What to do if Galaxy A7 keeps saying software is up-to-date and won’t install update

Welcome to another troubleshooting article. Today’s episode will answer some problems for the Galaxy A7 (#GalaxyA7). We’ve already published some A7 troubleshooting posts before so don’t forget to check them if you can’t find any help in this article.

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: What to do if Galaxy A7 is stuck in boot loop and won’t boot up

Hi. After restarting my A7 2017, it got stuck in a rebooting cycle. I cleared the cache, that did not solve the problem. I then reset it to factory settings but it is now stuck in trying to install a system update. But then a message “error” pops up. This continues until the battery runs flat. It does not respond to any button pressing! Someone with some knowledge checked it and informed me that there is a motherboard error. Can you assist?

Solution: An issue like this can be due to a software glitch or a hardware malfunction. If your A7 can’t complete the entire factory reset sequence and remains stuck in an error, the problem is most probably not fixable on your level. There’s only so much that can be done on your end and factory reset is the most that can be done. The bug is obviously not software in nature that’s why factory reset did not do anything at all. What you need to do now is to bring the phone to Samsung so they can physically examine its hardware. The least that they’ll do in this case is repair so be sure to prepare some money for repair fee.

Problem #2: What to do if Galaxy A7 keeps saying software is up-to-date and  won’t install update

My phone is samsung A7 and is unlocked. Using it it in Canada on rogers network. Issue is that every time I check see if phone is up-to-date and it says it is. However I am running version 6.0.1. I do not mind doing reset. But my contacts are not backed up to Gmail as phone for some reason does not do that either for some reason. My wife has the same phone and hers gets updated. How do I update my android version without losing all contacts and messages from phone? Thanks.

Solution: There’s a number of reasons why a phone won’t install or can’t download a system update. Let’s mention some of the common reasons below.

Carrier-specific models

If your Galaxy A7 is not originally from your current carrier, this can be the reason for the problem. Samsung builds phones for carriers so hardware and software specifications can vary even for the same model. For example, a Samsung Galaxy A7 for Rogers will have a different hardware and hardware specs from an A7 from a different carrier. This also means that each carrier has to modify vanilla Android to create their own version that promotes their own apps and services. These firmware versions are not interchangeable across many different Galaxy A7s around the world. Installing a firmware for Rogers to a non-Rogers device can brick it. To avoid this situation from happening, Samsung devices will not download and install incompatible firmware. If your A7 is not from Rogers, this is the reason why it tells you it’s up-to-date.

Not enough storage space

Another reason why updates may not be installed is the lack of storage space in a device. Make sure that you have at least 1GB of free internal storage space to be able install updates.

Updates being blocked by third party software

Some rooting software may block carrier updates. If your A7 is rooted or running a non-official Samsung firmware, that can be the reason for the problem.

Software bug

There may be a software bug we’re not aware of that’s blocking the updates. If your A7 did install carrier updates before but that has stopped now, this may be the reason. Try to wipe the phone with factory reset and see what happens. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Create a backup of your data.
  2. Turn off the device.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
  6. Press Power button to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  9. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  10. Press the Power key to restart the device.
  11. Check for system update.

How to backup contacts and messages in a Galaxy A7

Normally, installing a newer Android version won’t delete contacts and messages. If you want to make sure though by creating a backup of your contacts and messages before updating, you have a handful of options to choose from.

First, you can use Samsung Smart Switch. This app will allow you to create a copy of your phone’s software and store it in your computer. After an update, you can simply restore your backup from Smart Switch to your phone. Follow this link to know how to install Smart Switch to your computer: How to create backup from Samsung device to your computer via Smart Switch

Another option to backup your contacts and messages is by using Samsung cloud. If you are signed in to your Samsung account, you can access Samsung Cloud under Settings > Cloud and accounts > Samsung Cloud.

Lastly, you can make use of third party apps. A good way to do this is to use Google’s own apps like Contacts and Messages. If you have both, your contacts and messages will be saved in Google servers so you can simply reinstall the said apps and sign in to your Google account after a factory reset to retrieve everything.

Problem #3: Galaxy A7 file transfer to SD card error keeps popping up

Samsung Galaxy A7. My phone just upgraded to the Android 8.0.0 and I have had a few things about it that I don’t like. Perhaps there is just a setting somewhere that I am not finding, or it is going to be something I have to live with.

1)  SD Card reminder about transferring files is constantly popping up.  Sometimes it tells me that my SD Card was removed when it actually wasn’t.

2)  When I am running certain apps (I’ve noticed this on YouTube and Maps), I can close all apps (with the apps button and tapping Close), but my YouTube and Maps remains on.  I have to close them manually to make them stop running.

You can contact me by email if you need additional info. — Jason PS – On this form, S7 is not included as a device I can pick.

Solution: Both items are not normal. There may be an operating system bug that prompts them after an update. Try wiping the cache partition first to see if that will work. Here’s how:

  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 green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds 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 until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the error won’t go away, you can then try a factory reset. Be sure to back your files up before wiping the device.

  1. Create a backup of your data.
  2. Turn off the device.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
  6. Press Power button to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  9. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Problem #4: Galaxy A7 has cracked screen and won’t turn on after accidental drop

I had my phone in my pocket and it fell face down on the concrete when I was entering a car. The glass in the front cracked and the screen is black with blue light. I have done every combination of pushing buttons down and sometimes when I plug it into my PC the light is red as if it was charging and then turns green when it is fully charged. When I go to my device manager on my PC and my phone is plugged in and charging, It recognizes a Samsung device thing. I am wondering if only the LCD screen is broken or is there anything else that might be broken as well because all the repair shops charge a lot of money for a screen fix and I am not even sure if that would fix the phone.

Solution: We are not in a position to be able to tell you if the damage is isolated to the screen only. Like water damage, the shock from an accidental drop can possibly lead to multiple issues. If you’re lucky and only the screen assembly was damaged, replacing this part will fix your phone woes. However, if there are other damage to the motherboard, you should be better off getting a new phone rather than attempting to fix it.

We suggest that you let a repair shop check the phone physically so any obvious damage internally can be checked. They can also try to connect a good working screen assembly temporarily first to know if the phone will work after repair.

 


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