What to do if Galaxy A7 if received text messages are out of order

Today’s troubleshooting article centers around fixing some of the common problems of the #GalaxyA7. As usual, cases mentioned in this post are taken from reports we receive from some members of our community. If you have texting or calling issues on your A7, this post may help.

Problem #1: Galaxy A7 can’t receive calls, Sounds and Vibration won’t open

Since receiving the 6/15/2018 update on my Samsung Galaxy A7, I can’t receive calls because the phone instantly reboots when I’m getting an incoming call. When I try to open Sounds and Vibrations app in settings, it closes immediately and I get the message, Settings has Stopped. I can open all of the other apps in settings except Sounds and Vibrations.  I went into my contacts and found that the ringtones were all set to default ringtone, which was Silent. A lot of the original ringtone sounds had disappeared. I had to reset each contact to a different ringtone that worked and now I can receive some calls, but I’m not sure they’re all working. I tried going into Safe Mode and nothing changed. Sounds and Vibrations app will not open in Safe Mode.  I received another update 8/2/2018 but nothing has changed. I’ve uninstalled some of the third party apps on the phone and this has not helped either. I can’t remove the battery in this phone. I tried letting the battery discharge completely a few times but that did nothing.

Solution: With Android Oreo, Samsung has ceased support for custom or non-default ringtones and notification sounds for calls and text messages. This is enforced for stock calling (Phone) app and text messaging (Samsung Messages) app. So, if you want to use third party or custom ringtones for calls and texts, we suggest that you try other apps other than the stock Phone and Messages app. For instance, you can use Android Messages app instead of Samsung Messages app for text messaging if you want to use non-default ringtones or notification sounds. There are many alternate apps for calling and text messaging in the Play Store app so it’s your call. Just make sure that you pick those from reputable companies.

Problem #2: Galaxy A7 won’t connect to network after updating to Samsung Experience 9

Samsung Galaxy A7. I recently upgraded to Samsung Experience 9 (Android 8) after which I lost all communication with my service provider/network. After checking with my service provider, I was issued a new SIM card which did not solve the problem. The sim card would work in any other phone but not mine.  I eventually did a master/factory reset but the problem persists. When I search for networks I get the message” Error while searching for networks.” When I select automatically, I get the message “Unable to connect. Try later” I hope you can help!

Solution: If your phone is carrier-branded and provided by your own network, then the problem must be caused by the new update. The new firmware from your network operator must have changed some network settings or account settings so you need to work with them to fix the problem. This is the reason why even a factory reset did not change anything at all. Make sure to let your carrier’s technical support know what you’ve done so far so they can also check other things outside of your device, such as possible provisioning issues on their end.

If your A7 was originally built for another network (for example if your phone is for Verizon but now you’re using it in AT&T network), the new update must have removed or disabled the unlock code that allows it to be used in your current network. In this case, you want to unlock the phone again. Carriers are usually the ones that unlock phones after a subscriber settles their balance (some phones may come unlocked straight out of factory) so be sure to talk to yur previous carrier for the unlock code. If you seek help from a third party to unlock the phone for you in the past, then you should have them unlock the phone again for you.

Problem #3: What to do if Galaxy A7 if received text messages are out of order

I have a Galaxy A7. Texting is working but my messages are not stacking correctly… messages are not interlocking each other, i mean i see the box for the sender… my message response should go right below, it does not it continues to stack down along with all my messages and the same happens when I received messages from people… all messages stack under without alternating… it causes me to swipe up and down to try and respond.

Solution: This issue is usually caused by incorrect system date and time. Make sure that your phone is set to use your network’s date and time so it syncs to their system properly. When a device’s date and time are set incorrectly, messages in a text messaging app will be sorted incorrectly.

To ensure that your phone’s date and time are correct:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap General management.
3. Tap Date and time.
4. Enable Automatic date and time.
5. Restart the phone and check if incoming messages are now sorted correctly. Old, previously received messages may still be sorted incorrectly though.

Problem #4: Galaxy A7 camera freezing when recording video on HDR

I update to the OREO this past weekend on ATT Galaxy A7. My camera freezes when recording video on HDR – off works. I had to reboot the phone several times when recording and all recording is lost; WIFI connections drop all the time. It connects for 5 minutes then drops, then connects when it feels like it It is only the phone, all other devices are running fine The auto time was disabled. I had to enable carrier auto time again. Battery drains about 2 times faster than before. I am not factory resetting this to install everything again and backup/restore – NO WAY! That’s just some of the things I’ve found with this update.

Solution: If the issues started after upgrading to Android Oreo, then these are the things that you can try to fix them:

• cache partition wipe
• Install app updates
• check for bad third party apps
• factory reset

Clear the cache partition

Android uses several partitions in its memory in order to work properly. One such partition is called cache partition which holds the system cache. Sometimes, this type of cache gets corrupted after an update causing all sorts of troubles. To ensure that your A7 has good system cache, follow the steps below:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Ensure all apps are up-to-date and compatible

Updating to a new Android version does not update apps automatically and that can be problematic. While many developers do their best to keep bugs in their products to a minimum all the time, there may be things that they can’t anticipate, especially when there are major changes in the software environment, like after an Android update. This can be problematic as some apps may not behave as expected causing problems with other apps or interfering with Android. To lessen the chances of this from happening, you want to make sure that all apps are updated after updating Android. Be sure to check Google Play Store app and update all apps from there.

If you install apps outside the Play Store, make sure that those apps are up-to-date. Talk to their developers if you are not sure how to do it.

Check for bad third party apps

The easiest way to check if a third party app is causing the problem is to restart the phone to safe mode. In this mode, all third party apps will be blocked, allowing only pre-installed apps to work. If camera works normally and the issues are absent on safe mode, you can bet one of the apps is to blame.

To boot to your Galaxy A7 to safe mode:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
8. Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

Wipe the phone

Factory reset is an indispensable troubleshooting step in this situation. Unless you want the issue to persist, you should consider wiping the phone and restore it to its defaults. In many instances, factory reset is enough to return everything back to normal after glitches following an update.

To factory reset your A7:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds, then ‘No command’ before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

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