How to transfer files from a Galaxy S7 to Mac using Samsung Smart Switch [tutorial], other issues

Hello Android community! Today we address a question that some Android users may be having: how to move files from their #GalaxyS7 device to a Mac. Although there’s just a small fraction Galaxy owners who may want to transfer data to their Mac, we also realize that there’s no readily available literature that provides a direct answer on what needs to be done. This is why we dedicate a third of this post to providing the steps to do this procedure successfully. We also answer two other issues that some others users may encounter. We hope you’ll find our solutions helpful.

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.

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.

Problem 1: How to transfer files from a Galaxy S7 to Mac

Hi. I have a Galaxy S7 Edge with a 32GB micro SD card. The card is almost full and thus I would like to backup the contents of the card to my Mac and then transfer those back onto a new, larger micro SD card. However, when attempting to connect over USB (the cable supplied originally with the S7 Edge), the Mac is unable to connect. “Android File Transfer” tells me “Could not connect to device” and “Try reconnecting or restarting your device.”This persists after reconnection of the USB cable, and after power cycling the S7 device. I’ve also confirmed that when I pull down the ‘window shade’ on the S7, there is an update stating “Android System” and it’s set to “File Transfer.”

Note I’ve tried other settings and those aren’t working either. I’ve also tried ‘Coolmuster Android Assistant for Mac’ and that doesn’t seem to work either. Several google searches leave me still without any solution to this problem. I’m hoping you may have some insight? I would really appreciate any suggestions you might have. — Chris.Ambrozic

Solution: Hi Chris. Computers like PCs or Macs generally are equipped with a suite of USB software called drivers to allow them to recognize connections from another device like an Android smartphone. In most cases, these USB drivers are developed by the operating system manufacturers such as Microsoft for Windows-based PCs and Apple for Macs. These drivers, just like any software or operating system sometimes need updates. So, if your Mac has not been updated lately and there’s a pending update for its Mac OS, make sure to install it first before attempting to connect your S7 to it again. If your Mac already runs that latest available update at this time, you can do further troubleshooting by following the steps below.

How to use Smart Switch for to transfer files from Samsung to Mac OS

The easiest way to ensure that your Mac recognizes your Galaxy S7 is by using the Samsung Smart Switch application. It’s an official app from Samsung designed to allow you to seamlessly transfer data between your Samsung device and your computer.

Step 1: Verify if your Mac is compatible with Smart Switch application

Your Mac needs to meet some minimum requirements in order for Smart Switch app to work. Below are the minimum requirements:

• Operating System: Mac OS X® 10.6 or later.
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz or higher.
• RAM: 1GB or higher.
• Screen resolution: 1280 x 800.
• Android file transfer application installed on your computer.

Step 2: Ensure that you have Android File Transfer application installed in your Mac

You mentioned Android File Transfer application so we assume that’s it’s already installed. However, we want you to uninstall, then reinstall it just in case.

To reinstall Android File Transfer application, follow these steps:

1. After uninstalling Android File Transfer application, download the app again by following this link.
2. Open androidfiletransfer.dmg.
3. Drag Android File Transfer to Applications folder.

Step 3: Use Smart Switch to transfer files from your Samsung Galaxy S7 to Mac

If your Mac meets all the requirements above, you can then install the Smart Switch application. Once you’ve finished installing Smart Switch, follow the steps below in order to transfer your files to your Mac:

1. Connect your Galaxy S7 device to your Mac via USB cable.
2. Open Smart Switch application in your Mac.
3. If it says that your phone is locked, simply unlock the screen of your Galaxy S7.
4. Wait for Smart Switch to recognize that the phone has been unlocked. This can take a few moments.
5. Click on the name of your phone (Samsung Galaxy S7).
6. Click on the memory where your files are located.
7. A screen should open showing you the folders in the selected storage device. Choose Card to open folders in the SD card.
8. If you want to move a folder or file to your Mac, simply highlight it then drag it to the folder location you want.

Step 4: Wipe your Mac and reinstall clean Mac OS

If your Mac remains problematic and won’t allow you to install Smart Switch for some reason, or if Smart Switch won’t work as expected after installing it, consider wiping your computer and reinstalling a clean version of its operating system.

Problem 2: Galaxy S7 edge keeps freezing, stops responding when in normal mode

Hey! My Samsung S7 edge suddenly started to freeze. Once it froze, it didn’t respond to anything. Not even the “power button + volume down button” or “power button + volume up + home button.”I went to the closest technician, and they backed up my data, restored firmware and gave my phone back. Once i got home, deleted almost every app on the phone, since i thought it was somehow related to the crashing. The phone somehow still acted strange by crashing and freezing, but the “volume down + power button” did the trick. Today it froze, so i booted it in safe mode. Everything was okay for 10 minutes, but then when i decided to power it up back to normal, it restarted and froze again, unresponsibly to anything. Is there anything i can do with it? Because the local technician said that they can do another firmware restore, but since i still have the problem after it it feels unnecessary. Best regards! — Mantas Gusmantas

Solution: Hi Mantas. If the phone was working normally when it was running in safe mode, then a bad third party app is most probably to blame. Observing the phone for 10 minutes though is not long enough to allow you to confirm that. Try restarting the device again to safe mode for at least 24 hours. In this mode, only pre-installed apps should be running so if the phone runs perfectly fine throughout the observation period, you can bet a third party app is to blame.

To know which app is causing the trouble, you’ll need to use the method of elimination. Here’s how:

1. Uninstall a third party app. Remove the most recently installed app first. If you can still remember what app you install right  before the phone started to freezing up, remove that app first.
2. After you uninstall an app, check if the problem is still present by using the phone as usual for up to 10 minutes. If it works fine without the hiccup, then the newly uninstalled app is probably the one causing it.
3. If the problem returns, uninstall another third party app.
4. Repeat step number 2.
5. Do Steps 1-3 until you’ve identified the source of the bug.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 missing Software update option under Settings

So when I try to update my S7 edge it fails to update everytime. And when I go to applications in my setting and look for the software update app it isn’t there so the only way I can access it is when the notification pops up at the top and if I hold down on the notification it brings me to the disable, force stop options and the apps data but I’m not able to press force stop or disable like it said in your article so what do I do? The version it says it is is 2.0.22-0. — Kammy

Solution: Hi Kammy. It’s a bit suspicious that you can’t find the Software update option under Settings app. If this Galaxy S7 edge was provided by your carrier, make sure to contact them to ask if they intentionally removed the Software update option. In a lot carrier-provided S7s we examined, software update should still be available. It definitely is present in international versions and those models that are not locked to carriers.

If your carrier will say that software update option should be present under Settings, then something must have removed it. We’re not aware of any malware that may do such but there’s always a chance that it can happen. We don’t know enough about your phone history to be of help in giving you an accurate answer.

To be on the safe side, you can try to perform a factory reset to see if the Software update option will resurface afterwards. Here’s how to do that:

1. Create a backup of your important files such as photos, videos, etc.
2. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
3. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
5. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
6. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
7. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
8. Now highlight the option Yes — delete all user data using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
9. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
10. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

 

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