Press the Menu key.

2. Access Settings.

3. Under the Wireless and Network section, choose More Settings.

4. Scroll down all the way to the Network portion and tap Mobile Networks.

5. Tap the Connections Optimizer so that it will be checked.

This will let your Wi-Fi auto-connect when a registered network is within its reach.

Email to Us Your Questions and Suggestions

I hope that the information provided here somehow helped. For more questions, write to us at [email protected] Just be detailed as much as possible in your questions so we can effectively pinpoint your problem and help you find the right solution for it.

Users who have something to contribute on the subject can also share their views and suggestions via [email protected] or on the comment box below.

Visit also the Mailbag section for more articles.

Solutions To Samsung Galaxy S3 Text Messaging Related Issues

Welcome to our focused troubleshooting series that aims to resolve the Samsung Galaxy S3 text messaging related issues. Just as the title suggests we will be resolving text messaging issues in this installment of the series such as message not sending, not receiving a message,and lag in sending a message just to name a few examples. We will provide the necessary troubleshooting steps for each issue which hopefully will lead to a resolution.

If you own a Galaxy S3 or any other Android device for that matter then feel free to contact us using this form. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do contact us try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.

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

Aside from sending us an email you may also reach us at our Facebook and Google+ social media accounts.

S3 Messaging App Freezes

Problem: When receiving a text message, keyboard freezes and get message that Samsung keyboard unresponsive. Freezes phone for about 3 minutes. Types one letter about every 20 seconds. Will not send message for about 2 minutes.

Solution: One possible cause for this issue is that there may be some corrupt temporary data in the messaging app that you are using. To resolve this issue try clearing the cache and data of the app first.

From any Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Tap Application manager.
Swipe to the All screen.
Tap the desired application.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
Tap Clear cache.

If the issue persists then proceed with wiping the cache partition of your phone.

Press and hold the Power/Lock key, tap Power off, and then tap OK to turn off the tablet.
Press and hold the Power/Lock key and Up Volume key at the same time.
Release the Power/lock key when the Samsung logo appears.
Release the Up Volume keys when the Android image appears.
When the menu appears, press the Down Volume key to select Wipe cache partition.
Press the Power/Lock key.
Once the message, “Cache wipe complete” appears on the screen below the menu, Press the Power/Lock key to select Reboot system now.

S3 Not Receiving Or Sending Text From One Number

Problem: Not receiving or sending texts to one particular number. Same carrier..sprint & both android phones. Have deleted all contact info and done soft factory reset. The other person has a samsung note. We had always been able to send and receive texts successfully in the past. They’ve been into sprint for a factory reset. How can we tell which phone is the issue. Both of us successfully send & receive from others.

Solution: If both phones have already undergone a factory reset then the issue may be with the network or the accounts itself. You should however try to send a message to the affected number from Safe Mode.

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ appears on the screen, release the Power key Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
‘Safe mode’ will display in the bottom left corner of the screen. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode.’

If you can send a message from Safe Mode then there may be an app, possibly a security app, that has previously been blocking your ability to send the message. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.

If the issue still persists even in Safe Mode then you may have to consider getting a new SIM.

S3 Not Receiving Text Messages

Problem: Hi, I’m having a problem with my galaxy S3. The problem is that I can’t receive texts. Lots of people tell me that they texted me but I haven’t received any. Do you have any idea of how to solve this?

Solution: Try restarting your phone first to reset your connection to your network. Once the phone has fully booted up make sure that it has sufficient signal coverage. Send yourself a text message and check if you can receive it.

If you still can’t receive a message try to check if you may have enabled the spam settings in your phone and if it is enabled then disable it.

Go to Apps through Home screen.
Tap Messaging.
Tap the Menu key.
On pop up menu select Settings.
Disable Spam Settings under Spam message settings section. When the checkbox next to this option is unchecked this means the option is disabled.

If the spam settings are disabled and you are still not receiving any messages then try to check the issue when your phone is in Safe Mode.

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ appears on the screen, release the Power key Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
‘Safe mode’ will display in the bottom left corner of the screen. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode.’

Once in Safe Mode try sending yourself a text message. If it arrives then a third party app installed in your phone may be blocking the messages. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.

If however you are still not receiving text messages even in Safe Mode then proceed with backing up your phone data and do a factory reset.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press Power button to select and start the master reset. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to turn the restart the device.

S3 Cannot Send Or Receive Text Messages

Problem: I can not send or receive any text messages. I just got this phone in the mail to replace my broken galaxy s 3. How do get my texting to work? I can make phone calls and cleared my messaging in settings. I also restarted my phone. No luck. Thank you.

Solution: You should first make sure that your account is able to send and receive text messages by calling your carrier.

Once that has been cleared the next step you should do is to check if this issue occurs only in certain areas. If it does then this may be a coverage related issue.

Make sure to use the default messaging app when trying to send a text message and check the message center number as well. This number should be the one your carrier is using.

Find “Settings”
Press Apps.
Press Messaging.
Press the Menu key.
Press Settings.
Press Message Centre

Engage with us

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

Text Not Sending Troubleshooting

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How to Fix a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Lines on its Display or a Black Screen

Hello Readers, we’ve been getting a lot of mails from you guys who are facing display issues with their Samsung Galaxy S3. The nature of these issues are different and some have an easy fix some may need a display replacement in order to get the device back in proper working condition. Below are some of the issues our readers have faced with their Samsung Galaxy S3 displays. You may go through the post to see if a troubleshooting solution helps your concern.

If you have a different issue with your Samsung Galaxy S3 or with any other Android device, please feel free to write to us using this form. We would love to get your device back to proper working condition. You can also go through the list of issues other readers have faced and go through our guides.

There may be multiple causes that can range from software issue to hardware failure. It is important to follow the steps in order to pinpoint the problem and find a fix. It is recommended to start troubleshooting by rebooting the device.

Another method would be to remove the battery from your Galaxy S3 and keep the phone aside for a few minutes. Insert the battery, power the device on and see if the issue you had has been resolved. If the problem hasn’t been resolved it’s time to move ahead with troubleshooting it further. We have a list of issues that our readers have faced and they have been neatly filed under our comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide for the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Problem : Line on the Screen

Green line down centre of screen, if I screen shot it is not there.

Solution:

This looks like a hardware problem to me, a row of pixels may have malfunctioned causing a green line to appear. Here are the steps to assess the problem. The first step would be to click a screenshot when the problem is visible. In this case capture a screenshot when a green line is visible on the display.To take a screenshot on the Galaxy S3 hold down the Home and the Power button at the same time. The whole screen will flash and it will be saved in the gallery automatically. Alternatively you can also use the inbuilt feature on the S3 for screenshots, simply swipe your hand across the screen and it will take a screenshot.

Go to the screenshot and check it for the green line. Zoom into the pic and move around, if green line also moves with it then it looks like a Software issue. But if the green line is still at the exact same spot even when you are moving the pic around, it definitely is a hardware issue.

Software issue

If it is a software issue then it is relatively easy to fix, you must follow the following steps. The phone will be wiped in the process and hence it is important that you take a backup of all the contents on your phone. Backup photos, contacts and media from the phone because after the rest it will be non recoverable.

Preparing the phone for the reset. After the backup charge the phone such that it has over 50% of battery left to perform the reset successfully.
Go to Settings > Under the Accounts Tab > Backup and Reset and click Factory Reset.
The phone will now start the process and once complete should get rid of the issue.

Hardware Issue

If the initial diagnosis indicate that it is a hardware issue then the phone needs to a Samsung Service Center or a competent shop. Before changing the display we will advise you to look if the display connector is connected securely to the motherboard. A bad connector may also cause display issues and changing the entire display won’t be required.

In case a display replacement is required, ensure that an original replacement part is used for it.

Problem: Screen not responding

“The screen on my galaxy s3 won’t respond or turn on the phone turns on itself but the screen doesn’t respond it’s just black”

Solution:

The problem can be a hardware related issue or a firmware issue, to rule out it being a firmware issue follow these steps. Putting the phone into Safe Mode, this can be done but switching the phone on and pressing the menu button on the phone repeatedly. The phone boots into safe mode where only preinstalled apps are loaded. You can also try putting the phone into Recovery Mode with the following steps.

1) Turn off the device

2) Press the Power, Volume Up and the Home button simultaneously

3) The device will then boot into recovery mode.

If the display works in Safe Mode or Recovery mode it can be narrowed down to a firmware issue. You can perform a Factory reset in Recovery mode or a flash the appropriate firmware for your phone.

If the screen is still blank it is most likely a hardware issue. The display cable may have have come loose or the display may have stopped working. To fix this issue the phone will need to be inspected by a qualified technician. First the connectors and cables need to be checked to ensure that the connectors are firmly in place and the cables aren’t damaged. The connectors may require cleaning to ensure a proper connection.

If the display still doesn’t turn on after the previous process, the screen may have developed an issue and isn’t working as expected. In case the phone was dropped before the problem occurred there is a possibility that the display may have been damaged in the fall. A screen replacement would be required to get the phone to proper working condition.

We would recommend getting the screen replaced from a Samsung Authorized Service Center or a qualified technician. Also ensure that original parts are used for replacement.

Engage With Us

If you or someone you know has an issue on their Android Smartphone then feel free to write us your problems using this link. We will try to answer them as soon as we can.

While writing to us, describe the problem you are facing in detail so that it becomes easy to troubleshoot the issue. It will also help if you give additional details supporting the problem, like the apps installed right before the problem or incident that led to the problem.

Don’t forget to be a part of our community and stay up to date via our Facebook and Google+ Page.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Can’t Download Photos Sent Through Text Message

galaxy s3 problem with retrieving photos from sms

There are many Samsung Galaxy S3 users who are asking why they are having problems retrieving the photos sent to them through the text messaging app of their devices.

The Probable Cause of the Problem in Downloading Pictures From the Galaxy S3 SMS App

If you happened to be experiencing this problem, do not worry because this is usually linked to a wrong configuration in your phone or poor network connection in your area.

The Possible Solutions to the Problem of the Galaxy S3 in Downloading Photos From the Text Messaging App

If you are stuck in this predicament, here are a couple of things that you can try to solve your problem:

1. Enable Packet Data

Make sure that the packet data of your Galaxy S3 is enabled or just toggle it off and on using these steps:

a. Go to Settings.

b. Select More under the Wireless and Network section.

c. Navigate your way through the bottom where you can find Mobile Networks.

d. From there, uncheck and then check the box beside the Use Packet Data option.

This seemed to work on many users who have been having trouble retrieving photos which were sent to them via SMS based on the related threads of Android Central and Galaxy S4 Forums.

2. Check Network Connection

Ensure that the signal in your area is stable. A poor signal in your network can cause the photos to have trouble loading properly. Of course, this will definitely give you problems in retrieving them later. Then, even if you successfully get them, the files may appear as corrupted in your directory.

3. Disable WiFi

You may also try disabling the WiFi of your Galaxy S3 for the meantime while you are retrieving the photos.

Email Us

We hope that this article somehow helped you. For more questions about Android devices or solutions that you want to share related to this subject, email us at [email protected].

Galaxy S3 Call Blocking and SMS Blocking

The Samsung Galaxy S3 call blocking and SMS blocking features will surely come in handy if you are trying to avoid the people who are bothering you in your phone such as ex-girlfriends, ex-boyfriends, ex-husband, ex-wife, stalker, telemarketers and others.

Using the Galaxy S3 Call Blocking and SMS Blocking Features

Using the Galaxy S3 call blocking is easy, all you have to do is follow the steps below:

1. Galaxy S3 Call Blocking

a. From the Home screen, tap the Phone app.

b. Choose the name or number of the person that you want to block.

c. Tap the Menu key.

d. Select Add to Reject List from the given choices.

e. Finish by tapping OK.

2. Accessing Contacts Listed in Galaxy S3 Call Blocking

a. Run the Phone icon from the Home screen.

b. Tap the Menu button.

c. Go to Call Settings.

d. Choose Call Rejections.

e. Select Auto Reject List.

f. Just uncheck the box on the right of the number or name that you want to unblock.

3. Galaxy S3 SMS Blocking

a. Open the Messaging app from the Home screen.

b. Press the Menu key.

c. Go to Settings.

d. Scroll all the way down to Spam Settings and make sure that its box is checked.

e. Tap Register Number as Spam.

f. Hit the plus symbol (+) on top.

g. Key in the number of the person you wish to block or tap Contacts and search for the name and number of the person there.

Email to Us Your Questions and Suggestions

I hope that the information provided here somehow helped. For more questions, write to us at [email protected]. Just be detailed as much as possible in your questions so we can effectively pinpoint your problem and help you find the right solution for it.

Users who have something to contribute on the subject can also share their views and suggestions via email or in the comment box below.