Archives for

touchwiz

Galaxy S6 text messages are showing in Outlook email inbox, other app issues

Hello TheDroidGuy community! Welcome to another post about #GalaxyS6 app problems and solutions. We want to share today six app problems coming from some S6 users.

Galaxy Samsung S6 native messaging app
SwiftKey app issue in Galaxy S6
LinkedIn app in Galaxy S6 creates duplicate contacts
Galaxy S6 text messages are showing in Outlook email inbox
Galaxy S6 freezes and Touchwiz app not working properly
Kid Mode app on Galaxy S6 not working after Marshmallow update

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

Problem #1: Galaxy Samsung S6 native messaging app

Hi there. I recently got the Galaxy S6 and am new to the texting app Samsung uses. Under all of my texts is the time the text was sent or received, which is nice, but it also displays what kind of message it was. “text message” or “multimedia message” appears as well as the time. I was wondering if there was a way to hide or remove the kind of message from appearing under each text message. I am not finding a simple solution and am wondering if this is something I cannot control or if I will need to download a different messaging app if I would like to do this. Thank you in advance. I’m sorry if this message is a little long, just wanted to be thorough I suppose. Haha. — Victor

Solution: Hi Victor. The native Samsung texting app is designed to display the kind of message you are receiving. The app is coded this way and unfortunately, there’s no way to redesign it.

Problem #2: SwiftKey app issue in Galaxy S6

I installed the SwiftKey app on all my previous Android phones. When I put my phone into ultra power-saving mode everything goes grayscale and the keyboard goes to the basic Samsung keyboard. (which is expected) But when I bring my phone back off of ultra power saving mode it does not go back to what I had set my default keyboard to be, which is SwiftKey. Every time and take my phone out of ultra power saving mode I have to go back into language and input settings to change my keyboard default back to SwiftKey. I’ve tried deactivating all the other keyboards that are on there, and that doesn’t make a difference. Any ideas? — Jackie

Solution: Hi Jackie. Looks like the issue is on operating system being unable to automatically switch back to default settings. To fix that, try these three potential solutions:

Delete SwiftKey’s cache and data

Although it’s highly likely that the issue is with the operating system, we don’t think wiping the app’s cache and data won’t hurt. These are the steps:

Go to Settings.
Proceed to Applications.
Select Manage Applications.
Tap the All tab.
Look for Swiftkey app and tap it.
From there, you will see the Clear Cache and Clear Data buttons.

Wipe the cache partition

Another type of cache you need deleting is the phone system cache. An outdated or corrupted system cache can lead to issues. It’s also a recommended maintenance procedure that must be done regularly. Deleting the existing cache may fix your problem. Here’s how:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, and 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 cache partition.’
Press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Perform a factory reset

This procedure is the last resort. If the first two won’t change anything, doing a factory reset is your last chance. Make sure to create a backup of your personal data before proceeding.

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

Problem #3: LinkedIn app in Galaxy S6 creates duplicate contacts

LinkedIn duplicated my contacts to hundreds per person and crashed my contact. I have disabled the automatic syncing and try to delete the duplicated contacts manually (which was up to thousands!) and the contacts keep crashing halfway.

I decided to uninstall LinkedIn app and stop all syncing.

Now I can’t even access my contact because everytime I tried to go in, it will be updating contacts for the longest time and then crashed.

My storage becomes 87% filled when it was just 59% a few days ago and I did not install any other apps. Please help!! Thank you. — Lina

Solution: Hi Lina. There must be an unknown bug that triggers the Contacts app to sync and crash eventually. Deleting this app’s cache and data (steps provided above) should help you fix this issue. Keep in mind that tapping the Clear Data button will virtually uninstall Contacts app, wiping all your contacts in the process. Make sure that you have a master copy of all your contacts saved somewhere else before doing this procedure.

Problem #4: Galaxy S6 text messages are showing in Outlook email inbox

My Samsung Edge is new, so I am still trying to get things set up. I have two problems:

1) I want to share a contact, but following your tutorial, I open Contacts, select the one I want to share, go to More, and where I would expect “Share contact”, all I get is the choice between “Delete” and “Mark as default” (in between, there is even an empty line). What do I need to do to get that option back?

2) More tricky: I have 3 mail accounts that I want to get displayed on the phone, one my company’s MS Outlook, which I have working now, and the other two are Hotmail accounts. I have set each of them up and they have all at one point been working, but I can’t get all 3 (or even 2) to work at the same time so that I can switch between the mail accounts.

3) Is there a way to stop getting the texts I receive on the phone to show up in my company mail?

Your help would be greatly appreciated! — Jessy

Solution: Hi Jessy. To answer the number one question, you must first tap on the contact before tapping on more so that the Share namecard option will show up. Once you do that, there will be a list of sharing methods available for you like the following:

Add to OneNote: Save the information to your OneNote account.
Android Beam: Send the information using NFC and Android Beam.
Bluetooth to send the information via Bluetooth. See Bluetooth for information on pairing and sending via Bluetooth.
Contacts: Share files up to 1 GB using Contacts.
Drive to save the information to your Google Drive account.
Email to send the information as an email attachment. See Compose and Send Email.
Gmail to send the information as a Gmail attachment. See Create and Send a Gmail Message.
Messages to send the information in a text message. See Send a Multimedia Message (MMS).
OneDrive: Save the information to your OneDrive account.
Quick connect: Send the information to a nearby device.
Wi-Fi Direct to send the information to another device via Wi-Fi Direct. See Wi-Fi Direct.

If these options won’t show up, you are either using a different Contacts app, or there’s a firmware bug causing it. Make sure you wipe the Contact app’s cache and data and/or do a factory reset (steps provided above). Don’t forget to backup your contacts first before doing any of these.

We don’t get what you mean by the second concern. If not all accounts are syncing properly, make sure both account and master sync are enabled. The account sync option should be found under the email account settings menu. To turn on your phone’s master sync, just follow these steps:

Go to the Home screen.
Pull down the notification bar.
Tap on Edit at the top of the screen.
Look for Sync and tap it.

Finally, in order to prevent your text messages from showing in your email’s inbox, you have to go deep inside your Outlook’s settings. Just follow these steps:

Open your email app.
Tap the Settings button from the menu (by pressing the soft button in the bottom left part).
Select Account Settings.
Select your company email account.
Scroll down to the bottom and look for More Settings.
Scroll down and tap Sync text message option. Make sure that you leave the box unchecked.

Problem #5: Galaxy S6 freezes and Touchwiz app not working properly

I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 from Sprint. I only use it on Wi-Fi and it has given me no issues till 2 days ago. My Touchwiz app has been acting up. I haven’t installed anything new recently. Not only has Touchwiz been giving me issues, my phone now constantly freezes up. I have uninstalled many apps as well as did a factory reset. And I’m still having the same issue. Prior to doing a factory reset i installed a different Touchwiz home app, still had same issue. Please help me as i do not know what else to do. A friend said try a hard reset but he wasn’t sure if that would fix anything. And i don’t want to waste time on something that might give me the same result. — Matthew
Solution: Hi Matthew. Have you tried narrowing down the possible causes by doing a factory reset and observing the phone for a day without all your third party apps? If you haven’t, we suggest that you do it. It’s possible that the launcher app (Touchwiz) you are using right now is to blame. Doing a factory reset will obviously not fix the problem if you simply re-install the cause of the problem. Doing another round of factory reset and observing the phone for some time should tell if there’s a difference.

Problem #6: Kid Mode app on Galaxy S6 not working after Marshmallow update

Updated my S6 to Marshmallow and now Kid mode is not working. I’ve deleted the icon for the old version of Zoodles my kids love and now the new icon shows up under apps. However, if i click on it it brings me to the Play Store page with the options to open or update. Won’t open and after downloading update, i get the error code 505. Won’t install. I’ve tried to install a flash player after adding Firefox. Wiped cache partition. A bunch of things and no luck. I really want the old version and tried downloading from a couple sites and it refuses to install. Please help! Two very unhappy kids. Thanks! — Nadine

Solution: Hi Nadine. The Play Store error 505 is usually indicative of a compatibility issue. Either the app is not yet optimized to work with Android Marshmallow, or the current firmware on your phone is not official. We recommend that you contact the developer of the app to ask them for more information about this issue. You can do so by checking their contact information in their app’s installation page in Google Play Store website.

Engage with us

If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply fill in the short questionnaire in this link and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem.

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

If you find this post helpful, please help us by spreading the word to your friends. TheDroidGuy has social network presence as well so you may want to interact with our community in our Facebook and Google+ pages.

How to fix Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge “Unfortunately, Touchwiz Home has stopped” error

In this post, I will address a problem that any Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge owner may encounter including the error message “Unfortunately, Touchwiz has stopped” and it’s variation “Unfortunately, Touchwiz Home has stopped.” Touchwiz is Samsung’s interface that comes embedded in the stock firmware of its high-end devices.

Other prompts you may also encounter that are equally annoying are “Complete action using Touchwiz,” which gives you two options: Touchwiz Easy and Touchwiz Home. There’s also the “Use Touchwiz Home as Home,” which allows you to set it just for once or always. Read on to know more about these problems and how to fix them.

For those who have different problems, visit our S6 Edge troubleshooting page where we list down every problem we address each week. There’s a chance we already addressed your problem before or other owners reported similar ones. Try to find related issues and use the solutions we suggested. If they won’t work, then fill up this form and hit Submit to contact us directly.

Here are the problems covered in this post…

“Complete action using Touchwiz” prompt keeps popping up
Touchwiz crashes while moving icons to folders on S6 Edge
Galaxy S6 Edge freezes shortly before Touchwiz error pops up
“Unfortunately, Touchwiz Home has stopped” error pops up
“Use Touchwiz Home as Home” prompt keeps popping up
Touchwiz Home crashes when uninstalling apps

“Complete action using Touchwiz” prompt keeps popping up

Problem: This problem just started with my Galaxy Note 5 and I don’t have a clue why it started to happen. Whenever I hit the Home button, there’s a prompt asking me to “Complete action using Touchwiz” and then it gives me two options to choose from: Touchwiz Easy and Touchwiz Home. I chose Touchwiz Easy first thinking the prompt won’t appear anymore but it did so I chose the second and the same thing happened. It may not be a serious problem as the phone still functions the way it should but it’s just super annoying and if you guys know how to get rid of it, please help me.

Related Problem: Hello, my name’s Yassi. I own a Galaxy Note 5 and it’s giving me a hard time since every time I press the Home button, I am being asked to choose between touchwiz easy and touchwiz home. What’s the difference between these two and what can I do to prevent the error from showing up again. Thanks guys.

Troubleshooting: This is a common problem with Samsung’s high-end devices or those that use Touchwiz as the default UI. Typically, this prompt shows if you changed the default launcher in your phone, however, there are always times when things glitch in the phone and perhaps, this is just one of those moments. Don’t worry, it’s easy to fix this problem:

From any Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to ‘APPLICATIONS,’ then tap Application manager.
Swipe right to the ALL screen.
Scroll to and tap the SetDefaultLauncher service.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data, then OK.

Now hit the Home button again and you’ll be prompted to choose between those two options, choose Touchwiz Home and that would be it. I hope this helps.

Touchwiz crashes while moving icons to folders on S6 Edge

Problem: I want to re-organize all my apps and place their icons in folders based on their functions. I already tried it before but then there was a minor update which I downloaded a few days ago. After the update, I did a factory reset and reinstalled all my apps back. Now, when I move an icon to a folder, I am prompted with an error message saying “Unfortunately, Touchwiz has stopped.” Can you guys shed light on this issue? Why can’t I move apps now?

Troubleshooting: I think it’s an issue with the Touchwiz itself and the most common solution to this kind of problem is to clear the cache and data of the service.

From any Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to ‘APPLICATIONS,’ then tap Application manager.
Swipe right to the ALL screen.
Scroll to and tap Touchwiz.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data, then OK.

If this doesn’t work, perform a master reset and try to move icons to a folder without installing third-party apps yet. If you can do so without being greeted by the error message, then there’s a chance a third-party app is causing the problem. Try to install your apps but after the installation, move the icon to a folder until you find the app that triggers the error.

How to master reset Galaxy S6 Edge

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

Galaxy S6 Edge freezes shortly before Touchwiz error pops up

Problem: This problem occurs several times a day and it’s very annoying. My new S6 Edge keeps freezing and shortly after it has become active, the error message “Unfortunately, Touchwiz has stopped” pops up. Tried rebooting my phone countless times but the problem is still happening. I’m at a loss now and I need your help. Thanks.

Troubleshooting: While the error specifically mentions of an app or service that crashes, I believe there’s more to the freezing problem than the error is telling you. In fact, I believe the error is just the result of the freezes. The real problem is the performance of your phone because as you said, the phone freezes first and then the error shows up. Here’s what I suggest you do:

Boot your phone in safe mode to observe if the performance would improve or if the error would still pop up.
If there’s a significant improvement in the performance of your phone and no errors pop up, then I suggest you do the master reset. But don’t forget to backup all your data first as they will all be deleted. Just follow the procedures above on how to master reset your S6 Edge.

How to boot Galaxy S6 Edge in safe mode

Turn off your Galaxy S6 Edge.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge’ appears, immediately release the Power key and then press and hold the Volume Down button.
Continue holding the Volume Down button until the phone finishes the restart.
When you see Safe Mode on the lower left corner of the screen, release the button.

“Unfortunately, Touchwiz Home has stopped” error pops up

Problem: Hi guys. I hope you can help me with my problem. First off, my phone is a Galaxy S6 Edge, I bought it brand new and it’s still a couple of months old. It’s not rooted and not tampered in any way. The problem is that there’s an error that keeps showing up and it says “Unfortunately, Touchwiz Home has stopped” and since this problem started, all of my widgets got lost. How can I fix this?

Troubleshooting: The Touchwiz Home services in just one of the services that come embedded in Samsung’s proprietary Touchwiz UI. That said, it’s easier to fix this kind of problem because it’s basically just one service that crashes. Just follow these steps and the problem will be solved:

From any Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to ‘APPLICATIONS,’ then tap Application manager.
Swipe right to the ALL screen.
Scroll to and tap Touchwiz Home.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data, then OK.

“Use Touchwiz Home as Home” prompt keeps popping up

Problem: There is a window that pops up and it says “Use Touchwiz Home as Home” and then there are two options “Just once or Always.” I would always choose Always but it keeps coming back any time it wants to show up. My phone has been working fine but after an update, it started doing this. Can you help?

Troubleshooting: While updates are supposed to fix some problems, more often they’re the problem themselves. That’s one of the reasons why a lot of users are hesitant to download them. But anyway, try this procedure first:

From any Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to ‘APPLICATIONS,’ then tap Application manager.
Swipe right to the ALL screen.
Scroll to and tap Touchwiz Home.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data, then OK.

If it failed and you have other launchers installed, uninstall them first and then follow this procedure:

From any Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to ‘APPLICATIONS,’ then tap Application manager.
Swipe right to the ALL screen.
Scroll to and tap the SetDefaultLauncher service.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data, then OK.

If all else fails, backup your data and perform the master reset.

Touchwiz Home crashes when uninstalling apps

Problem: I can’t uninstall any of the apps I installed because if I attempted to do so, an error message would pop up. It’s about touchwiz that stopped working or something like that. There’s a couple of apps I want to uninstall but the error gets in the way. How to I uninstall apps without being greeted by the error?

Troubleshooting: The phone is in easy mode that’s why it’s acting like that. Use the standard mode to bring everything back to normal:

From any Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to Personalization section.
Touch Easy Mode.
Now choose Standard Mode.

TouchWiz Home Issues For Other Devices

Galaxy Note 2 Touchwiz Home
Galaxy Note 3 Touchwiz Home
Galaxy Note 4 Touchwiz Home
Galaxy Note 5 Touchwiz Home
Galaxy S3 Touchwiz Home
Galaxy S4 Touchwiz Home
Galaxy S5 Touchwiz Home
Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge / S6 Edge+ Touchwiz Home

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. We support every Android device available and we are serious in what we do. 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.

Fixing the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 TouchWiz Home Problem

A message came in recently in The Droid Guy Mailbag concerning a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 TouchWiz problem. The email reads, “Last night, my T-mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phone updated its software to Android 4.3 JellyBean. While I appreciate the improved graphics rendering, I am dismayed by the following glitch. I now get this error message, ‘Unfortunately, TouchWiz Home has Stopped.’ So, I am unable to reach my launch and widget screens. The apps on the Home screen work, and I can access the Apps window.”

Possible Causes of the Galaxy Note 2 TouchWiz Home Problem and its Solutions

1. Configuration Issue

According to one contributor in the AndroidCentral forum, Samsung advised him that the Galaxy Note 2 TouchWiz Home problem may be caused by an issue in the configuration of the device’s app preferences. The manufacturer of the device suggested this solution:

Access Settings
Choose Application Manager and select the All tab
Tap the Reset App Preferences option
If a confirmation message appears, just tap Reset Apps

The contributor noted that it fixed his Galaxy Note 2 TouchWiz Home issue and the process let him keep all his settings.

Another way to solve this is by clearing the data of TouchWiz using the following steps:

Go to Settings
Select Applications
Tap the Running or All tab and choose TouchWiz
Tap Clear Data

Keep in mind that this will erase the configuration that you have set in TouchWiz but it will likely solve the problem.

2. Other Solutions

If the steps mentioned in the previous item fails to work, try changing the screen mode of the TouchWiz app to Basic or Easy through the Home Screen Mode option found under Settings followed by Device. You can also, change its Window Animation Scale via the Developer Option.

When everything stated here fails to solve the issue, the Galaxy Note 2 TouchWiz Home problem may already be due to corrupted system files. If this is the case, backup all your important files and perform a Factory Reset.

TouchWiz Home Issues For Other Devices

Email Us

For more questions, email us at [email protected].

Source: AndroidCentral

“Unfortunately Touchwiz Home Has Stopped” Error Message in Galaxy S3

Touchwiz provides intuitive handling of all the features available on the Galaxy S3. This offers numerous customization options for the user of the device to make every task easier. However, it can be such as pain when encountering the “Unfortunately Touchwiz Home Has Stopped” error message. Basically, this is because it renders your phone unusable.

In this article, we will take a look on the factors possibly causing the issue as well as the solutions for it.

#1 Solution

According to an OrganicWeb post, this kind of error usually occurs in Galaxy S3 phone equipped with the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS. So, one way to fix it is through these steps:

a. Access Settings.

b. Go to the My Device panel where you will find Home screen mode. Just tap it.

c. From the given options, go to Easy.

d. Select Apply followed by OK.

This may be such a pain because it will simplify the way that your Home screen will look. But based on other users who experienced this problem, you can also toggle it back to Standard when the error message disappears.

#2 Solution

Phandroid suggests using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility to repair the error. This can be downloaded through Developers Android website. This requires your Galaxy S3 hooked up with your computer too during the process. Unfortunately, I am not very well versed on this tool since I haven’t tried it yet (seeing no reason to use it). But, this guide is a good reference that you can start with.

Many feedbacks in the forum of the website mentioned that this one worked for them.

#3 Solution

If you do not want to go through the process involving ADB, you could do a complete reset with your device. This is so far the quickest way to solve it. Just remember to save all your important data before doing a Factory Reset through.

Email to Us Your Questions and Suggestions

For more questions about Android devices, 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.

Solutions to the TouchWiz Error in Samsung Galaxy S3

If you suddenly find yourself encountering the “Unfortunately, TouchWiz has stopped working” error in your Samsung Galaxy S3, the possible sources of the problem might be your cache, screen mode, a recently added widget, faulty SD card or a glitch in the Android operating system according to various sources like Phandroid and Android Central.

Clear Cache and Data of TouchWiz

***Beware clearing TouchWiz cache will set your home screen back to original settings, you will lose your current home screen format***

Sometimes, a full cache is the thing that is causing the lags or the various errors in Galaxy S3. So, simply clear the cache of TouchWiz using the following steps:

1. Turn off your Galaxy S3.

2. Tap Menu.

3. Go to System Settings.

4. Proceed to Application Manager.

5. Choose TouchWiz.

6. Tap Clear Data.

Change the Screen Mode to Basic

Using other screen modes may cause the problem as well. So, try switching back to the Basic Mode to see if it will solve the issue by doing these steps:

1. Go to Settings.

2. Under the Device section, tap Home Screen Mode.

3. Choose Basic Mode.

4. Select Apply.

5. Confirm your choice with the OK button.

Remove the Most Recent Widget Before the Error

Most of the time, a recently added widget is the one triggering the error. So, recall the last widget that you added just before you encountered the TouchWiz error in your Galaxy S3. Tap and hold that particular widget. Then just drag it to the Trash bin icon to remove it.

Remove SD Card

A faulty SD Card can also activate the error. Thus, try to remove the SD Card of your Galaxy S3 for the meantime and observe if the issue still occurs. If removing it no longer triggers the problem, then your hardware might be corrupted. You can fix it by formatting. But if the hardware seems to be defective already buy a replacement for it.

Use Another Launcher

If you find your TouchWiz too problematic, you might want to switch to another launcher. One great alternative that you can get from the Google Play store is the Nova Launcher. Simply download and install it. After that, clear the cache and data of Touchwiz.

Perform a Factory Reset

The last thing that you should consider is performing a Factory Reset. Do this only when you have tried all the possible solutions and none of them fixed the issue. This is because this process will wipe out all the data stored in your Galaxy S3 and return it to its default factory setting.

TouchWiz Home Issues For Other Devices

For Questions and Suggestions

Feel free to send us your questions on our Android Issues Questionnaire if you have more questions about Android devices. You may use the email to voice out your opinion on the matter or if you have other solutions in mind.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Auto-Rotate Not Working

If your Samsung Galaxy S4 Auto-Rotate function is not functioning, the possible cause of the problem might be any of the following:

The Galaxy S4 Auto-Rotate feature might be disabled
Calibration might be needed
There is a possible problem with Touchwiz
There might be a glitch in the system of the phone
Hardware-related issue

Solution to the Galaxy S4 Auto-Rotate Problem

Here are the various solutions that you can apply to solve the issue:

1. Enable Galaxy S4 Auto-Rotate Feature

This is a very obvious answer, but even if you are sure that the feature is enabled, it is still worth it to check its settings. This is because there are times when during your tinkering or someone else’s tinkering with your phone, the feature might have been accidentally disabled.

To enable it, just access Settings. Then, under the My Device selection, go to Display. Scroll down to the Screen section and ensure that the Auto-Rotate Screen option is active or checked.

Note that even if you already found it enabled, just uncheck and check it back again to refresh your phone settings.

2. Calibrate Your Phone

Another way to fix the issue is through Gyroscopic Calibration. But before performing this, make sure that the Auto Rotate-Screen is unchecked (use the method presented above to access it).

Go to Settings. Then, on the My Device tab, scroll down to the Input and Control section and tap Motions and Gestures. Select Gyroscopic Calibration. Next place your device on an even surface, like on top of a table. Lastly, press the Calibrate button and wait to finish. Don’t forget to turn on the Auto-Rotate Screen feature after you finish the calibration.

3. Download an Alternative to TouchWiz

TouchWiz is sometimes known to cause issues such as this. So, if you think that it is causing the bug, download an alternative through Google Play Store like Next Launcher 3D or others. But if you want to stick with TouchWiz, just reinstall it through Google Play Store.

4. Restart and Remove Rouge Apps

Restarting your phone sometimes helps refresh its system, so try it. If the problem persists, look for suspicious apps or try to identify the apps that you most recently installed before the issue occured. Disable them for a while and perform step 1 and/or step 2 of this section. Observe if the problem is still there. You can also determine if there are apps interfering with the normal function of your device by starting it under Safe Mode. Then, test the function there.

5. Factory Reset

If all else fails after performing all the solutions mentioned here, perform a Factory Reset which will bring back your phone to its original settings. Make sure that you have backed up all your data though prior to this because you are sure to lose every data that you have installed there.

6. Go to a Samsung Repair Center

If you are experiencing frequent overheating with your device, this can trigger the Galaxy S4 Auto-Rotate problem. There is a chance that your hardware is the problem already. If this is the case, seek help from a professional technician.

Email Us

For more questions or tips that you want to share, feel free to email us at [email protected].

The latest version of TouchWiz UX demoed in a video

A new video has given us an early look of the upcoming TouchWiz UX, which is rumored to be called the Grace UX with the #GalaxyNote7. As expected, there are some changes here, although not a lot is different from the TouchWiz version that we see on the Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge. It seems like Samsung could finally allow users to add their own icon packs with the Grace UX, thus adding to the customization aspect of the UX.

The Settings menu has been tweaked to lay out options more efficiently, which will only help the users. Samsung has made some changes to the way notifications are handled as well. So overall, the TouchWiz UX is certainly getting some important upgrades with the new Grace UX.

Samsung will take the wraps off the Galaxy Note 7 by early August, so we don’t have much longer to wait to learn about this attractive phablet. Rumors have suggested that the handset will feature a 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera, 6GB of RAM, 64/128/256GB of internal storage (expandable), a quad-core Snapdragon 821 SoC, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and a 4,000 mAh battery.

Source: HDBlog.it – Translated

Via: SamMobile

Galaxy Note 4 keyboard issue after updating to Lollipop, other issues

Although Android Marshmallow has already started to become available to newer devices, a huge number of Samsung Galaxy devices, including the #GalaxyNote4, is still running Lollipop at this time. This post addresses some of the post-Lollipop problems encountered by some Note 4 users as well as other problems not totally related to Android update. Below are the specific issues addressed here today:

Galaxy Note 4 keyboard issue after updating to Lollipop
Galaxy Note 4 sends text message immediately without allowing photo attachment
Galaxy Note 4 won’t boot normally
AT&T Galaxy Note 4 won’t install Lollipop when in Three mobile network
Galaxy Note 4 TouchWiz Home issue after rooting
Galaxy Note 4 from India won’t install update in Australia

If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page, or you can install our free app from Google Play Store.

Problem #1: Galaxy Note 4 keyboard issue after updating to Lollipop

On 19 Feb 2016 after the latest update to Lollipop 5.1.1 on my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Model_SM-N910T_Baseband Version-N910TUVU2DOK2_32GB_T-Mobile) the key-tap “CLICK” sound on the Samsung keyboard stopped, but the vibration works. The key-tap “CLICK” sound/vibration works when selecting the “PREDICTIVE WORDS” only. All the other sounds/vibrations works fine.

This problem started after the latest “UPDATE” to Lollipop 5.1.1.

I have “ENABLED” the key-tap sound in the settings are as follow >>>

SETTINGS > Language and input > Samsung keyboard > key-tap feedback > Sound and Vibration > both “ENABLED”.

SETTINGS > Sounds and Notifications > Other Sounds > Samsung Keyboard > Sound when tapped and Vibrate when tapped > both “ENABLED”.

Please Help Me ??? — Rahiem

Solution: Hi Rahiem. If the issue happens after updating the firmware, wiping the cache partition may help. The system cache stores downloaded items from Play Store and other app-related files in order for the system to load app faster. Every time you tap an app icon on the screen, one of the background processes that happens is the system attempting to access the cache partition to load an app quickly. This process is repeated every day and every time you open an app. After some time, the cache gets full and disorganized so it’s highly recommended to regularly clear the cache partition.

Following an update, there’s a chance that the cache partition will become disorganized, cluttered, or contain outdated and irrelevant files. While updates like Lollipop are supposed to automatically create a new cache, this does not always happen in reality. One of the main reasons why so many users are complaining about slow performance, lag, or freezing issues after updating to Lollipop is a corrupted cache partition. We think that this is also the reason for your case. If you haven’t tried clearing the cache before, here are the steps to do it:

Turn off the Galaxy Note 4 completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home keys together, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Note 4 vibrates, release both the Home and Power keys but continue holding the Volume Up key.
When the Android System Recovery shows on the screen, release the Volume Up key.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
When the wiping of the cache partition is finished, highlight Reboot system now and hit the power key.

Now, if wiping the cache won’t help the next best thing to do is to wipe the phone and restore default settings. Here’s how:

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

Problem #2: Galaxy Note 4 sends text message immediately without allowing photo attachment

Hi! I didn’t see this topic on your blog and I am hoping you can help me with my new Galaxy Note 4 from T-Mobile. When I type a message in the stock text messaging software and then I click attach to attach a picture to be added to the message, the picture will send by itself and not allow me to attach and send the message at the same time with the picture. This may not be a big deal for many people but I am annoyed as hell about this as a person who sends pictures often. So now I have to send the message I type and then send the picture or vice versa send the picture and then send a totally separate text message with the words….it’s STUPID!

I purchased the Note 4 over the Note 5 because the Note 5 had this same issue and I figured this was a feature that started with the Note 5. While I was in T-Mobile we tested the Note 4 with their in-store display and the message and picture attached and were sent together without incident, but I finally get it home and switch over everything only to find out that this phone is now doing the same thing. We even tested the phone before I left the store….ugh can you please help me??? — Diana

Solution: Hi Diana. We noticed this problem with other T-Mobile subscribers several months back and it’s interesting to know that it still exists even up to now. Apparently, the issue is not device related but rather a poor coding glitch for T-Mobile’s Android Lollipop version. At this time, there are only two potential solutions that we know of:

turning off voLTE, and
doing a factory reset

To disable voLTE, just follow these steps:

Tap Phone > Keypad tab.
Tap More options > Settings.
Tap Call > Voice over LTE settings.
Tap Use VoLTE when available or Do not use VoLTE.

Make sure to perform a factory reset (steps provided above) if turning off VoLTE won’t change anything.

Problem #3: Galaxy Note 4 won’t boot normally

Hello. My phone randomly went into ‘memory recover’ with the word Samsung as if it was closing. So when that happened I tried to shut the phone instantly and now my phone would just not open again. It was 15% battery when that happened. I do not think I updated my software – i think it needed updating. I do not know what to do now. I tried holding all the buttons to open it, I tried removing the battery and adding it again, I tried charging the phone (even the sign where it shows the battery should be charging when its off isn’t showing)

Here is some information about my phone: I am not sure what version of software I have since my phone is shut and won’t open. I use Bell as my carrier. I was watching a YouTube video when all this happened. The phone was on flight mode. I have been using the phone a lot. My phone is known to randomly close down an app that was open.

What should I do? Thank you. — Sondous

Solution: Hi Sandous. If your phone won’t boot normally, try booting it in maintenance mode. In this environment (if it loads), you will have an option to either boot in safe mode or recovery mode. Loading maintenance mode also means that the problem may not be hardware-related at all. To boot in maintenance mode, simply press and hold Power and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds.

If the phone still fails to boot this way, consider using another battery or have the phone checked for hardware errors.

Problem #4: AT&T Galaxy Note 4 won’t install Lollipop when in Three mobile network

Hello there. Thank you for taking the time to help me, I truly appreciate it!

I got this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 unlocked brand new, and it came with KitKat 4.4, but the Android Lollipop has since been released but whenever I try to do a software update the following message comes up: “This software update has been interrupted. Try again in 24 hours”.

This phone is unlocked as I am in the UK and using a Three SIM, but it was previously on AT&T but unlocked, so whenever I do a software update it says “AT&T software update”. It doesn’t just have a normal software update.

I don’t know whether this is normal or not, also, I’ve tried updating the software over KIES several times but it says that “i have the latest update” but I know that I do not. I don’t really want to try it over ODIN as I’m scared to brick my phone. If you could please offer me some guidance on how to safely and securely update my phone software.

Thank you! — Joannes

Solution: Hi Joannes. Your phone’s firmware is from AT&T and will only allow an Android update when you are connected to AT&T network. This is the reason why you cannot download and install an over-the-air update outside AT&T network.

If you badly need to update to Android Lollipop, you have no other means but to go via Odin to do it.

Problem #5: Galaxy Note 4 TouchWiz Home issue after rooting

My Samsung Note 4 is displaying “Unfortunately, Touch Wiz Home has stopped” in a loop and the screen turns on and off. The screen is black except for the notification drawer which works.

It started after I rooted the phone with Framaroot and installed System App Safe Remover and removed the non-essential apps. Afterwards, I discovered I was not able to see a SMS message sent to me, so I tried to recover all the apps from the recycle bin from the same app. During this process of restoring the apps to the phone, the phone started to display “Unfortunately, TouchWiz Home has stopped” and the screen had turned dark and kept looping the same words about TouchWiz.

I would like to keep my phone data if possible and so I would prefer not to perform a full restore. If not, can you show me how to restore the phone.

Please advise. Thank you so much. — Cody

Solution: Hi Cody. Please connect your phone to a computer and create a backup of your personal data (photos, videos, contacts, etc) first. Then try to see if wiping the cache partition will help. If that won’t change anything, consider doing a factory reset, or simply restore the stock firmware via Odin.

Problem #6: Galaxy Note 4 from India won’t install update in Australia

I live in Australia and during my recent trip to India, I bought an Android phone. The phone is running Android 5.1 and since I have gotten back to Australia, the phone notifies me that I have an update that I need to install. It downloads the 770MB update and then when I try to install it, it shuts down and restarts the phone and then starts installing the update, I can see the Android mascot. After it gets to about 20% or so, I just get a message saying “Error”. That is all. The Android mascot is lying down or so and from its open belly there is an exclamation icon. At this stage there is no sim card on the phone.

Additionally, some apps like Facebook, Angry Birds or Stick Cricket 2 fail to install. Facebook messenger can be installed. I am a developer and I would like to get the latest update for my new Android phone, so would appreciate some help with this. Cheers. — Bhuman

Solution: Hi Bhuman. Your issue may be similar to Joannes above. Basically, the firmware running on the phone may be that of a carrier from India so downloading and/or installing an update over-the-air in Australia will most likely fail. That doesn’t explain much though why you are also unable to install other apps like the ones you mention above.

We know from experience that some knock offs may refuse installation of official apps, or won’t even open Google Play Store. We can’t see no reason for a genuine Galaxy Note 4 not to allow installation of the apps mentioned here. Try to call Samsung and check if the IMEI on your phone shows you have a genuine device or not.

Engage with us

Galaxy S6 Edge showing “update the security” message when sending email, other issues

Here are some of the #GalaxyS6 and #GalaxyS6Edge issues we’ve come across so far this week. If you are new to our site, please head over to our troubleshooting page index for this device to look for other issues that may be similar to what you’re experiencing.

Galaxy S6 Edge showing “update the security” message when sending email
Galaxy S6 Edge won’t power on properly
Galaxy S6 can’t make or receive calls
Corrupted files on Galaxy S6 Gallery
Galaxy S6 launcher issue

If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page, or you can install our free app from Google Play Store.

Problem #1: Galaxy S6 Edge showing “update the security” message when sending email

My organization uses office 365 and on our mobiles we use Exchange Activesync emails with the 365 MDM so we must activate with the Intune company portal.

I can setup the email with no issues, it prompts for screen lock and for the phone to be encrypted, after that is done you get into the company portal with no problems and it goes through the entire operation fine.

The issue is that after several hours something goes wrong. The phone can continue to receive company emails, but if you try to send one you get a pop-up that tells you that you must update the security to send as [email protected] The admins for my company have gone over it and can’t find the issue. There does not appear to be any issues in the setup on the device or on the server side. What’s more, this is happening to ALL Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus devices in the domain, however the older Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge work with no issue… do you have any ideas? — Adrian

Solution: Hi Adrian. Since you’ve managed to isolate the problem on a certain device model, the next best thing that you can do is to contact Samsung (or Microsoft if you think that it may be MS Office software- or server issue) so they can help you. We are yet to receive reports of similar nature so there must be something in the S6 Edge Plus connected to your network that triggers it. A good thing to ask further to help you narrow down factors is to see if all affected devices are running the same firmware version. It’s also good to know if a common company-related app or setting has been added to each unit prior to noticing the problem. Again, your best bet in resolving the problem may lie on getting help from Samsung or Microsoft. Make sure that your company provide a detailed list of troubleshooting steps and things you’ve done to isolate possible causes.

Problem #2: Galaxy S6 Edge won’t power on properly

Hello people of Android! I have a Galaxy S6 Edge which I love and care for very much, but I have been having a large problem with it in the past few hours. When I went to go get a snack from my kitchen, I went to check my phone and it wouldn’t turn on. This scared me so I put it on my charger and waited as I took a shower. I came back and it seemed to have the charging battery logo but it wasn’t “filled” with green – which means it must’ve had a problem displaying battery or with holding a charge, since it was at 90% when this started to happen – but the odd thing is that the background that is supposed to be black, is black with blue horizontal stripes, which are in a design that did not seem like it was a problem with the screen. My solution was to hold the volume keys + the power button which brought me to a “Maintenance Boot Mode” menu. I proceeded to do all but 2, which is factory reset in which I do not wish to do. This just brought me to a flashing “Galaxy S6 Edge” screen. One other thing that I forgot to mention, whenever I do any of this stuff involving the screen, the screen seems to turn on and off over and over. I would love to get the S7, but I would have to wait until mid March to get that which is near a month without my phone. Thank you for helping. — Evan

Solution: Hi Evan. Keep in mind that oftentimes, when a Galaxy phone like your S6 fails to boot normally regardless of reason, the only best fix is by doing a factory reset. If your phone no longer responds normally when you power it on, we’re afraid you’ve got to try factory reset.

The display problem you describe here may or may not be a totally separate problem. To determine if that’s the case, you need to turn the phone on normally first. If the screen works fine when the phone is turned on properly, a software glitch may have caused it.

Problem #3: Galaxy S6 can’t make or receive calls

My phone will not make or receive calls. When I dial a number or choose a contact, and select “call,” the call screen comes up and it says it is “dialing…” but it is completely silent (there is no ringing sound), and after 20 seconds or so, the call is ended without me doing anything. The same goes for receiving. When someone calls me, I swipe to answer but there is only complete silence, and after 20 seconds or so, the call ends on its own.

I know that this problem has nothing to do with lack of service, airplane mode, network connection, or volume/muting problems. To date, I have had no previous issues with the functionality of my phone. This is the first problem I have encountered. I am utterly confused and would appreciate help. Thank you! — Troy

Solution: Hi Troy. First off, you have to make sure that this is not network related. If you have a GSM phone, make sure that you try the SIM card to another phone to see if call functionality works as expected. If you happen to have a CDMA phone, or if SIM card on your GSM phone works on another device, make sure that you do 2 things — booting in safe mode and/or doing a factory reset.

Here are steps how to do them:

How to boot your Galaxy S6 in safe mode

Safe Mode will come in handy in your case as it will temporarily disable all third-party apps leaving pre-installed ones and core services running. If one of your third party applications is preventing calls from coming in and out, safe mode should help you check it.

Once the phone has booted in safe mode, its performance will dramatically improve, app crashes will be gone and you can do whatever troubleshooting procedures you need to do to regain your phone’s top-notch performance. Here’s how you do the safe mode reboot:

Press and hold the Volume Down and Power keys for 20 to 30 seconds.
Once you see the Samsung logo, release the Power key immediately but continue pressing the Volume Down key.
Your phone should continue booting up and you will be prompted to unlock your phone as usual.
You will know if the phone successfully booted in safe mode if the text “Safe mode” is displayed at the lower-left corner of the screen.

How to do factor reset on Galaxy S6

For serious firmware-related issues, the factory reset is often the ultimate fix. It’s because it will bring the phone back to its factory defaults deleting all files, data, settings, apps, personal information, accounts, etc. In short, if there are things you don’t want to lose during the process, you must back them up prior to performing the Factory reset.

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Find and tap the Settings icon.
Under the ‘Personal’ section, find and tap Backup and reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Touch Reset device to proceed with the reset.
Depending on the security lock you used, enter the PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Touch Delete all to confirm your action.
All data deleted after the reset cannot be retrieved.

Now, if these two procedures won’t get you anywhere, make sure that you call your wireless carrier for direct support.

Problem #4: Corrupted files on Galaxy S6 Gallery

All photos disappeared from My Gallery a few days ago. I have done everything to restore photos back to Gallery. I found some of the photos in my SD CARD but I cannot figure out how to move photos back to Gallery.

Also, I have several like solid white boxes or white squares and each with a number under it. I’m sure this is the rest of my photos but I can not find a way to open them. Tried a few zip file, zip 7 files opener from the Google Play Store. Only when I click on the white square I get a message saying no application on this device can open this. I checked the contents and it only gives me how many kb.it holds.

I compress them in a zip file and when I open and have a file folder click on the file and I end up back with the white square. I don’t know what more I can do. I am file illiterate I suppose. Any help please. — Randy

Solution: Hi Randy. Hopefully those photos (with solid white boxes) are still readable or haven’t been corrupted yet. If you can’t open them on your phone, try to connect your device to a computer and see if it can detect and open the files.

The fact that your phone only displays them as white solid boxes is one indicator that they are most likely corrupted. Corrupted files usually no longer works properly, which means that devices trying to access and read them may not open them at this time. Most of the time, corrupted documents, photos, or videos are non-repairable so there’s really nothing much that we can do. If your computer won’t be able to open them, that’s means that those files are gone.

While not impossible, it’s rare for a file to become corrupted. The most common cause for having files get corrupted though is when something happens when files are being saved. Sometimes, an app trying to save a file may suddenly stop responding in the middle of the process, or the SD card may be removed, or the device is powered off.

To lessen the chances of files from getting corrupted in the future, make sure that you don’t interrupt the app or device when in the middle of saving something. Avoid turning off the phone when trying to move files from one storage device to another, or simply stretch your patience a little bit longer when your appears to take some time saving a file.

Problem #5: Galaxy S6 launcher issue

I recently read your article: https://thedroidguy.com/2015/12/how-to-fix-samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-unfortunately-touchwiz-home-has-stopped-error-1053597

I have run into this issue several times on my GS6 Edge+, usually after installing a new app. The problem is that it does not seem to be any one app that causes the issue. I’ve been able to recreate the issue multiple times with multiple apps. It has happened on apps installed from the Play Store, the Amazon App Store, and even just installing APIs I have downloaded. Further complicating the issue is that the error is not specific to TouchWiz. I get the same “(whatever launcher I am using) has stopped” error with any launcher I use on the device. I have been able to recreate the error using Nova Launcher Pro, Apex Launcher Pro, Next Launcher, Action Launcher 3, Google Now Launcher, Arrow Launcher, etc. It does not matter if the 3rd party launcher was installed before or after the error message starts occurring, I still have no way of accessing my home screen once the error begins. Clearing the cache for any/all of the launchers does not seem to have any effect on the browser. The only thing that I have found to get rid of the error is a master reset, which is a royal pain considering I usually wind up getting the error again when trying to reinstall my apps. Ironically, I can load the exact same apps on my LG G4 and never get the issue, which leads me to believe that the error actually resides within TouchWiz even though it is affecting all launchers, Samsung’s customization of the Android OS, or something within Android 5.1.1 (The LG has 5.1 on it). I don’t expect you to be able to tell me exactly how to fix the issue based on the information I’ve provided because I know it contains a lot of variables, I’m just wondering if you’ve run into this error before where it actually affects all launchers, not just TouchWiz? Any suggestions? — Chris

Solution: Hi Chris. We’ve heard of some launchers crashing and leading to similar error you encounter but not almost all them in one device. The problem may be related to your S6, or may be caused in part by a separate third party app. It’s impossible to know the exact cause for an issue like this so finding the solution can only be done by trial-and-error. That master reset seems to be the only solution so far may suggest that your phone’s firmware is unable to handle a running launcher. Again, this may be a specific firmware glitch happening only to your phone, or may be triggered by another app. Whatever the true cause, it looks like this is only happening to your S6. We’ve come across almost all problems with the S6 but never this.

Engage with us

Screenshots detail the new Marshmallow based Samsung TouchWiz UI

Samsung’s #TouchWiz UI has seen major changes over the years, most notably this year with the introduction of the #GalaxyS6 as well as the #GalaxyS6edge. But with the #Android 6.0 #Marshmallow update looming, fans were curious to see if the company will make any major changes to the UI. Now some of these questions have been answered thanks to a new post on the XDA Forums.

The screenshots tell us exactly what’s different with the new ROM and some of these changes are minor as expected. The user who posted the screenshot also noticed a significant jump in benchmark scores with the new Android 6.0 based TouchWiz, which is very good news for customers who are looking forward to the update.

Samsung has promised to start sending out the Marshmallow update to its devices starting in December, so users don’t have to wait too long. Head over to the official XDA page below for more screenshots.

Source: XDA Developers

Via: 9to5Google

Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge vs Galaxy Note 4/Note Edge – Specs comparison

Samsung has sure come a long way in just 12 months or so. The “more of the same” program came to a depressing end with the bitter disappointment that was known as the Galaxy S5, and the Note 4, Note Edge, GS6 and S6 Edge mark the dawn of a new era.

An era of innovation (don’t laugh), radical redesigns and, market analysts project, colossal financial gains. Above profits though, the mobile overlords seem concentrated on delivering a superior user experience, which you can feel, touch and bask in sans a number of counterproductive past bells and whistles.

As we found in S6 and S6 Edge’s head-to-head comparison against HTC’s One M9, there’s no such thing as a perfect phone. But clearly, the four that come the closest are Samsung’s latest “compact” and phablet-sized flagship duos.

Footprint notwithstanding, a certain target audience overlap is unavoidable, and so, it’s important to clarify to our power user readers what are the essential differences between these giants, and each one’s fortes. Here goes:

Galaxy Note 4 vs Note Edge vs Galaxy S6 vs S6 Edge – pricing and availability

The prime distinction here is more than obvious. Two of our heavyweight contenders can be purchased and delivered in a matter of hours, while the other two are still on standby. Slated for a global debut on April 10, the S6s might be a little hard to find at first. And yes, they’ll be pricier than the Note 4 nowadays.

Specifically, $700 and $850 respectively outright (or so we presume), and $200 and $300 with carrier agreements. We mean, of course, “entry-level” S6/S6 Edge configurations, packing 32 GB internal storage space and no expansion possibility.

A factory unlocked international variant of the GNote 4 with octa-core Exynos 5 punch costs $619 on Amazon in white, $624 in gold, and $632 in black. Swapping the Exynos for a quad-core Snapdragon 805 SoC and tying yourselves to 24-month pacts will lead to much lower price points, namely $200 with Sprint, or $230 at Verizon and AT&T.

Finally, the Note Edge remains quite the extravagant buy – $750 and up factory unlocked.

Design and build quality comparison

They say appearances can be deceiving, but not as far as Samsung’s ultra-high-end quartet is concerned. These bad boys look special, and are special. They’re all elegant and robust, with metal frames across the board, soft-textured plastic back covers on the Notes, and glossy glass rears for S6s. Point S for style and Gorilla Glass muscle, and points S6 Edge and Note Edge for, well, edges.

Which is handsomer? The S6 Edge by a landslide, as it prolongs the central screen on both sides, keeping things glamorous and subtle with uber-slim secondary panel strips chiefly meant to improve aesthetics, not productivity.

Another point for S wasp waists (6.8 – 7 mm vs 8.3 – 8.5 mm), and a gold star for lightweight skeletons. Sure, the S6 and S6 Edge are a lot smaller, at 5.1 compared to 5.7 inches, but the weight gap is staggering nonetheless: 132 grams for the S6 Edge, 138 for the standard S6, 174 and 176 grams for the Note Edge and Note 4 respectively.

Display and cameras

Before sinking our teeth into the four’s non-construction-related specifications, let us highlight the S6 and S6 Edge on one side and Note 4 and Note Edge on the other are architecturally identical.

That said, coincidentally, screen resolution is the same all around. Quad HD, 2K or 2,560 x 1,440 pixels x 4. Of course, the S6 pair has the potential to produce much sharper images and video than the Note dyad, courtesy of superior pixel density: 577 vs 515 ppi. The technology used is Super AMOLED everywhere, and Gorilla Glass protection has leapt from generation 3 to 4 between last fall and now.

The main photographic unit on the S6 may look like more of the same, as it clones Note 4’s 16 megapixel count, but in reality, it should be faster activated and slightly better for low-light performance. Besides, as the reviews start coming in, HTC One M9’s 20 MP “beast” is apparently no match for S6’s 16 MP “featherweight”.

Selfie addicts, rejoice, and prepare your prettiest duckfaces, which the new, revised 5 MP front snappers promise to capture in great detail. Surely, greater than the 3.7 MP secondary cams on the Note 4 and Note Edge.

Processors, RAM and batteries

Snapdragon 805, Exynos 5433 or Exynos 7420? While it may feel premature to call this, we’ll go ahead and jump to conclusions. The 7420 is number one. It’s 64-bit-capable, 14 nm-based, octa-core, clocked at 1.5 and 2.1 GHz, and it’s terrific both for power-demanding and more casual tasks.

Paired with 3 GB random-access memory, like Note 4’s S805 and Exynos 5, this can become a Speedy Gonzalez in need or slow down and save juice. Which you’ll be obligated to do pretty often, since the 2,600 mAh cell sounds a little on the skinny side. At least compared to Note 4’s 3,220 mAh behemoth, and Note Edge’s hearty 3,000 mAh ticker.

Wireless charging is however one of S6’s strongest suits, with fast charging also reportedly ameliorated.

Sensors, storage, connectivity and others

No S Pen, no microSD support, sealed battery and no noticeable connectivity upgrade. Good thing we’re so impressed with those design innovations and the CPU revision, because otherwise the Note 4 and Note Edge would have come out on top overall.

The expandable storage advantage alone makes the aging phablets pretty smart purchases to this day. True, the S6 and S6 Edge offer up to 128 gigs of space locally, or twice as much as the most generous Note Edge and more than thrice the only Note 4 config out and about.

Connectivity-wise, there wasn’t much the GS6 could have added in the mix. You have your advanced LTE options, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, NFC and microUSB 2.0. Also, a heart rate monitor and fingerprint recognition tech perfectly matching Note 4’s sensor range.

On the bright side (for future S6 buyers), the “next big thing” replaces the glitchy swipe fingerprint system with a much smoother (on paper) touch-reliant solution.

Software and conclusions

Technically equal in the eyes of Google, the almighty god of software support, the four rivals/siblings differ in subtle but relevant ways. The S6 and S6 Edge shall see daylight with pre-loaded Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, while the Note 4 and Note Edge, launched on KitKat, are slowly being brought up to date.

More importantly, a good deal of TouchWiz bloatware is removed on the former duo, with a resulting UI that’s not only cleaner and more minimalistic, but also smoother and zippier. Bye-bye, clutter, bye-bye, unnecessary “proprietary add-ons”.

Wrapping up, we probably don’t need to point out the Galaxy S6 isn’t to the Note 4 what it is to the S5. It’s just marginally better, plus a lot more compact, and it merely improves a few areas. But look at the S6 Edge. It’s so jaw-droppingly beautiful! You can’t look away now, can you?

New version of Samsung TouchWiz will be “amazingly fast” says report

Samsung Galaxy S6 - TouchWiz — A render of the Galaxy S6

A new report has shed light on what to expect from Samsung’s new TouchWiz user interface which is expected to debut with the Galaxy S6. Sam Mobile believes that the stock TouchWiz UI on the upcoming flagship will be “amazingly fast”, at least compared to the Android 5.0 ROM on the Galaxy Note 4.

It goes without saying that Samsung will have some new software tricks to show off with the Galaxy S6 and this could be an indicator of that. Samsung’s smartphones have been rightly accused of being sluggish in the past, so this news is certainly welcoming.

Is it likely that Samsung is toning down TouchWiz and keep a more stock UI this time around? While it is a possibility, we don’t think Samsung will be willing to do away with all of its features that it has worked on for the past few years now.

The Android 5.0 ROM that we saw on the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 4 showed no signs of that, so we’d be pleasantly surprised if things are different with the Galaxy S6.

Via: Sam Mobile

Samsung reportedly removing bloatware apps from TouchWiz

While Samsung devices have been generally doing well in the markets, if there’s one criticism of its devices which has been universally acknowledged, it’s the TouchWiz UI supplied with their devices. In most cases, this UI skin has been found guilty of making the devices sluggish and slow.

A new revelation by Sam Mobile suggests that Samsung is looking to clean up its act finally by removing all of the TouchWiz specific apps from future smartphones. It is said that most of these apps will be user downloadable from the Samsung Apps Store or the Google Play Store, thus not forcing new owners to use them out of the box.

It must be noted that most of the built-in settings like Smart Stay, will most likely remain unchanged, so don’t expect to see a complete redesign of the UI as of yet. But reports in the past have indicated that Samsung is looking to substantially slim down the bloatware on future TouchWiz smartphones, so we’re sure there will be something different with this year’s Galaxy flagship.

There’s no word on which apps will get the boot, but it shouldn’t matter much as users can download them anyway. Do you welcome these changes made by Samsung? Let us know below.

Via: Sam Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S6 (and S6 Edge) preview and rumor roundup

Yes, boys and girls, it’s that time of year again. The time we really don’t know anything about the way the mobile industry will be shaped, transformed and, hopefully, innovated over the ensuing eight to ten months.

Not for sure, though we can’t help but feel fired up for what’s to come. And speculate, and gossip, and engage in incessant rumormongering. Then, the world heavyweight title contenders go official, and comparisons galore.

Before long, the cycle reboots, and the rumor bonanza starts all over. It’s irritating in a way, yet it keeps us perennially busy and always looking forward to more, to better, to “the next big thing.” Speaking of, that’s what we want to tackle today. The Samsung Galaxy S6. The highly anticipated sequel to an underwhelming faux pioneer.

And its trend-setting, “edgy” sibling. Trend-setting or gimmicky? Let’s see what the rumor mill has to say about it, and we’ll think it through:

Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge preview – design and functionality

Yes, and functionality. For once, we don’t care awfully much what build materials Samsung is going with. Not as far as the Edge is concerned. We’re interested in the execution, and how the dual side screens around the main, central display aim to improve the user experience.

It’s said they’ll be capable of pushing various notifications, similar to the single such perimeter on the Note Edge, as well as pull some neat new tricks, like lighting up upon receiving calls and whatnot. A higher degree of customization is certainly on deck, and right-hand users and lefties can program which of the two to primarily work with.

The standard S6? It’ll either be full-metal, and follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy A3, A5 and A7, or settle merely for an aluminum strip a la the Galaxy Alpha and Note 4. If the latter turns out to be true though, metal will blend together with glass, not plastic, so either way, this baby should be quite the looker and leave the “polycarbonate” age decidedly behind it.

Processor dilemmas: Snapdragon 810 or Exynos 7420… or both?

According to a recent Digitimes report, the overheating glitches of the S810 Qualcomm wouldn’t be caught dead corroborating could lead to Samsung initially selling Exynos and Snapdragon S6 variants on a 90-10 percent split. As in, 90 percent would pack Exynos, and only 10 Snapdragon.

The goal is then to gradually bring the numbers closer and ultimately crank up S810-powered GS6 production to surpass Exynos models as the former CPU mends its flaws. Sounds reasonable, however Bloomberg just debunked the theory, saying there will be no Qualcomm-based Galaxy S6 flavor. Period, end of story.

Ominous scenario for the global leader in mobile chip supplying, but maybe not so bad for us end users. As long as Sammy can yield enough 7420s, odds are they’ll be more frugal than and at least equally as zippy as S810s. Also, 64-bit-supporting, and octa-core, on big.LITTLE architecture.

Screen size and resolution, RAM and cameras

The Galaxy S3 is 4.8 inches, the S4 bumped that up to a cool 5, the S5 unnoticeably added another 0.1 inch on top, so it makes perfect sense for the S6 and S6 Edge to follow the same trend, and stop just outside of phablet territory, at 5.2 inches.

With Quad HD, aka 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, resolution, producing roughly 565 ppi density. And a better screen-to-body ratio, hopefully, as 69.6 percent is no longer good enough with the LG G3 sitting at an impressive 75.3%.

Speaking of not good enough, 3 GB RAM. As outlandish as it sounds, the age of 4 GB memory smartphones is upon us, and Samsung might be forced to match LG, Asus and Meizu there to preserve its cutting-edge reputation.

It’s entirely possible some S6 versions will come with 3 gigs in tow, and others with 4, or we could see the S6 Edge opt for the latter, and the “normal” S6 for the former.

Rear camera megapixel count seems a given at 20 across the board, and it only remains to be seen if optical image stabilization will also be offered. We figure yes, and for selfie addicts, a 5 MP front snapper should do, as long as it’s intelligently optimized.

Software, battery capacity, storage and other features

“Project Zero” is reportedly how Samsung’s engineers codenamed the in-progress Galaxy S6, and aside from a new design language, a drastic change should see TouchWiz heavily subdued. We never thought we’d say this, but a near-stock Android-running, non-Google Play Edition Galaxy S is on the way. With Lollipop pre-installed, of course.

The battery is a huge question mark at the moment, with absolutely no hint on size surfaced online, but what’s almost certain (and extremely vexing) is we’re looking at a sealed, non-user-removable cell.

16 GB is ergo to be scrapped from the internal storage configurations, which will instead start at 32 and possibly cap off at as much as 128 gigs. Unless somehow Samsung allows external expansion sans access to the battery.

Meanwhile, an attractive S5 feature that’s tipped to be lacking from S6’s bag of goodies is the IP67 certification for water and dust resistance. The fingerprint scanner should stay in place, and gain touch-based authentication, and sound quality might be improved too, albeit the specifics are unclear.

Release date and pricing preview

Since the pre-MWC introduction(s) in the early stages of March is a near guarantee, all that’s left to be revealed is the ETA on store shelves. Or rather ETAs, because we highly doubt the S6 and S6 Edge are to enjoy simultaneous, swift launches.

For that matter, you shouldn’t hold your breath for a very wide-scale S6 Edge rollout, as the curvy handheld is still deemed a limited, extravagant experiment. Possibly priced at $900 or so outright.

The non-edge S6? It’ll probably see daylight within a month of its announcement, if everything goes according to plan with CPU mass manufacturing, and cost $600 to $700 off-contract, and between $200 and $300 with two-year Verizon, AT&T and Sprint pacts.

A steal? A little on the expensive side? Just right to turn S5’s ill fortunes around? It all depends on the as-yet unconfirmed details. 3 or 4 GB RAM? Snapdragon 810 or Exynos 7420? MicroSD or no microSD? All-metal or also glass to balance things out? The answers to those questions could be the difference between hit and flop for Samsung’s Galaxy S6. Stay tuned.