What to do if Galaxy S8 has red tint on screen issue [troubleshooting guide]

The #GalaxyS8 red tint on screen issue has been going on since this device was first released and as far as our knowledge is concerned, Samsung had already addressed it by releasing a patch. What happens is that the screen appears reddish even for no obvious reason. Some users confirm that this is not true for all S8 devices, even if they’re purchased from the same store. Apparently, the problem is not that easy to fix because there are still many S8 devices going around with this issue. In this troubleshooting guide, we give you the steps that you can do to try and fix the problem.

Do a soft reset

Android may be a complicated software platform but a lot of its minor issues are fixed by simply doing a restart. In your case, try to perform a soft reset instead to see if that can fix this issue. Here’s how:

Press and hold the volume down button and don’t release it.
Then, press and hold the power key while holding down the volume button.
Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more.

Soft reset has a similar effect to physically removing the battery so it should clear the memory s well as refresh the operating system. If that won’t fix the red tint problem though, continue with the rest of the possible solution options below.

Check display settings

A Galaxy S8 Display settings does not offer much in terms of customizations but it may be worth checking if changing options under this menu will help. There’s no specific option that you want to change here so just try to toggle or change whatever you have there. For example, you can try to change the brightness level first to see if that will make a difference or not. Then you can go ahead and see what happens if you toggle auto-brightness on and off. In a word, you want to adjust all settings under Display menu to hopefully bring the abnormal screen behavior back to its normal state.

Uninstall apps

If the screen on your S8 developed this red tint issue after installing an update or an app, it may be the reason for the current trouble. Try to delete that app from the system and see what happens. Some apps, especially those that offers ways to personalize the display or screen settings, change wallpapers and screensavers can be sources of bugs so be sure to remove them. If you’re lucky, doing so may be an effective way to fix this issue for good.

Check for bad apps

If you have plenty of apps that you install recently or if you’re just not sure if you installed an app recently, there’s another way to check — by restarting your S8 to safe mode. This option offers you a broader way to check if one added apps is problematic. In safe mode, only pre-installed apps will be allowed to run so if one of the apps that you added later is the cause of the problem, it should not occur at all.

To restart your S8 to safe mode, follow these steps:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
Check for the problem.

Don’t forget, safe mode is not a solution in itself. If the screen works normally without the red tint only when the device is on safe mode, then you can bet you have an app problem at hand. The next best thing to do now is to identify which of the apps is responsible. To do that, you need to basically do the following steps:

Step 1: Uninstall the first third party app you suspect might be causing the problem

Step 2: restart the phone back to normal mode,

Step 3: check for the problem

Step 4: repeat steps 1-3 if the problem persists.

Install pending system updates

We would like to think that the reason for your problem is a software bug so installing the right system may be the only effective way deal with the problem. The thing is, Samsung does not usually indicate if a particular system update fix certain bugs like the one you’re experiencing right now. The best thing for you to do right now is to simply install any app that comes your way. By default, your S8 should automatically download and install updates for you but if changed this setting, make sure to manually check for new updates by going under Settings > Software update.

Clear cache partition

Usually, clearing the system cache comes first in most Android troubleshooting but if the problem still persist after doing the steps above, make sure that you do it. Android users several partitions in order to store different types of data and information. This scheme is also an efficient way to compartmentalize functions and software environments. Sometimes, update or app installations may corrupt the partition that stores the system cache called cache partition. This can lead to problems so as much as possible, you want to ensure that the cache partition is cleaned regularly. Cache partition only keeps temporary files that Android need to load apps efficiently. By clearing this partition, you are, in effect forcing the device to rebuild the system cache, possibly addressing bugs that may have developed.

In order to wipe the cache partition:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
Press the Power key to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and 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.

Factory reset

Finally, if the problem is still unresolved after doing all the solution options above, you should not hesitate to return the software back to its defaults. This is often an effective solution for bugs with software-related causes. If you’re lucky and the reason for this red tint issue is due to firmware bug only, factory reset may help you.

To factory reset your S8:

Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Contact Samsung support

So far, many Android users have found out that software solutions did not help fix this red tint issue at all so that only leaves them with one possibility — hardware defect or malfunction. If nothing changed after you’ve exhausted every relevant software solution there is, there’s only one thing that you can do to fix it — repair or replacement via Samsung support. An issue like this will most likely end up with a replacement so make sure to bring the necessary documentation when you go to a Samsung store. If the phone is still under warranty, you’ll most likely end up with a free replacement.