Hi guys! Welcome to another #GalaxyS7 post that answers some questions and problems submitted to us by some members of our community. We hope the solutions in this post will help not only the users mentioned but also others with same or similar experience.

Below are the specific topics we cover for you today:

1. Galaxy S7 unresponsive, freezing, and rebooting at random
2. Galaxy S7 edge cannot send MMS
3. Verizon Galaxy S7 won’t work on ATT network
4. Galaxy S7 won’t turn on after setting Ultra Power Saving Mode
5. Galaxy S7 won’t charge
6. How to tell if your Galaxy S7 is fake or not
7. Galaxy S7 edge will not receive SMS

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.

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

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Problem #1: Galaxy S7 unresponsive, freezing, and rebooting at random

Galaxy S7 one month old. along with slowly becoming unresponsive and freezing, out of no where it is rebooting. Even after reboot unless I leave it alone for a while it stutters along like it’s SPU is at full bore.

Also during these events it will pop up “Touchwiz” isn’t responding or “Process system” isnt responding wait or quit but neither option works. Very frustrating new phone, un-modified and a few games and apps. Is this gonna be a recall? — Aaron

Solution: Hi Aaron. There is a criteria to be followed when it comes to a product recall, including the number of devices actually proven to be a source of harm for a user. Usually, the main reason for a recall is to prevent a product from endangering a consumer or user. A classic case is the recent product recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 due to its faulty battery which can cause bodily harm.

We haven’t heard of a Galaxy S7 behaving like the faulty Note 7s so there’s definitely no recall. Your case is most probably being caused by a defective product so we recommend that you send it in so its hardware can be checked.

Although the three symptoms you mention here (freezing, being unresponsive, and random reboot) are consistent with a hardware problem, we still recommend that you do the basic software troubleshooting first to see if that will make a difference. If such software troubleshooting won’t change anything, you must visit Samsung so the phone can be repaired or replaced.

Here are the software troubleshooting that you can try:

Wipe the cache partition. Sometimes, the cache partition gets corrupted after an update or app installation, resulting to erratic phone or app behavior. Deleting the cache partition forces the phone to create a new system cache by deleting the old one first. This step is a maintenance step that you can do even when the phone does not show any problems so it can be done safely. We hope that once the system cache has been refreshed, the apps and the phone in general will go back to working normally. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Do a factory reset. Should refreshing the system cache won’t work, the other software trick that you can try is to wipe the phone via factory reset. Factory reset returns all phone settings to their defaults so if a software glitch was introduced somewhere during the course of using the device, this step should eliminate it.

Before you proceed, make sure that you back your irreplaceable files up first.

To factory reset your S7, kindly follow these steps:

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.
10. Observe the phone for at least 24 hours. DO NOT install any app or update during this observation period. This will allow you to see if the phone still behaves erratically even when the software environment has been reset to its known, working state.

If nothing changes after you do a factory reset, that’s an indication that there’s a deeper problem which is beyond your ability to fix at this time. Two of the common causes of hardware problems include unnecessary shock from accidental drop and water/moisture exposure. If you dropped your phone before or got it wet but chose not to mention it to us, the best course of action for you is to have the phone repaired or replaced.

On the other hand, if your phone works during the observation after a factory reset but returns to act erratically after installing apps, the cause of the issue must be one of the apps you install. Make sure that you remove apps until the system becomes stable again. Keep in mind that not all apps are compatible with all Android devices. It’s your responsibility to do some research before installing an app to your device. If the problem comes back after installing apps, you only have yourself to blame.

Problem #2: Galaxy S7 edge cannot send MMS

I also have an S7 edge and cannot send MMS messages. It was with Sprint and now with Family Mobile. EVERYTHING works except for this. I tried all of your steps and nothing fixed it. It seems this is becoming a major issue for many people and if there’s anything you guys can do, it would be greatly appreciated by many users. I have gone as far as going into service mode and changing bands. Nothing works. Something so simple is this ridiculous. So frustrating for all of the users. Pleeeeeeaaaase help!!!        — Zbuch24

Solution: Hi Zbuch24. Failing to send an MMS is an issue that can’t be caused by a bad phone setting or configuration only. It is a service provided by a wireless carrier so if you’ve already tried all our suggestions from our other posts, the problem must be somewhere else other than on your phone. As a user, the troubleshooting that you can do are limited to the basic stuff like wiping the cache partition, booting and observing in safe mode, wiping a messaging app’s cache and data, and factory reset. If these steps won’t change anything, that’s proof that the problem is on your network’s end. There’s nothing third party technicians like us can do about that. You should talk to your carrier directly so they can provide direct support, especially because you’re a paying customer.

To observe the phone to safe mode and to wipe a messaging app’s cache and data, follow these steps (steps for wiping the cache and factory reset are provided above):

How to boot to safe mode

1. Turn your Galaxy S7 off.
2. Press and hold the Power button.
3. Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
4. Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
5. Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.

How to wipe a messaging app’s cache and data

1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
2. Navigate down to “Apps”. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6.0.
3. Once in there, click on an application.
4. You’ll now see a list of stuff that gives you information about the app, including Storage, Permissions, Memory Use, and more. These are all clickable items. You’ll want to click on Storage.
5. You should now clearly see the Clear Data and Clear Cache buttons for the application.

Check other things possible causes

MMS is usually bundled with other services like SMS and voice calls. If these other services work fine, the most likely cause of the problem is incorrect MMS configuration. Work with your wireless carrier to get the correct information on how to do this. Your phone may not be set up correctly for MMS. Your phone’s MMS settings may still be that of Sprint so working with your current carrier is a must.

Problem #3: Verizon Galaxy S7 won’t work on ATT network

I got a Samsung Galaxy S7. It was supposed to be unlocked and work with ATT. It was a Verizon phone. Got it – took it to ATT to download my contacts, etc. Made a couple calls and it seemed to work. Well it worked on my home wifi. Went out of town – no internet. Went in and set the VPN with ATT settings. Seemed to work. But Verizon home screen keeps coming up. And I don’t know how to uninstall. Intermittently, the touchscreen just does not respond. I turn it off – restart it and that seems to help.

Now I get intermittent message “Not a Verizon SIM.” I saw your information to root your phone – the use a good file explorer app. I don’t know how to root it or find a good file explorer. Thank you in advance. — Tarynlyn7

Solution: Hi Tarynlyn7. Your phone is Samsung device built for Verizon. This means that its hardware and software are designed to work with Verizon systems and using the device on other networks won’t change that. That’s the reason why you cannot “uninstall” the Verizon home screen or many of the Verizon core apps. What Verizon did to your phone to make it work on ATT network was just to unlock some network settings but nothing else. Your phone continues to run the Verizon version of Android and the hardware obviously remains the same. The wifi feature should work but mobile data (cellular data) may not. The same is true with other network services like SMS, MMS, and voice calls. If you are having problems with these other services, you must work with ATT technical support so they can help you check if your phone is compatible with their system.

As far as we can remember, we have no post on how to root a Galaxy S7 and use a file explorer to fix a Verizon phone not recognizing other SIM cards. If your phone is telling you that you’ve inserted a non-Verizon SIM, that’s probably because the phone was not properly unlocked by Verizon in the first place. Any user can claim that their phone has been unlocked before selling it. Unfortunately, there’s nothing much a buyer can do about it as he/she can’t simply call Verizon to have the device unlocked.

For the intermittent touchscreen issue, the cause of the problem may be bad hardware so we recommend that you try a factory reset so you’ll see if there’s a difference after doing it.

Problem #4: Galaxy S7 won’t turn on after setting Ultra Power Saving Mode

I had Ultra Power Saving Mode on when my phone died last night. This morning after charging it all night, it looked to be in a power saving mode because the screen was black and white. There is no option to turn off UPSM and when I try to turn it on, it won’t turn on.

It seems I can use all of the apps and do what I would normally, but instead of the phone being in color, it’s in black and white (power saving mode looking). When I go to power down the phone, one of the options in the list is emergency mode and it says turned off. When I try to turn it on, it won’t go on. I’ve tried to reboot, clear the cache, etc. Could you help me? — Elizabeth

Solution: Hi Elizabeth. This issue was also observed in older devices like the Galaxy S5 and S6 as well as in some Note devices though there’s no clear pattern as to what may be causing it. The only effective way to fix this bug is to do a factory reset. Before you do that, we recommend that you try to boot the phone to other modes first and see if you can restart the phone afterwards. Here’s how:

Boot in Download Mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
4. Wait until the Download screen appears.
5. If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
6. Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
2. Press and hold the Power button.
3. Once the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
4. Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
5. Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
6. The only difference of safe mode from normal mode is that the former prevents third party apps from running. If you can boot the phone in safe mode but not in normal mode, uninstall all apps until the issue (that prevents you from booting normally) is eliminated.

Boot in Recovery mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
6. You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Problem #5: Galaxy S7 won’t charge

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 that suddenly stopped working. Its battery drains rapidly (went down 6% in a few minutes) and now no longer charges despite initially saying it was charging.

When it had enough power to start up it would say it was charging but then immediately shut down. Battery doesn’t even seem like its registering power as the phone does not get warm like typical charging.

I have put a different phone into the USB cable and it charges fine. No damage was done to the phone, being dropped or ripped out of the cord. — Kelcie

Solution: Hi Kelcie. An issue like this is almost always due to a bad battery. If your phone continues to fail to charge using other chargers, kindly send it in so Samsung can assess if it can be repaired, or if a replacement is a better option.

Problem #6: How to tell if your Galaxy S7 is fake or not

Hello. Another problem i noticed is that the phone is always indicating a 4G network on the front screen, and on the internal status it is always on Edge, and the network is always slow. I really wonder which of the indication is true.

And the phone also indicates a 1.85GB RAM on the inside. It got me suspicious of the credibility of the phone, given the fact that the standard specification of S7 is 4GB RAM. This phone has no normal traditional LED indicator  to indicate when its charging, a feature which is common with every Samsung phone. It freezes about 5 seconds frequently, and another thing is it indicates Android 6.0.1 and also 4.2.2 in the system app. I don’t know which of the Android version is really running the system. Thanks. — Michael

Solution: Hi Michael. We don’t know how you get hold of this phone but if you purchased it from an unofficial source, there’s a chance that it may be a knock-off.

Below are some of the things that you can watch out for to check if your Samsung device is authentic or not.

1. Check the packaging. Official manufacturers like Samsung put a lot of effort in making their products look amazing. A genuine Galaxy S7 packaging box looks fancy and expensive like the one in this video. There should also be an official looking Samsung plastic seal which you need cut before you can see the phone and accessories inside. If your phone is missing a packaging, it’s most likely a forgery.
2. Look out for out of place markings. This can be difficult to check if you don’t have a real Galaxy S7 to compare with. Samsung goes into the minute detail in perfecting the look of their device but not so much the makers of fake ones.
3. Screen brightness. A real Galaxy S7 has a richer, vivid screen compared to a fake on but again, un untrained eye may not be able to tell the difference unless you have a genuine product to compare it to side by side.
4. SIM card slot. A number of fake Galaxy S7 devices we encounter have wider gap where the SIM card slot is located. Because of its water-resistant design, a real Galaxy S7 make sure that the gap in the SIM card slot is tight and almost in one piece with the case.
5. Inferior specifications. You’re right. The real Galaxy S7 sports a 4GB RAM. If your phone only shows 2GB, then that’s definitely a fake.

If you think your phone is not genuine but you paid a full price for it, consider returning it to the store so you can have it replaced.

Problem #7: Galaxy S7 edge will not receive SMS

Galaxy S7 edge has been reset by Sprint and dealer. They sent a new phone replacement and still will not receive SMS, but will receive MMS. I can make calls and receive calls. I can send SMS but, can only receive reply if picture is attached to incoming text. Best Buy did master reset, replaced phone, replaced SIM card, contacted Sprint to check for blocks, has same issue with new update. Spent 2 hours with Sprint, two hours with Best Buy. — Rick

Solution: Hi Rick. Is your phone originally from Sprint or from other carriers? Keep in mind that phones from other carriers may not have all functionalities working if used in another network. A good example is the one we discuss above (issue of Tarynlyn7). If this is the case, you should continue working with your current carrier to see if there’s something that they can do to make your phone work with their system.

If your phone is an original Sprint phone and you are a Sprint subscriber, the problem must have something to do with how your account is provisioned. This problem can only be resolved by your carrier and there’s nothing technicians like us can do for you.

We are assuming of course that you’ve already done the basics like making sure that your inbox is not full, trying other messaging apps, and doing a factory reset. If you’ve already tried these three things, continue working with your carrier to get a solution.

 

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