What to do if you’re having issues after updating Galaxy Note9 to Android P (Android 9 Pie)

As newer Galaxy devices like the Note9 receive Android 9 Pie update, it is expected that a lot of users may contact us for support for some issues. Below are the troubleshooting steps that you can try to fix whatever trouble you may encounter.

Problem: What to do if you’re having issues after updating Galaxy Note9 to Android P (Android 9 Pie)

I need some help with my Samsung Note 9.  Ever since the new update (I believe it was about 4-5 days ago)  I’m having a few really annoying issues with my phone. Overall, I’m really loving the look of everything after the update, but these are almost deal breakers. For one, every time I watch a YouTube video, the video minimizes itself to my home screen- multiple times. Too many times, to where I just give up and close the app altogether. It also does this while watching Netflix. It looks like the screen tries to turn itself into portrait mode.

The second, is when I’m using my keyboard, it closes itself repeatedly. It has done so twice since I’ve started this message. What I am noticing- is that all of these issues are related… the closing/ minimizing. Because they each happen at the same time… once every minute. Either in YouTube or Netflix with the screen, and/ or when I’m using the keyboard. Every 60 seconds it happens. I did not have ANY issues like this before the update. Just while writing this message, my keyboard has closed itself 4 times- so far. It’s beyond frustrating. Please help!

Solution: While it’s pretty exciting to experience the new features and cosmetic changes of new Android versions, it can also be a potential source of disappointments and frustrations. That’s because early versions of Android tend to be unstable and buggy. This happens despite developers doing the best they can to eliminate errors. Overtime though, Android versions become more stable as bugs are addressed with updates. At this time, these are the troubleshooting steps that you can do to try to minimize problems with your software.

Refresh the system. Making sure that you restart the device can sometimes be a simple way to fix errors. Make sure that you simulate the effects of a battery pull in order to properly clear the system. This is how it’s done:

1. Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
2. From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. You can use the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Wait for up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.

If that does not fix the issue, then go ahead and do the rest of the suggestions below.

Clear cache partition. Android uses a system cache, which is stored in the cache partition, to load apps quickly. Sometimes, this cache gets corrupted during and after an update, or for some other reasons. While this may sound harmless, a corrupted cache can eventually cause performance issues as well as a bunch of other minor annoyances. To ensure that your phone’s system cache is fresh, you can wipe the cache partition. This will force the phone to delete the current cache and replace it with a new one over time.

To wipe the cache partition on your Note9:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby 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.

Install app updates. Keeping apps updated is another good way to lessen the chances of issues after an update. Not every developer or publisher has the resources to keep products up-to-date all the time. This leaves some apps incompatible or buggy when a new Android version comes along. Be sure to check Google Play Store for updates to your apps. By default, your OS should automatically download and install apps for you but if you change this, make sure that you manually visit Google Play Store app for them.

Check for bad app. Sometimes, a bad third party app may cause a problem due to reasons mentioned above. If you recently installed an app, try to see if deleting it will fix the issues. If not, go ahead and check if there’s another one that may be to blame. To do that, you want to boot the phone to safe mode. In this mode, all third party apps will be suspended and will no longer be able to run. If the problems won’t occur while your Note9 is on safe mode, you can bet a third party app is to blame. Here’s how to run your Note9 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.

Don’t forget: safe mode blocks third party apps. If none of the problems you mention are present, then that’s an indicator of a third party app problem. All apps you added after initially setting up the phone are considered third party, even if they products of Google or Samsung. Try to factor them in in your troubleshooting.

Now, if you suspect that a third party app is to blame after doing the safe mode procedure, you should go ahead and narrow down the suspected apps. Here’s how:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your Note9 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Reset all settings. This procedure is separate from the previous one as it covers all settings of your Android device and not just the apps. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap General Management > Reset settings.
3. Tap Reset settings.
4. If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
5. Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.

Factory reset. The most that you can do in this case is to wipe the phone and return it to its factory state. Factory reset will erase your personal data such as photos, videos, contacts, documents, etc. Back them up if you don’t want to lose them after the reset.

Factory reset does not mean that the Android version on your phone will be returned to its previous version. This procedure will simply wipe the phone and revert all its settings to the factory state of Android 9 Pie. All customizations will be deleted and everything will be as if the software has just been launched. This is usually an effective way to fix software bugs after an update. Here’s how it’s done:

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.

Wait for Android 9 Pie updates. Android is constantly evolving and so bugs and fixes are normal. Newer Android versions tend to be problematic because there are many different ways a sophisticated software like Android can go bad. As an OS matures, fixes for known coding errors are released making it more stable. If nothing changes after doing all our suggestions above, consider waiting for newer updates in the coming weeks.

 

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